Storms

 Well, it has been quite the week. Last Wednesday when I got home from work a thunderstorm was just moving into the area. The power was out, so of course so was the internet. Cell phone service soon went down too. My cell phone service came back on briefly around 11 pm, just long enough to get a text from my boss saying not to come into work tomorrow due to the storms and power outages. I explained to her that I was without power and cell coverage was poor. So I asked her what did I miss? Well, a tornado hit West Temple and most of the town was without power. The Mayborn was spared any damage except for some roof leaks. We are located well away from where the tornado struck. Quite a few employees though were without power and had some damage to their homes. 

On Thursday, the storms persisted. I received over four inches of rain, and my backyard looked like a river was flowing through it. My power had come back up overnight, but my internet was still down, and cell service was almost non-existent. There was quite a bit of flooding around town. News reports showed extensive damage in Temple, and most of the town was still without power. The Convention Center would remain closed through the weekend, and the scheduled events were being canceled. I was not to come back to work until Tuesday. My 3-day holiday weekend had become a 5-day weekend. I would at least get a chance to clean up my yard from all the debris that had washed through. I also had a tree I needed to take down before it caused problems with the electric service to the house.

The extra time off did allow me to get to the gym twice. I went on Friday morning and then on Sunday afternoon. I did 250 steps on the Stairmaster on Friday and 300 on Sunday. I also did 50 minutes and then 55 minutes on the treadmill with elevations mimicking a hilly hike.The treadmill will take some time to get used to. The first twenty minutes are the worst. It does seem to get a bit easier at that point. I think I will soon be up to sixty minutes on the treadmill. I hope to go on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays through mid-September. Hopefully, by then it will be cooling down and I can get back out on the trails. I have also been keeping up with my daily yoga and have added a few new positions to the routine. I did hop on my stair-stepper this morning and did 310/620 steps. The temperature outside right now is 95f with a heat index of 111f. The humidity is the killer at 57%. While the rain was much needed to break the drought - we have now had too much. The creeks and rivers are full to overflowing. Texas weather really sucks!  Video  - My back garden during the storm last Thursday...

Getting There

 Monday morning, the one good thing about Monday's is I am another day closer to retirement. 

I cannot ever figure out why I always have a bad nights sleep on Sunday night. I don't worry or stress about the week ahead. I keep the same bedtime routine as I do on other nights. But I just wake up every hour or two and often lay awake for an hour or more between two and four a.m.. I had thought for sure when I went to bed last night I would sleep well. I was physically worn out. 

I began my Sunday as I begin every other day with my Yoga routine. I then watched CBS Sunday Morning as I do most Sundays. I then mowed the yard... the entire yard, front and back. It was hot and muggy. I also forgot to turn the self-propel back on on the lawnmower so I got an extra upper body workout. That would normally be my work-out for the day but I did go on Saturday and get a pass for the gym. I went Saturday and did forty five minutes on the treadmill and a short stint on the elliptical. On Sunday I did fifty minutes on the treadmill with varying heights on the incline from -3 to the highest of 15. I tried to mimic what I would do on a hike. I varied the speed based on the incline from 2.0 to 2.5 mph. My average for the workout was 2.4 mph. I then climbed on the stair-stepper And did 5 minutes at 45 steps per minute. I will have to get used to their machine and hope to get up to ten minutes at 50 spm in a few more visits. It was a good workout. It will take a few more trips though until I begin to feel comfortable there. It has been at least 12 years since I had a membership there. 

This morning I had to drag myself out of bed. I was still so tired. I did my yoga and then I got on my stair-stepper.... I struggled to do 100 steps. I was doing 300 last week and didn't feel as tired as I did this morning. I have really been doubting myself since. I was honestly thinking of calling it all quits. But I tell myself to look at how far I have come in the past year. I've gone from couch potato to accomplishing 6 mile hikes. I've gone from 25 steps to 300 on the stair-stepper. My knee pain is rarely a blip on the pain meter. I am healthier than I have been in years. I am sure the worst is behind me and the progress will continue at an even faster pace. If my knees stay strong I shouldn't have to deal with those set-backs. Working out at the gym should build my cardio which I really need to focus on the next few months.  

I just have to keep telling myself I will get there....

