Backpacking wrap-up #2
After a three month absence, I'm back to the gym.
Rather than do cardio every day, I've decided that a more manageable approach is to alternate cardio days (40 minutes on the elliptical) with strength-training days (40 minutes of large and isolated muscle groups followed by a brisk mile-long walk).
Mostly this newfound ambition for the gym is due to last weekend's backpacking trip with Silly Misanthrope and assorted others. We went to Iowa, just north of Dubuque. The trip started with a killer incline. I nearly turned around and went back to sleep in the car, but Silly Misanthrope encouraged me and he was right — I could do it and it did get better.
We were treated to some lingering spring snow, some very fun hiking, some beautiful weather and some nice scenery. But I also realized that Silly M. is much more fit and has a lot more endurance than I do, and if I want to keep up on backpacking weekends I need to get back to a regular weekday workout.
Other highlights of the trip included drying socks over the fire, sleeping in a three-sided shelter in 20-degree weather and waking up too hot because my new sleeping bag works really well, and "breakfast in bed." (Silly Misanthrope's idea of "breakfast in bed" is making coffee and oatmeal in his sleeping bag. But I'm not complaining, because he made "breakfast in bed" for me, too.)
The trip concluded with a lunch stop in McGregor, Iowa, where we got some decent Mexican food (who knew?) which included a ridiculously huge burrito for Silly Misanthrope.
We also visited the Prairie du Chein Cabela's. Having been at the Richfield Cabela's the weekend previous, we just wanted to stop in to take a peek. The most significant difference? While the stuffed wildlife (trophies, formerly sentient beings killed for sport, whatever you want to call them) at the Richfield store minds their own business, the Prairie du Chien stuffed wildlife was much more violent.
Rather than do cardio every day, I've decided that a more manageable approach is to alternate cardio days (40 minutes on the elliptical) with strength-training days (40 minutes of large and isolated muscle groups followed by a brisk mile-long walk).
Mostly this newfound ambition for the gym is due to last weekend's backpacking trip with Silly Misanthrope and assorted others. We went to Iowa, just north of Dubuque. The trip started with a killer incline. I nearly turned around and went back to sleep in the car, but Silly Misanthrope encouraged me and he was right — I could do it and it did get better.
We were treated to some lingering spring snow, some very fun hiking, some beautiful weather and some nice scenery. But I also realized that Silly M. is much more fit and has a lot more endurance than I do, and if I want to keep up on backpacking weekends I need to get back to a regular weekday workout.
Other highlights of the trip included drying socks over the fire, sleeping in a three-sided shelter in 20-degree weather and waking up too hot because my new sleeping bag works really well, and "breakfast in bed." (Silly Misanthrope's idea of "breakfast in bed" is making coffee and oatmeal in his sleeping bag. But I'm not complaining, because he made "breakfast in bed" for me, too.)
The trip concluded with a lunch stop in McGregor, Iowa, where we got some decent Mexican food (who knew?) which included a ridiculously huge burrito for Silly Misanthrope.
We also visited the Prairie du Chein Cabela's. Having been at the Richfield Cabela's the weekend previous, we just wanted to stop in to take a peek. The most significant difference? While the stuffed wildlife (trophies, formerly sentient beings killed for sport, whatever you want to call them) at the Richfield store minds their own business, the Prairie du Chien stuffed wildlife was much more violent.
Labels: backpacking, silly misanthrope, wildlife
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home