Stay on Offense Climb Mountains

Attacking Adversity

Go Hiking And Get Interested In Exercise And Health

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When a person puts as much effort into a pastime as I do with hiking or someone else might do with Spartan Racing, for example, they become very interested in how they can keep the body going, avoid injury, recover from injury, etc.

In the corresponding Bookinsh Weapon post number nineteen, I dive into some of the things I have learned from listening to the Ben Greenfield podcast. However, there is so much information that I thought I would continue up this trail. Joe Rogan’s interview recently with David Sinclair covered anti-aging. So a lot to discuss. Let’s get going.

Hardware

I thought it would be fun to discuss some of the hardware that is available to improve everything from sleep to performance, to eliminating pain.

The new NuCalm device that sells for a little less than $5,000 does a lot. The company spent twenty years researching to develop this product. It can give you two hours of deep sleep in twenty minutes or improve you regular night time deep sleep and much more. Greenfield has tested it and it does work

The Circadia device sells for less than $1000 and helps you fall asleep. This is Greenfield’s suggestion for folks on a “budget.”

The Grounding Mat (you sleep on it) brought to you by Ben’s guest Clint Ober, is supposed to eliminate pain. Twin size is only $129.

The Chilly Pad gets high praise from a wide range of sleep experts. It allows you to keep your mattress cool while you sleep which helps you sleep better. It sells for about $600.

So I guess you would put the grounding mat on top of the Chili Pad or…

The Halo Sport helps you learn any motor skill quicker. It could be guitar playing or lifting weights.

The Joove Light – Red light that is good for you. Benefits: muscle recovery, joint pain, sleep optimization, testosterone, inflammation, bone health and skin health. I want one! Maybe more than one since they have a portable device as well.

More About Supplements

In the Bookish Weapon post I listed some anti-aging supplements, but here are a few that didn’t necessarily fall into that category, but as you will see, I think they are great!

Atantril – If you have gas, this one is great.
Restore – Protects against Glycosides. I’s great!
Lean – Helps you avoid glucose spikes (from Ben Greenfield’s company Kion). It is great!

Fixing What’s Broken

In Joe Rogan’s podcast with David Sinclair they discuss the progress being made in the field of genetics when it comes to fixing the body. For example, they shot a virus carrying a reprogramming genetic code into the eyes of old mice who had eye problems. All the mouse eyes were reprogramed to have brand new eyes. So within the next year they will begin human trials on people that have Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma.

It will get even better. Later they are planning to use the same technology to heal spine injuries and other serious problems. This is so exciting! In the next ten years health care as we know it will be changing dramatically.

Go Hiking And Climb McClellan Butte

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Sometimes hikes are physically tough, but it is easy mentally, because I know the trail and climbed it many times before this. McClellan Butte was now this morning. So this was a mental and physically rough climb.

Lost

Well not really lost, but I could not find where the trail continued after getting to a road. There was a sign of course saying 1/4 mile up the road, the trail continued. I walked what I thought was that far and no trail so I walked back again. Then started the quarter mile one more time. This time I found a trail which I spent a while climbing, but it was a false trail. So back to the road. At this point I was thinking maybe I will just go home. But I decided to continue down the road and found the right trail. It was at least a half a mile down that road. I just know it! Half hour lost.

Deceived

Can a trail deceive you? Yes, it can start out easy and then get really difficult. That was today in a nutshell. I knew however that the trail was supposed to be a burner and kept asking myself when the hard stuff was going to start. It started about an hour and a half into the trip. Straight up!

Then as I got close to the top, the trail turned and began going downhill. I thought that maybe it would just go for a short bit and start back up, but it kept going. So eventually I decided to go back and see if I missed a turn somewhere. Back up the trail I went. I actually did this a couple times before a trail runner came by and said that the summit was in the downward direction. It eventually would turn and go straight up. Then back I went. He was right, eventually it went straight up to the top. Another half hour lost.

Scrambles

There is a scramble at the top of Mclellen Butte. It is about 100 feet with lots of hand and footholds, but and a big BUT, it is all exposed to at least a thousand foot drop. Since I am 74 and my balance not what it used to be I decided to live another day or two and forego that 100 feet. Alex Honhold could climb up it backwards blindfolded, but I am not Alex Honhold.

McClellan Butte is a “good” one as they say, and I didn’t spoil it with testosterone poisoning.

Go Hiking But Don’t Get Poisoned

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This weekend I will be climbing a new mountain. I don’t know the trail and I read that there is a scramble on top. So what is a scramble? It is a rock face that typically doesn’t need ropes and carabiners. I have climbed Haystack on the top of Mt Si and they say this one is easier than that. However, they also say that a slip could be fatal. Although there is no poison ivy there is another poison.

Testosterone Poisoning

What? I had never heard that term until the other day when I was talking to a former mountain rescue team member. He said that more people had been killed in the mountains from testosterone poisoning than any thing else. He meant that when someone gets themselves all worked up and thinks they can do anything they take ill considered risks. He calls this testosterone poisoning.

It can happen to any of us if we are not careful. If I get to that scramble and the rocks are wet I won’t do it even if it means I didn’t get to the official summit. In fact even if they are dry, I will carefully consider the risk before I attempt the climb.

Fatalities

There have been plenty of fatalities in the northwest mountains over the years. Recently a 46 year old man slipped on the Snow Lake trail and fell to his death. A couple kids were taking selfies and backed up too close to the edge of a cliff and fell to their deaths.

That same mountain rescuer was telling me that he lost a fellow rescue team member on the mountain I am going to climb this weekend and another on the one I climbed two weeks ago. Possible injury or death are not confined to places like Mt Everest. It can happen anywhere.

When you go hiking this weekend leave the testosterone at home. There is just too much of a chance you will be poisoned.

So be smart, consider the risk and go hiking!