3 months and counting

Well its been an age since i last blogged and there are reasons, Firstly i have a new job which unfortunately for me gives me 1 day off in 8 and sometimes 1 day off in 9, Leaving little time for anything, Most weeks when i can after work i drive straight to my nearest mountains and camp overnight, The next day i am awake early and hike around the area, up some very steep inclines, I stay at a place called Hanging rock state park, There are 5 peaks in the area and on a good day i can do 3, Last week when i was there i nearly bumped into a black bear in the camp sight, The area is very scenic with 5 waterfalls, Some nice foliage and plenty of wildlife,
Secondly i am still plagued by the rash that i have had since my shoulder operation last October, its not getting in the way of my plans but i have had various tests which show nothing positive that is causing it like an allergy and then the trips to the dermatologist which eat into my free time,
On a positive note i have plenty of new gear, I now have a great tent from Big Agnes, Its a 2 man super light weight with built in lighting, Will be great on the Appalachian trail, It only takes a couple of minutes to put up which is great as it rained last week and every time i use it there is some design feature that impresses me, I also bought one of their sleeping pads but after a few uses i sent i back as i was not happy with its performance, After checking it out they sent me a new one which is the latest version which is a huge improvement, I have to say that i can highly recommend products from Big Agnes, A small company but the people who design the products obviously know what they are doing, My wife got me a new sleeping bag for my birthday especially for the Everest trip, Its a North Face Inferno rated at -20, I wish i had it a few months ago on my first camping trip to Hanging Rock as it was bitter, It even snowed and at night there was no way i could get warm, It will get a lot of use that's for sure, Last week i purchased 2 pairs of the Northface's hiking pants that zip off at the knees, These have a new stretchy material and are slimmer in the leg than most convertible trousers, They are very comfortable and will go into the Everest boxes until the big day,
I have booked my Trek with a company called Ian Taylor Trekking, There are a lot of companies doing Base Camp treks but Ian's stood out for various reasons, Firstly he has a 99% success rate, He doesn't take just anybody and you have to fill in paperwork with previous experience, He has some very good video's on his site about preparation and what you will need and he can be contacted 5 days a week on Skype and lastly his trek has a 1 night stay at Base camp whereas most trek there from Gorak Shep (the nearest accommodation) and back without staying over night at the actual camp
One thing is for sure and that this will be the hardest thing i have yet done but i am sure it will be hugely rewarding,
So the deposit on the trip is paid as is the accommodation in Kathmandu, I have a couple of spare days before the trek to get over jet lag and do some touristy stuff in the city, The travel insurance is sorted and covers me up to 6000m of which i should be around 5545m tops at a place called Kala Pattar where we should get the best views (and images) of Everest
The one thing still to be sorted is what to take Camera wise, Nikon D800 plus a couple of lenses or get a Sony a6300
I have had very little time to start raising funds for CRI or the Cancer Research Institute and have a long ways to go so Please dontate what you can, Every dollar/pound/euro etc is greatly appreciated, Donate direct through our webpage www.walkingforacure.org, Every single penny goes directly to CRI

Here are some images taken on my treks at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina

My Big Agnes tent is dwarfed by my friends 8 person tent

 At the top of Wolf Rock

 Hanging Rock peak

 Even the waterfalls are a work out for the legs to get to

 A bitter first and second night

 Eastern spotted newt

 Mist rising at Moores wall loop peak

I hope to be able to blog on a more regular basis in the future, More trips to Hanging rock SP are planned as well as Mount Mitchell which is the tallest mountain this side of the Mississippi

Dave

Cash Abroad-Charges

I hit the trails the other day-Literally, I decided as the weather was nice and cool i would walk a 10 mile trail, the trail was very boggy in places, This meant i could see the foot prints of others , The trail is hardly used and i could only see one other set of tracks and his/her dog, What i did see was a large pad mark with claws, Way too big for anything else than a bear, I had seen a large pile of scat a few weeks before and wondered if a bear was in the area or just passing through, Seeing the pad mark put me on my guard and i walked along looking through the trees just incase, By doing this i wasnt taking much notice of my footing and my ankle went over sharply on a rock, I did not take too much notice of it until i was at the 5 mile marker, It was twinging and by 7 miles was getting painful, I decided to cut through the trees and get on the forestry road which is has very steep hills but has no roots or rocks, I only saved half a mile and limped home, I have spent the last few days resting my ankle and it now seems 100%, I have to be careful with my left ankle as it has a pin and screw in it from a motorcycle accident many years ago.
So sitting here i thought about discussing one of the things that most of us take for granted and that's getting cash out of banks, When you are out of the country and use the ATM's you will hit with excessive charges, This was something i looked into before leaving for the Camino De Santiago in Spain, I did not want to walk around with a big pile of cash, I found out that if you open a checking account with Charles Schwab you will get ALL your charges back at the end of the month, When you open the account they will offer an account for shareholders which you do not have to take, The people at Schwab were very easy to deal with and extremely helpful, I have kept the account open and will use it when i travel to Nepal later this year

