Victory Lap: Beginning the End Game
June 4, 2025: 391 Days Remaining
The countdown clock is off, we originally were planning on arriving in Trout Lake on 1 July 2026 but thanks to a skillbridge program we will be able to move up as soon as Zach graduates from High School the last week of May 2026 so we really only have 355 days or so left which is officially under a year. That means that the victory lap year has begun. Every time I run a long distance on a track I don’t count the last lap as a difficult lap because I know it’s the final time around and that each step I take during that time is the last time I have to take that step during that race. Today is June 4th and it’s the last June 4th that I’ll ever be in the military so now I’m officially on my victory lap.
The victory lap doesn’t mean you slow down, if anything you accelerate and celebrate! Dad’s house is finished and on the market, we are going to do a trip up north next month with a bunch of our stuff that we don’t need down here like the black trailer, some tools, and maybe even an econoline 150 van that Newby wants to give us. We will do another trip this fall to stack firewood and prepare for the last winter then I begin out-processing in January for an eventual final out appointment sometime in March. April and May will be spent down here enjoying the local area, but as soon as Zach is graduated we’re driving north!
So what do we do with this victory lap aside from outprocessing and preparing for the transition? Well we hone the most important tool of homesteading of all… ourselves. The stress of not living where we belong, having an office job the last few years, and not being able to spread our wings in the wilderness has unfortunately contributed to Tealah and I both getting pretty far out of shape. Yes, we’re getting older, but now is the time to lose some fat, gain some muscle, and most importantly increase our cardio capability so we can be effective during those long homestead days. Fat loss increases mobility, muscle prevents injury, and cardio lets you get more work done each day. While life up there will be one of fitness naturally it would be unhealthy to go into this in the worst shape of my life. So here’s what we are going to do: spend the next 355 days working out, eating better, and honing ourselves as we hone our equipment.
Overall, I’m tired, it’s the end of the race, but I’m excited. Each step is the last step towards the next phase in life and each day is a day that I will not have to spend away from home. Yes, I still have a job to do in the meantime, but it’ll be easy to knock it out of the park knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer a pinprick but an actual exit. The military has given us an incredible life from jumping out of airplanes, doing operations in eastern Europe, giving us consistent income/healthcare/stability, and enabling us 20 years to grow up and stabilizer our lives in preparation for the next chapter. I am thankful for everything the military has provided so don’t take my excitement for the future as an insult to my service. In many ways the life I’m about to live at 38 years old would not be possible without SERE, CSAR, PR, OPE, BPC, and many other weapon systems that I enjoyed being a part of. I will always treasure my experiences and appreciate the man that they help me to become. However, many veterans define themselves by their service while I do not. I don’t think it’s healthy to let your service become your identity. Even if you serve 30 years it is only a phase in your life and if you can’t move past it you’ll be stuck forever missing the glory days. I intend to live four or five lifetimes, my first twenty years as a child, my next twenty as a SERE Specialist, my third twenty as a homesteader, my fourth twenty as a philanthropist, and my last twenty as a sage. Throughout all of these of course you take care of the family, help those around you, and be the rock of stability in a chaotic life. Afterall, I truly believe that strong people try to lift others up while weak people try to keep others down. Now it’s time to stop typing and hit today’s workout with gusto! Hopefully, in the next entry I will be able to excitedly rant about how much better shape we are in and how (since it will be December) we just got confirmation that I can separate in March. By the time I write that next entry retirement will be closer than the entry I am writing now, the game of half lives has begun! Here’s to the victory lap! Onward!
-A fat but motivated Travis!
