BOSS, going home to nature (know more, carry less)

[This post was originally published on the Third Act Maryland website, with the title, "Know More, Carry Less," under its "News" section. This is the first post I've added to this blog that doesn't have a direct connection to running. But, obviously, it's "BOSSian" (!), so I've also added it to the ongoing table of contents in BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, an evolving view.]

“Know more, carry less” is the guiding philosophy of the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) in Boulder, Utah (not Colorado), ”rooted in the belief that the wilderness is a powerful teacher, and survival is a means to uncovering one's true potential, developing resilience, and reconnecting with a more natural way of being.”

Recently, I completed a BOSS 28-Day Field Expedition course, the “ultimate BOSS challenge,” with a lineage going back to the original wilderness courses offered by Brigham Young University in the late 1960s. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, and it was unforgettably life changing. I learned a lot from the three superb instructors, as well as from the other seven students. And, I had a ton of fun! “Carry less” means I only carried the essentials: a blanket, poncho, and knife; but no tent, sleeping bag, backpack, light, lighter, or other modern equipment, except cameras. No toilet paper, either.

For 28 days, we replicated as much as possible the way of life of the Ancestral Pueblo peoples who had lived in the Four Corners region (heyday between 750 and 1300 CE). We learned many skills, such as lighting a fire with a bow drill, but, more importantly, we learned to live as part of nature, with our days bracketed by the rising and setting of the sun. We were totally disconnected and unplugged from the modern world and, instead, were intimately connected to the natural world.

Beyond the personal reasons for, and benefits from, taking a BOSS course, there is also a societal benefit from what BOSS does. Modern society’s disconnection from nature is a key underlying cause of the world’s most pressing problems, including the climate crisis. Part of the BOSS mission is to help people reconnect with nature—to reclaim their birthright. In the BOSS way of life, nature is home; going out to nature is akin to going home, rather than going to visit it as a resource. As BOSS teaches, “survival is about understanding and living with nature, not against it.”

BOSS courses range across the iconic Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests, from the depths of desert canyons to the heights of alpine meadows, some of which are above 10,000 ft. in elevation. Majestic, extraordinary, breathtaking scenery abounds. 

Sadly, the Trump administration has recently opened up the Grand Staircase-Escalante and nearby Bears Ears National Monuments to mining, though the threats to both are being challenged in federal court.

Shortly after I returned home from BOSS, still feeling overwhelmed in transitioning back to the front country, came the sad news of the deaths of two wonderfully perceptive observers of and writers about nature: Annie Dillard and Wendell Berry. Both were “BOSSian.” Both had long written about the importance of paying attention, which is an underlying tenet of what BOSS teaches and what students experience. 

Dillard, who recorded her meditations on nature in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, famously wrote, "The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there." Berry, who wrote the landmark book on our disconnection from nature, The Unsettling of America, also famously wrote, in The Unforeseen Wilderness, "The world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children." 

Thus, BOSS students learn not just to “leave no trace,” but also to “leave a positive impact.” BOSS teaches and emphasizes reciprocity, respect, and gratitude for what nature provides, including natural material for this debris shelter.

We arrived at the BOSS course as strangers. We left after 28 days as a close-knit tribe or family.

With the average age of a BOSS student around 33-35, it may be true that a Third Actor in a BOSS course is playing in a young people’s playground. But, it is also true that age is, literally, just a number; and, even at the age of a Third Actor, it is still mostly a matter of training!

BOSS, going home to nature (poop with a view)

 A view that’s far better than that from a “modern” bathroom.

I recently completed a Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) 28-Day Field Expedition course in southern Utah. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and it was unforgettably life changing. Still feeling overwhelmed and rather jarring transitioning back to the front country. Kind of surreal. And, absolutely exhilarated! The physical effects (e.g., losing more than 10% of my pre-course weight) are just temporary, of course. The changes I see out of my eyes and mind’s eye, though, will be more permanent.

There’s so much to reflect on and so much to write about, including my BOSS-specific training leading up to the course. However, such experiences, aside from being unique to the person, cannot really be faithfully conveyed. They have to be lived and savored in person. So, I’ll just describe what I’d experienced as accurately as possible. The reader will have to get whatever they get out of it.

