Happy, dirty boots and socks post Grind!

There are many different schools of thought about training for Mount Kilimanjaro.

Some say you should build up the core and legs, hike a lot of stairs and steep hills, and learn how to drink a lot of water. Some say there is no use in training when the middle aged and out of shape have a great success rate of getting to the summit. I say lets go for more training than less, it is good for the body anyway and hope for the best out of this body when it comes down to step by step up the mountain.

So here is what I loosely consider my training regime:

• jog 3 mornings a week
• stair / hill walk 3 times a week
• long hike weekly
• hard or crazy work out hike weekly
• play some of my usual sports
• eat way more veggies than usual, losing a few pounds is always a nice treat
• work on core, legs and all around harden up the muscle-y bits

For this weeks hard or crazy work out hike I tackled the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver.

PLEASE NOTE to some this is not hard or crazy, they do it near daily and can get up the mountain side in under an hour or less and enjoy themselves … I am not that person, sadly but also proudly lol. For me the slog up the 2,830 stairs is grinding (pun intended) but the reward amazing.

So up I went this morning – I started at 8:00am and finished at 10:40am, took lots of 20-30 second breaks on the way up (yes, these were usually to let someone pass my turtle self) and generally enjoyed my pace and my time. I didn’t love the fog that socked me in at 1/2 way up or the rain that soaked my from about the same point – but I live on the lush, green coast of Canada what do you expect.  I started my Keen Targhee boot training this morning to get them warmed up for Kilimanjaro and they were awesome! I also had my day pack stuffed with 25lbs which I swore at a few times on the way up 🙂

I enjoyed me a lovely yummy extra hot latte at the top – did a little reading for school while sipping away. Usually I would enjoy the amazing view but that fog I mentioned prevented seeing more than 10ft.

If interested in more Grouse Grind details: https://www.grousemountain.com/grousegrind (you may secretly hate the path and everyone on the way up, but wow you feel like a rock star when you get there)

76 sleeps till we leave for Kili!

(PS one of the things hikers on Kili hear over and over from their guides is Pole, Pole. This is Swahili for Slowly, Slowly so you don’t burn yourself out and get more time to acclimatize as your climb. Perhaps my turtle self was made for Pole, Pole! Yah!) 

Brande