When I started to train with the Navy SEALs, there were, apparently, about 30 extra pounds on my body. It’s excess weight that has crept up on me thanks to a diet of too many chocolate chip cookies and not enough vegetables. In addition, when you live in a cold place like Pittsburgh, it’s easy to make excuses for not going on a routine run in the middle of winter. Hence, I’m now battling the bulge in a most rigorous way. The SEALs have taken to strapping a reinforced rucksack to my back, filled with weights to further burden my already taxed strength. In an effort to stop me from complaining about this impediment on my mobility, they themselves carry rucksacks filled with fifty or more pounds. We then hike through the steep hills outside San Diego, rain or shine. Talk about not making excuses due to poor weather! The thirty pounds in my rucksack will hopefully not only increase my ability to navigate up the Khumbu Valley on my way to Everest base camp. With consistency and time, I should also lose the thirty gratuitous pounds on my body.
30 vs. 30
January 29th, 2009SEAL Training Week 1
January 22nd, 2009I’m well into my first week of training with the Navy SEALs. Two of their
number are good friends of mine and work well together to make sure the
workout I get is actually relevant to mountaineering. Immediately on my
arrival at their base in Coronado, Calif. they made a number of adjustments
to my lifestyle. The SEALs have this unspoken rule against complaining.
So I cannot tell you that every muscle in my body has, over the last few
days, become increasingly sore. Nor am I able to confirm that every piece
of tissue that might otherwise have been a muscle -were it not for a
life-long lack of exercise- is periodically in a state of spasm as a result
of a great number of exotic “exercises” designed to improve my general
fitness. What I can tell you is that my body very evidently has a number
of muscle-like tissue formations that I have not known to exist prior to my
time with the Navy SEALs. They (the SEALs) are a jolly group and
camaraderie runs high among them, which makes it a lot more fun to acquire
a level of fitness that I have not reached in the 29 years before coming
out here. Unfortunately, I did have a break-down tonight. After my
training was over, and ahead of dinner, I raced to a nearby chocolate
factory and secured a 1/2 lb. bag of the delectable stuff. My two friends
who are making sure I train safely will learn of this regression tomorrow
morning as I now feel somewhat guilty about my lack of self-control.
Off to California
January 15th, 2009In just a few short days, my training with the Navy SEALs begins on their
base in Coronado. Max Starks and some of the other Pittsburgh Steelers have
offered to be patrons of the expedition, which will go a long way to raise
more money for the NSW Fund. Kenton Cool, the legendary British mountain
climber and the European holding the record for most successful Everest
summits, is now a member of the expedition. Kenton will join us in our
climb up the mountain and help film the expedition’s progress. Tomorrow
evening, I’m off to L.A. via New York City, where I must meet with a couple
of news organizations to help increase the coverage of the expedition.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, the retired WWF wrestler a big supporter of the
Armed Forces, has also come on board to support the expedition and we’re
scheduled to meet up in L.A. to discuss how we can best work together to
raise funds for the NSW.
The clock is ticking
January 8th, 2009We’re off to a good start. Ran Fiennes gave me his blessings as expedition patron and Will Cross has agreed to be my climbing partner. I’m excited because Will and I are practically neighbors in Pittsburgh, which makes further planning a lot easier. Of all the potential sponsors we’re contacting, I’m most eager to hear back from the chocolate manufacturers. Last year, the only food that kept me going was chocolate and because Ran eats even more of the stuff than I do, my supply dwindled long before the summit attempt. I’ve learned my lesson and have asked for 75 pounds of chocolate for this year’s expedition. That should suffice, we’re only planning to be at Base Camp for about 7 weeks. The number of significant sponsors who have signed up to support the expedition is surprising. In just a few days, The North Face, Hyatt Hotels and Gateway Computers have given us their OK. Very encouraging, indeed! What’s rather scary is the fact that I will be training with some very tough Navy SEALs in a week and a half. The guys want me to be prepared when I get to Base Camp and have put together some kind of exercise program for me. I stopped eating chocolate, steak and french fries as soon as I learned of this impending alteration to my lifestyle. Jelly bellies are not welcome in Coronado, I’ve been told.
Happy New Year!
January 1st, 2009While I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, I have made a decision to return to Mt. Everest this year and try to reach the summit. The decision wasn’t an easy one to make but in the end, what convinced me was the fact that some of my friends are among the most experienced mountaineers in the world, so if one of them came along with me on the expedition, I would stand a good chance of making it to the top. I must now track down Ran Fiennes, Will Cross and Kenton Cool to inform them of my decision. It’s going to be pretty challenging to organize an expedition to Everest in so short a time - with only three and a half months left before D-Day, my team (whoever they turn out to be) and I must rush. Most important of all, a title sponsor must be found. No easy feat in a recession. At least the charity which will benefit from this expedition was an easy choice - the Navy SEAL Warrior Fund.
