Irreverent Warriors Silkies Hike - San Antonio 2027

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. The organizer frames the hike around a symbolic 22 kilometres, covering 4 to 10 miles at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour with frequent stops, and many hikers carry a weighted ruck. This is explicitly not an athletic event: the purpose is to break isolation among veterans through humor and camaraderie, as part of the organization’s suicide prevention mission.

The San Antonio hike falls on New Year’s weekend, Saturday 2 January 2027, starting at 9:30 a.m. and finishing around 5:00 p.m., with check-in from 8:30 a.m. Although the organizer markets it as San Antonio, the start point is Mansfield Park Arena in Bandera, about 50 miles north-west in the Hill Country — this is a rural route rather than an urban one.

Silkies Hikes are for veterans, active duty, National Guard and reservists only; the organizer’s event page states that minors, civilian hikers, pets and strollers are not permitted, with documented service animals the only exception. All participants must e-sign a waiver incorporating the organization’s Code of Conduct. Registration runs on DonorDrive, closing at noon on the day of the hike; the fee is shown at checkout, and a free option is available on request from . The local coordinator is Matt Scally at .