Last week was a good week for training. I rode over 100 miles, including a 10 mile hill climbing session in the Watchung Reservation. Tanya got me a odometer/speedometer for my bike so I now will be bale to accurately track my weekly biking.
I also extended my hiking distance along the Appalachian Trail, from 8 miles last weekend to 11 miles this Sunday. It took me 4.5 hrs and 24000 steps (I wear a pedometer). I felt pretty good and was considering going an extra 4 miles to climb another peak, but I started getting pain in the second toes on each foot. I had no pain last week, but this week I was wearing an extra layer of wool socks to simulate climbing Kilimanjaro in the cold sub zero weather.
When I got home, both second toes had accumulated blood under the nails, and I assume I'll lose both nails. So today I ordered a new pair of boots a ½ size larger, now I have to break them in and see if they work better.
Interesting wildlife along the AT this week; a doe and fawn, a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (very beautiful) singing lightly only 10 feet off the trail, a Five-lined Skink (one of only 3 lizards found in NJ, I didn’t know any were found in NJ!), and a Timber Rattler, sunning itself in the middle of the trail. I encouraged the rattler to leave with a stick, it gave me a nice shake of its rattle and slowly crawled off into the woods. First rattle snake I ever saw!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Birding tour before climbing
The real reason I'll be in Africa is not to climb Kilimanjaro, its to go on a birding tour through a rich diversity of habitats that also happen to have most of the large African mammals. After birding for almost 30 yrs I have slowly built up a life list of about 1200 bird species seen in the US, Europe, Japan and Mexico. But I've never been to the prime birding areas of Central America, South America, or Africa. So this tour just struck me as a great first chance to see both African birds and mammals on my first trip to Africa. I am hoping to see maybe 400+ new species, a 30% increase in Life Birds in just a 3 week tour, it will be a challenge to remember them all. And of course the tour will always be on the look out for the big predators and prey animals found in Africa.
The tour is designed with birding in mind, only 6 participants traveling across Tanzania and Kenya in an open topped van so we always have 360 degree visibility and, we are reasonably safe form too close interactions with the wildlife.
If you'd like details of the trip it can be found on the Field Guides web site:
http://fieldguides.com/bird-tours/kenya-tanzania
There is still one tour spot open!
The tour is designed with birding in mind, only 6 participants traveling across Tanzania and Kenya in an open topped van so we always have 360 degree visibility and, we are reasonably safe form too close interactions with the wildlife.
If you'd like details of the trip it can be found on the Field Guides web site:
http://fieldguides.com/bird-tours/kenya-tanzania
There is still one tour spot open!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Finally a new update
Well it's clear I am not a very good blogger, one post in 6 months!
Any way lots has happened.
Sept 09
I made a "test run" in Sep 09: a 15 mile 3000foot accent up Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks.
Good news, I made the climb in about 7 hours.
Bad news it was tough. My pace was good I passed many folks, including college students.
But physically it was very hard on my knees, by 4 miles they hurt, and from then until the finish they I would get occasional sharp pains. I was worried enough to question climbing Kilimanjaro!
Worse even then the climbing pain was the leg soreness, by the time I finished the hike my entire legs hurt. Later that day I drove over to my Uncles in Keeseville, and when I arrived I literally could not lift my legs out of the car, and I had to "shuffle" rather than walk. For another week they were very stiff. So how could I do a 7 day hike if I couldn’t move on day 2?
Oct 09-Mar 10
I took my leg discomfort as evidence I really need to take training seriously. So I upped my bike riding to 4 days a week for a total of about 50 miles, and started brisk 2.5 mile walks twice a week. As winter came the biking dropped and the walking increased.
Apr 10
While attending a conference in Keystone Colorado, I had a chance to go out cross country skiing above 10,000 ft. This would be a good test of my ability to function at altitude, since in NJ I'm stuck pretty much at sea level. Happily I was able to maintain a good level of exertion over 2 hours and not feel totally exhausted! On the other hand, climbing 2 flights of stairs to my hotel room had be huffing and puffing. Thus, I am getting optimistic that I can do the high altitude climbing, but I will obviously need to set a modest pace when I get to Africa.
