Fridges and freezers (PCT d - 12)

I had totally planned to write about my refrigerator, this lunchtime, but then got distracted by the map showing snow depth on the PCT. Yikes!

The point of the fridge photo was that there's not much in it, which reduces the scope and possibility for overeating. There's milk and half-and-half for my tea and coffee, with a pitcher of filtered water for drinking. A can of Spam, some mixed greens (kale, spinach and chard), some bean sprouts, grated carrot, a bit of red onion (all for salads), a cucumber, some lettuce, a small boneless beef steak, some butter and some eggs. That's it!

3-4 feet of snow on our section of the PCT - plans have changed now

The snow depth map comes from http://www.postholer.com/gmap/gmap.php?trail_id=1&depth=1, which shows several feet of snow on the trail itself, although surrounding highways are clear: https://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/RCMap.asp. 

If push came to shove, and we couldn't walk on the PCT at all, the distance from Klamath Falls to Chemult on US-97 is about 72 miles, but the scenery is not nearly as exciting!

Win! And you still have both hands. 306 lbs (PCT d - 13)

I was so starving hungry last night, dear reader, that if you had been in my apartment, I might have eaten your hand off or even your whole arm. Fortunately, my cupboards were essentially bare, and my refrigerator was pretty empty too. The result (of not stuffing my face, needlessly):

306.4 lbs (139 kg)

That's the lowest I've been in, I don't know, four or five years. After missing my target for April, it suddenly makes the psychological 300 pound barrier by May 11th seem attainable.

Our chance to show how badly we want something (PCT d - 15)

Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, who learned that he had pancreatic cancer and was given a terminal diagnosis: "3 to 6 months of good health left". He gave an upbeat lecture titled "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" in September 2007 which became a popular YouTube video. In it, he had many good pieces of advice, including this:

"The brick walls aren't there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."

People are asking me, more and more, if I'm ready for my 100-mile long Oregon trip. The answer is, Yes. I feel like I've done all of the things I could possibly do to get myself ready in terms of acquiring the correct gear, preparing myself physically and mentally for the challenge ahead. Now, we just have to get there (in 15 days time), and start taking those first steps.

The excitement of it all is linked to the prospect of unknown problems, and having the ingenuity to solve them. Also, it'll be 11 days of minimal exposure to electronics and the Internet; seven days of sunshine and fresh air (although, it is Oregon, so it might rain!?)

Slow and steady wins the race

Despite the little blip in the downward path of my weight loss, I'm just as determined as ever to have a successful month of May, and get back on track. I'm going to find a way around the wall, or over it, or under it, or through it - whatever it takes.

Never give up (PCT d - 16)

After ten months of losing about 10 pounds of weight, month on month, I've finally had a month when I only recorded a tiny loss - about 1 pound.

Blantently stolen from a friend's Facebook page

I attribute this to a change in diet during the preparation for my Oregon trip. Whereas I had been cutting back heavily on carbohydrates, a lot of hiking and trail food, which I've been consuming more of lately, is very calorie rich and high in carbs.

Alert readers of this blog will have noticed that I didn't post my end-of-April target and actual weight yet. I was worried that I might not even have lost anything at all compared to the end of March, when I tipped the scales at 315 lbs. Having gone up and down a lot during the past month, I was still at 316 lbs on April 29th. Thankfully, the last day of the month was a Saturday, so I was able to stay in bed an extra three hours. For some reason, an extra couple of hours in bed in the morning equals a pound less on the scales. If only it were that easy all the time! Anyway, when I got up (after the English Championship football - the last match of the season for my shitty team [Reading FC]  next Saturday, thank goodness!) I was under 313 lbs. Whew!

Just for the record, my target had been 303 lbs for the end of April, breaking through the 300 mark on May 11th, then a target of 294 lbs by the end of May. With almost twenty pounds to lose in four weeks, it seems unlikely but stranger things have happened!

Slow going up Refrigerator Canyon (PCT d - 17)

My friend Marie and I decided to go up Refrigerator Canyon (http://www.visitmt.com/listings/general/national-forest-trail/refrigerator-canyon-trail.html), part of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area. The first quarter-mile is interesting, as it enters a narrow canyon (10 feet wide) with 200-foot high limestone walls and a small, shallow stream running through the middle of it.

Fallen trees everywhere

Just like my experience at Bear Trap Canyon, three weeks earlier, the trail was full of fallen debris, only this time is was mostly fallen trees not large rocks. There must have been a dozen or more places in the first couple of miles where very large trees had fallen across the path, necessitating either climbing over the large obstacle or walking around it. It was not always easy.

Me, with a 32 lb backpack

It felt like we were constantly walking uphill, which 98% of the time was accurate. It wasn't super steep in any one place, but it was uphill all the way. In broad figures, the trailhead was at about 4,647 feet elevation, and the point at which was stopped was at about 5,270 feet. A quick bit of math here: a 623 foot gain over 10,560 feet is equal to a 5.9% grade (that's quite a bit). We had to stop after a couple of miles because of a large fallen tree blocking the way and because of the light rain, which was making the trail a bit muddy and slippery. We decided, afterwards, that it had been the right thing to do to turn around. We still gotten a really good workout. Our heart rates had gone up to aerobic levels, and our legs had definitely felt the three and a half hours of activity.

Female Rocky Mountain wood tick

After I got home, I discovered yet more fellow travellers, as I spotted a couple of small female Rocky Mountain wood ticks (I think that's what they were).

So, we walked 4 miles altogether in 3.5 hours - not especially fast. Would I do it again - sure! Later in the season, when the fallen trees have been cleared, and when it's not so muddy. I'd make sure to set off very early in the morning, to give myself the maximum chance to hike the entire 9.5 miles that I had plotted out, including making time for a picnic/lunch at Bear Prairie (near the end), before returning the same way to the beginning again.

There are signs warning of the presence of bears, and I did have my bear deterrent spray with me, but we didn't see any large animals. I did have an opportunity to discharge the spray for a fraction of a second, just to make sure it actually works. In fact, since I was practicing for my Oregon hike, I took an almost full backpack with me yesterday to emulate conditions there. It weighed 32 lbs.

There are more photos at https://goo.gl/photos/wbNRTE9Kgushd9SeA.

