Surviving Trumpism: He Walked Into the Snow to Die. But the Snow…Wasn’t Done With Him Yet.

If You Want to Outlive What’s Happening, Read This Twice

Surviving Trumpism: He Walked Into the Snow to Die. But the Snow…Wasn’t Done With Him Yet.

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #426

I am determined to continue bringing you stories that inspire and strengthen your mind, body, and spirit. Times like this…now…are the very times we need reminders of just how strong human beings really are.

Let me tell you a story you won’t forget.

In fact, if you're the kind of person who thinks you're prepared… who thinks you're "ready" for whatever comes next — you need to read this twice.

Because this isn’t about surviving a snowstorm.

It’s about surviving yourself.

His name was Eric LeMarque.

A world-class athlete. A man with steel in his legs and ice in his veins. Former Olympic hockey player. Tough as they come.

He went snowboarding in the backcountry of the Sierra Nevadas — alone. He had no map. No compass. No food. No radio. Just a single protein bar… and a growing addiction to crystal meth.

Yes. That’s right. He brought meth into the mountains.

Now, let me ask you something.

What kind of man brings an illegal stimulant into the high country…where one wrong turn can get you killed?

Answer: A man who doesn’t know he’s already lost.

He disappeared for 8 days.

He walked into a white world where nothing looked familiar…and nothing behaved the way it should. He ate pine needles. He drank melted snow. He hallucinated. He screamed at God. He stripped off his boots because they were full of ice. Frostbite took his toes. Then his feet.

He hiked five miles — barefoot. In snow. With skin falling off.

He nearly died ten different times.

But every time death came close…
Every time the whisper said, “Just lie down. Go to sleep. Let go…”

He did something that saved him:

He imagined his mother’s face.

That’s right. Not a rescue helicopter. Not a map. Not Bear Grylls whispering survival tips in his ear.

Just his mother’s face.

It anchored him. It brought his brain — that was swirling in cold and hunger and drug withdrawal — back into focus. Back into purpose. Back into “I want to live.”

Because that’s what is hammered home in the book, Deep Survival.

It’s not the strongest who survive.
Not the smartest.
Not the ones with gear or training or years of experience.

It’s the ones who can manage their minds in total chaos.

Who improvise.
Who adapt.
Who decide to live — even when everything inside them says it’s time to die.

You see, there’s this moment — Gonzales….the author of Deep Survival... calls it:

The breaking of the pattern.

It’s when your brain realizes the map is wrong.
That you’re no longer in control.
That if you keep doing what you’re doing…
You. Will. Die.

Most people? They don’t survive that moment.

They double down.
They get angry.
They panic.
They curl into a ball and wait for a rescue that’s never coming.

But a few… a very few…

They break the pattern — and they’re reborn in the snow.

Eric was rescued. Barely.
When the Black Hawk helicopter found him…he was half-dead.

He’d lost both feet.
He had severe frostbite…renal failure…and gangrene.
But he was alive.

Because something deeper than strength kept him alive.

He found the one reason that made death unacceptable.

Now, here’s why I’m telling you this…

We’re all wandering in the whiteout right now.

Trumpism. The collapse of norms. Threats to democracy. Political gaslighting. Media echo chambers. Courts corrupted. Agencies gutted. Rights being rewritten with a wink and a pen.

And most people? They don’t even know they’re lost.

They’re still following the old map — the one that says:

“The system works.”
“Somebody will fix it.”
“That can’t happen here.”

Let me tell you what that kind of thinking gets you:

Dead feet in a snowbank.

But you…
You’re different.

You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t already sniffing the change in the air.

You wouldn’t have read this far unless some part of you already knows that the pattern is breaking… and it’s time to adapt.

Because survival — real survival — doesn’t mean building a bunker or hoarding soup cans.

It means rewiring your brain for what’s really happening.

It means keeping your emotional center in chaos.
It means having a reason to stay in the fight when others curl up.

So here’s what I want you to remember:

You don’t survive the storm by fighting it.
You survive by reading it — and moving with it.
You survive by knowing what matters — who matters — and never losing sight of it…no matter how hard the wind blows.

That’s what Eric LeMarque did in the Sierra.

That’s what the survivors of history’s darkest chapters have always done.

And that’s what you and I…and the people in this subscriber tribe…are training to do right now.

Every article.
Every plan.
Every hard truth and every flicker of hope I put in front of you…

Is not for your entertainment.

It’s for your survival.
And your voice.
And your purpose.

So when you see the next storm —
The next lie…the next betrayal…the next democratic norm thrown into the fire…

Don’t panic.
Don’t run.
Don’t lose yourself.

Remember Eric.
And find the face you would die for.
Then live for it.

Before I go, I want to tell you a bit more about the book “Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why” by Laurence Gonzales.

It's a fascinating and widely respected exploration of what separates survivors from those who don't make it in life-and-death situations.

I read it years ago…still pick it up from time to time…and highly recommend it to friends…family…committed subscribers…like you, and anyone else I care about more than the average bear.

The book blends psychology…neuroscience…and real-world survival stories—from mountaineering accidents to plane crashes—to identify key mental and emotional traits of those who survive extreme circumstances.

Gonzales draws a distinction between people who panic…freeze…or make fatal decisions under stress, and those who adapt…stay mentally flexible…and maintain a deep sense of awareness and purpose.

Some core themes include:

• Mental Models Kill: People die because they stick to their preconceptions instead of adapting to reality.

• Humility and respect for the environment: Survivors often exhibit reverence for the natural world and don’t try to dominate it.

• Emotional regulation: Panic is a killer. Survivors manage fear and stress to stay focused.

• Pattern recognition: Survivors recognize and adapt to shifting patterns faster than others.

• Childlike playfulness and curiosity: These traits are surprisingly common in survivors and help with creative problem-solving.

• Purpose and connection: Having a reason to survive—family…duty…unfinished business—keeps people going when others give up.

It’s not just about outdoor survival either; the lessons apply to business…trauma… personal growth…and political or social chaos.

Eyes up.

We’re not done yet. Hell, we’re just getting warmed up.

-Jack

P.S. If this kind of raw, clear-eyed survival thinking hits you where it matters—if you’re tired of the noise and want strategies that actually prepare you for what’s coming—then consider becoming a paid subscriber.

I reserve my sharpest insights…most actionable guidance…and battle-tested mindset work for those inside the circle. Why? It’s simple. Paid subscribers are the engine. They make this possible. They allow me to keep speading the message of grit, determination…and a steel like resolve. This is more than content. It’s armor.