We are climbing for: Thurman

We are climbing in memory of Thurman, a colleague's Grandfather.  We are adding his name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb to remember Thurman.  Thanks and keep them coming--there's still time!

We are climbing for: Lily

We are climbing in honor of Lily, a friend's Grandmother who continues to suffer from Alzheimer's Disease.  We are adding her name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb for Lily, and it is our hope that our climb brings some comfort to the family and provides some hope for better treatments.  Thanks and keep them coming!

We are climbing for: Hilbert

We are climbing in honor of Hilbert, a friend's Great Uncle ("my grandmother's dear brother whom she loves") who continues to suffer from Alzheimer's Disease.  We are adding his name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb for Hilbert, and it is our hope that our climb brings some comfort to the family and provides some hope for better treatments.  Thanks and keep them coming!

We are climbing for: Shirley P.

We are climbing in honor of Shirley, our Alzheimer's Association contact's Great Aunt.  We are adding her name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb to remember Shirley.  Thanks and keep them coming!!

We are climbing for: Thomas and Irene

We are climbing in memory of Thomas and Irene, Joey's neighbor's parents.  We are adding their name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb to remember Thomas and Irene.  Thanks and keep them coming!

Web Cam -- It's a great day on The Mountain!

Check out the mountain cam link down the left side of the blog to see what the weather's like on the upper mountain!

We are climbing for: Emily

We are climbing in memory of Emily, a friend's grandmother.  We are adding her name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb to remember Emily.  Thanks and keep them coming!

Tighten that core!

Carrying a 40-45 pound load can be hard on the legs, but a strong core enables you to better keep your balance when the extra weight moves as your upper body moves.  Boot Camp sessions wrap up with core exercises, some of which are pretty difficult.  Still trying to figure out how the instructors can easily speak through the exercises while I grunt and groan.  Here's a few shots of yours truly.  And yes, I actually did wear the pack for the cardio session, it's not just for show!  Another shout out to the instructors for doing such a great job.

Side plank

Center plank (keep that butt down a little more!)

"Supermans" to work the back--or would it be 'Supermen'??

Gear Check

Although this climb is considered as "non-technical", we in general are still using the same technical gear a general mountaineer uses.  Of course, technical climbs by nature require different and more challenging uses of the gear we'll have.

At any rate, below is what we'll be packing for Training Day, which is spent at about 6500 feet on the snowslopes above Base Camp.  I would imagine that we will also be using ropes, which already exist on the mountain.  Benefit number 34 of using a guide service is that they take care of (carry) any ropes that we'll need for the climb.  I imagine our summit pack will look a lot like this as well, with heavier clothing/jackets/pants in place of the lighter stuff.  Photo courtesy of www.whittakermountaineering.com.

And here's what we'll lug up to Camp Muir (10,188 ft) from Base Camp (5420 ft).  No worries, I will not forget to add the banner to my Gear Checklist.

We are Climbing for: Gail

We are climbing in memory of Gail, Joey and Jenothy's friend's grandmother.  We are adding her name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb to remember Gail.  Thanks!

Training update

It was Father's Day weekend so the family and I headed South to Hilly Country IN (opposed to flat central IN) to visit parents and in-laws and while I was down there hit Hayswood Park for some exercise.  Meant to bring a camera but I did grab a photo with my phone just before starting.  Not a great one, I'm at the top of a hill and the picture doesn't really do it justice.

At any rate, my older brother decided to join me.  Threw on my trusty 48-lb pack and started just after 8AM.  It was going to be a hot one.  The hill goes down to a 1-mile one-way flat paved trail that follows Big Indian Creek.  We decided that one lap would be a trip to the end of the trail and back plus another down-and-up the hill.  In under 3 hours, we ended up doing 3 laps.  According to his pedometer we did 8.8 miles which at first I thought was a high estimate, but knowing my hiking pace and the easy terrain, it could be close.  Either way, it was good just to get out and spend some time with my brother while getting in some exercise and working up a good sweat.

We are Climbing for: Russ

We are climbing for Russ, my Aunt's grandfather.  She writes, "My grandfather Russ Russell was a wonderful story teller, and growing up in the depression, being the son of a milliner, a 3 year, 9 month, and 11 day stint in the army during WWII, attending Loyola University, meeting and falling in love with my grandmother, working as an apparel buyer, and decades of travel made for delightful stories to my ears. A few years after a couple major heart surgeries and retirement the "I just can't remember's" started coming a little more frequent, but they were thought to just be just 'senior moments'. Though Alzheimer's progressed slowly over 15 years, thinking back I can vividly remember the chapters of the disease passing by. 

