Stay on Offense Climb Mountains

Attacking Adversity

Go Hiking And Climb To Nankoweap

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Apparently, you can access this area via roads, but when I climbed to it, I did it from the Colorado River. It is a decent hike, especially in hot weather. Unlike here in the Northwest, it gets really hot.

It is a historic spot that challenges you in a couple of different ways, but as you can see from the picture I took, the view is worth it.

Narrow Path to Caves

If you are afraid of heights this might be one you want to leave to others. The path becomes very narrow as you approach the caves. Even I had to sit down for a minute to compose myself.

The caves (actually graineries) were made by the Paiute many years ago. It is hard to imagine them working at that height, in those conditions. We are so pampered in today’s society. Those people had to work to stay alive.

Best Way To Get There

When I went, I used Colorado River and Trail and floated from Lake Powell to Lake Mead taking twelve days. There was lots of hiking and I will talk about some of those other hikes in the future. The Toroweap hike was one of the best.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to hire Colorado River and Trail to take you, you will not be disappointed. They use very big boats with motors so although you are shooting Class V rapids, you don’t tip over. In my opinion that is a bonus. You do get very wet and the boat does rise to probably 30-degree angles at times. Lava Falls is the biggest rapid.

And in addition to keeping you alive, this company also cooks for you and provides a portable outhouse for your convenience.

So hire somebody to take you down the canyon. This is not just a white water trip. Go hiking!

Go Hiking And Climb Granite Mountain

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Go Hiking and Climb Granite Mountain, Bandera and Bear Mountain

These three mountains are ones that I climb infrequently so I thought I would lump them together.

Granite Mountain

If you like being in the sun Granite mountain delivers. Most of it is out of the woods so it can get pretty hot in the summer. Bring a lot of water.

It is not a particularly difficult climb, but there are a good number of rocks. I broke both of my trekking poles coming down this mountain a few years ago because they got caught in some rocks.

There are a couple of significant avalanche shoots so take care to stay away in the winter. It is called unnecessary risk.

Lookout

Like all mountains, getting to the top of Granite is the goal. On top of Granite is a lookout. It is not as nice as the one on Pilchuck, but you can sit and look at the view which includes the freeway.

I suppose Granite mountain is not my favorite climb. Maybe it is because it took my trekking poles. All mountains are unpredictable. Still, all the mountains are worth climbing at least once. It is actually a very popular hike and is close by off of I-90.

It has been a while since I climbed it. Maybe I should reconsider, forgive the mountain and give it another shot.

Bandera

The two outstanding things about Bandera are how steep it is and how short it is. It is supposed to be 8 miles round trip. Maybe. It does get steep but has a nice view of a lake at the top. It is right off of I-90 so once again a mountain that is close.

Bear Mountain

Confession, I only climbed this mountain twice, years ago. Like Granite mountain, there is a considerable amount of the trail exposed to the sun. I also remember lots of mosquitoes. But don’t stay away just because I do. Check it out yourself! Go hiking!

Go Hiking And Feel Powerful

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Hiking does make you feel powerful. Just the physical movement gets your blood flowing and then as you climb higher and higher you feel stronger.

Sure it is hard, but deep inside you feel power. It grows as you climb. Wait! Stop! How can the be? Ok, here are some ideas.

Mantras

Mantras keep you focused on the task at hand and not how difficult it might be. Here are my favorite, all of which I stole from somebody else. You can steal them from me if they fit.

Life is good. I am strong. I can do this all day long.
I’m strong and powerful. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
My body is my home. My home is my temple.
I’m strong, I thrive, at 165.
Measure your day by what you sow and not by what you reap
Find happiness in the short term misery of discipline so you don’t suffer the long term pain of regret.

When I am hiking I am saying these six mantras over and over again. They help me focus and I believe they get drilled into my subconscious.

Micro Goals

I may have talked about micro goals before. In the Unbeatable Mind community which Mark Divine began they are a staple. When it comes to hiking they are perfect. You feel a little tired or maybe a lot tired. So you pick a rock or a tree up ahead and just tell yourself you are going to go as far as that tree. Of course you keep going after you get to it. Then set another micro goal.

Eventually after you have set enough micro goals you will reach the top. Then it is time to back down and that is not as easy as it seems at first. So set some micro goals then as well. Now go hiking!

