Irreverent Warriors is a veterans’ nonprofit that runs Silkies Hikes — group ruck-style hikes held in dozens of US cities, named for the short military-issue PT shorts participants wear. A hike covers 4 to 10 miles at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour with frequent stops, and many hikers carry a weighted ruck. The organizer is explicit that this is not an athletic event: the purpose is to break isolation among veterans through humor and camaraderie, as part of its suicide prevention mission.
The Connecticut hike is held on Saturday 17 October 2026, starting at 9:00 a.m. and finishing around 6:00 p.m. — at nine hours, the longest standard hike window on the calendar. Check-in runs from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
One thing to know before planning around this one: the organizer has not published a venue, street address or even a city for the start point. The chapter’s coordinator works out of Norwich, so that is the likely area, but it is not stated on the event page. Contact the coordinator to confirm the start location before travelling. Silkies Hikes are for veterans, active duty, National Guard and reservists only; minors, civilian hikers, pets and strollers are not permitted, with documented service animals the only exception, and all participants must e-sign a waiver incorporating the Code of Conduct. Registration runs on DonorDrive, closing at noon on the day; the fee is shown at checkout, and a free promo code can be requested from . The local coordinator is Eric Schessl at .
Irreverent Warriors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes Silkies Hikes — group ruck-style hikes held in dozens of US cities. A Silkies Hike is a non-competitive group walk, published by the organizer as covering between 4 and 10 miles at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour with frequent stops, framed around a symbolic 22-kilometer figure. Participants wear military-issue silkies, the short nylon PT shorts the organization is named for, typically with boots, and many carry a weighted ruck. Wearing them in public is deliberately conspicuous: the humor and visibility are the point, and the stated purpose is to break isolation among veterans through camaraderie as part of the organization’s suicide prevention mission. Hikes are for veterans, active duty, National Guard and reservists; the organizer’s event pages state that minors, civilian hikers, pets and strollers are not permitted on the hike itself, though civilians are welcome to volunteer, sponsor, donate or meet participants at route stops. All participants must e-sign a waiver incorporating the organization’s Code of Conduct. Registration runs on DonorDrive, and any hiker who cannot afford the fee can request a free promo code from the organizer.
