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Go Hiking and Be A Badass

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How can hiking help you become or stay a badass? That’s easy. Do it every week! There are a few exceptional badasses that hike multiple times a week. Usually, they don’t have a job or are independently wealthy. Maybe retired? But what about someone with daily obligations? Well, most of us have at least one day off a week. Do it then.

The reason weekly hiking qualifies you is because of its relatively rare quality. It is hard to get yourself to hike every week especially in all kinds of weather conditions.

Hiking The Burners

Another way to be a badass is to regularly hike the burners. These are the climbs that make your legs scream at you to stop.

When a friend says, have you climbed this or that route and it is “interesting,” they are trying to get you to experience a burner (link).

You Hike No Matter the Weather

You are not badass unless you are out there in all kinds of weather. Rain, snow, wind it doesn’t matter. You do your climb. Now I am not talking about Alpine climbing. Weather is an important consideration in that arena.

I am not an Alpinist nor do I wish to be one. However, I do admire the Alpine badasses out there like Jimmy Chen who makes movies too.

How Do You Know For Sure?

The only way to really know if you are a badass is if someone tells you. This is the test.

Then of course even if someone says you are a badass, remember, someone else thinks you’re a minor league player. Actually, any real Alpinist would look at a weekend hiker as a being in the minor leagues.

Once when I was on my way down from Camp Muir on Rainier an older gentleman was climbing up with his girlfriend and we had a casual conversation. I mentioned I was seventy-something and he said when he was my age he was summiting one of the seven summits. It is kind of like the old west. There is always someone faster on the draw. However, if you want to get faster the only way to do it is, go hiking!

Go Hiking And Be Awesome

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If you want to be awesome it is easy. Put your boots on and go climb a mountain. There is something magical when someone asks you what you did today and you can say, “I climbed a mountain.” It’s awesome!

Now it isn’t always easy. If the sun is shining or it is mildly cool, no problem. But if there is rain or snow that is another thing.

Are You Fit?

To be awesome you need to be fit enough to get to the top of the mountain and have enough energy to get back down. So how do you do that? The best way is to climb more mountains. It is like when someone asks how do I get so I can do ten pull-ups. The answer is to do more pull-ups.

You can also spend time in a gym. There are exercises that will prepare your legs for climbing. Just stepping up and down on a bench will help you. However, if you want to be an awesome hiker you need to be able to carry some weight on your back. Remember, you’re not a mountain “runner” or “trail runner.” That is totally different. They carry no weight. An awesome hiker has at least 25 pounds of weight on his or her back.

Are You Dedicated

In order to be an awesome hiker, you need to be dedicated to hiking consistently and not just once in a while. There is something I use to get into the right state of mind the day before a hike.

Sometimes the weather is bad and hiking up some mountain is not something I want to do at all on a two day weekend. So I need a ritual that gets me in the right state of mind. In the morning if someone asks me if I am going hiking the next day I say yes, but not enthusiastically and usually tell them I need to get psyched up for it.

So in the afternoon I just begin my preparations. I get my pack ready. Water bottles ready. Extra clothes ready. The ten essentials ready. That is all it takes. By the time I am done, I usually am psyched for it. However, there have been times when I arrive at the trailhead and it is pouring rain when I don’t want to get out of the car. That is when I take a deep breath and do it.

Go hiking and be awesome!

Go Hiking Even If You Have Osetoporosis

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One day at the gym in 2008 I slammed my little toe into a metal bench anchor and it broke. My doctor thought that was unusual so decided to give me a bone scan. The scan showed that I had Osteopenia. My levels of Vitamin D were in the toilet and that is the most likely reason for this diagnosis. I never supplemented and was a vegetarian for many years.

The doctor told me that because I was male and the scale they used was designed for females that the reality was that I had Osteoporosis. Osteopenia is just the precursor to it. My bone scan was 1.5.

He also said I needed to get on Fosamax right away, but I did some research and found that the side effects were horrendous. So I told the doctor no thanks. He was very angry and I am sure he thought his recommendation was the best thing for me. In fact, he tried to dissuade me by telling me how horrible death by a hundred fractures can be.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

I figured there must be a better way and thought that boosting my testosterone and Human Growth Hormone might help. So I went to a clinic specializing in Longevity medicine and for about a year and a half I was “treated.” However, these clinics are very expensive and insurance does not cover it so I eventually ran out of money.

One of the benefits, however, was that I lost fat and gained muscle. I loved that but had no idea if it helped with the bone loss.

Hiking

During the whole time I hiked and of course, still hike. It was not until fairly recently that I discovered that running with weight on your back helped to strengthen bones. It takes 1.4 times your body weight to trigger bone growth. However, pounding down a mountain is also rough on your joints.

Still every week I climb a mountain and I think it has helped, but I won’t know until I get another scan.

Osteostrong

Then about a year and a half ago, I found out about Osteostrong. The mother of the person that developed it had Osteoporosis and she was lucky enough to have a genius son. He designed four machines (two for the upper body and two for the lower body) that enable you to put 1.4 times your body weight on your bones without damaging the joints. You do one rep. You push as hard as you can until you can’t anymore (about 5 seconds).