GPS tracking points recorded every minute

Reaction to hiking in Arches National Park (PCT d - 21)

Coming back to work again after being away for three extra days was an anticlimax. I would have loved to have stayed in southeastern Utah for a few more days and really explored the national and state parks in that area. The conditions were nearly perfect for the visit - not unbearably hot during the day or cold at night; not wet but breezy. 

I would definitely contemplate going again some time, not in 2016 but maybe in a couple of years time. I would go for a whole week instead of just three or four days, and make it in late March or early April, not the end of April, when everything is already in full swing down there. To break up the 11 hour car journey from Montana, I would try to find somewhere in Salt Lake City to do something fun on the way. 

You can read more about my Arches trip at this link: Hiking in Arches national park. Photos can be found at these links: https://goo.gl/photos/HpFLpqcBL9ZfZ6wa8 and https://goo.gl/photos/588cTuY3tkpbGCWGA. 

Now (Wednesday, April 27th) there are only three weeks until Birdie and I head off to Oregon (on May 18th). I've been preparing for that for the past seven months, and soon it will become a reality. Soon, we will be dodging black bears, and getting soaked in the rain, and tending to blistered feet - or, we might not see any bears at all, we might have glorious sunshine, and we might escape with NO blisters whatsoever. And that's part of the fun - pitting ourselves against nature and the elements, and overcoming adversity to triumph in our 100-mile journey. 

Weather looking good for Utah trip (PCT d - 30 on Monday)

With just over four weeks to go until the big Pacific Crest Trail section hike in Oregon, the next stage of preparation is really close - my three-night trip to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah. The weather is looking pretty good for that:

No precipitation, little wind until Friday, not freezing at night.

Since I didn't get to actually sleep in my hammock while hiking near Norris last weekend, this will be the first proper test of that. The terrain is high desert, with not many trees, except 2,000 feet lower down, next to the Colorado River. The hazards may not include bears or mountain lions this time, but they still include rattlesnakes, plus scorpions and black widow spiders! I expect we'll actually see a lot of ravens and geckos.

There will be some late food shopping on Monday, plus some bulk water shopping and truck packing on Tuesday evening, so that we can make an early (6 am) start on Wednesday morning. We should be in Moab well before sunset so, after staking out our campsite for the evening, we'll drive into one of the parks to capture the magical lights and colors of the setting sun on the iron-tinted sandstone landscape. On Thursday and Friday there will be a number of short hikes to see more of the sandstone arches, spires, fins and balanced rocks, and the mesas of southeastern Utah.

The near-real time map will be available again at https://share.delorme.com/janesdaddy although, of course, there won't be any data to see there until after Wednesday afternoon. (p/w is the small town with the short name mentioned in the previous paragraph).

Bought train tickets today for Oregon trip (PCT d - 35)

Two days on a train to get there

With only five weeks to go until our 100-mile PCT adventure around Crater Lake in Oregon, I bought our train tickets today.

After the "excitement" of the Norris hike last weekend, there's not long before the Utah trip. This time next week I'll be on Interstate-15 heading south approaching Salt Lake City. We'll be camping outside the national parks near Moab (only because they don't have enough trees to hang a hammock - a bitter lesson learned), but the plan is to see the sunrises and sunsets in the Arches and Canyonlands national parks, and take lots of photos of the sandstone arches and needles. There'll be many miles of hiking too. It should be great!

Beware of ticks (an important message)

I wrote about it in my description of the Norris hike, but it's worth repeating: 

There were some creatures that got a bit too friendly and wanted to come home with me - ticks. I found one on my arm when I was at the trailhead, waiting for my ride home. It was quickly and easily removed. When I got home, I took all my clothes and dumped them in the dry bathtub overnight until I had the energy to look for more. I checked myself for more ticks, as much as I could.

A tick (this one was tired, so it was lying on its
back! Not really, it couldn't run away from the
camera when it was on its back)

Allegedly, they like the color white, and they can't crawl up the side of the tub, so, on Sunday morning there was the one above, sitting there. I had to play de-tick-tive and look through the rest of my clothing and gear, inside and out and along all the seams. This was the only other one. ** UPDATE - there was a second one which found its way onto my shoulder but didn't bite me, possibly via my backpack ** 

The University of Rhode Island has a most authoritative TickEncounter Resource Center at http://www.tickencounter.org. You should check it out.

I reported mine to URI, with the photo above. I suspect it's an American Dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), but I'm not the expert. After reading about them, and having seen three, I became super itchy and paranoid (kind of). I'm pretty sure I wasn't bitten - it's been 48 hours now since I finished my hike. Still, that large bottle of 0.5% Permethrin spray that my daughter bought for me will come in really handy soon! (http://sectionhiker.com/treating-your-clothes-with-permethrin/)

Weekly average steps keeps going up

My weekly average number of steps keeps going up!

Three-week moving average is almost 60,000 steps now

That's good, because I'll be needing to do 30,000 a day for seven straight days when I'm in Oregon in less than six weeks time!

308 lbs today (PCT d - 38)

I knew this would be a good one:

308.4 lb (139.9 kg)

After the strenuous hike on Friday/Saturday, I'm down to 308.4 lbs. That's more than four pounds less than Friday morning. Now, 303 lbs by the end of April looks doable.

My reaction to hiking the Bear Trap Canyon

HOLY SHIT! No apologies for the language. Holy shit!

That was probably the most physically demanding thing I've done in 20 years. It ended up being nearly a mile shorter than the 7.5 miles I'd intended to hike on Friday, so the round trip was about 13.6 miles, but still not bad.

It was very much a tale of two halves. One half was gentle and rolling and not too difficult. The second half was the complete opposite. I've posted a full description elsewhere on this blog (http://blog.ergoob.org/p/hiking-bear-trap-canyon-near-norris-mt.html) with a couple of photos and a link to an online album with more pictures.

In the second half, the way was covered with fallen trees and branches, rock slides (and we're talking some VERY large rocks), and all kinds of different undergrowth and shrubbery (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69iB-xy0u4A). The path was very narrow in places. So narrow, in fact, in some places that a small slip would have consigned you to the bottom of the ravine. It's a good job it hadn't been raining recently, else it would have been too slippery and dangerous (not that it wasn't already dangerous enough!) The other thing that made it difficult was the constantly changing elevation. This is not something you'd undertake lightly, or with the wrong equipment, or if you were in any way lacking in physical fitness and stamina.

