So here is the deal....fellow HF member and friend Wandern'Fool sent me the link to the The Backpacker Tough Guy Challenge more than likely as a dare and taunt.
My first reaction was "Nahhhh" but I read the criteria and figured I have tons of trips on video so why not grab some clips and send one in.
Believe me....I never enter anything!!!!

Here is the criteria for submission by July 15, 2011....only hours left.
Winner Selection. All entries will be judged by Backpacker Magazine based on the following criteria: 1) Physical endurance; 2) Navigation skills; 3) Survival skills; and 4) Strength in a 5-minute video filmed in the backcountry.

The Backpacker Tough Guy Challenge
You’ve read the story. You’ve finished the training program. Now, it’s time to enter the contest. In other words: Hey, tough guys and gals, it’s go time!

What’s at stake: a Mt. Rainier climb with International Mountain Guides and an array of Outdoor Research apparel. What you need to do: Show you are tougher than the rest by creating a video (no more than five minutes long) to prove it.

Some intentionally vague guidelines: The toughest backpackers should be able to do things like start a fire with one match, ascend thousands of feet of trail and mountainside in a day, treat common first aid mishaps, and find their way out of trouble with a map and compass. Of course, we each bring something unique to the table too. Create a video demonstrating your backcountry badassery and upload to YouTube. Send us the link by July 15th, 2011 ([email protected]), and our editors will choose one winner, two second place finishers, and five third place finishers (see complete details in Rules).
First Prize is a guided Mt. Rainier climb and some gear. 2nd are Third are a piece of gear or two.

Here is my video....maybe not so "Tough Guy" but in a way I meet the criteria I think. Sorta. Kinda.
Well I am in a hammock in -26º....that is either Tough or Psychotic.
Nothing new here just some re-hashed video of past trips.....-26º night, crossing Linville River, Wolf Meeting, Storms with Hickery, bloody bushwack, more storms with Hickery, fire in snow, pulk pulling, cold hammock morning chatter, and my version of first aid in the form of a backwoods netti pot.
Wonder if they will see hammocks as a legit form of backwoods adventure?
All secure in sector seven,
Shug