All Picture at the bottom
Over the last 3 and half months I have hiked over 141 miles and climbed over 35,000 feet in elevation. I have ventured to many places throughout the United States. The Delaware Water Gap -
New Jersey, many state parks in Eastern Pennsylvania, Yosemite National Park - California, The Rocky Mountains - Colorado, Old Rag Mountain - Shenandoah National Park - Virginia, and today Canyon Ranch - Tucson, Arizona. This is all for my training to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in Eastern Africa come February.
It has been two years since I have made the Trek out to visit Chephart Yosh, I am looking forward to the visit. Margarite will be meeting me as she too feels the need for some additional training. While I am sure we will get some nice hikes in. We also plan to get in a lot of strength training. Though the highlight of the visit, as always is spending time
with Chephart Yosh.
Some of the classes we plan to take are: Buff Your Booty, Abs Express, to name a couple. There is a class I am hoping to attend, on the Human Metabolism, given by the famous physiologist and good friend Mike Siemens.
Flying from the East Coast to Tucson is not an easy feat, no direct flights. I chose a flight that had a connection through Dallas. This is the first time I am using my free flying strategy on a connecting flight. As usual I picked an empty flight. The only snafu, a snow storm the day before the flight. This snow storm caused a lot of flight cancelations. My flight was fine, but all the flights to Dallas the day before had been canceled. The people on the canceled flights were rebooked on my flight. I was sure I would be caught with my
fake boarding pass. To play it safe I got to the airport early and boarded early.
Five minutes before the flight was to take off, all was good. The flight was packed, I do not think there was an empty seat left, the flight attendants were franticly getting everybody seated for an on time departure.
All of a sudden I saw one last passenger get on the plane. I was in row 8 seat A, the window. I normal do not like window seats, but I thought the harder I make it for the flight attendants to get me off the plane, the better for me.
As the passenger walked up the aisle I tried to avoid eye contact. Unfortunately this passenger made it impossible, he was staring me down. As I looked up I was stuck, I could not turn away. Rather
gruffly he said," I think you are in my seat!". Rather then answer, I just showed him my artfully created boarding pass. This boarding pass, boldly displayed the logo proving I was an American Airlines Million Mile Member. It is amazing what logos you can find on the internet.
The flight attendant saw there was an issue. Trying to resolve the issue as quick as possible, she took both boarding passes and went forward with the stray passenger. Let's call him Harry. As they walked forward I heard Harry explaining he was on standby for this flight, his scheduled flight the day before had been canceled. He went on to explain / complain he had slept in the airport and really needed to get home to see his family.
I sat there nervously, not knowing who would return, the police, TSA, maybe even the FBI. Ten minutes went by, we now missed our on departure time, I could hear a bit of a commotion up front. Apparently Harry got belligerent with the flight attendant before she had time to check the computer. The pilot heard what was going on and had security eject Harry from the flight.
My boarding pass was returned to me with an apology from the flight attendant. She mentioned that a million miler should not have to deal with situations like this. Crisis adverted!
I made it to Tucson, This was the fifth flight using my free flying strategy, I am not sure how far I should push my luck. Margarite met me at the airport, where we were both picked up by Chephart Yosh.
Day One Canyon Ranch -
We meet the hiking guide at 7:00 AM for our 45 minute drive to the King Canyon Trail Head. Today we would be doing an 8 mile hike on a steep trail breaking for lunch at Wasson Peak, then looping back for the return. The weather was perfect 50 degrees and dry. We had nice elevation gain with a total of 2,250 feet. The pace was fast. Somehow we got put into the competitive hiking group. The desert scenery in Tucson is so different than the East Coast and Colorado. We saw every type of cactus imaginable. Coming to Tucson is a great way to break up what can sometimes be monotonous hiking / training.
We returned from our hike at 1:30 PM just in time for some muscle toning classes. Our first class was Muscle Max. Muscle Max is pretty much what you would think, 45 minutes of maxing out your muscles. What a great workout after a strenuous 8 mile hike.
We are not done yet, next class Buff Your Booty - again just what you might think, 45 minutes of glut muscle exercises. Yep, I was the only male in the class. And I am glad I went. When hiking inclines,
you uses your gluts. I am sure I will be happy, I went to this class, as I summit Kilimanjaro.