You can read the rest of the account at the aforementioned page: http://blog.ergoob.org/p/hiking-bear-trap-canyon-near-norris-mt.html.

I was so sore and tired afterwards that I sat down at a bench/table at the trailhead and didn't move for an hour. If I could have slept there, I would have (not having slept much the night before).

I was really glad for the opportunity to soak in the Hot Springs at Norris for a couple of hours afterwards.

Now that I've made it out of there alive and I survived, I'm glad I did it. At the time, I was cursing and swearing a few times. I wouldn't do it again unless the conditions were absolutely perfect: good gear, good weather, the right time of year to avoid the snakes, a well-honed body to cope with the physical demands, etc. In short, those circumstances are unlikely to all be present (for me) at the same time in a very long time.

Bear Trap Canyon hike is today and tomorrow

In just over an hour I'll be setting off on a 100 mile drive towards Norris, MT, to start an 8-mile hike in Bear Trap Canyon by the Madison river. It's part of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, a recreation area created by an act of Congress in 1983. After hiking down the canyon (there's only one way in for hikers), I'll hang my hammock overnight, then hike the 8 miles back again the next morning. It'll be my first night out under the stars in my new hammock - a good test for what's to come in six weeks time when Birdie (my daughter) and I go to Oregon to hike 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail near Crater Lake.

Some of the gear I'm taking with me.

I've got some home-made food, plus some Mountain House freeze-dried food; an MSR Micro Rocket stove with isobutane fuel; anodized aluminum cookware; a Sawyer Mini water filter, Aquamira chlorine dioxide water purification drops (as a backup); a First Aid kit with extra blister treatment supplies; Luci solar powered LED light; a couple of chemiluminescent light sticks; a trowel and toilet paper; 100 ft of 550 lb-rated Type-III paracord; a couple of 50 ft lengths of thinner cord for hanging tarps and fly sheets; sunglasses; bug repellent bracelet (no DEET); 130 dB ear-piercing Storm whistle; bear spray; spare laces for my hiking shoes; Gorilla tape; my camera and spare batteries; solar charging panel with cables; Leatherman multi-tool; Anker battery pack for charging devices; my Moto X Android phone; my new Delorme inReach GPS locator/communicator; a notepad and pen for writing; reading glasses; daily medication; my wallet with (not much) money and ID; (maybe a thermometer, and maybe a Bluetooth battery-powered speaker for listening to tunes this evening). 

Holy cow! That's a lot of sh**..tuff. There's also a backpack, with hammock, bug net and fly sheet; a thermal sleeping pad; a down top quilt; a hydration bladder with 2 liters of fresh water, and a drinking bottle for more water. I'm sure I've forgotten to list something (a spoon and fork, a towel of some sort). 

It'll be a good test of my preparedness for the great outdoors. It'll be a great hike, communing with nature. It'll be a great time to get away from the phones ringing at work, and clear my mind of any of that stuff. It'll be great to have time to think about my future, reflect on the successes of the past ten months (losing 92 pounds is a success, I'd say!), and to contemplate what I want in the coming months and years. 

To see my progress, later today and tomorrow, you can go to https://share.delorme.com/share/janesdaddy and enter the password (the name of the neaby town with Hot Spings - I mentioned it in the first sentence). Initially, there'll be blue dots (and a blue line connecting them) every 10 minutes once I start walking. After I get home and transfer the recorded data, you'll see the dots every minute (closer together). 

There'll be lots of photos after I get back, of course, and a full description of the journey itself. Have a great weekend, everyone! I will!

Six in a row 313 (PCT d - 40)

For the sixth day in a row, I've lost a fraction of a pound. It's not much, but six times 0.2 or 0.4 pounds is still 2 pounds at the end of the week, right? Whether it's coming off quickly or slowly (and maybe more sustainably, I don't know), it's still progress.

312.8 lbs (141.9 kg) - down six days in a row

With some long hikes and outdoor adventures coming up in the next few weeks, starting with Bear Trap Canyon near Norris, MT, later today and tomorrow; then Moab, Utah, in two weeks; and 100 miles near Crater Lake/on the PCT in Oregon in six weeks, there's going to be a lot of calorie burning coming up. Even though it still seems a long way away, my 303 lb target for the end of April looks achievable, and breaking through the psychological 300 lb barrier looks doable before the Pacific Crest Trail hike.

Every morning, I wake up thankful for the support and encouragement of all my friends, and everyone who made this journey happen.

313 Slow and steady wins the race (PCT d - 42)

Another new recent low weight this morning, 313.6 lbs.

313.6 lbs (142.2 kg)

With some big hikes coming up in the next couple of months, I feel like the momentum is with me. As the weather improves, and the lighter evenings are here, things can only get better.

Missed it by that much 314 lb (PCT d - 44)

So, I missed my end-of-March weight target, but only by a smidgen, even after a couple of days of bad eating and excess carbs in the past week. Onward and downward towards 303 lbs now!

314.2 pounds (142.5 kg)

I'm excited because I'll be taking the day off work on Friday to go hiking next to the Madison River (Bear Trap Canyon) near Norris. It's about 8 miles from the trailhead to the powerhouse, past some excellent fishing and kayaking spots. I'll camp out there overnight, and do the 8 miles back up again the following morning. My reward will be to have a nice long soak in the Norris Hot Springs. For those who would like to follow my progress, you can go to https://share.delorme.com/share/janesdaddy and use the correct password (it's the name of the town I'll be near on Friday, with a capital 'N' - I've already mentioned it twice in this post). The weather forecast calls for a high at 4.00 pm on Friday of 74 °F, cooling down to 46 °F by 6.00 am on Saturday, but most of the night will be in the 50s (hooray!) The rain will stay away until 5-ish in the afternoon on Saturday, so I should be on my way home by then. It's set to be a great trip. It'll be a New Moon that night, so I'll be sure to take my head lamp with me, and it'll be great for star-gazing too.