Colorado - Manitou Incline

    Big Bend

        Inca Trail

            Everest Base Camp Trek

Goal Achieved!

 Stair Stepper Goal Achieved!

300/600

I finally reached my goal that I set when I started this journey. I gave myself a year and I did it!

When I first got my stair-stepper I was lucky to do 25/50 steps on it the first time I hopped on. I quickly got up to 100 steps, but then knee pain slowed me down. It has felt like a long journey to get here. The past two weeks I started seeing a big improvement. No knee pain and my endurance was improving daily. I am going to hold at this level for a few weeks and then see what I can accomplish at the gym. I know I mentioned in my last post that I was going to join up last weekend but it didn't happen. If the weather cooperates this weekend I hope to go hiking. If it doesn't I will try to get to the gym. 

I'm just so excited that I reached my goal! 

Looking Back to Look Ahead

I continue to look back over how far I have come this past year. Then I was only beginning to dream of the journey I wished to travel. I had not yet started working out except maybe a short hike at Mother Neff State Park. I was in terrible shape. I had no stamina, my cardio was poor and trying to hike hills was a killer. I was luckily and still am at a healthy weight, maybe even a little on the slim side. I knew I had a long way to go though to get in shape for the trek to EBC. I gave myself plenty of time though to prepare. I started this journey in May of 2023 with a plan of hiking to EBC in the late Autumn of 2026. I honestly feel like I will need every day between now and then to prepare. 

Looking back on where I was to where I am now is a big improvement, just not as much of an improvement as I had hoped. I am being a bit more realistic in my monthly goals right now as I have learned that this old body gets injured much easier than when I was younger. I really have to pace myself. I had also been thinking prior to my trip last month to New Mexico that I would attempt a 14er in Colorado this Autumn. I have now put that on the back burner and will stay in the 9000 - 10,000 foot altitude range for this trip. I do still plan on attempting the Manitou Incline. I think it will be a good measure of where I am at and what I am capable of. Success on it will give me the confidence to travel to Peru and trek the Inca Trail before I head to Nepal. So my plan for the summer months is to hit the gym three times a week. Stair-stepper, treadmill (on a incline) and a few arm weights. I will continue my morning workouts of yoga and stair-stepper. This Autumn I plan on 4 days hiking in Colorado, then next Spring, Big Bend National Park. I am not yet sure what I will do the following Autumn. I am debating Peru then, or I might leave it until after my retirement in January of 2026 and instead return to Colorado and go for that 14'er then. Colorado in the Spring is just too muddy from the melting snow, plus the snow often sticks around until June. It is not a good Spring destination. Speaking of muddy Springs. We have had flooding rains this past week and many parks are inaccessible or are too muddy. I think it has been a month since I was at Mother Neff. I had hoped to go this weekend, but more rain is in the forecast. 

My workouts have been going really well this week. Partly because I have been waking up well before my alarm. I figure since I am awake I might as well get up and have an unhurried workout. I have done 200/400 on the stair-stepper for the past three mornings and felt great afterwards (no knee pain). This is quite the improvement over the past year considering that when I bought it I could barely do 25/50 steps. Then the knee pain set in as I increased those numbers. I hope those days are behind me. Hoping to get to the gym this weekend. Maybe I'll post early next week and update this on how well (or not) it went. 

Happy Mother's day!

Anniversary

 One year ago this week I began my journey to get fit both mentally and physically to take on the challenge of hiking to the Everest Base Camp. It has been a journey of ups and downs. Physically, mentally, and on the trails. I am still facing those challenges, but I am so much stronger than I was. I am not yet to where I wanted to be physically. The setbacks with knee pain has been an ongoing issue. It does seem to be improving, but the twinges are still there at times. I have learned to always wear a knee brace when working out or hiking. Mentally, I still struggle with the doubting demons. Am I too old? Am I just too weak? Can I mentally cope with the challenge? Will I ever get fit enough to tackle the altitude and inclines that I would face? But all I have to do is look at the photos and read about the journey from those that have been there or are currently there hiking. Damn it is just amazing to see. BEAUTIFUL! I want to be there. So I will keep working towards my goal. I am not ready to quit. 