What to write about first? I think it should be, as in the title of this piece, “poop with a view.” Why? The answer relates to a recurring question during the 28-Day course, for me and for the other students: Why am I here? Indeed, why am I paying to be here? 😆 Everyone has their personal reasons. For me, the key one is to reconnect with nature, the importance of which is more than personal. The disconnect of modern society from nature is the underlying cause of the world’s most pressing problems, including the existential one of the climate crisis. As Henry Beston, in the forward to the 1949 edition of his book, The Outermost House, lyrically wrote, “Nature is a part of our humanity, and without some awareness and experience of that divine mystery man ceases to be man. When the Pleiades and the wind in the grass are no longer a part of the human spirit, a part of very flesh and bone, man becomes, as it were, a kind of cosmic outlaw, having neither the completeness and integrity of the animal nor the birthright of a true humanity.” (I’d rephrase, however, his first sentence to “Our humanity is a part of nature” and I’d not differentiate so distinctly between animal and humanity.) So, reconnecting with nature is a universal need; being part of nature is a birthright. Though perhaps not something that comes to mind for most people as part of “divine mystery,” poop with a view--a basic human biologic need carried out in its original setting—I’d argue is actually a fitting archetype of a birthright.

For BOSS, nature is home--going out to nature is akin to going home. “Modern” society, however, typically takes something natural and corrupts it to a cultural “norm.” Which begs the question, what is “normal”? For example, related to the current subject, squatting is actually a natural human position, for resting and functioning (in general, not just to poop). In East Asian cultures, squatting is often used. In the West, however, not so much; most adults can’t keep their heels flat on the ground when squatting, because of cultural habits (e.g., sitting too much). So, what does one do with a cultural “norm”—sitting on a toilet--that’s not natural? Well, add a “modern” adaptation to the toilet (e.g., toilet stool that elevates the knees above the pelvis). Back to nature, so to speak. 😆

For “modern” society, going out to nature is more like going to visit it, i.e., going to use it as a resource, in this case, a resource to be enjoyed and appreciated, not exploited or extracted. But, still, nature is regarded as a resource, a relationship betrayed by nomenclature, e.g., the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Also revealing is the word “Conservation.” For whom? Nature certainly doesn’t need humans to conserve it. Or preserve it or save it. Nature will be fine, no matter what we humans do—it has time. We don’t. But, nature is on our side, if we reclaim our birthright.

Now, before enjoying the view, to properly poop ("number 2") in the wilderness, one has to prepare so as to leave no trace or, better, as taught by BOSS, leave a positive impact. There are many sources to consult for the proper way to dig and use a "cathole" (e.g., Appalachian Trail Conservancy, National Park Service, REI). Even a book, How to Shit in the Woods. And this Guardian background article on the overall poop problem in the wilderness.

What BOSS teaches about wilderness hygiene is generally similar, with a few important differences: (1) 300 instead of 200 ft. from water sources, established campsites, and trails; (2) natural wipes instead of toilet paper (type depends on location and preference); (3) water bottle and biodegradable soap instead of hand sanitizer; and (4) digging stick instead of trowel. Then, afterward, stir back into the cathole the dug-up soil to increase the surface area exposed to soil bacteria, and restore the site to as-before such that one would be comfortable sitting directly on it. And, finally, flagging the site as used with some kind of marker is a courtesy to others. Depending on the specific situation, options include pre-digging catholes and trenching for multiple uses. Appreciating the view while pooping is a good time to reflect on reciprocity, respect, and gratitude for what nature has provided.

Cathole for #2 in the wilderness (6-8 in. deep; 4-6 in. wide). #2 kit includes digging stick and leather gloves, water bottle and biodegradable soap, bandana (not shown), and conifer needle "wipes" (direction matters!). In this “Solo” phase of the course, I was entirely by myself for several days, so pre-digging and trenching for double use were possible options. 

Cathole used once and "flushed." Future second use of trench marked by the two sticks.

Second use of trench cathole "flushed" and site restored to as-before and marked with two crossing sticks.

What about environmental impact? Let’s go down the rabbit hole just a bit on catholes. How does the carbon footprint of poop in a cathole compare with that of poop in a toilet? Here’s Google Gemini's overview:

The avoided carbon footprint per flush is not a lot, compared with that of other personal actions, e.g., those in this “Carbon Tracker” app (prototype). But, every individual action matters. That’s where it begins. If we then take the integral of all the individual actions to the limit, we get collective action--what Leah Stokes calls “The Carbon Wave,” the title of her new book. The “Carbon Tracker” app, which is an ongoing project I’m involved in with some former NASA colleagues, aims to provide the individual taking an action with an immediate account of the avoided carbon footprint of that action. The app prototype will be included in a Kickstarter campaign page currently being drafted. (If you’re interested in this project, drop a comment with your contact information. We’ll get back to you when the campaign page is up. Thanks!) Assuming catholes are used correctly, the main caveat, of course, is that their use doesn’t scale, thus, the need for waste treatment facilities. But, the need for the latter is a consequence of the density of “modern” society.