Planning for the Utah trip, two weeks later, is also going well. Thanks to the power of the Internet, and YouTube, we've been able to check out the campgrounds that have trees suitable for hanging hammocks from (not that many actually INSIDE the Arches and Canyonlands national parks). It'll be a good test of the electronics that will be use on my Oregon trip four weeks afterwards.

For the third week in a row, I increased my weekly step count to a new personal best. After 57,400 and 57,800, last week I walked 58,500 steps. With the upcoming hike next weekend, I should be able to surpass 60,000 this week too.

314 - Almost there (PCT d - 51)

314.8 lbs

At this morning's weigh-in, 314.8 lbs (142.8 kg). Can I lose two more pounds in the next two or three days? You betcha!

I'll be going swimming a couple more times before my gym membership expires at the end of the month, which means a 2 mile walk each time to get there, plus I'm going to an event downtown on Tuesday which entails a 2.5 mile walk each way.

Today's mystery photo is ...

I'd been thinking about this for a couple of weeks, and on Sunday morning it just happened:

Mystery photo

The answer will be posted in a few days time. Stay tuned.

Next goal - 303 by the end of April

Full of ups and down - don't give up!

With five days until April 1st, there's still time to work towards the March goal (312 lbs), but I want to be at 303 lbs by the end of April. I would like to be able to properly wear my new Gore-Tex jacket, which I want to take with me on my hike in Oregon (see http://blog.ergoob.org/2016/02/revised-targets-new-end-date-but-it.html).

I have a couple of friends who are struggling at the moment with the frustration of seeming to have stalled. They're doing the right things: eating well, doing the exercise, but they're not seeing the results at the scales. My chart (above) shows how progress goes sometimes - even if you're doing all the right things. Keep at it! Don't give up! You will be rewarded in the end. I had a few weigh-ins at the beginning of the month where I appeared to be going backwards (or upwards), but I stuck at it, and now I'm down to 317.8 lbs, and headed in the right direction again.

As I keep telling people: if I can do it, so can you!

Late sprint needed for victory (PCT d - 52)

After last week's epic 57,000 steps (well, it was epic for me!), this week will be another 50,000+ steps week.

** Sunday evening update: At 57,800, I managed even more than last week!! **

317.8 lbs, a new low

My week started with some terrible overeating on Monday (http://blog.ergoob.org/2016/03/even-superman-had-bad-day-sometimes-pct.html), which caused me to miss walking in the evening and to have to skip swimming too. I made up for it on Wednesday and Thursday with two 9,000+ steps days. Then, yesterday, I walked to Vans Thiftway and back, which is 3½ miles from my apartment. So 7 miles altogether, which made over 14,000 steps. If I go to Albertsons (1 mile away) later this morning, or to the movie theater (the Myrna Loy Center is 1.7 miles away), I'll easily exceed 50,000 steps for the week again.

Having so "easily" reached my February target of 321 lbs four weeks ago, it's been a struggle to shift any weight off since then. I haven't been quite as strict with the low carb diet, as I've been experimenting with backpacking food for my upcoming hiking trips. It's taken until today to hit a new low of 317.8 lbs (144 kg). If I'm to make my end-of-March target of 312 lbs, I'll have to be extra careful what I eat and extra focused on burning calories through exercise.

Principles versus practicality (PCT d - 55)

With 15 days to go until my overnight hiking trip to Bear Trap Canyon (near Norris, MT), I'm focusing on making my own "just add water" dehydrated meals that are suitable for the backpacking trail. When Birdie (my daughter) came over for a visit on Tuesday evening, we tried out a Knorr Pasta Sides dish (Parmesan flavor) and a Mountain House Chili Mac with Beef meal (Spicy sauce with macaroni, beef and beans). The former was okay, but the real surprise was just how good the Mountain House product was. It was very easy to make, still piping hot after 13 minutes of waiting, visually appealing, smelled good and was very tasty. Definitely rated 5 out of 5 stars (*****).

Homemade all-in-one meal

Using an ordinary domestic dehydrating machine, I had previously dried out some cooked ground meat and some vegetables (butternut squash, diced carrots and cauliflower). I bought some Safeway-brand stuffing mix, some Idahoan mashed potatoes (Loaded Baked^® flavor), some Safeway gravy mix, and I cheated slightly by adding some 'real' butter.

The store-bought dry ingredients were carefully weighed and split up into 2-serving portions. The potatoes serve 4, so I split those into two. The gravy was the same. The stuffing mix serves 6, so I split it into 3 equal portions. Then I added a cup of my dehydrated mixed vegetables and a cup of ground meat. Normally, I might split the resulting recipe between two ziptop bags, and each person could add their own 1¼ cups of boiling water but, for testing purposes, I used 2½ cups of boiling water. The resulting mix was left to stand (rehydrate) for 10 minutes.

After dividing it into two equal portions, the result: it was certainly enough, volume-wise, for one person for one meal. The second half will be taken to work tomorrow for my lunch. The taste was actually pretty good. The squash was still a bit hard, but the carrots and cauliflower were good. The potato and stuffing mix were a nice consistency and the meat was good. Overall, a successful 4 out of 5 stars (****). The nice thing about it, too, was that there was zero added salt, unlike the freeze dried stuff which ends up having 1,500 mg of sodium per real serving.

Birdie said that she liked the squash as it was, a crunchy snack, without rehydrating. I didn't try it.

Normally, when I'm grocery shopping, I avoid the center aisles, which have all the pre-packaged "convenience" foods. My friends who know me well also know that I try to avoid products made or sold by Kraft Foods and Nestlé. The trouble is, so many foods that backpackers might take with them are made by these companies. Thinking about dry whole milk, for example (versus that nasty non-fat stuff), Nestlé's Nido brand is really popular, but I refuse to buy it or use it. A couple of alternatives: Augason Farms is stocked by a local store (Vans) in Helena, and Thrive sells freeze dried products through their MLM home distributor network. I'll be trying both of those in the coming weeks.

As well as avoiding Kraft and Nestlé products, I'm also torn between wanting to stick to my low carb diet, which has worked so well for nine months, and wanting to field-test my provisions for future backpacking and hiking trips, but they inevitably contain lots of carbs.