May 10. I have gotten most of my vaccinations: polio, Tetanus, diphtheria, HepA, HepB, Typhoid, still need final Hep A and Hep B boosters, plus Yellow fever.
May Jun 10
I've increased my bike riding to about 100 miles a week, and added a weekend circuit through the Watchung Resevation that takes me up and down pretty steep hills (I need to downshift to the lowest gear the first time, but now can make the steepest climbs in the second lowest gear)
Jun 20, 2010
Last weekend I started adding hiking in the Kittinany Mountains (hills really) along the Appalachian Trail. Sunday I did an 8 mile, 4 hr hike. Again I passed other hikers, but none passed me. But best of all, I had no knee pain, no leg soreness, and no stiffness!
So I am optimistic my bike training has helped my knees, and my fitness is improving, and maybe I will be counted among the 90% who succeed each year in climbing Kilimanjaro.
June 23, 2010
Today I locked in my air line reservations, Sept 4 I'll leave form Newark, returning Oct. 3.. Waiting for a letter form Field Guides (my birding tour group, so I can get my Visas.
Hopefully I will be a bit more timely with future posts!
Any way lots has happened.
Sept 09
I made a "test run" in Sep 09: a 15 mile 3000foot accent up Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks.
Good news, I made the climb in about 7 hours.
Bad news it was tough. My pace was good I passed many folks, including college students.
But physically it was very hard on my knees, by 4 miles they hurt, and from then until the finish they I would get occasional sharp pains. I was worried enough to question climbing Kilimanjaro!
Worse even then the climbing pain was the leg soreness, by the time I finished the hike my entire legs hurt. Later that day I drove over to my Uncles in Keeseville, and when I arrived I literally could not lift my legs out of the car, and I had to "shuffle" rather than walk. For another week they were very stiff. So how could I do a 7 day hike if I couldn’t move on day 2?
Oct 09-Mar 10
I took my leg discomfort as evidence I really need to take training seriously. So I upped my bike riding to 4 days a week for a total of about 50 miles, and started brisk 2.5 mile walks twice a week. As winter came the biking dropped and the walking increased.
Apr 10
While attending a conference in Keystone Colorado, I had a chance to go out cross country skiing above 10,000 ft. This would be a good test of my ability to function at altitude, since in NJ I'm stuck pretty much at sea level. Happily I was able to maintain a good level of exertion over 2 hours and not feel totally exhausted! On the other hand, climbing 2 flights of stairs to my hotel room had be huffing and puffing. Thus, I am getting optimistic that I can do the high altitude climbing, but I will obviously need to set a modest pace when I get to Africa.
May 10. I have gotten most of my vaccinations: polio, Tetanus, diphtheria, HepA, HepB, Typhoid, still need final Hep A and Hep B boosters, plus Yellow fever.
May Jun 10
I've increased my bike riding to about 100 miles a week, and added a weekend circuit through the Watchung Resevation that takes me up and down pretty steep hills (I need to downshift to the lowest gear the first time, but now can make the steepest climbs in the second lowest gear)
Jun 20, 2010
Last weekend I started adding hiking in the Kittinany Mountains (hills really) along the Appalachian Trail. Sunday I did an 8 mile, 4 hr hike. Again I passed other hikers, but none passed me. But best of all, I had no knee pain, no leg soreness, and no stiffness!
So I am optimistic my bike training has helped my knees, and my fitness is improving, and maybe I will be counted among the 90% who succeed each year in climbing Kilimanjaro.
June 23, 2010
Today I locked in my air line reservations, Sept 4 I'll leave form Newark, returning Oct. 3.. Waiting for a letter form Field Guides (my birding tour group, so I can get my Visas.
Hopefully I will be a bit more timely with future posts!
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