It was now 4:00 PM, I was starting to run out of gas. We decided to take it easy and for our last class we took Stretch and Relax. I think I might have falling asleep toward the end of class.
Chephart Yosh had arrange for Alan Sudweeks to join us for Dinner. You may have heard of Alan Sudweeks he is a famous Mountaineer, who has summited all the major peaks in the world including Kilimanjaro several times. Alan Sudweeks was a wealth of knowledge and really helped boost our confidence.
What a great day, the only disappointment was we were not able to attend the class on Human Metabolism, given by the famous Exercise Physiologist and friend, Mike Siemens
Day Two Canyon Ranch -
There are no challenging hikes today. How can we abuse, I mean strengthen our bodies? Classes, lots of classes.
First up, Killer Thrills and Drills, this class is as much a strength trading class as a class in coordination, which I clearly was lacking. What a great class, box jumps, ladder runs, plus much more.
Next, Extreme Core Work Out - yep, just what you might think, we worked every muscle that connects to the spinal column, from the shoulders down to the legs. It was extreme!
Time for class number three, TRX Advanced, Rodney taught this class and took no mercy on us. He
could careless that we had already completed two classes. The only way I made it through class was thinking, lunch is next, lunch is next, lunch is next...
Finally Lunch - Lunch and Learn - this is a class that does not involve working out, the chef demonstrates healthy ways of cooking. The best part; at the end of class you get to eat what the chef made. We had barbecue chicken, green beans, over corn bread. Excellent lunch, and a great way to recharge for the afternoon.
Next, Boxing Class - we did about 20 minutes of boxing calisthenics, which included three rounds of three minutes of jumping rope. After the calisthenics, we beat on the heavy bag for a half hour. My
arms felt as heavy as lead, I was official cooked.
I was done, off to the showers I went, hot tub, cold tub, steam room, and shower. Next stop BED!
Day Three Canyon Ranch -
We chose to hike Blackett's Trail which is a short but sweet hike. Only 6 miles in length (3 miles each way) with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain / loss each way. Another fast hike, great for our training.
We had lunch when on our returned to Canyon Ranch, then off for a quick swim. I had an appointment at 3:00 PM with Mike Siemens. Mike Siemens is a friend and Director of Exercise Physiology at Canyon Ranch. Since I missed his class on Sunday I thought I would impose on our
friendship and get a private class.
The reason for the appointment is to make sure I am in perfect physical shape for our climb. Yes, I am taking this hike seriously. Mike gave me a complete exam. The outcome, not good. I have a body fat percentage of 21%, good would be 15%, optimal 10%.
Now what do I do? Without getting into a lot of detail, Mike feels I will be fine for the hike, but he would like to see me lose 7 to 10 lbs of body fat over the next 3-4 months. How do I do this?
Increase my calories from protein, while decreasing my calories from fat and carbohydrates. Run a deficit of 500 calories a day. Increase the weight (greater than 100lbs) I squat and do 3-4 sets of 10 -12 reps several times a week. Increase my lean muscle mass by 5 lbs, with a focus on my shoulders. Get blood test as a bench mark for certain traits. Check back in 3-4 months.
All this talk about diet, made me hungry and it was getting close to dinner time. Alan Sudweeks joined us again. It is always a pleasure dining with Alan Sudweeks, his experiences are just phenomenal.
Day 4 Canyon Ranch -
Today we will be departing. Our flight is delayed about an hour. I had not thought of this scenario when devising my free flight strategy. If this was a direct flight, a delay would be a positive thing as delayed flight typically are less crowded, and no one notices an extra passenger. With a connecting flight this is an issue. I now only had 5 minutes to make my connecting flight. Sure there was another
flight 3 hours later, but what do I do? Go up to the gate agent and say, "Can I change this fake boarding pass in for a real one on the next flight". I do not think so.
I landed in Dallas with just 5 minutes to make my connection. If you have ever been to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport you know it was designed when gas was 33 cents a gallon and airport security was unheard of. Great design back then, today not so good. There was no way I could make it from gate A 10 to gate C 31 in 20 minutes let alone 5.