This is a running blog, or at least it began purely as such. Over the years, however, I’ve broadened the topics that I cover on this platform. But, always, there is a tie-in to running. Sometimes, I’d had to think hard to come up with a connection. This time, the connection is actually pretty straightforward. In a race, when you need to go and do a #2 on a course, the obvious lesson from reconnecting with nature is, squat, don’t sit, on the porta potty. Of course, it won’t be poop with a view, but it will be faster and save you many seconds in getting back on the course (!) 😊

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, trust the training

Yesterday, I did the last workout of my 12-week hiking training program, a one-mile walk on an inclined treadmill (10% at 2.5 mph). Over the course of this program, I did countless (it seemed!) elevation workouts with a backpack, i.e., inclined treadmill, stair stepper, step-ups, and stairs; and hikes totaling almost 90 miles, with backpack weights up to 35 lbs. Total elevation gained was over 60,000 ft. I also did some limited running (10-15 miles per week) in support.

(Just an aside and apropos nothing much: I watched/listened to the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor (performed by Hilary Hahn) for the first 36+ minutes of every inclined treadmill workout. Because it’s one of my favorite concertos; and because the third movement's beat is exactly the same as my pace at 2.5 mph.)

One of the best actions I took last year, after I had to leave the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) 28-Day course early, was to engage a hiking coach. I’d already decided to take this course again this year, and I wanted to be as best prepared as I possibly could. I’ve been really fortunate to have found a terrific coach (Marcus Shapiro) with whom I’ve learned so much about hiking and how to train for it—not the same as for running (!)--and with whom I’ve been training for the past 10 months (base training before the 12-week program and parallel training for two marathons last October and this April).

So, I do feel good and positive going into the 28-Day course this year. Still, there is some anxiety, with doubts surfacing now and then. To allay these doubts, I have to remind myself to trust the training (and the coach!)—and, that I've done my homework.

When the course starts this weekend, I’ll have achieved my first milestone--getting there healthy. Well, not quite 100% healthy. About halfway through the 12-week program, while bouldering, I injured my left shoulder. A fairly minor injury but one that has been stubbornly slow to recover completely. In hindsight, of course, I should have prioritized the BOSS training and stayed off the wall. Anyway, I modified the training somewhat over the last few weeks by decreasing the intensity (backpack weight). Physical therapy also was quite helpful.

There are two other milestones. One is to complete day 1 of the first 7-day expedition in good enough condition to go on to day 2. It was at this point last year when I had to leave the course early. The other is to complete this first 7-day expedition, which would be about midway through the course. If I do that, I feel pretty confident that I can finish the rest of the course.

Will I reach these milestones? I’ll find out! BOSS courses are minimal (“Know more, carry less”), with no modern equipment of any kind (except for cameras), trying to replicate as much as possible the way of life of the Ancestral Puebloans who had lived in the Four Corners region. No headphones either (though I never run with one). But, in my head will be that Sibelius concerto beat to keep me going.

And, when doubts arise, I’ll make sure to remind myself to trust the training--and to enjoy and have fun!

30-40 miles, another update

30-40, 35-40, somewhere between 30 and 40 miles for a 7-day moving average is, for me, the threshold beyond which running becomes, once again, familiar and easy. All the body parts seem to become readjusted to each other and to smoothly fit together. There are two data points so far, one from a layoff due to an injury shortly before a marathon in 2018 and the other from the two-year hiatus in racing due to COVID-19 (2020-21).

Now, there is a third data point, though not, so far, of the change in body response to running after exceeding 30-40 miles per week, but of the body response to very little running. Currently, I’m in the last week of a 12-week Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)-specific hiking training program for the upcoming 28-Day course. During these weeks, I’ve also been running, but in support of the BOSS training. Running volume has been much lower, around 10-15 miles a week, compared with my usual marathon training volume of 40-60 miles a week.