The world around was changing and mixed up, when in fact the change was happening within him and at first I think he recognized that. The ebb and flow of lucidity that slowly became just a shell of human skin with an empty eyed, memoryless frightened man inside. Getting confused and lost while driving in the town he'd lived in for over 40 years. 
The paranoia that people were stealing, the confusion of what decade it was and who loved ones were that he saw daily. Then just the silent scared man with empty eyes that could not even remember how to talk or chew food.

It's heartbreaking that at the time where you should look back and see how much your life has grown, where you've come and gone, and to watch your family grow, that your own body has turned against you. Your mind has closed and locked the doors and you are left suffer alone in the prison of your own body. I've always wondered who the disease is worse for the person with it or the family who watches it. Your efforts to find a cure bring hope to all that are affected. And hopefully someday families won't have to feel this pain.

We will Climb to Remember Russ and add his name to the banner.  Thanks for the great memory!

Training - Stepping it up (pun intended)

Well, another session of Boot Camp started the week of June 4, making this week #2 out of 4.  Tuesday I decided to turn it up a notch by wearing my daypack (weighing in at 18 lbs) during the workout.  I got a few "you're crazy" looks, but after an explanation those looks trasformed into "that's awesome".  Hopefully they will be reading this post soon.  That Boot Camp session included some work on a stationary bike, some running and some plyometrics (lunges, squat jumps, pushups, etc).  I was wiped out most of the day.  Luckily, Jenothy set up some hiking time for us on Tuesday evening.  What better way to work out a little fatigue with climbing some hills?

So, we took off to a conservation club her family uses.

We threw on our loaded packs and right off the bat, a nice steep hill to climb.  Here's Jenothy telling me to hurry up.  She can be pretty impatient sometimes  :)  Kidding of course.

The trail is a loop with several steep hills with no switchbacks, much like the Knobstone Trail, so it's perfect for training.  Rugged terrain makes you think about every step, which I think simulates what we'll encounter on the majority of our adventure.  After about 90 minutes, the sun was setting and we called it quits.  Planning on coming back and getting some more time on the hills.  Here's us taking a quick break for a photo op (couple of posers...)

We are climbing for: Leona

We are climbing in honor of Leona, a friend's grandmother who continues to suffer from Alzheimer's Disease.  We are adding her name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb for Leona, and it is our hope that we can bring a cure closer to becoming a reality.  Thanks!

We are Climbing for: Emma

We are climbing in honor of Emma, an Ott family friend who continues to struggle with Alzheimer's Disease.  We are adding her name to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will climb for Emma, and it is our hope that we can bring a cure closer to becoming a reality.  Thanks!

We are Climbing for: Jenny and Earl

We are climbing in memory of Jenny and Earl, Joey's neighbor's parents.  We are adding their names to the banner for the photo op at the summit!  We will remember Jenny and Earl.  Thanks!

Enormity and Mental Toughness

The Mountain.  This is what many Pacific Northwesterners, and perhaps many others, call Mount Rainier.  It's big.  It doesn't just get noticed from ~100 miles away in Seattle, WA, it dominates the southeastern skyline.  I've heard that when Seattle-ites talk about the weather, it's not about if the sun's out.  It's "oh, The Mountain is out today."  Now, I've never been to Seattle, so this is all hearsay until July 13 2012.

A view of The Mountain from Seattle--from Google image search

I've been told that the enormity of it all can be mentally overpowering.  I don't doubt that at all.  My father-in-law has told me about some experienced backpackers that went for the summit but couldn't get over the mental aspect.  The feelings of insignificance, powerlessness, and vulnerability versus The Mountain will constantly bombard your mind before you take one step up.  Sounds of cracking ice reverberate in the darkness of the night while you try to sleep at 10,000 feet and while you summit, when your only source of light is the headlamp on your helmet and the moon and stars in the sky, constantly challenging your racing imagination of the unknown.  Mental.  Better be prepared for it and any other unknown challenges we may face.

Enormity.  That's one little dude on one big mountain.  From Google image search

Paying the price: 31-mile hike

See previous post on the 31-mile hike...
Well, the soreness from the hike itself went away fairly quickly, however, some lingering issues have prevented me from working out since the hike.  After romping through 31 miles of Southern Indiana forest, my legs were pretty torn up and now different areas of poison ivy are popping up.  So, I've taken the week off and obtained some prednisone to help clear it all up.  Another session of 4-week long Boot Camp starts next week and hoping to get another long day or two of endurance training in at some point in June.

Still getting more and more excited as days pass by and the big climb draws near!

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