I recently had the pleasure of taking part in a multi patrol exercise hosted by Tumbler Ridge Patrol. Being one of three patrols in the Peace River region of BC this is not the first time I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Rangers from Tumbler. This time around also saw the participation of Vanderhoof and Pouce Coupe Patrols as well as my own, Hudson’s hope.
Taking place in the Sukunka River Valley the exercise Tumbler Ridge had put together was to have Rangers practice communications skills while testing the effectiveness of the TK190 radios.
The opening day of the ex was a hot one with temps well into the 30’s. After base camp was set up a local recce was completed. The result of which had some Rangers cooling their heels and more in the river. This was followed later by a couple of quick lessons by WO Tony Fozzard on the affect terrain can have on navigating by compass and an eye opening demonstration on establishing Arcs of observation when manning an OP.
The next day we divided into pairs and obtained grid coordinates from Ranger Shae of Tumbler, the exercise commander. We mounted our ATVs and set out to perform a Comms Exercise with the recently acquired TK 190s. This was the first opportunity I had to use these radios in the field. The hilly twisting terrain provided ample opportunity for practice as we were frequently relaying messages back and forth between base and those Rangers farther out. The mobile exercise involved each team progressing several Kms at a time. Each phase had the lead team advance with the following pair taking up the position of the pair before it. I am not a regular radio user and found the operation quite useful.
In the PM we headed off again to explore the Beautiful Sekunka Valley. While the scenery was fantastic the road was hot and dusty and while we tried to keep a two minute spacing between teams we all ate more than our share of dirt, as the fine dust, without any wind, hung in the air like an RSM’s dirty look. Apart from the dust and one quickly repaired flat tire, the recce was uneventful. We had just returned when the skies were ripped apart with lightening, and rain and hail beat the earth. It definitely cooled the air and settled the dust problem. It didn’t, however, prevent those TR Rangers from cooking up enough delicious stew to feed all present and then some. No one goes hungry on an Ex with Tumbler Ridge.
The Next morning, after letting it dry as much as possible, we organized and packed our gear and departed for our respective homes. Thanks TR and those other Rangers for a very enjoyable weekend.
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