Dave

Welcome 2016

I hope everybody has had a good Xmas and welcomed in the new year, Only 10 months before i head to Nepal and Everest base camp, I wonder how many people like myself asked for some outdoor gear, I have pretty much most things i need but there is always room for more and there are new products arriving all the time, I love gadgets and new gear, This Xmas i managed to get a new North Face Fleece and North Face reversible beanie hat, Both will come to Everest with me, The fleece will probably be for the evening as i wear my Eddie Bauer Pro Fleece for everyday walking/Hiking, I have had it about 2 years now, I took it on the Camino De Santiago and it gets worn every week and its still like new, Its not a heavy fleece but makes a perfect mid layer and washes and dries quickly, If you wait for the sales you can pick them up very reasonable, The weather in NC over the Xmas period was dire, Lots and lots of rain and very warm, Most of the trails are boggy or flooded which means road walking, Today i did my first walk of the year, Exactly 10 miles, Its my first walk for 3 weeks as my wife had an operation on her neck, I should have done a smaller walk as i did get some groin strain, Start short and build up, For road walking i use a pair of New Balance trainers, I have walked hundreds of miles in them, They have seen better days but i have never had a blister or even a hot spot in them, I mentioned in a previous blog that i had purchased a new pair of Zamberlan boots, Well i have walked on various trails in them and they now have over 60 miles on them so i guess you can say they are broken in, although they were comfortable from day 1, Very pleased with them and am sure they will last a very long time,
I do not normally make new years resolutions but this year i would like to climb Mount Mitchell, North Carolina's highest mountain and hike some of the Appalachian trail, Just day hikes like Mcafees knob in Virginia and parts of the Smoky mountains, Walking the same trails can get tedious so breaking it up helps with training

Until the next blog

Dave

Training

Apart from moving to the mountains (above 10 000 feet) there is no real way to train for the trek to base camp Everest, North Carolina where i live is as flat as Belgium, All i can do now is to walk enough to loose weight, I am currently around 200lb so a 20lb drop would be nice before i leave, Its always nice to have a record of what you have done and where, I have been using the Runkeeper app on my cell phone for the last couple of years, Its free and works great giving pace, distance, calories burnt etc, It works via GPS so is very accurate, You can set it so that it gives you information every 10,20 minutes etc, By having the info given at set times you can challenge yourself to get personal best times or distance, I will continue to use the app as i can also claim money back from my wifes health insurance who have access to my data, Its a win win
I have been searching the web to see how others train for high altitude, There are a couple of ways that can help, The first is a face mask with valves which restrict air flow, Whilst this may help to increase lung capacity it will not make you increase your red blood cell count that is needed, You can hire a bed chamber which will give you all the effects of altitude but at around $700 a month it does not come cheap

Dave

Why Everest?

This trip has been a long time coming, It was in late 2012 that i told my wife that i wanted to walk the Camino De Santiago and she asked why? I jokingly told her that i was too old to climb Mount Everest and this would challenge me, When i came back from the walk my friend and neighbor Chuck asked what was next, I told him that since 2000 i have wanted to hike to Base camp on Everest, Chuck has been on the summit of Everest twice and said that both he and his wife Eden would like to go there and the plan was formed, In 2000 my wife and i traveled through South East Asia, We spent 3 months in India and then traveled for the next 3 months covering Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra, The trip was mainly wildlife focused and we were very fortunate enough to photography Tiger, Elephant, Rhino and Orangutan in the wild amongst others, It was really a trip of a lifetime and one we still talk about today, When you become a traveler you get a nickname, Mine was Tiger man and wife was project tiger lady, We met 'china man' a young guy traveling on his own, I think he was American and got the name as when we met him he had just traveled across China and mentioned to me that he had been to base camp on Everest, It hit something deep inside and has remained in my thoughts, When walking the Camino De Santiago i also met with a group of young Americans, One of the girls had also just hiked to base camp, Something was telling me it was time to do it,
 Last week was the first week that i managed to get some miles under my feet, Nearly 30 total, I did 2 10 milers and a couple lesser amounts, I am pleasantly surprised how easy i walked the 10 milers and in good time as well, I am still getting over shoulder surgery so the walks were on pavement, It will be another 3 weeks before i attempt using trekking poles and walking more technical routes but i am pleased with how things are going so early on,

Some images from back in the day traveling around Asia

All images were taken on slide film that had been carried around Asia for 6 months in heat and humidity, I am surprised how well they came out, Would love the opportunity to do it all again with today's digital cameras

Dave

Finally getting started

The last couple of months have been hell health wise, Firstly i broke my small toe, Nearly ripped it off running through the house with no shoes on, I caught it on the door post, No extended walking for 6 weeks i was told by my doctor, My wife has had heart problems as well as carpal tunnel, So she had a double carpal surgery meaning she did not have the use of either hand so that meant she relied on me 100%, Then when she was fit to go i went in for a triple surgery to my right shoulder, Its been less than 3 weeks since my surgery but things are looking good, I have good movement although i still cannot lift a heavy load, Another 4 weeks until my shoulder should be pretty much 100%, So today i had a walk around my neighborhood, 4 miles on tarmac roads, Not very inspiring but a start, I tried my new boots for the first time, Even though the weather is too hot for them (leather and gortex) i was happy in that they are very comfortable, Its the first time i have had a proper pair of heafty hiking boots, My biggest problem being that my ankles are very skinny and high boots tend to rub there, I am glad to say that my new boots have very soft leather around the ankle, I will take some time to break them in properly but i have a year and with cooler weather on its way i should be able to get some miles on them over the next few months in proper trail, conditions, I purchased the boots from REI, A great place to buy any outdoor gear as being a member you get a year to take it back if it does not fit your needs, The boots are made in Italy are made by Zamberlan, At around $300 they are not cheap but they ooze quality and look like they will last an awful long time, So far so good

 Whilst i was in REI i noticed that they had some North Face thermoball jackets for sale and i quickly nabbed one in TNF red which will nicely match my North face TNF red shell, The thermoball jacket in the Northface store is $199, I paid $138, I have the equivilant from Eddie Baur which i love but it seemed too good a price to miss, As will all things North face its very good quality and its always nice to snag a bargain

Dave