Cabar Feidh

Patrol Team: Ex Stealthy Cougar
Stealthy Cougar: An
ambitious patrolling competition
to include river crossings, partisan
linkups, challenging terrain, and
an active enemy force seeking to
prevent the reconnaissance of our
objective. Teams from across 39
Brigade ascended to the vicinity of
Hope in order to test their mettle,
Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
included.
Two weeks notice was given
to muster, equip and train our team.
Two Wednesday nights and one
weekend we conducted our work
up.
We arrived at the CP
late Saturday night. Our section
commander MCpl Zimmerman
received his orders. Battle
procedure had begun. We spent
the night preparing for the patrol.
MCpl Zimmerman performed his
combat analysis and wrote his
orders. Our nav team, composed of
Cpl Isabescu and Cpl Paley plotted
our routes. Orders were issued,
kit was inspected and rehearsals
conducted. We stepped off at first
light.
To start, our going was easy.
The route had us proceeding along
a black track for several kilometres.
The ground slowly turned to thick
brush. We still made good time.
The first leg was to take us only
the first half of the first day. The
ground would soon determine
otherwise. As we gained elevation,
we encountered the snow. Crusty,
old snow who’s surface was
weakened by the sun. Heavily laden
as we were, each step saw us knee
Left to right: Pte Chernoff, Pte Andrews,
MCpl Di Fine, and Pte Carvalho
deep in the substance. Any ground
not covered by the snow was even
more impassible; the sun thawed
the snow and ground, turning into
into a muddy and marshy morass.
It was at this point we began
to overtake some of the patrols
that had left earlier. The sun was
beginning to wane and these same
patrols began, one at a time, to go to
ground. We pressed on through the
mud and snow. As we progressed
up the lines of elevation the ground
became more permissive to our
movement. Marshy bog gave way to
wooded grove. It was at this point
we received over the means the
direction to go to ground from the
CP. No further forward movement
was authorized until daybreak on
account of the terrain.
Morning. Breakfast was had,
rucks donned and we stepped off
once more. As we moved forward,
we encountered other patrols
moving in the opposite direction.
They tell us the way is impassible.
They have decided to return the
way they came. We pressed on.
There we found the talus
field. Affectionately termed “the
rock garden” Here the going was
slow. At the worst of it we traveled
a few hundred metres an hour.
This was the “impassible” feature
that the other patrols spoke of. In
the end we did safely make our
way past this feature, reaching the
first rendezvous where the end-ex
was called. It was late Sunday and
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