The next flight that would work for me was in three hours. Guess what, the Dallas Forth Worth Airport had free wireless. Using my iPad I took a picture of my current / no longer any good / fake boarding pass. Using a free Photoshop app I change the picture to reflect the flight in 3 hours, looking on the airlines website for open seating.
Done - the new boarding pass looks perfect. Now how do I print it out. I guess I can just show my iPad screen, but I was not familiar with the correct format and did not want to take a chance. I saw a kid, not more than 5 years old, playing with some kind of electronic tablet with a printer attached. He would drawing on the tablet and then print out the picture for his folks.
I could see the wifi for the printer, so I hopped on and when he was not printing I hit print, and printed my newly created boarding pass.
As the boarding pass printed the child look very confused. I walked over with a similar confused look and said, "Oh, there is my boarding pass." I got a very strange look from the parent, I just grabbed my pass and walked off. Crisis adverted, again!
The flight was flawless and the price was perfect.
Next I am heading back to Colorado for additional altitude conditioning. With just three weeks before I leave for Africa my training is starting to taper.
Cheers,
DUG
Pictures
Over the last 3 and half months I have hiked over 141 miles and climbed over 35,000 feet in elevation. I have ventured to many places throughout the United States. The Delaware Water Gap - New Jersey, many state parks in Eastern Pennsylvania, Yosemite National Park - California, The Rocky Mountains - Colorado, Old Rag Mountain - Shenandoah National Park - Virginia, and today Canyon Ranch - Tucson, Arizona. This is all for my training to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in Eastern Africa come February.
It has been two years since I have made the Trek out to visit Chephart Yosh, I am looking forward to the visit. Margarite will be meeting me as she too feels the need for some additional training. While I am sure we will get some nice hikes in. We also plan to get in a lot of strength training. Though the highlight of the visit, as always is spending time
Some of the classes we plan to take are: Buff Your Booty, Abs Express, to name a couple. There is a class I am hoping to attend, on the Human Metabolism, given by the famous physiologist and good friend Mike Siemens.
Flying from the East Coast to Tucson is not an easy feat, no direct flights. I chose a flight that had a connection through Dallas. This is the first time I am using my free flying strategy on a connecting flight. As usual I picked an empty flight. The only snafu, a snow storm the day before the flight. This snow storm caused a lot of flight cancelations. My flight was fine, but all the flights to Dallas the day before had been canceled. The people on the canceled flights were rebooked on my flight. I was sure I would be caught with my
Five minutes before the flight was to take off, all was good. The flight was packed, I do not think there was an empty seat left, the flight attendants were franticly getting everybody seated for an on time departure.
All of a sudden I saw one last passenger get on the plane. I was in row 8 seat A, the window. I normal do not like window seats, but I thought the harder I make it for the flight attendants to get me off the plane, the better for me.
As the passenger walked up the aisle I tried to avoid eye contact. Unfortunately this passenger made it impossible, he was staring me down. As I looked up I was stuck, I could not turn away. Rather
The flight attendant saw there was an issue. Trying to resolve the issue as quick as possible, she took both boarding passes and went forward with the stray passenger. Let's call him Harry. As they walked forward I heard Harry explaining he was on standby for this flight, his scheduled flight the day before had been canceled. He went on to explain / complain he had slept in the airport and really needed to get home to see his family.
I sat there nervously, not knowing who would return, the police, TSA, maybe even the FBI. Ten minutes went by, we now missed our on departure time, I could hear a bit of a commotion up front. Apparently Harry got belligerent with the flight attendant before she had time to check the computer. The pilot heard what was going on and had security eject Harry from the flight.
My boarding pass was returned to me with an apology from the flight attendant. She mentioned that a million miler should not have to deal with situations like this. Crisis adverted!
I made it to Tucson, This was the fifth flight using my free flying strategy, I am not sure how far I should push my luck. Margarite met me at the airport, where we were both picked up by Chephart Yosh.
Day One Canyon Ranch -
We returned from our hike at 1:30 PM just in time for some muscle toning classes. Our first class was Muscle Max. Muscle Max is pretty much what you would think, 45 minutes of maxing out your muscles. What a great workout after a strenuous 8 mile hike.