On our trip to Crater Lake in May, I know we'll have to carry an average of 1.5 lbs of food per person per day, which means 10.5 lbs each for the seven days that we'll be hiking (unless we mail some food to ourselves at Mazama Village, and pick it up at the end of day 4). With 5 lbs of water, and 25 lbs worth of other gear, we'll be toting 40 lbs on our hips for 100 miles. If "convenience" foods offer a way to reduce that weight, that may be the lesser of two evils (but there's almost nothing more evil than Kraft and Nestlé).

Even Superman had a bad day sometimes (PCT d - 57)

As I was lying in my bed yesterday at about 7.00 pm, feeling sick and sorry for myself, the image below came to mind:

Superman is weakened in the presence of Kryptonite

Twice in the last few weeks I've bought cheese at the weekend, and twice I've succumbed to its temptations and eaten the lot within a day or two. It made no difference that it was Brie, or Camembert (interesting article at http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-brie-and-camembert-word-of-mouth-215948), or a nice aged Cheddar, I love cheese. I also overate some leftover chicken curry. So it was a miserable evening of acid reflux and self-loathing.

It affected me so much, I didn't go out walking, and I didn't go swimming in the evening. If somebody tells me that they overate, I'd be the first to say to them, "You know what? Tomorrow is another day!", and advise them to forget about that one (well, okay, two) lapse(s), and focus on being better the next day.

Veggie cup with Ranch dressing

I did actually make a healthier choice this morning. Instead of being tempted by scones or doughnuts or muffins, I chose a cup of veggies instead.

As I prepare for some backpacking trips over the next couple of months, I'm experimenting with freeze dried and dehydrated foods, which inevitably are not as healthy as I might like (high sodium content in some of the prepared "just add water" meals, for example). Even though my weekly step count is going up slightly, it's not going up enough to justify eating high calorie (high carbohydrate) foods - not yet.

Stepping up the steps (PCT d - 59)

I walked 57,000 steps this week, more than any other week in the last nine months. Actually, it's probably more than any single week in the past five years, maybe more!

Weekly steps measured using two Android apps, with a 3 week moving average

I've been steadily increasing my weekly number of steps, from about 25,000, through 30,000 and 35,000. Three times I've hit 47 or 48,000. Today was the first time past 50K, and boy did I shatter that personal best mark!

With less than 9 weeks to go until my Oregon adventure; less than 5 weeks until my 3-night Arches/Canyonland NP trip to Utah; and 3 weeks until I spend the night in Bear Trap canyon near Norris after a 9 mile hike, it's good that I'm able to step up my steps. Not only is the quantity of steps going up, but I'm deliberately tackling steeper terrain. It's still hard work. I'm still getting out of breath sometimes, but I don't stop altogether now. I might still take 15 to 20 seconds to catch my breath sometimes on the really steep parts and let my pulse rate settle down a bit, but I press on.

Through all of this, I am so thankful that my feet haven't given me any significant problems. My Moab Ventilator walking shoes (got mine at The Base Camp) have performed really well. I'll probably end up buying a second pair, so that there's a seamless transition when the first pair inevitably wear out. The only fault I can find with them right now is the laces that came with them both broke after just a few months. If I had to give them a rating out of five, it'd have to be ***** five stars. They are a solid, reliable piece of gear for me.

Speaking of reliable gear, one of the very first pieces of gear I bought, back in October 2015, was my trekking poles (http://blog.ergoob.org/2015/10/trying-out-walking-with-trekking-poles.html). They are a very lightweight (80% carbon fiber/20% aluminum) set of an unknown brand ("Flyingbird" is woven into the hand straps) for $50. With the exception of an occasional tiny slip of the locking mechanism (easily fixed), these poles have performed amazingly well. You can still buy them from my favorite online retailer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y82IYGS). Today, I had to replace the rubber "feet" at the ends. The old ones hadn't quite worn out, but I was beginning to hear a metallic-sounding clank from time to time as the tungsten-steel tips hit the paved road. I expect that, later this summer, I'll invest in an upgrade  to a pair from Black Diamond or Leki. For anyone looking to get into using trekking poles for the first time, I would certainly recommend these (***** 5 stars).

About ten years ago, I bought a Berghaus (European brand) 20 Liter day pack for little local hikes around the Berkshire countryside in England. It served me well at the time, and I brought it back to the States with me the following year when I moved back here. Then the plastic buckle broke. I contacted Berghaus, who didn't reply, so I more or less stopped using the pack. Today, thanks to Bob at The Base Camp, I not only have a new buckle for that, but also an extension for the "fanny pack" that is the lid of my new 60 Liter Osprey Aether backpack. That worked out really well, and for under $5 each.

Speaking of my Osprey Aether backpack, I was surprised that the hydration bladders were as reasonably priced as they are. I got the Osprey brand 3 liter reservoir for $36, although I doubt that I'll ever fill it all the way to the top. Now I'll have a way of carrying, say, 5 pounds of water (5 pints) on my back without any bulky bottles. I'll have a separate 16 ounce "dirty" water container for use with my Sawyer Mini filter, and a re-purposed Gatorade bottle for my immediate drinking needs. On the Oregon trip, at the end of May, there are plenty of lakes, and the streams will still be flowing with spring runoff (melted snow). The dry season won't be for a month or two after I've been there.

Already looking ahead to 2017

I recently purchased a map from the Missoula-based Adventure Cycling Association (https://www.adventurecycling.org) covering the Lewis & Clark Trail from Great Falls, MT to Clarkston, WA. It's the first half of my ambitious plan to cycle from Helena (or wherever) to Portland, Oregon, in the summer of 2017.

This evening I started to watch a few YouTube videos on cycle touring. The average of about 50 miles a day is in line with what I had imagined I might do next year. If I want to ride 700 miles, it'll take 14 days - definitely doable. To make it more "interesting" I want to ride it on a tandem, which will require one or more riding partners. My inclination is to think that it'll take place in September, after the blazing hot months of July and August, but before the snow and cold of October make conditions too unpleasant.

The Adventure Cycling Association is promoting June 3rd through 5th as "National Bike Travel Weekend", so I'm thinking that would be a good time for me to start - the week after I get back from my Crater Lake adventure! I wonder if my legs will be in fit condition to do it?

