The Misogi Guide

Here you'll find many ideas for your own Misogi.

Housekeeping

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On Monday, I covered four takeaways from the 2% x GORUCK Misogi Retreat I recently hosted in Costa Rica. (Read it here.)

Naturally, some people wanted to know the details of our Misogi.

But a key guideline of Misogi—as I explained in Monday’s post—is that you don’t advertise it.

Attention is a hell of a drug, and the internet allows us to get a lot of it and quantify it.

The allure of public attention alters why we do what we do and bends our behaviors. It changes our “why.” (For more on this topic, read Chapters 6 and 7 in Scarcity Brain).

Misogis have a different, deeper why. We do Misogis entirely for inner transformation—to get to the edge of what we’re capable of and watch that edge expand.

And this is powerful: If you don’t quit when no one is watching, you’re less likely to quit in other challenges life tosses your way.

So it’s okay to talk about the generalities of your Misogi with friends and family. But you don’t Tweet, Instagram, Facebook, or boast about the minutia of your Misogi. Stuff like times, distances, details, etc.

Yet this guideline can also present a problem.

A problem with the guideline

In short

Getting ideas for Misogis is hard because there isn’t much information about them.

The details

The quirky and unpublic nature of Misogis makes it harder for others to get ideas for their own Misogis.

For example, we run marathons because other people run them, too. Few people would randomly choose to run 26.2 miles and time themselves doing it if that distance were not a cultural “thing.”

Because people don’t advertise their Misogis, it takes work to come up with your own.

Many people have asked me to suggest exactly what they should do for their Misogi.

It’s an impossible question to answer. Remember that Rule 1 of Misogi is “Make it really hard.” And we define “really hard” by saying you should have a 50/50 shot at completing your Misogi task.

Fifty-fifty is different for everyone—my 50/50 is not yours, his, hers, or theirs. And a host of factors alter 50/50, including landscape, weather, preparation, your background, etc.

But this is also what makes Misogis so compelling. You do your own wild, incomparable thing and learn from it.

So I usually answer the question by referring the person to The Rules and guidelines and telling them to introspect.

I love the self-examination of dreaming up what weird task I may or may not be able to complete.

But I also realize that some people need more direction. We often get paralysis by analysis.

And I’d rather someone do a Misogi with a little guidance than never try because they can’t figure out what to do.

So last year, I attempted to solve this problem.

The Misogi list

In short

I asked people to submit Misogis they’d attempted anonymously. Get the full list below.

The details

I had people send me Misogis they’d done. We got hundreds of responses.

I read about endless rucks, long-distance tire flips, epic canyon hikes, wilderness excursions, snowy mountain treks, backcountry hunts, sketchy encounters with fanged creatures, and on and on.

And people did these Misogis despite life’s inevitable challenges: self-doubt, anxiety, hectic schedules, and even after overcoming dire health diagnoses like cancer.​

The 50/50 rule means your Misogi won’t be an exact copy of any of these. Use them as a jumping off point.

Below is a sampling of Misogis by theme: Quirky Misogis, Walking Misogis, Misogis that Break Psychological Barriers, Spontaneous Misogis, and Wildnerness Misogis. Use these as jumping-off points.

Below them is a link to a document listing all of the submissions. I ran this list more than a year ago and thought it would be good to put it back on everyone’s radar after Monday’s post.

Quirky Misogis

When designing your Misogi, you should make it quirky, creative, and uncommon. When you remove superficial metrics, you can accomplish far more. Here are some of the quirkier submissions I received. Let’s start with Francis, who left for his Misogi the day after he submitted this:

“...our mission for tomorrow is finding a way to the peak of a nearby ski mountain by skis … we’ll go through the backcountry from my friend’s cabin and in some parts may have to bushwack a path with a hand saw. We have no idea if there’s a clear/safe path in the forest, no idea how long this will take, and we might have to head back if some obstacles cannot be passed. We’ll be carrying some heavy gear as well.” -Francis

“I entered a Scottish Highland Games competition. I had no idea what I was doing, or what to expect (other than what I've read). I’ve seen them, but first time ever participating.” -Mike

“My Misogi is ‘move 1 tonne of weight 1 kilometer.’ No wheelbarrows or mechanical aids. Just moving the weight.” -Darren

“I hand paddled on a standup paddleboard from Catalina Island to Redondo Beach pier in California. I just kneeled on the board and paddled using my arms. It was approximately 25 miles across the open ocean.” -Jon, 49

Walking Misogis

If you’re not ready for the far-out stuff, maybe try walking first, as some of you did.

“Last year I walked 100,000 steps in one day. I gave myself 24 hours to do it. It took me 18 hours. The distance came out to about 43 miles.” -Andrew

“My misogi for this year is to walk nonstop from 8pm to 8am over Memorial Day weekend - both trails and sidewalks. It’s my first one.” -Stephen

“I hadn’t walked more than 3 miles for decades. I walked 9 and it taught me I’m still very capable, despite my age.” -Janice, 79

Misogis that Break Psychological Barriers

Misogis push boundaries in the body, mind, and spirit. But these women really leaned into the mental element.

They used Misogi to break anxiety and strengthen their social muscles. These are beautiful examples of how Misogis are so individual. The 50/50 chance of finishing is different. For some, sleeping under the stars with a bunch of strangers makes the load lighter—for others, it’s the setting of a slasher film.