We are not done yet, next class Buff Your Booty - again just what you might think, 45 minutes of glut muscle exercises. Yep, I was the only male in the class. And I am glad I went. When hiking inclines,
It was now 4:00 PM, I was starting to run out of gas. We decided to take it easy and for our last class we took Stretch and Relax. I think I might have falling asleep toward the end of class.
Chephart Yosh had arrange for Alan Sudweeks to join us for Dinner. You may have heard of Alan Sudweeks he is a famous Mountaineer, who has summited all the major peaks in the world including Kilimanjaro several times. Alan Sudweeks was a wealth of knowledge and really helped boost our confidence.
What a great day, the only disappointment was we were not able to attend the class on Human Metabolism, given by the famous Exercise Physiologist and friend, Mike Siemens
Day Two Canyon Ranch -
First up, Killer Thrills and Drills, this class is as much a strength trading class as a class in coordination, which I clearly was lacking. What a great class, box jumps, ladder runs, plus much more.
Next, Extreme Core Work Out - yep, just what you might think, we worked every muscle that connects to the spinal column, from the shoulders down to the legs. It was extreme!
Time for class number three, TRX Advanced, Rodney taught this class and took no mercy on us. He
Finally Lunch - Lunch and Learn - this is a class that does not involve working out, the chef demonstrates healthy ways of cooking. The best part; at the end of class you get to eat what the chef made. We had barbecue chicken, green beans, over corn bread. Excellent lunch, and a great way to recharge for the afternoon.
Next, Boxing Class - we did about 20 minutes of boxing calisthenics, which included three rounds of three minutes of jumping rope. After the calisthenics, we beat on the heavy bag for a half hour. My
I was done, off to the showers I went, hot tub, cold tub, steam room, and shower. Next stop BED!
Day Three Canyon Ranch -
We chose to hike Blackett's Trail which is a short but sweet hike. Only 6 miles in length (3 miles each way) with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain / loss each way. Another fast hike, great for our training.
We had lunch when on our returned to Canyon Ranch, then off for a quick swim. I had an appointment at 3:00 PM with Mike Siemens. Mike Siemens is a friend and Director of Exercise Physiology at Canyon Ranch. Since I missed his class on Sunday I thought I would impose on our
The reason for the appointment is to make sure I am in perfect physical shape for our climb. Yes, I am taking this hike seriously. Mike gave me a complete exam. The outcome, not good. I have a body fat percentage of 21%, good would be 15%, optimal 10%.
Now what do I do? Without getting into a lot of detail, Mike feels I will be fine for the hike, but he would like to see me lose 7 to 10 lbs of body fat over the next 3-4 months. How do I do this?
All this talk about diet, made me hungry and it was getting close to dinner time. Alan Sudweeks joined us again. It is always a pleasure dining with Alan Sudweeks, his experiences are just phenomenal.
Day 4 Canyon Ranch -
Today we will be departing. Our flight is delayed about an hour. I had not thought of this scenario when devising my free flight strategy. If this was a direct flight, a delay would be a positive thing as delayed flight typically are less crowded, and no one notices an extra passenger. With a connecting flight this is an issue. I now only had 5 minutes to make my connecting flight. Sure there was another
I landed in Dallas with just 5 minutes to make my connection. If you have ever been to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport you know it was designed when gas was 33 cents a gallon and airport security was unheard of. Great design back then, today not so good. There was no way I could make it from gate A 10 to gate C 31 in 20 minutes let alone 5.
The next flight that would work for me was in three hours. Guess what, the Dallas Forth Worth Airport had free wireless. Using my iPad I took a picture of my current / no longer any good / fake boarding pass. Using a free Photoshop app I change the picture to reflect the flight in 3 hours, looking on the airlines website for open seating.
I could see the wifi for the printer, so I hopped on and when he was not printing I hit print, and printed my newly created boarding pass.
As the boarding pass printed the child look very confused. I walked over with a similar confused look and said, "Oh, there is my boarding pass." I got a very strange look from the parent, I just grabbed my pass and walked off. Crisis adverted, again!
The flight was flawless and the price was perfect.
Next I am heading back to Colorado for additional altitude conditioning. With just three weeks before I leave for Africa my training is starting to taper.
Cheers,
DUG
Pictures
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