Dragged His Weary Carcass Up The Mountain

"Crazy!"
"Idiotic!"
"Dumb!"

Some of the words people are saying about my New Years Eve snowshoe trip into the mountains. Eight of us will be traveling over ice and snow, above where trees can grow, to stay 2 nights in a yurt.

The forecasts call for temperatures in the high 20’s, but luckily for us, the yurts we are laying our heads down in have wood burning stoves that keep the place nice and toasty.

To prepare for this multi-mile hike, with all our food and supplies strapped to our back, I had to do some pretty extensive training.

During my workout I focused mainly on legs, core and upper body.

To get my legs in shape I tried to work on all the muscles groups in the lower region. Because the hike is very steep, leg work will come in especially handy. Squats, leg presses and lunges took up the majority of my time, but I also workout out my abductor and hip adductor muscle groups.

As we have already talked about, your core is essential in any activity. For this trip a solid core will help to withstand the weight of the pack as I sledge up the mountain. Having that stability will allow the other parts of my body to do their jobs, and won’t be relied upon more than necessary.

My upper body strength will be useful for some of the activities needed once we settle into the yurt. Carrying firewood from the shed to the yurt. Shoveling a path between the two yurts and the outhouse. Carving a path on the hillside for us to sled down. All these activities will require upper body strength and having a fitter upper torso will allow me to carry more, shovel faster and carve longer runs.

All in all this should be a very memorable trip, but since I have taken the necessary workout precautions, it will hopefully not be memorable for the wrong reasons.

Have a happy and safe new years! See you in 2009 and remember to keep sporting!
- Who’s In First