At 10-15 miles a week, a 4-6-mile easy run no longer feels entirely “easy.” It doesn't feel exactly hard, but it's definitely not effortless. This is despite the fact that, physically, I’m probably as fit as when I’m in marathon training. Here’s a summary of my 12-week BOSS training:

There are two main groups of workouts: (1) Elevation workouts (inclined treadmill, stair stepper, step-ups, and stairs) and (2) road and trail hikes totaling almost 90 miles. All workouts were done with a backpack (modern and blanket) of increasing weights, with total elevation gain of more than 60,000 ft.

But, after three months of basically no real running, the specific parts of the body used for running have basically been out on vacation. That is because the use of muscles etc. is different between running and hiking. The human body is fascinatingly smart! So quickly does it adapt to training for specific needs.

As a result, after this BOSS course, it’ll take a while to get back above that threshold of familiarity and ease and back to running shape, before I can target the next marathon. But, on the positive side, this is yet another indication that, yes, it’s still mostly a matter of training!

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, second thoughts – an update

I wrote in a previous post that I had second thoughts about my decision to leave last year’s Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) 28-Day course early (due to some leg muscle issues)--that I hadn’t really left everything out on the course. I noted what leaving everything out on the course looks like, which was Jasmin Paris in Barkley’24, and that rewatching the documentary of her run each time is a shot of inspiration. (Intrigued by BOSS? Here are more reflections from past courses.)

Now, there are two other sources of inspiration.

The more recent one is Rachel Entrekin’s outright win in Cocodona 250 back in May. Her record winning time of 56:09:48 is more than 2.5 hours faster than the previous course record. She had previously won Cocodona (women) in 2024 and set the women’s course record in 2025. During her entire run this year, she slept for a total of 19 minutes. But, as she said during her post-race interview, “I can sleep when I’m dead.” In another interview a few weeks later, Entrekin mentioned the mantras she’d used during the race, including "Why not you? Why not now? Why not try?"

The other inspiration is Bob Becker who in 2025 became the oldest person (80-year-old) to finish the Badwater 135, with a time of 45:00:06, well under the 48-hour time limit (45-hour starting this year). Badwater 2022 was Becker’s first attempt to set the oldest person record. He finished but missed the 48-hour time limit by just over 17 minutes in an absolutely incredible way. Because of his age, Becker’s inspiration is (just a bit) more relatable to me. In one of the post-race interviews, he said that he doesn’t think of himself as of any particular age. Which is exactly how I think—or, rather, not think—about age. For him, “if others can do it, so can I,” while being realistic regarding types of course and finishing time limits. Why not him to be the oldest person to finish Badwater.

Of course, I can’t rely just on inspiration. All endurance efforts are mostly mental, but that’s assuming one has done the homework for the physical part before the effort begins. For this year’s BOSS 28-Day course, I’m on schedule to finish my homework before arriving at Boulder (Utah). Working with a hiking coach, I’ve been training very differently from what I’d done last year, in volume, intensity, and variety of workouts. The following is a snapshot of my training.

This time, the training is BOSS-specific. I still ran, but the running was in support of the BOSS training. I did hikes with a modern-day pack for strength building (up to 35 lbs. and six miles). I also did hikes with a “blanket pack” and “versa cloth” day carrier, with a combined weight of ~30 lbs., for specificity training.

“Know more, carry less” is the BOSS motto. Shown are all the gear I had for a previous BOSS 14-Day course I took, before packing [left] and after packing [right]. During the day, the blanket becomes the “backpack.” The white “versa” cloth becomes a carrier containing stuff that likely will be needed during the day.

There is one other consideration: Though age is really just a number—and, it is still mostly a matter of (correct) training--the body does become more “brittle” with age, and recovery is slower after injuries. So, while it’s true that, as Lisa Smith Batchen (Becker’s coach) said, “you can be younger by tomorrow if you do the work,” with less than three weeks to go before the start of the course, I’m prioritizing getting to BOSS healthy.

Once the course begins, there surely will be low points mentally. When they happen, I’ll have what Paris, Entrekin, and Becker have accomplished in my mind to help with not just finishing but also to help with having a good time. As Entrekin said, “I want to make sure that I like who I am, when things are tough.” Which is true whether in sports or in life.

Once the course begins, I’ll have the mantras, "Why not you? Why not now? Why not try?" And, I’ll also have, “no second thoughts.”

