Veteran Suicide Awareness Ruck Hike

Join us in bringing awareness to the plight of those who have served our country!

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide rates among veterans is 1.5 times great than the non-veteran population, resulting in about 6,000 deaths per year. This means that veterans suicides account for 13.5% of all suicides in the United States despite veterans only being 7.9% of the population of the US. We at Brazos Bend are hoping to shed some light on this critical issue by inviting you to come and walk a mile (or three) in a veteran's shoes!

We are hosting the Veterans Suicide Awareness Ruck at Brazos Bend State Park to bring awareness to this tragedy and make more obvious the options that veterans struggling with mental health have available to them. Veteran-owned businesses, vendors, and organizations will be in attendance, helping us to inform and educate while attendees partake in fun activities, events, and giveaways.

The hike will begin at the Elm Lake Pavilion and will go along Elm Lake Loop, down Spillway Trail, around 40 Acre Lake Trail, and back to the Elm Lake Pavilion for a total hiking distance of 3.5 miles. There will be waystations along the trail where hikers will have the opportunity to relax and cool off, to learn about the variety of ecosystems within the park, get hands-on education about the park's native animals, and much more.

Participants may attend the Veteran Suicide Awareness Ruck at any time between 8AM to 12 noon and its free to attend! Everyone visiting the park during the event will not be charged an entry fee and attendees can register for the event upon arrival. So come out and join us as we learn together and walk to support our veterans.

What you should bring:

• water bottle
• weather appropriate clothing 
• hat
• close-toed shoes
• insect repellent
• sunscreen