Go Hiking and Lose Weight

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Now why hadn’t I thought of that before this? Sure, if you climb up a mountain and maybe run down the same mountain, you might burn a few calories. Quit a few. So it can’t hurt with the weight battle. But wait! There is much more to this story.

The subject of weight loss is like water or air these days. It is everywhere. So I thought I would weigh-in on the subject. After all everybody has an opinion.

Mountain or Kitchen?

On the mountain I might be climbing and running for five, six or seven hours. That melts the blubber, right? Climbing, sweating, jogging, running. It burns those calories so I can eat anything I want. That is why I climb mountains.

I have a question for you. If you climb a mountain every single day, not just once a week, but every, single day, day after day after day, can you still get fat? Yes!! You can always out eat your exercise. Exercise certainly helps you maintain your weight, but only if you have a tight control of everything in your kitchen. So the kitchen wins, not the mountain.

Weight or Fat?

As long as we are on the subject of weight loss, let’s discuss fat loss for a moment. It is not the weight you should be concerned about, it is the fat. Don’t watch your weight. Watch your fat! If you lose 5 pounds of muscle it does you no good at all, but if it is fat, that’s good.

I recommend hydrostatic weighing. First they weigh you on a scale. Then they put you under water and weigh you there. It gives a very accurate body fat percentage. If you have a scale that measures body fat that’s good. They are not that accurate, but if you know the percentage difference between what the scale says and what the hydrostatic test says, you can determine the correct number every time you use your scale.

Diets

No comment! Well, maybe a very short comment. If there is one subject area that contains more confusion than any other it is diet. The trend is towards more personalized diets based on your genetics and where your ancestors lived. Once the “experts” get that dialed in we will all be better off.

Go Hiking If You Want To Feel Young Again

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Climbing a mountain every week is certainly not a comfortable way to spend one of your two weekend days. It would be much more comfortable to take in a movie or go to the beach. Mountains are steep. The uneven terrain challenges your muscles.

The Season

My hiking season begins the first of March and ends either at the end of August or September. The reason it might end in August varies. By the end of the summer it has taken its toll on my body. Every weekend no matter the weather or how tired I might be the night before, I head up the trail. It isn’t easy doing it every week.

One Sunday morning I sat in the car listening to the rain pelt the hood and really not wanting to get out of that nice warm space. But then I remind myself of one of the reasons I do it. To feel younger!

Be Bold – Begin It

Goethe said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and magic in it.”

Once my feet are on the ground and I am heading up the trail I feel like a twenty year old. Someone said my breathing resembles a stove pipe. Maybe it is because of Asthma I suffered as a child. Every once in a while I will wheeze if I push myself particularly hard, but the noise makes me feel like I am a train chugging along. Maybe it is an old smoke belching train, but still powerful. It might even keep the bugs away.

Of course when the hike is finished I feel that surge of youth again. Like “magic.” I did it one more time. I am still vital and strong. It combats those thoughts that older people have telling them that they should act their age or that they shouldn’t be doing such and such at their age.

Yes, hiking makes me feel younger, but it also keeps me physically younger as well. So all you chronologically “older” people get out in nature while you still can and go hiking!

Go Hiking And Your Legs Might Get Sore

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Soreness is guaranteed if you are my age, but I have heard younger folks complain about sore legs too. Of course we all get sore and for some the soreness will last several days. So what can you do about it besides stoically accept it as part of the territory. After all, some of us search out the “burners” just so our legs will hurt.

Stretch

Well, you don’t have to be so defenseless, go on offense. Do some stretching. I highly recommend the Kelly Starret’s “Couch Stretch.” It opens up the hip flexors and does a nice job on the quads as well.

If you cannot do it correctly use a big Swiss Ball to lean on. This works for me.

Roll

Those foam rollers work. After climbing a mountain and driving back home, when I get out of the car I can barley walk. Foam rolling along with the stretching really helps.

When you use the foam roller, be sure that after you have rolled back and forth, you stop and put pressure on those muscles. Tense them and then release. Put pressure on the areas that hurt, which is usually pretty much everywhere. Once you finish this couch stretch and rolling you will be able to walk again.

Cramps

Sometimes when I hike over six hours I get cramps. If you are older you will most likely have more problems with this than younger people. The is because your are old!

There are many things that help. Putting something bitter in your mouth for example. Salt pills can help a lot, especially those with potassium in them. However, I have found that magnesium malate helps the most. It has eliminated night cramps for me.