This system has shown to increase bone density by 16% after only a year and a half. So no nasty medications that make your jaw fall off. I think it has probably lengthened my life span considerably. Stay tuned for the bone scan results.

Diet

It has only been very recently since I discovered a diet plan that contributes to bone growth. It was designed by a woman that was diagnosed with Osteoporosis in her 30s. She has completely reversed it. Her husband worked alone with her. Their names are Mira and Jason Calton.

If you or someone you know has either Osteopenia or Osteoporosis please tell them about these two protocols. Weight-bearing exercise and a special diet. Then tell them to go hiking!

Go Hiking And Don’t Step On A Rattler

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Another hike from the bottom of the Grand Canyon, on the Colorado River that I was a part of, was a hair-raiser. These hikes were typically a 5 to 10-mile round trip and this particular one was no exception. It was designed to enable us to get the view you see in the picture above.

Snake!

One of the guides would not allow me to use my trekking poles which I liked, because my knees were much worse in 1998 than they are now. As it turned out, it was probably a good idea.

The hike began as a medium grade climb. Everyone lined up behind the guide. Part of me does not even like the idea of a “guide,” but in the Grand Canyon, you need one. They know the trails and dangers. Soon we came to a flatter area with low, dry bushes. We were just enjoying the desert scenery when the guide yells, “snake to your left.” Then he says, “Move slow but keep moving.” Nothing connects to your primal sense of survival as hearing that word. I looked to my left and just in front of me was the biggest rattlesnake I had ever seen. It was curled up and in the striking position, but it was asleep! Whew! So we all moved right on by with no problems.

Scorpions

The snake is not the only danger you face in this area. We were told at the very beginning of the trip to be sure to keep your boots inside your tent overnight. Otherwise, you might get a real surprise when you put them on the next morning. There is a clear or pale scorpion called centruroides that crawls around looking for shoes I guess. They only bite when defending themselves, but I guess if you try to crush them in your boot they might take that as an attack.

These pale scorpions are deadly. Here is a quote for you, “The estimated annual number of scorpion stings is 1.2 million leading to 3250 deaths (0.27%). For every person killed by a venomous snake, 10 are killed by a venomous scorpion.” However, I also read that these deaths have declined over the years.

So if you are climbing in the desert you need to be cautious. Still, don’t let them stop you! Go hiking!

Go Hiking And Find The Strength Within

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No matter what difficulties I am facing from day to day, when I get up in the mountains I find a strength that I don’t have when I am not climbing. I think it is one of the ways I connect with my creator.

Of course, you are outdoors in creation. Being outside in the forest aligns with our nature as humans.

The Quiet

There are places in the mountains away from freeways and even the sound of waterfalls where you can hear your heartbeat. In these places, I am rejuvenated. I find the strength I didn’t know I had.

Having places like this gives me a place to rest. Resting when climbing mountains is typically not what I do. However, in these cases, I make an exception.

The Clouds

Am I the only person that finds strength in clouds? Especially in the mountains where they hide part of a view or make a landscape almost spooky.

Everyone has seen clouds take the shape of familiar things or scary things. You might see a dragon or an angel. Somehow, in the mountains, these images are more powerful and can transfer that power to the person watching.

The Trees

I know I have talked about being a tree hugger before this. The trees surround you and I suppose that is why you hear the term “nature bathing.” The large ones are so old. I read once that old trees talk. It is just that they talk so slow you can’t understand them.

Trees seem so much more stable than me. Rooted deep in the ground seemingly unmovable. And I think you can borrow some of that stability just by being around them.

The quiet, clouds and trees all combine to strengthen the spirit within. So go hiking!

Go Hiking And See A UFO

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Well, if you don’t get into the mountains there is much less chance you will see anything. Now, if you are snickering or rolling your eyes right now, check out the Joe Rogan podcast number 1361 with Cmdr. David Fravor and Jeremy Corbell. Now that you have listened to that, I will continue.

Oh, you don’t have the time to listen to it? Ok, let’s just think about all this.

The Media and UFOs

Recently I was listening to David Sinclair discuss his findings in the area of anti-aging. Some of the things he talks about are amazing. Then I heard a radio newscast discussing his book, laughing and joking about it. Of course, they do the same thing with the subject of UFOs.

The other extreme is Coast to Coast. Listen to George Nori. He took over where Art Bell left off. There you will not only hear credible stories but crazy nut cases as well. It is great entertainment.

Mountains and UFOs

The first reported sighting of a UFO was over Mt Rainier in the 50s. UFOs like to fly over mountains. Those green guys probably just like the view.

If you hike in the dark as I do, well before sunrise you can see all sorts of things up in the sky that you don’t see during the day. Even if you just hike during the day, keep an eye on the sky, because you never know what might show up.

My Experience

Yes, I saw something that I have never been able to explain. It was years ago at Lake Wenatchee, at night. I was lying on the beach, sober, looking up at the stars. I saw a couple of satellites move across the sky and then I saw something amazing. From four different directions, these white, star-like objects converged on an imaginary point. When they all met in the middle they immediately went back out away from the center. Each one probably just kept going the same direction. They all disappeared. Oh, how fast? Very fast! I have never been able to explain it or have anyone else explain it to me.

As Joe Rogan and others have said, “We are not alone.”