Adventure can occur right around the corner or in far off, distant lands. This site exists to share my enthusiasm for adventure using vivid stories and amusing anecdotes. I hope it inspires your own desire to explore the world around you… Select a DESTINATION and begin your ADVENTURE!!
Getting down to the last couple of hikes before the big trek begins, with our departure date in just over two weeks. Today’s hike was an 11 miler with about half of it following either the Staunton River or the Rapidan River. After all these hikes, it was nice to have a sunny, no wind day with temps in the high 40’s. With the cool water beckoning and my feet needing a little love, I decided to treat myself to a foot soak. The water was very cold, but it really did feel good.
An important, but not pleasant to think about, part of the trip planning is preparing for the possibility of experiencing any number of potential ailments ranging from a mild headache and Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), to something much more serious like High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE). Other potential health issues, particularly when living with rudimentary sanitation and basic personal hygiene for two weeks, are stomach issues and nausea.
Ok… have I painted a graphic enough picture? Clearly we hope to avoid all, or at least the most serious of these health issues. In the event any of us do encounter a health issue, we have all visited our doctors to get prescribed a range of medications… in essence we are all walking pharmacies!
Another precaution we are required to have is evacuation insurance. In the event of a serious illness or injury, this insurance will guarantee immediate evacuation by helicopter to a medical facility and ultimate return to the U.S.
Ron provides the following status report on his rigorous training regime… He’s been able to workout for 2 hrs on all but one day of the cruise, earning quite the onboard reputation as he continues to train for Everest Base Camp, while fighting the cruise bulge. One lady even addressed him as “the mountain climber.” Ugh…
Here is a nice description of the other great things that he and Donna are experiencing…
Today we finished our 5th and final port in Chile, and we only visited the southern two thirds of the country – boy is Chile long! In the process, we’ve sailed from the glaciers, mountains and lakes of the Patagonian region in the south to the southern edge of the arid desert region in the north. According to NASA, this is the driest desert on earth and most closely approximates the Mars surface.
Tomorrow we begin two days at sea, which provides a chance to catch up on laundry, watch a movie or two, and enjoy the on-ship entertainment … so far, all has been excellent.
Following our days at sea, we head to three ports in Peru (including two days in Lima) and two ports in Ecuador before sailing to Costa Rica, our only stop in Central America.
Still having a GREAT Time!!!
First a definition… A “burst transmission” is a temporary high-speed data transmission used to facilitate data transfer at maximum throughput. Why is this important?… because Deb just sent an update that covers an entire month of preps by her and Alan. So, here’s the update:
Feb 11: Alan and Deb hiked 8.5 miles in 7 inches of snow on their trusted golf course. It was some hard trekking through the snow that day, but a few discoveries were made along the way… their hiking boots are truly water proof and if you put hot water in your bladder and drink often that helps it not to freeze. It was 13 degrees that day and they trekked with 20 pound packs, while the local children were doing what normal people do in the snow, sledding down the hills. I am sure we looked funny to them.
Feb 17: Alan, Deb and some friends went to the Chicago Auto Show, so that weekend they did no long walk, except walking and looking at amazing cars. (Note: This does not count as training!)
Feb 24: Hiked 10.5 miles on the golf course, the equivalent of walking 40 holes of golf. Temps were nicer, a balmy 32 degs.
Mar 3: Alan hiked 13.5 miles and Deb went 8.5 mile on the golf course. Deb decided to end early because she developed a blister on her heel. Alan conducted a quick field triage and recommended she should stop the hike before it got worse. It turned out to be a fairly large blister so Deb will let it heal before the next long hike. (Note to Deb: Wear wool liner socks under your normal socks, and protect the blistered area with mole skin)
On top of the hikes, Alan and Deb are remaining committed to their weekday gym routine.
And finally a direct quote from Deb:
Hope this is enough training for the trek. If not I will just have to ride the Yak…
Karen and Don both went hiking this weekend, albeit separated by 3000 miles (Karen in Oregon and Don in Virginia)… So, we get to do a little compare and contrast:
Anyhow, both continue to train hard for the upcoming Everest Base Camp adventure… less that one month until we depart for Nepal!
Finally, if you’re interested in some short videos here are a couple of clips from Don’s hike:
Ron and Donna are traveling in South America, ten days into the 5 week cruise. Ron reports that he is countering the “Cruise Ship Bulge” by working out in the ship’s Fitness Center and climbing the ship’s many stairways. He is also making a name for himself on some of the more adventurous shore excursions as “that crazy gringo with the weights in his pack!”
Although he seems to be making a valiant effort to remain “trek ready,” we all know that Ron loves chocolate, cookies and snacks, and there is an endless supply of each on ship – but I am confident his Army discipline will keep him focused.
Of note, the first two countries they visited were Argentina and Chile. This home to the famed Patagonia Region brings some of the best trekking and hiking on earth. Even more impressive, Ron continues to load his pack with 25 lbs of dead weight (a couple barbells from the ship’s gym).
True to his nature, Ron has gotten the ship’s staff bend to his will… He reports that the ship’s security has confiscated the weights each time he re-boards (maybe they think the weights could be used as a weapon). But, according to Donna, they must have finally given in since she overheard security saying:
That’s the crazy guy who carries weights around the ship and on shore. Oh, him again… just let him go!
Progress!… Anyway, we’re all hoping that his fitness routine serves him well to combat the Bulge and be ready for EBC.
Today was a solo hike… my normal hiking partners, Ron and John are otherwise engaged. Ron has taken a different tact in his preparation. He and his wife are on a cruise around South America, so I’ll definitely be interested in hearing how he is adapting his training regime while partaking in 5-course gourmet meals! John is training for a 1/2 marathon, so he got enough exercise during a 9 mile run.
So… I am left to hike alone. Today’s hike was the 9 mile Buck Ridge/Mary’s Rock/Buck Hollow loop in Shenandoah National Park. The day was perfect, mid-30’s with light snow on the trail. The Buck Ridge portion of this trail features a 600+ section of log stairs that ascend 400 ft over 0.3 miles. It is a good test of my fitness from all the stair-climber training.
With the fresh snow, I was able to see a number of animal tracks, including rabbit, bobcat and even a large disturbed area where a bear rolled around on the ground. Since the winter is pretty short and mild, the bears are beginning to get active. Luckily, I didn’t encounter one on my solo hike!
If you’re bored, here are some video links:
Karen continues to keep the bar high for her training. This weekend she went back to one of her frequent hikes (Stukel Mt.) and decided to hike the entire 13.5 mile out & back trail… a distance in excess of a half marathon! Here is her description of the hike…
Hike up to top of Stukel yesterday. About 13.5 miles. A few steep areas, but pretty gradual, easy hike… beautiful day for hiking.
In addition to the regular hikes, a lot of time is spent in the gym to prepare for the upcoming trek. One of my favorite exercises, and I believe most effective, is the stair climber. It’s a great workout to strengthen the large leg muscles and it definitely gives me an edge when climbing during our weekend hikes.
Karen continues to take advantage of the close proximity of a number of hills (aka “mountains” if you live in VA or IA like the rest of us). This past weekend she and her husband, Larry hiked to the top of Stukel Mt, ascending about 2,000 ft and topping out at an old fire lookout at the top (6,545 ft). As a point of reference for what we are all preparing for, the altitude of Everest Base Camp (EBC) is 17,600 ft!
Based on the pictures the weather looked a bit windy and blustery, but these hikes are becoming routine. Clearly she is ready for the big excursion. Looks like she got to test out a new jacket and gloves due to the cooler weather…
Destination: Adventure 