“While my Misogi may seem very vanilla to most, as a stay-at-home mom with social anxiety, it was extremely out of my comfort zone and a catalyst for a lot of growth in all areas of my life. I signed up for a guided women's backpacking adventure in a place I’d never traveled to. I traveled alone and showed up without knowing anyone else in the group. I did a group High Sierra Mountain trip, and last year, I hiked the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (while terrified of heights) with a group. My next trip will be Half Dome. I do this every year now.” -Amanda

“I went on a group river rafting trip at 48. It was terrifying! But I'm glad I did it. This year, I'm going on a three-day women’s retreat and hike in Moab Utah with strangers. (The social element) is more terrifying than the river rafting for me.” -Kristina, 50

Each year, I do a reporting trip (I'm a journalist) into the Amazon rainforest with different Indigenous peoples. It's more mentally and emotionally demanding than physically for me-though physically in a different sense (not testing my strength/endurance so much as physical discomfort and disconnection from creature comforts). These have been life-changing for me in so many ways. Amazing. I did a similar trip a couple years ago. I can definitely understand the mental and emotional part. -Katie

Spontaneous Misogis

Some of you decided to wake up one day and just #GTFOutside. Which I love. The more a person trains for a Misogi, the more likely they are to shift the 50/50 odds to something they know they’ll accomplish.

“I haven't run since college (11 years now) and one day put on my shoes and ran a private 5k. IT SUCKED, at least for me, but got it done.” -Adam

“A buddy and I flew to Tanzania to summit Kilimanjaro with zero training. We used to be professional athletes, so we knew we 'could'... but wanted to test ourselves against the 7th tallest mountain in the world with our 'everyday' selves.” -Zachary

“In October, I biked across New York state alone. I didn’t train and had a very high likelihood of failing. Also: I don’t even know how to change a bike tire lol. I finished though! It was 365 miles in 6 days. One day I rode 100 miles in a day, which I had never previously done.” -Michelle, 41

Wilderness Misogis

Hiking and camping were the most common Misogi submissions. And for a good reason.

When studying the effects of big, epic outdoor challenges, scientists found that leaving your house and entering the unpredictable, intimidating outdoors can help us develop resilience and character and improve our confidence. And, of course, time in nature is good for us. Really good; re-read Chapter 12 of The Comfort Crisis for a rundown of the science.

“I’d just turned 40, and in my mid-30s had surgery to remove a carcinoid tumor and 25% of my left lung. Two years after that, I had open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve and repair an aortic aneurysm. But last July, I did a solo overnight to Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. I hadn’t done any backcountry camping in 20 years and had never camped alone or in bear country. Over two days I hiked ~25 miles, with 3,000ft of vertical climbing, all carrying about 65lbs.” -Andrew, 40

“I carried a 47-pound stone up South Sister mountain in Oregon last October. The only rule was no assistance in carrying the stone (backpack, straps, etc); I had to use my hands to carry it. The trek up South Sister is about 6 miles long with 5,000 feet of elevation gain. It was a grueling 6-hour struggle of short spurts of movement and long breaks. It was one of the most physically exhausting experiences of my life.” -Morgan, 29

“I hunted in the Hells Canyon Wilderness (the deepest canyon in North America and very rugged country). My secondary goal was to simply endure the conditions for the duration of the trip regardless of how uncomfortable they may be. I had little to no contact with anyone once I left the nearest town. In accordance with rule #2 I carried a Garmin InReach in case of emergencies and to periodically check in with my wife to let her know that I was still alive. Other than that it was just me and the mountains for 10 days.” -Matt, 33

“I hunted alone for 10 days in true backcountry with no support or friends to help. I shot a buck on my 9th day. I was 10 miles and 3,600ft of elevation change from the trailhead. It took me 3 days and 3 trips to pack out all meat and gear. When you're all alone with your thoughts, no other input of any kind, you go somewhere you can't go any other way. I'm sure you had some degree of that in Alaska.” -Benjamin

“My misogi was the Watzmann traverse. I did it in 17 hours with my brother last year. The Watzmann is the most iconic and highest mountain range in Germany at almost 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). But it's the distance that gets you: 24 kilometers (~15 miles). Once you're in the mountains there's no return—you have to complete the climb. It was the most magical experience in my life and I don't even know how I completed it in one go (most people split it in 2 or 3 days by section).” -Jessica

“My son and I chose to spend 6 days hiking between Hausach Germany and Basel Switzerland - over 120 miles on a trail through the Black Forest. We took only food that we could carry on our backs as well as minimal clothing and sleeping gear. We had to make it to the end in a finite amount of time to catch a train in Basel. We hiked up and down steep mountain trails, through pouring rain, cold windy weather. In the end we could barely move. We survived and look on this experience as type I fun! I will continue to do these kinds of things - the experiences build character.” -KC

“Me and a partner competed in the Mammoth Sniper Challenge last month. Historically half of the contestants don't make it. It involves rucking at speed, long range shooting, backpacking, and problem solving and teamwork. The challenge is a 3-day long-range shooting event, where all of your gear, including sleep system, is carried with you for the duration of the event. 16 minutes per mile is the standard, with around 10-12 miles covered per day. If you fall short of that on a movement, you are dropped from the competition.” -Bryant

Finally, if you can’t travel outdoors, here’s some inspiration:

“My Misogi was to climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest on the Jacob’s Ladder Machine in three separate sessions. It was brutal!!!! P.s. I know it’s supposed to be outdoors. But I couldn’t travel so I got creative.” -James

I hope this list gives you plenty of starting points to design your own Misogi adventure. Go forth. Do hard things.

It's sure helping me as I plan my annual spring Misogi. Even if you fail—and you should half the time if you’re doing it right—you’ll uncover new layers about yourself you didn’t know were there.

The complete list is available to the 2% community—i.e., you—here.

Get the Full Misogi List

​It contains all sorts of ideas. And even some surprising ones dealing with leaving jobs, weight loss, parenting, meditation, and more.

Have fun, don’t die.

-Michael

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