"Something's watching me..."

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I’ve been following Kim’s blog from the Rocky Mountain Research Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado since she arrived there earlier this summer. I’m very envious of her setting, the views and the wildlife she is experiencing. Yesterday, she talked about having an overactive imagination on late night trips to the outdoor privy. It’s easy to imagine that the cracking twig or rustling undergrowth is a mountain lion, bear or wolf waiting…watching. I’ve been there.

I think one of the best parts of going into the wilderness where such animals do live is the added thrill I get from each breath I take. Yes…I’ve had bears in my campsite and…yes, I’ve had animals crawling over me as I slept under skies clustered with more stars than I ever thought existed. Yes…I’ve gotten up in the night to use the facilities and peered into the darkness looking for the eyes of the black bears watching my every movement…and felt my pulse beating harder and faster during the whole experience.

Many backcountry adventurers have had experiences that make mine seem like a visit to the zoo. The point is though, that mine and Kim’s experiences make life so much more exciting – if only for a few nights a year. I wonder if this isn’t the real reason I go in the first place…to have a little danger in my life by getting out of my comfort zone. I love the feeling and by bringing people out to experience the backcountry, I feel I will have more allies for the protection of these habitats as challenges to their existence continue to arise.

It really is time to get ready for a backcountry trip. I spoke to about 10 different people looking to go to the Adirondacks with me as their guide this summer and fall and need to start planning the dates. I need to do more with a pack on my shoulders and start checking the condition of all my gear. Once there, if something doesn’t perform up to expectations, you’re pretty much screwed. So…if you’re one of the 10 different people…let’s make the plans, get in shape, and check out the gear.

I went to the park with a very definite plan to run short and easy. I’m getting tired of feeling lousy, as I have for the last 5 workouts, so I decided to cut back for the remainder of the week. That meant 30 minute run and done.

And then I felt good. It was cooler and the humidity was down. I went through the first 20 minutes easily and, of course, started thinking of ways to lengthen the run. I did decide that 45 minutes would be the max, though. I passed the car and headed up a steep hill – something I almost never do when it wasn’t in the original plan. I looped back to the car with a 43 minute run and still feeling fresh and ready for more. It’s been almost a week since I’ve had that feeling and it was a welcome return. In fact, I felt so good that I returned with Dakota later for another one-hour trek. Hope the feeling holds for tomorrow.

Run duration: 43 minutes. Hike duration: 60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 75 hiking.

Calories burned during workout: 730 running. 480 hiking.