Feeling Better Today!

Well, I took another unscheduled rest day yesterday. I wasn't feeling real chipper in the morning, but felt better as the day progressed. I still figured I was better off resting one more day, so I wrote off yesterday's four miles. And today, I think I'm going to pass on intervals and just put in an easy six miles. Keep it easy and aerobic.

On the Whitney front, the group I'm part of (6 of us) is meeting this morning for breakfast. That means it's official! This morning we'll lay out things like gear and training to help make sure we all make it to the top. It's not a difficult climb as mountains go, but elevation makes it challenging. The top is a lofty 14,496 feet (highest point in the Continental U.S.), and the first night's camp is up over 12,000 feet. At that elevation, there is actually 40% less oxygen than at sea level. Everything operates a little slower and with a little more effort. Water boils at 190 degrees, which means food is lukewarm and partially cooked. Resting heart rates will be around 90 to 100 bpm. Sleep patterns will be interrupted. Bottom line is if you are not ready this kind of stuff, being at this elevation can lead to a pretty miserable two or three days. Place on top of that being not being familiar with your gear or being ill equipped and it can be enough to chase you out of them thar hills! So over the summer, we will be doing a lot of hiking at as high an altitude as we can get, backpacking, and trying out our gear. I used to love this stuff when I was in my 20's and I can't wait to get back up into the high country!

By the way - a group of people I know were up there last weekend:



Need I say more?