Four miles around Bompart Hill (PCT d - 62)

I took advantage of the lighter evenings, now that we're back in Daylight Saving Time, to walk for two and a half hours after work on Wednesday:

Route around Bompart Hill in the South Hills of Helena

The elevation gain was about 510 feet - a good workout.

Elevation profile

Given the name of this blog, "Eat Right, Get Out Of Breath", I was thinking to myself that I'm certainly getting out of breath during the uphill sections of the hike. I was carrying 21 pounds of weight in my backpack too, close to the kind of weight I'll be carrying in Oregon in nine weeks time.

Tai Chi for better balance

After my post a few days ago about "something primally satisfying about beating the sh*t out of a 80 pound sand-filled canvas bag" (boxing), I was reminded that another thing that I had looked into was Tai Chi. There's a project for me to work on this spring and summer.

From humble beginnings (PCT d - 70)

I may have mentioned previously that it's been almost two years since I first joined the Capital City Health Club, in an attempt to get my healthy sorted out. When I first started going, I was in such poor shape that I had trouble walking to the end of the driveway at home, or walking to the end of the street.

At the time, I was keeping a journal (diary) of sorts. Here is an extract of what I wrote at the time (April 5th, 2014).

"So, I arrived at the club at about 5.20-ish. I was lucky enough to find a parking spot close to the building. After 4.00 pm, you're lucky if you can even park within sight of the club, it's so full. At that early hour though, there weren't that many other fools about. I checked in (they didn't have a key fob with barcode for me on Monday). I went in to the changing area and put my 'stuff' in a locker. After an obligatory shower (more like a lick-and-a-promise), I walked into the pool area. The floor was very slippery, especially with wet feet.

My first destination was the therapeutic pool. Unlike the lap pool, the water is warmer and they have a neat little circular area where the 3½ foot deep water current flows in a clockwise direction. The idea is that you walk counter-clockwise and have to overcome the gentle resistance of the water. It felt really good to be in the water after such a long time.

The first thing, before any walking, was to let the water carry my weight and to just float for a minute. The water came up to my neck. It was so warm and felt so good. My shoulders began to relax right away.
I started walking my laps around the circular pool. The current wasn't very strong. Eventually, I figured out that the jets were in the outside wall of the doughnut shape, and that walking along the outer edge produced greater resistance. I didn't count the laps. I had to keep my eye on the small clock to make sure I wasn't late for work.

After a while it was time to try the hot tub. At first it was quite hot but I quickly got used to it. The heat on my arthritic knees felt really good. I sat there for about five minutes before heading back to the therapeutic pool.

By now, the hard-core early swimmers were leaving and I was almost on my own. There was a wall with water jets and bubbles coming out of it. I sat in front of the jets for a couple of minutes. The tiny bubbles would get trapped in the hairs of my back and chest, and would tickle when they eventually escaped. That was fun. After a few more laps around the doughnut it was time to get out and head to work. When I finally got onto firm ground again, my legs felt really heavy for a moment, like an astronaut who has been in space so long, his muscles have started to atrophy. When the astronaut first lands back on Earth and is subject to gravity for the first time, he can't even hold up his own body weight and has to be physically carried out of the re-entry capsule.

I didn’t say anything about how it felt to walk through water. With the water depth being 3½ feet, it comes up to your elbows. If you hold your arms up you can keep your hands out of the water, which reduces the ‘drag’. Either way, with the increased resistance of the water compared to air (where we normally walk), I felt like a big T Rex or Godzilla, with the bulk of my weight in my lower half. On Wednesday, my second day, it was slightly different. Then I felt like a robot, with very angular movements, not smooth and fluid; and certainly not natural-feeling. After that, it simply felt like I was a little bit drunk, with mostly straight and forward movements but the occasional sideways falter.

I figured out an easy way to keep track of how many laps I did of the doughnut-shaped therapeutic pool. Every time I passed a certain point, I’d use the tip of one finger to wet the concrete edge. On the fifth pass, I’d use my whole hand to make a print; like tally marks on a sheet of paper. It was then easy to see when I’d reached 20 laps. I counted the steps in each lap – 40 – so I knew that I’d walked the equivalent of 800 steps. Even with a reduced stride length of just over a foot, say, that would be 300 yards. Those are some tangible, measurable numbers that I can use as a baseline to measure my progress. On a typical morning I can comfortably repeat the 20 laps three times.

When I’m standing at the ‘deep’ end of the therapeutic pool, there is a curious flotation effect on my stomach, and my swinging man-boobs touch my stomach in a way that they normally wouldn’t. Normally, gravity makes everything hang down lower. In a medium where everything feels four-fifths lighter, my stomach floats up, thus making my moobs touch my stomach. Weird! Sometimes, I can really feel the arthritis in my left knee. After swimming a few times, it felt swollen, as if I’d been walking many miles and it was wanting to be rested. No chance! It’s taken years to get myself up and motivated. A little discomfort isn’t going to stop me now. Of course, I also know I should pay attention when my body is talking to me. A five minute dip in the hot tub each morning was well received."

So, from those humble beginnings, I am now at a point where I'm contemplating walking 100 miles in seven days; a quarter of a million steps versus 2,500 or fewer. I'm walking to work regularly again. I've started hiking up hills and mountains. I've come a long way since 2014, and I know there's still a long way to go (sixteen more months until July 2017).

I'm grateful to all the people who have helped me along the way, some with tangible help, some with moral support and encouraging words, some with sound practical advice.

My heartfelt desire is to reach my own next important major goal (being 178 pounds by July 2017), then figure out how to motivate and inspire others to achieve the same kind of results. With two-thirds of the American population being overweight, and one-third being clinically obese, honestly, there's a fair possibility I'm talking about you. With sufficient will and motivation, YOU can do it too! I'm not that extraordinary, really. I just have a fierce determination to succeed this time, and I'm not going to let anything stop me!

I also want to learn more about "metabolic syndrome", "insulin resistance syndrome", or simply diabetes. Having worked in the British NHS (National Health Service) and seen what effect it can have on a person's life, I want to help people avoid some of the pitfalls of it and lead healthier lives. Perhaps there's a career change ahead for me? Who knows? Having been pre-diabetic myself, and come back from the brink, I want to help others do the same.

