Butt kicked....

A week ago today I set off on what was planned to be a week-long adventure in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. And as I am sure you can tell by that first sentence it did not go as planned.

The drive was long... just a bit over eight hours. This included gas, bathroom breaks, a stop for lunch. and a stop at Walmart in Carlsbad as I had forgotten to bring my pillow. It was very tiring.Upon arrival at the campsite I discovered it was not what I expected. The sites were a lot closer than what they appeared on the website. The one I booked was very exposed to the elements and the adjoining sites. The trail to the site wasn't in the best of hape but I was just able to pull my (folding) wagon down it from my car to the site. Traffic noise was very annoying and it went on all night. My campstove mal-functioned which led to a cold burn by the propane tank on two of my fingers. Luckily I had on gloves at the time so the burns were minor but still painful. The weather forecast kept changing for the week so I knew f I wanted to complete the hike up to the top of Guadalupe peak I would need to do it on Monday. Not ideal to take on such a big hike the first day, but it had to be done. I knew it would be challenging. It was. The trail wasn't in the best condition. Extremely rocky conditions, high steps that aren't great for old short ladies. I pushed through and made it to the top within my targeted time. I rested and ate a sandwich and a banana at the top. Had a nice conversation with a Park Ranger bfore heading back down. Now I knew that downhill hikes are the most difficult for me. Rocky trails  and lots of steps just add to the misery. I knew the return would be a challenge. Halfway down my head started pounding and my stomach became quesy. I had to keep going. It took me longer to get down than it did going up. I felt wretched by the time I returned to the campground. My headache worsened, I was only able to eat a few bites of soup for dinner. I was asleep by 7 pm. I was awakened at 10 pm by winds pounding my tent. The winds just increased as the night went on. I managed maybe another hour or so of sleep. OTC pain relief did not help the headache. It was a full-blown migraine at this point. I just wanted to go home. 

The weather forecast was not looking good for the remainder of the week. Highs in the 80's! The had been forecast for the upper 60s. The trails for the other hikes I had planned were in worse condition than Guadalupe peak and were very exposed to th sun and wind. I just could not see myself staying another day. So I packed up and drove the long drive home on Tuesday. I still felt like crap. Head pounding. Queasy stomach and sore muscles. My migraine didn't abate until Wednesday morning. 42 hours after it began. The drive home was so hard. But I just didn't want to stop as I wanted my own bed.

Guadalupe National Park kicked my butt!

I had plenty of time to think on the way home about my planned Inca Trail trek. I knew it was more than I could probably achieve. I knew I would need to change it to the two day trek. With just four months left to train, I doubted I could be in the condition I would need to be. The two day trek is right where I successfully hike right now. I just have to maintain this level. I contacted Alpaca Expeditions and made the change on Wednesday. 

My biggest concern with the Inca Trail is it has to be done with a group. You have to be ble to keep up. Most of the trekkers are under the age of 35. I was getting passed all day by young people on Guadalupe Peak trail. While I did see many of them at the peak, I was decades younger than most. The Inca trail is also very rocky. Four days/26 miles of it would kill me. The 2 day is 6 miles. My favorite distance to hike. 

I still plan on the EBC trek. I will be flexible and I will be able to go at my own pace as it will just be me and my guide/porter. My goal is just to see Mount Everest. I probably won't hve to go all the way to Base Camp - it's not even visable from there anyway. Base camp is just the photo op. The best view is from the top of Kala Pathar near Gorak Shep.

So I did learn a bit about myself on this trip. I am human, I am 66 years old and at 5ft 3 in, 114 lbs I am not a super-woman. I am determined but fallible. I have to know my limits and not take risks by pushing myself beyond them. 

But, hey... I did stand on the highest point in Texas.

A New Month

 November has arrived. We are also having a bit of Autumn weather, but it is supposed to warm back into the 80's this week. This time next year I will be wrapping up my teaching assignment in Salleri and will be preparing to set off on my EBC trek. I have been following the weather closely and it has been a wet Autumn with bitter cold and snow at the higher elevations. The trails and passes were shut down for a few days this past week due to the heavy snowfall on most of the mountain treks in the Nepalese Himalayas. The temperatures have not been above freezing for the past 4 weeks in Gorak Shep. Overnight lows are in the single digit Fahrenheit. 

My trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park is getting closer. A few kinks have come up due to the Government shut-down that has me looking at a few other options. McKittrick Canyon trail is closed and inaccessible and Carlsbad Caverns is completely shut-down. Those were the two places I was going to go to on the windier days when the elevated trails are a bit perilous. I am hopeful that the shut-down will be resolved before I go, but if not then I may head up to New Mexico to one of the State Parks there to camp for a few nights.

No change in my workout schedule. I feel I am at a good place and doing what I need to be to prepare for the Inca Trail. I think once the holidays are over I will start wearing my backpack several days a week when doing the treadmill and stair-master. I have been trying to do so once a week the past two weeks. I am also going to Mother Neff once a week and hiking 3.28 miles. Today is my 1 hour on the stair-master workout (ugh) It is a challenge but I have been completing it the past three Sundays. I have also added a short treadmill workout (30 minutes) afterward.  My Saturday workout is limited to the treadmill but I do 90 minutes on it with 50 - 55 minutes at 15%. I have also set my pace on the treadmill a bit faster. 

Mentally, I am in a very good place. Yoga and meditation are really paying off. I am also re-reading Thich Nhat Hanh's " The Heart of Buddha"s Teaching". Each time I read it, I understand so much more. I am gradually living more in the present. I am creating a more peaceful existence for myself and hopefully others around me.

I am looking forward to the weeks ahead and hope that everyone has a peace filled month.