Sunday, January 28, 2007

Training...the importance of dogfood

Mt. Washington is two weeks away and I am a flabby tub of goo.

Yesterday, I attempted physical fitness shock therapy by taking myself on a 10 mile hike while carrying a forty pound pack. As I prepped for my hike, I put on all the layers the EMS guides recommended and then, with movement restricted like a toddler in a snow suit, realized that I had to find forty pounds of household stuff to stick in the pack. After finding that carrying my Craftsman socket wrench set was a wee bit uncomfortable, I noticed our dog Abby staring at me as the Bergelene undies started to make me sweat like crazy. Abby gave me the idea that will result in my either gettting to the top of Mt Washington or eaten by ravenous dogs. To make the forty pound weight, I filled my pack with dry dog food.

As I walked around the Waterfall Glen Forest Perserve toting my duck and potato poundage, I could swear that I was being followed by a salivating mix of deer, stray dogs and the odd coyote. It made the hike kind of spooky as the sun went down.

I survived though and felt accomplished as I completed the circuit and climbed into the warm minivan awaiting me. Today however, I am walking around like an 80-year-old in need of a hip replacement.

Next time I am going to train with a pack filled with 40 pounds of Ibuprofen.

Onward and upward...

2 comments:

Burt Rosen said...

is this a team effort or what? Well, off to go flying

Anonymous said...

Hi Mark!

Loved the description of your training.

Congratulations on reaching the peak!

Best,

Marcella

Climbing Mt. Baker

Slideshow of Mt Washington Climb

Recording about the Mt. Washington and New Hampshire Trip - 2/11/07

6 Minutes of Video of the Mt Washington Climb 2-11-07

This is long but will give you a feeling for the climb on Sunday.