No gym required (part 2) (PCT d - 71)

In another blog post (http://blog.ergoob.org/2016/03/elevation-training-no-gym-required-pct.html) I mentioned that: "It'll soon be the second anniversary of my joining one of the local gyms in town. .... As my contractual obligation draws to a close, I'm looking at ways of getting the same (or better) workout for free (versus c. $50/month at the health club)." If you weren't already into the healthy, outdoor lifestyle you'll find that it's an expensive business, equipping yourself with the "gear" needed to enjoy it more. Sure, you can try to do it on the cheap, with ordinary cross trainer shoes instead of sturdy hiking shoes or boots, for example. You might save $50 here or there, but it won't be as comfortable, or as much fun, and you'll risk injuries that you might not otherwise have sustained, had you been properly kitted out. So, I'm quitting my gym membership at the end of March, and using the money saved to offset some of those costs.

The only thing I'll really miss is the swimming. I love swimming. It makes me feel so light and fat-free because of the buoyancy in the water. Just like some people say they do their best thinking in the shower, I find that I do my best thinking in the swimming pool. When I feel the overwhelming need to swim again in the future, I'll pay the price (usually about $10 a day), and I'm okay with that.

Otherwise, I can get (need to get) my walking exercise out in the "real world", on proper terrain, with real undulations and ups-and-downs, and real obstacles. It might be colder and windier and wetter from time to time than walking/running on an indoor treadmill, but standing atop a steep hill or small mountain gives you a buzz and excitement that's like a drug. It happened to me when I reached the top of Buttercup Hill (the 200' hillock outside my apartment) for the first time. It happened when I reached the top of Mount Ascension last Sunday. It's a great feeling - and if you experience it once, you'll want to experience it again and again. The views over the Helena Valley are fantastic.

For my strength training, I have some resistance bands, and I have my 1 gallon Arizona Tea jugs, filled with water (8.5 lbs each when filled with water, 12 lbs when filled with sand. I haven't measured yet them with wet sand). I have some band exercise charts that I will publish soon, so that you can do them too, if you're interested.

Rocky training on the steps of the
Philadelphia Museum of Art

In my fantasy world, where I emulate Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies and run up and down the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (or whatever the Helena equivalent is), I optimistically bought myself a jump rope (skipping rope for my English readers). I was talking to a friend recently who tells me she enjoys boxing, which is not something I'd thought much about doing before, but I can imagine there's something primally satisfying about beating the sh*t out of a 80 pound sand-filled canvas bag. Add that (boxing) to my list of things to do in the next 12 months.

There's a new exercise coach that started work yesterday at the state employees' health center here in Helena. As soon as he is settled in and finished his training/orientation, I will be making an appointment to see him and develop my exercise plans further.

The adventure continues! Stay tuned.

Dizzying heights and under 320 (PCT d - 72)

At the top of Mount Ascension on Sunday morning

 

Part of my preparation for the 100-mile hike coming up in ten weeks time is walking up hills. There are few bigger in the immediate Helena area then Mount Ascension, which I climbed for the first time on Sunday morning (thanks Ann!) To be fair, I didn't start from the very bottom, but it was still a good 1.6 mile round trip in 55 minutes. It was a bit windy in the exposed parts, and a bit muddy underfoot in places, but it was fun. I'm looking forward to exploring more of that area, using its extensive system of paths and trails. What an excellent resource we have, right on our doorstep! 

I was carrying my backpack, laden with 20 lbs of "stuff" (hammock and bug net, sleeping pad, heavy clothing, first aid kit, bear spray, solar panel charger and battery pack) to simulate the kind of bulk and weight I'll be carrying in Oregon. 

319.8 lbs (145 kg)

The exercise, and the continuing low carb diet, helped me get below 320 pounds for the first time in ... I don't know how many years, maybe five years. My target for the end of March is to be under 312 lbs. I have a good feeling about that. 

Elevation training - no gym required (PCT d - 75)

It'll soon be the second anniversary of my joining one of the local gyms in town. That will be the subject of another blog post. As my contractual obligation draws to a close, I'm looking at ways of getting the same (or better) workout for free (versus c. $50/month at the health club). With less than 11 weeks until my Oregon trip, I'm also wanting to get more practice at climbing hills. So, I have a route that I have walked a couple of times now that goes around my South Hills neighborhood,

2.4% average grade over 1.25 miles

up and over Buttercup Hill, right outside my apartment. The elevation goes from about 4150 feet up to 4420 or so, a good challenge. I've been carrying my backpack, laden with about 15 lbs worth of gear to begin getting used to the sorts of loads I'll be carrying on my 100 mile hike in May. Eventually, I'll increase that load to about 25 or 30 lbs in the coming month or two. So far, everything feels good.

This Sunday I have ambitiously schedule two different hilly hikes, including one to the top of Mount Ascension.

Prescription drugs (PCT d - 76)

I may have already mentioned that I had only briefly considered, and quickly dismissed the possibility of laparascopic gastric band surgery. For me, there are simply too many risks of complications. Far better to do it "naturally". "But what about drugs?", I hear you ask. Well, people who know me know that I dislike taking prescription drugs. There are a couple that I have to take simply to make my life better: warfarin for an inherited blood clotting disorder, and a proton-pump inhibitor, omeprazole, for persistent heartburn.

My long-term blood sugar level, measured by my A1c, had crept up to 6.4% when I was 405 pounds heavy. 

For people without diabetes, the normal range for the hemoglobin A1c test is between 4% and 5.6%. Hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7% and 6.4% indicate increased risk of diabetes, and levels of 6.5% or higher indicate diabetes

As I started adopting a healthier lifestyle and losing weight, that value dropped to 6.2%, then 6.1%. I have avoided the diabetes precipice that I was staring into. But I'm still 320 pounds. I still have 16 months to go before I reach my 178 pound target. So, I was reluctantly persuaded to try metformin, at the lowest dose available. Hailed as the next "wonder drug", it helps people, particularly overweight people, lower their blood sugar levels. I really can't tell if it's the metformin that has helped bring my A1c down, or if it's the diet and exercise regime, but I'm going to continue to take it for the time being, especially since it's available for zero cost on my current health plan!

