Page 9 - Montana Freemason Magazine November 2013

Montana Freemason November 2013 Volume 89 Number 5

Later, after the final obstacle (Electroshock Therapy) -- much later -- our Drill Instructor, Ron Martin, posted
this on our Scottish Rite Tough Mudder group on Facebook: “All members showed up, so they were immediate
winners. Subsequently, all members completed the course and we had no serious injuries, even though there was
some blood, falls, and the affects of a massive steep climb up to 8,600’. Congratulations to Daniel Gardiner, Rob
McGill, Alessandro Gagliardi, and Ron Martin II! Thanks for everyone’s support on this event!”

The goal of the event is completion. Stress on teamwork is evident everywhere. There are many obstacles not
pictured (such as the one where we carried logs uphill). We thankfully saw few injuries (at least one broken arm),
but more alarming was the overwhelming number of contestants taken off the mountain due to hypothermia and
stress. We witnessed cases of shock requiring medical attention. In this, we had our DI, Ron, to thank, for setting
our pace, keeping us motivated, and making sure we got back down the mountain together.

A short video with interviews of the participants should be arriving soon online via our sponsor, the Scottish
Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, who also took footage during the event, and more information will be found in their
magazine, the Scottish Rite Journal.

For myself, I have a lot of good memories of the event as a whole. Stan, from the House of the Temple (the
headquarters of the Scottish Rite, SJ) and Bros. Dusty Deryck and Hal Barker were there to support us, as well as
Val, the Marine “mom” of our Team. But crucially for me was the sense of camaraderie on the day: it felt good to be
there with my Brothers. I like the history of Freemasonry, discussing ethics and philosophy. Researching the ritual,
and discussing the symbolism are things I can’t get enough of. As much as I love dressing up in Masonic regalia
“inside the lodge,” it felt great to be “outside of
the Lodge” in the community as Masons.

The diverse crowd arrived in matching outfits
- some quite outlandish. We had a Scottish Rite
logo with the word “Freemasons” in it on the
back of our shirts, and a Square and Compass on
the front. One of the event staff, about my age,
approached me and struck up a conversation by
the Eletroshock obstacle upon seeing my shirt: it
turned out he was a Scottish Rite Mason out of
Sacramento.

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