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.
This is the only night hike on the organization’s calendar. It is held on Saturday 3 April 2027, starting at 7:00 p.m. from the Pentagon North Parking Lot C in Arlington, Virginia, and finishing at 11:45 p.m. Check-in runs from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The organizer markets it as Washington DC, but the start point is across the river in Arlington.
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 and, unusually for this series, stays open until 10:00 p.m. on the night rather than closing at noon; the fee is shown at checkout, and a free promo code can be requested from . The local coordinator is Kim Pond 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.
