Thursday, June 27, 2013

Training


There are so many things that might prevent you from reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. I am (hopefully) mentally prepared to deal with things outside my control like weather, injuries or other potential possibilities that could make me miss my goal. What I absolutely do not want is to fall short because I lacked preparation.  At 90 days prior to departure, I kicked it into gear and started a training program.

I have never liked sports much so my regular activities are usually just biking, swimming and hiking.  I don't frequent the gym either so I was afraid it would be difficult to get in shape.   I reside in a seven story condo in an end unit.  I figured hiking the stairs from the roof to the ground would be a good start. In typical American fashion the builder put the stairs at the end of the building, so when I want to workout all I have to do is walk out the front door and I am 3 feet from the stairs!

I started slow, doing 2 full ascents with about 15 pounds in my backpack.  It was tough at first. But quickly enough, I worked up to 5 ascents every other day.  On the off days, I would do calisthenics and weight training.  About 60 days before departure I wanted to try a practice hike.  I had to go to Portland on business so we flew up early on Sunday and hiked up to Devils Rest.  The trail was about 7 miles long with 2300 feet of vertical ascent.  The guys I went with were younger than me and I slowed them down slightly during the ascent.  It was a gorgeous hike though and I made it reasonably well.  Here is a picture of me at a waterfall along the way.



When I returned to Naples, I kicked it up a notch.  I was unhappy that I had slowed down the hike in Portland.  I added weight to the backpack and increased the ascents eventually achieving 25 pounds and 10 ascents each day. It felt great to know I could do 10 ascents at my age.  Over Memorial Day weekend we flew to Santa Fe to get in a practice hike at altitude.  I planned to go to Santa Fe Baldy at about 12,200 feet.  I had gotten a trail map from the ranger station the day before.  Trish and I had also taken a few short hikes to acclimatize during the preceding days, I was ready for the solo hike.  However I made a rookie mistake on this hike.


I left at 6:00am to ensure I had a full day and could take my time.  When I arrived at the trail head, dawn was breaking and it was 39 degrees Fahrenheit.  I followed the trail and quickly shed layers as the day warmed and I was working up body heat.  When I came to the first fork, the trails were not marked.  I looked at the map and it said I was to take the first fork to the right, so I did.  The trail was supposed to be moderate to difficult.  As I hiked, once again I thought I had not trained hard enough.  I was really working to make it up this hill.  After a couple of hours of hard hiking, I encountered beautiful vistas and some very friendly chipmunks. 

At the top, I lost the trail.  I backtracked a few times and just could not seem to pick it up past the summit.  Eventually, not wanting to be lost in the wilderness alone, I reluctantly turned back and took the trail down where I had come up.  When I arrived back at the fork, there were other hikers present. I asked about where I had lost the trail, they said I had taken the trail to Raven's Ridge which was not on the map.  One of the hikers commented that the trail is too strenuous for most locals and she avoids it.  I tried to continue on for a while, but I had overdone it at high altitude and eventually turned back.  My hike totaled about 6 hours that day and I had made it to about 12000 feet.  I experienced some mild altitude symptoms like fatigue and a headache, so I took a nap when I got back to the hotel.  I think it was good training.

My daughter and parents came to town for the month of June, so we moved into a condo in a 12 story building.  I thought I would start the stair climbing training at 4 or 5 ascents.  Boy was I wrong.  I had no idea how much rest you get going down.  I made it two full ascents the first try.  It was really tough but I was doing it.  I was so happy the day I realized I had climbed over 1000 steps that morning.  I eventually worked up to 5 ascents which equalled 1136 steps with 25 pounds each day.  I am in the best shape physically that I have been in 20 or more years.  I feel better then I did at age 35.

I think I am ready physically and mentally.  Preparing also consists of acquiring the proper gear, but I save that for the next post.

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