The sub-12 project

No, that’s not a typo. I do mean “sub-12,” not “sub-2.” Sub-2, of course, is far better known, especially from Nike’s Breaking2 project in 2017 and other parallel projects (see Beyond the limits).

But, I am talking about sub-12, i.e., sub-12 minutes for 1.5 miles. The Cooper test is a physical fitness test that measures a person's cardiovascular endurance and can be correlated with VO₂ max (maximum rate of oxygen consumption attainable during physical exertion). The test is performed by running as far as possible in 12 minutes. Practically, though, an alternative, easier-to-administer version of the Cooper test is more often used: fix the distance, e.g., 1.5 miles, and measure the time. So, instead of 12 minutes, how far; it’s 1.5 miles, how long. The latter version of the Cooper test is an application requirement of Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) courses.

The following chart shows my Cooper test results (time in brackets, pace in parentheses) for the BOSS courses I’ve taken so far and the one coming up in August (28-Day Field Expedition, FE). My first course (7-Day FE) was in 2015. I was still working back then. COVID arrived in 2020. So, it wasn’t until 2023 that I was able to take my second course. In those eight years, I slowed down quite a bit (~15 sec/yr). Since 2023, though, the slowing down has been 5-7 sec/yr. I’m not sure why the difference. But, more interesting is the question: Is it aging or is it training?

Here’s a table of Cooper test standards for different age groups.

For my age group (55+, though I’m quite a number of years above that!), “excellent” is > 2,400 m in 12 minutes (3.33 m/sec or ~8 min/mi). 1.5 miles is ~2,414 m. So, if I could run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes or less, I’d be in the “excellent” group. My most recent time of 13:55 for 1.5 miles is ~2.89 m/sec), which is at the lower end of “above average.”

So, the question is: Could I still run 3.33 m/sec? It seems like I should be able to. 😁 My COROS 2 GPS watch prediction for 5K is 8:09 min/mi. In all these years of training for races, I’ve been training mostly for marathons and not for shorter races. So, if I do train for shorter races, could I run faster?

Thus, the sub-12 project! My 12-week training for the BOSS 28-Day FE starts in early May. Working with a hiking coach, I’ve already been base training since last November. Focus is on elevation and hiking with a pack of increasing weight. Training will still include running. But, instead of my usual between-race running schedule, I’ll take a 10-week 5K plan that I have and incorporate parts of it into the 12-week BOSS training, and add a couple of progress-check 5K races.

Will my sub-12 effort contribute to a successful completion of the 28-Day FE, a kind of reverse of BOSS, the ultimate cross-training? And, will it still be a matter of training and not of aging? TBD!

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, second thoughts

 In my post-BOSS 28-Day course reflections last year, I wrote that, though I was second-guessing my decision to leave the course early (due to some leg muscle issues), I felt pretty comfortable that mine was not a case of Tim Noakes’ second- and lower-placed finishers accepting “their respective finishing positions and no longer choose to challenge for a higher finish."

But, I think, deep down, there was always a vague sense of unease that I’d accepted not finishing, that I didn’t choose to challenge myself to finish. This sense of unease has only become clearer over time.

Shortly after I returned home from Boulder, I called up my friend and fellow multi-course BOSS student, Kris, to talk things out and to get her perspective. During our conversation, I mentioned that I’d found a really good online hiking coach and that I’ll be working with him in preparing for my next try for the 28-Day course (coming up in August!). Because, as I’d previously found out--the hard way (!)--training for running and training for hiking are very different.

I also mentioned Jasmin Paris' incredible finish at the 2024 Barkley Marathons (~100M) and that I was nowhere close to what she must have felt, collapsing at the finish line, when I left the 28-Day course. Check out her facial expression in the photo at the finish--that's "leaving everything on the course"! (For more info, see 1, 2.) Even in Pocono 2016, where I “ran without regret” and qualified for Boston for the first time, I definitely didn’t cross the finish line with that expression—not even close. 🤣

From The Guardian, Hallucinations and no sleep: Jasmin Paris on her historic ultramarathon, 3/25/24; cropped from photograph by Jacob Zocherman.

I've watched the full documentary, The Finisher, many times already. Inspirational every time. I expect I’ll watch it a few more times before heading out to Boulder again in August. Wherever I finish the course this time—hopefully back at BOSS after 28 days (!)--I want to leave everything out there and not bring any second thoughts home.