Team Call, Update & Thoughts

We had our first team call yesterday and it was great to speak with everyone.  I like our team a lot and each of them really likes this course.  I am most behind on my training due to my back but I will be rectifiying that.  Kyeth told us that he had AMS on Mt. Whitney and said it was not fun.  I am swiming as many laps under water in our pool to supress my breathing and increase my vital capacity.  I could not find anywhere if any climber trained for altitude this way but we will see if it helps.  I can go 3 laps in our pool which is about 12.5 meters in length. My goal is to do 4 laps.  I am highly impressed with one of my teamates, Michael, who rode 48 miles and did 5 mile hikes with a 65 pound pack.  He will be fine on the mountain and I hope I can keep up.  The last time I hiked was in 2005 from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the Top.  It was 1 mile in vertical distance and a 5 mile hike.  It was one of the most challenging physical activities I have ever done.  I had to carry my sisters pack, which by coincidence, was 30 pounds - about what we will carry for this climb.

P.S. My resting heart rate was 49 and blood pressure was 118 over 78 when I went in for the steroid shot at noon on Wednesday.  The nurse said that was good.

Rock Climbing

My wife and I went rock climbing yesterday.  It was a great time.  I learned how to put a harness on and be the support for the climber.  We went to a highly rated climbing facility in Dallas and it had multiple walls that provided plenty of challenge.  My forearms are paying for the the work today.  I thought it was great exercise and it was great to reach the top each time.  I will be incorporating this as part of my training for the event. 

Steroid shot

On Wednesday this week I received my first ever steroid shot in between the L5 and S1 vertabrae.  It was the first IV I have ever had.  The surgery did not last very long but it took about 24 hours to fully recover.  After about 3 days, my back has seemed to improve.  This is the kick-start I need to train for the Mt. Adams climb.  I am in full cardio/weights routine to make sure I am step-by-step with my team, Southern Exposure. 

Module 2 comes to a close

This modules paper focused on our acute and chronic stress at work.  I just turned it in and it feels great to get it done.  I had to cut out a lot to reduce it to 7 pages but I think the messaging is much better in the shortened version.  I feel like this course has given me a "Hawthorne effect" when it comes to hardiness already.  I am mentally better prepared for stressful situations.  Things don't bother me as much.  I will be buying all of my gear and making trip preparations for Portland this week.

I am looking forward to the Southern Exposure team call this Wednesday!

Everest - Beyond the Limit - Complete

Finished the series last night of Everest Beyond the Limit.  It was filmed in May of 2007 where over 500 climbers made the summit.  What helped that statistic was the best weather in 25 years.  7 climbers died that year - this was very perplexing to the team leader. 

Reflecting on this series it seems that Everest has become almost too touristy - meaning that everyone thinks they can climb up the mountain.  It was interesting to see how un-prepared some teams were for the climb.  Very few had team doctors to help with altitude sickness/ pulmonary edema etc. and they used Russel's team doctor frequently. 

The companies/Sherpas that take "tourist" up the mountain must get tired of seeing unprepared climbers.  There is much arrogance with climbers who think they can do it only to the detriment of the team. 

A great series and I would highly recommend it to all.

Everest - Beyond the Limit

Since taking this course I have been a junky for climbing documentaries/movies.  There is a great series on Discovery that you can view instantly on Netflix called "Beyond the Limit".  Wow am I hooked on this series.  I can relate better to High Altitude Leadership because of it.  It is amazing how arrogance and lone heroism can ruin a team.  Definitely check out this series - there are two seasons of it. 

MRI

I met with a lumbar specialist and he is prescribing a course of treatment for me.  I will be getting a steroid shot in the area where the disc is pressing against the sciatic nerve which is causing me leg pain.  I can't take any steroidal pain pills like ibuprofen/aleve as this conflicts with this treatment.  I hope the steroid shot takes because the pain has inhibited by ability to carry heavy loads on my back - a key training requirement.