I do realize now that I need to step up (no pun intended) my workouts. I think a gym membership is on the horizon to keep me motivated through the long summer ahead. I am already planning my next trip for early Autumn. I am thinking of three days camping and hiking in one of the State parks in Colorado, and then a quick hike at Garden of the Gods and the Manitou Incline before heading home. The Manitou Incline will be my big challenge. I am thinking if I can complete it in a reasonable amount of time I feel a bit more confident about the possibility of taking on the challenge of the four day Inca trail trek, I just need to get through the summer unscathed and in better shape than I currently am. 

So where am I at currently? I am still doing the same Yoga routine that I started with a year ago. I just really like it and it doesn't take too long to complete so I can do it most mornings before work. I do the stair -stepper four to five mornings a week and seem to be stuck between 150/300 and 200/400. My goal had been to be to 300/600 by now. I continue to eat a much healthier diet with very little meat and limited dairy and animal products. I have lost five pounds in the past few months and feel healthier than I have in years. Mentally I am doing better, but I still have those days where I doubt my ability. I am however living more mindfully and in the present moment. I read the teaching of Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Han which has influenced how I live and want to live my life. His teachings have calmed my soul and left me happier with the life I have lived and hope to live. 

I look forward to the year and the challenges ahead. What will I see as I look back on these posts as the months move forward. I dream of the days to come and reflect on the days past. I live only in this moment. 

A Natural High - 9000 feet

 Last week I finally made it to Cloudcroft New Mexico  with my daughter to spend several days hiking. The weather was perfect. The trails were dry and the town was peaceful and quiet. It has been ten years since I was last here.

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon and got settled into the cabin we had rented. It was a charming cozy little place, but provided everything we needed for the stay. Our first night we went to the new Cloudcroft Brewing Co. for beer and pizza. I can highly recommend both the beer and the pizza. They don't have a lot of options on the food menu and only offer one size of pizza - small. I was thrilled that they offer two different red/amber ales. I tried the Irish Red and it was incredibly smooth and easy to drink. My daughter had a blueberry cider that she really enjoyed. We did return later in the week just for a brew and I tried the Amber Ale then. I really enjoyed it as it was more full bodied than the red ale. 

Monday morning we headed down to the high desert to start our hiking at a bit lower altitude. We headed to three Rivers Petroglyph Site for a leisurely hike and exploring the rock drawings. We really enjoyed the time spent there. From there we drove just a few miles up the road to visit the Catholic Mission of Santa Nina de Atocha, a beautiful little church in the middle of the desert. 

Pics of Three Rivers and  Santa Nina de Atocha;

From there we drove into Alamogordo for a bit of shopping and lunch before returning to Cloudcroft. 

Later that afternoon we set off on our first hike in Cloudcroft. We decided to do the familiar Osha Trail just on the edge of the village. It is a 2.5 mile loop with a few hills. It is a popular trail with the locals so we met quite a few people and their dogs while hiking it. Let me tell you  that the 9000 foot altitude nearly kicked our butts on this one. But it was a good, necessary workout. 

Tuesday morning was another beautiful day. It started off in the 40's (f) and we hit the trail early for a five mile hike that was just a few miles outside of town. It was the Fir/Little Apache trail, a double loop with some elevation changes, but nothing too steep. It was mostly through forested areas. Nothing overwhelmingly scenic but the trail was deserted so it was a very peaceful hike. We did see one patch of snow in a shady area. My only complaint with this trail is that it gets a lot of people on horseback so there is horse-poop is everywhere and you have to watch your step. 

Our third and final day we headed out the Cloudcroft highway to the Switchback Trail. This trail follows the highway and old railway down the mountain and then a footbridge across and then back up hill. We were well acclimated by then and did not struggle at all on the trail. It is a really nice trail with some scenic areas. The hills aren't steep but are fairly constant. There are just a few level areas. It was a good hike to end the trip. 

The week was too short, but was still nice to get away and get outside in the beautiful weather. The warmest it got while we were there was maybe in the mid 60's. I took my two little runt-mutts with us, but they only went on the Osha trail hike. We did quite a bit of walking with them though in the area where the cabin was. 

Hopefully I will get to return soon as Cloudcroft is such a great location to hike, relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. 

Now I am planning my next trip.... maybe hiking in Colorado this coming Autumn.