Recruits and drill instructors of Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, begin the resupply hike during the Crucible at Edson Range, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 28. The Crucible is 54-hour training exercise where recruits are pushed to their limits. They hike more than 40 miles, stopping at stations to read award citations from past Marines and also conducting team exercises while experiencing food and sleep deprivation. The hike was approximately six kilometers and recruits carried ammunition cans to simulate a combat environment. One of the objectives of the hike was to rehearse noise discipline and practice maneuverability through darkness. Today, all male recruits recruited from recruiting stations west of the Mississippi are trained at MCRD San Diego. The depot is responsible for training approximately 16,000 recruits annually. Golf Company is scheduled to graduate May 8.