PHOTOS COURTESY IRREVERENT WARRIORS

When Patricia Stuecklen got out of the Navy, she had trouble transitioning to civilian life.

“I felt alone and missed the camaraderie of being in the military,” she says. 

Last year, her brother (also a Navy veteran) told her about the Irreverent Warriors Silkie Hike, and she was hooked from the first mile.

The fourth annual hike, set for Saturday, May 18, at Acrisure Stadium, is an opportunity for all veterans and military service members to walk anywhere from 8 to 14 miles, some carrying heavy packs, some in wheelchairs, wearing only their combat boots and “Silkies,” traditional military physical training shorts.

The mission of the nonprofit Irreverent Warriors, which has numerous chapters across the United States, is to bring veterans together using humor and camaraderie to improve mental health and prevent veteran suicide. “Irreverent Warriors has stood up to fit an unmet demand by introducing its members and participants to a life-saving network of support through their events and community,” they said in a press release.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there were an average of 16.8 veteran suicides per day in 2020. 

“IW Silkies Hike gives me the motivation to be able to be around other veterans of all generations that share the same bond to support each other and to remind us all that we are not alone,” Stuecklen says. “Cheer and honk if you pass our hikers on our route through Pittsburgh.”

Registration and check-in begin at 8 a.m. at Acrisure Stadium near Gate B. Step-off is at 9 a.m. The group will stop at multiple locations throughout the hike, including Sly Fox Brewing Company Downtown and Mike’s Beer Bar on the North Shore, for food, drinks and camaraderie. To register, click here.