BP is back to normal again now.

I also recently started taking a low dose of an ACE inhibitor, lisinopril, to try to reduce my blood pressure. Having had really good blood pressure (120/80 mmHg) for most of my life, it had started to creep up to 130/85 or 135/90 - not terrible, but too high. After just two doses I could see a difference already. Now I've been taking it for a couple of months, and my readings are consistently good again.

First experience of hanging in my hammock (PCT d - 79)

After the strong and chilly wind didn't let up at all on Saturday, I finally managed to get out for a 2.4 mile walk on Sunday morning (thanks, Traci!) It was just in my own little neighborhood but it was up and down some steepish hills, including the once-intimidating Buttercup Hill (200 feet tall) at the end of my street. It was hard going, so I know that I'll have to spend several of the next 79 days working on climbing steep hills. I had my backpack on, with about half the stuff that I'll be taking with me to Oregon in May. It weighed nearly 14 pounds.

First time putting up the hammock, lessons learned

On a different tack, I finally got to try out my hammock at the Vigilante campground near York today. It took a couple of goes to get the angle of the dangle correct. The big takeaway from the whole experience was that I need to practice tying proper knots. Evidently, all those YouTube videos I watched didn't help enough. I need to tie so many of them myself, using real rope or cord, that it becomes second nature.

The whole hammock setup was much smaller than I had imagined but, once I'd made some adjustments, it was pretty comfortable. Getting in to it was amusing. Getting out again was like something from a slapstick movie.

Now (on Wednesday) to order the last major piece of gear, my down quilt, and I'll be all set.

February target reached! 321 lbs (PCT d - 80)

Back in early February (http://blog.ergoob.org/2016/02/revised-targets-new-end-date-but-it.html) I published a list of revised goals, or target weights that I wanted to achieve in the coming 16 months.

Date	Target	Actual
2/27/2016	321	321 **
3/30/2016	312
4/30/2016	303
5/11/2016	300
5/31/2016	294

 

I was a day late (hence the ** in the table above) but I DID IT!! 

320.6 lbs (145.4 kg)

Dotted line is my actual values

 

Now, onwards and downwards to the next target - 312 pounds by the end of March, then 303 pounds by the end of April, breaking through 300 before my hiking trip to Oregon.  

As you can see from the chart, the dotted line shows the ups and downs of the last month, including a couple of weeks when little progress was made, but I continued to do the things that have been successful for me for the past eight months: a low-carb diet, more modest portion sizes, more exercise - in short, the very title of this blog, "Eat Right, Get Out Of Breath". 

I also came to the realization, recently, of something that I kind of knew already, which is the important role that drinking water plays in a successful weight loss regime. I had been trying to avoid the "sucralose and acesulfame potassium" in the water flavor enhancers, so I had stopped buying them. There being so few other tasty but calorie-free alternatives, I had inevitably as a side-effect, reduced my water intake. Once I started using the flavor enhancers again, and my water consumption reached "new normal" levels, the weight started to come off again. I'll have to do a separate post about water consumption. 

 

322 lbs (PCT d - 81)

322.6 lbs (146.3 kg)

At this morning's weigh in I tipped the scales at 322.6 pounds, another recent new low. Onward and downward! 

Almost got all my gear for the hike in May (PCT d - 82)

With my new Osprey Aether 60
backpack

My new backpack arrived on Tuesday morning, so I went (walked!) to pick it up after work that day. I will be test driving it with extra weight inside over the next few weeks, trying to simulate hiking conditions, and getting used to the adjustments and fine tuning. There are lots of straps and loops and such. There are some that I'm not even sure of their purpose.

I put my sleep system (hammock/bug net/rain tarp) in the bottom of the pack, and added some extra bulk and weight to the top part to give it a better shape and more realistic weight. Then I tried it while walking to work. It wasn't bad - pretty comfortable. Since I'll be carrying it all 100 miles of the hike, I've got to get used to carrying it when I'm walking around town too.

Now, the only two things missing are my down quilt to keep me warm at night, and a DeLorme inReach Explorer GPS locator and communicator for use in an emergency and to help send our location on the trail to our friends and family back home who will be able to track us on a special website.

Between us, Birdie and I have pretty much everything else we need now. So, the challenge in the next 12 weeks will be to test ourselves and our kit as much as possible before we go, so that there as few bad surprises as possible, and we can enjoy the beautiful scenery (trees, trees, and more trees; and a few mountains, and lakes) of southern Oregon.

No longer a prisoner of my own mind (PCT d - 85)

I've spoken, in this blog and elsewhere, of the fact that I'm tackling my 100-mile hike in May "because no-on told me I couldn't". So, evidently, I had already grasped the concept that one's own mind can trap one, or set one free. Thus it was that I had a revelation recently. After comfortably walking 10 miles a few days ago, and six miles last Saturday, there's really no need for me to think of my radius of operation, or my circle of influence, being so small (only as wide as the distance I walk to work each day - 0.75 miles). 

Freeing myself from that stinkin' thinkin', I can see now that practically ANYWHERE in town is within my reach. From the South Hills, I can walk to East Helena, I can walk to the west side, or to the north valley. With this new freedom, I decided to skip my usual ride to the swimming pool last night, and walked there instead. It's only 2.0 miles from my apartment, but I would never have thought about walking there before. In my head, it was always too far away. I didn't walk home, though (come on! It's uphill). In between, I swam for a solid hour, which felt really good. As I was doing so, it occurred to me that it's now possible to get up earlier, walk to the pool, swim for 30-40 minutes in the morning, and still walk to work. Nice! I used to go to the pool at 05:00 every weekday morning anyway, back in 2014 and early 2015. 

I even contemplated how I had allowed myself NOT to climb the hillock outside my apartment ("Buttercup Hill", I think it has been called, back in the 1970s). It's a 200 foot, very steep hill, which I was somehow frightened to climb until three months after I'd moved in. As soon as the snow/ice and soft mud are no longer a problem I will be climbing it on a regular basis now. 

So, it goes to show, if we impose limits on ourselves we can be pretty effective prison warders. We can hold ourselves back from reaching out and trying, from pushing ourselves to our boundaries and beyond. Without these self-imposed walls, the anything is possible!