Where's My Sherpa?

The final load out in Memphis has been completed. Tomorrow afternoon, I am off on a plane to Portland, the gateway for some of the team's journey to Mount Adams.

Cube versus mass is conspiring to make it look like I am relocating to the PNW for longer than a long weekend.  Two large bags carry a mini Base Camp that constitutes my contributions to our team - Southern Exposure - and all the essentials for this endeavor.

In all of the mountaineering and trekking shows that I have watched as part of this course, I am always amazed by how light people are traveling, a simple pack, maybe trekking poles and hiking shoes . . . then I remember the brief scenes with the Sherpas and Yaks hauling all of the heavy gear for Base Camp.  I need a Sherpa . . .

. . . I am my own Sherpa until I meet up with rest of Southern Exposure through remote parking, the shuttle bus, check in, arrival, shuttle bus to rental car, etc. - all of the stages of travel I am regularly accustomed to with a 22" roller and business backpack - refined business traveler elegance in motion and practice.  

The manhandling of large bags will be reminiscent of my journeys as an exchange student to Wales and my time in Poland after graduation, where one big bag made sense until you had to lug it through the London underground or immediately on a train from Warsaw to Gdansk.  Lifting it in the couchettes was always a feat of strength. A year abroad and then seeing Poland and other Eastern Bloc nations at the end of the Communist era expanded my horizons and perspectives more than I can really say or truly understand.  Each was a journey into the unknown, where I basically got on a plane, would be met by strangers, and started to build a life for the duration of my time there.

This trip is a journey into the unknown - first time in Portland or Oregon for that matter; first time camping on a glacier; and first time attempting to summit a mountain.  I will meet up not with strangers though, but rather team mates with whom we will share the experiences of the weekend.  I have met Jonathan in person at another class in Spokane, and Keyth and Kelly through on-line discussions and conference calls.  From this time together with the team and the rest of the class, I believe my horizons and perspectives will again broaden and deepen in ways I have yet to contemplate or realize.  As with all travel, I will come back a different person, and hopefully the better for making this journey.

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi

The Tour de France ended this year with a first ever yellow jersey winner from the southern hemisphere - Cadel Evans of Australia.  At thirty-four, he is the oldest winner of the Tour in the post World War II era according the Versus commentary team. He won the Tour without wearing the yellow jersey until after taking the lead after the second to last stage this year. 

While I was personally not rooting for Cadel Evans to win the Tour, his performance was nearly perfect and he deserves the respect of a true champion.  From a hardiness and resilience perspective, Cadel rose to the occasion each time he was challenged by rivals during key stages and often had to persevere alone at key times.  He never gave up or relied on competitors to help when the situations were going against him and rode himself back against his rivals on most of those stages.  The result was ultimate victory in professional cycling after two second places and other years with significant challenges and injuries.

 

The dedication, commitment and perseverance to the endeavor is something we can all learn from and work to model in our respective lives.

19.5 Hour "Hammerfest"

Hammerfest is:

1. Computer video game
2. A town in Norway (my heart goes out to all of those in Norway who have suffered as a result of the horrible tragedy of recent days)
3. The name of a former Nantahala Outdoor Center program for adventure racing over a 24 hour cycle
4. All of the above

Following a little over four hours challenging my commitment and control over my body on the Shelby Farms circumnavigation, I switched focus to challenge my mental and spiritual underpinnings as I worked to complete the capstone Heroic Leadership (ORGL690) Vere Mudus project for the client.

It was a 19.5 hour "whole person" work out, made possible by the weekend.  Five hours of sleep and then the final three hour push to complete the fifty slide project.  Mission accomplished; satisfaction realized; hardiness and resiliency modeled.

Near Final Load Out

In a break from my usual Saturday routine, I switched biking for hiking, and circumnavigated the greater Shelby Farms area starting at 06:40 to get in one long hike with near trip equipment 

 The load out was over 45 lbs. with 5 liters of water and Nuun, and I needed all of it.  Over 4 liters consumed during the hike.

In the end I did 12.3 miles over mixed terrain in 4:10 with stops.  Quick math: I walked 5.29 Mt. Adams this morning if we dispense with reality and ignore elevation. No issues.

Salute to Runners

As I rode this morning, I passed many joggers and runners across the eastern suburbs.  Covering distance on a road bike is one thing; pounding it out stride after stride is something altogether.

Regardless of aspiration, it requires personal hardiness.  For those who go the longer distances: half-marathons, marathons and ultra marathons, individual hardiness and resiliency are supercharged to push through the physical, mental and spiritual challenges over the course of the miles to be run.

Respect to those who persevere in and find personal satisfaction from the original human powered recreation.

Vive Le Tour

I have been watching the Tour de France as long as we have been able to get in on cable, and many years before I became active in cycling.  To me it remains an excellent example of organizational hardiness and resiliency: the team focuses its effort to support the leader's ambitions.  From there, anything can happen.  

Like many professional sports it has been touched by scandal through different seasons. Yet for those who race "clean" they epitomize examples we can aspire to from the perspective of Hardy Beliefs: Commitment, Control, and Challenge; Hardy Social Support: Assistance and Encouragement; and Hardy Coping: Mental Perspective and Understanding and Decisive Action.  One such example is Thor Hushovd, World Champion, early race leader this year and committed competitor:

The professional cycling leader cannot succeed without the team, and it is no different in our respective endeavors.  

Switching gears: After my delayed arrival home Saturday missing Vic's Ride, I left garage at 05:40 today and rode 60.7 miles solo over 3:36:20.  It was not my best average at 16.8 but it was my first solo at that distance.  I did burn 4565 calories according to my Garmin.  

I love my time on the bike and the satisfaction of personal achievement under one's own power.  The above video shows what is possible with a strong foundation in the 3C's and a willingness to take decisive action.

Radio Daze

Flying home this morning, I was listening to The Roots How I Got Over before we took off.   The first time I heard Radio Daze, the impression was lasting.

Within the complexity and imagery of the lyrics are some strong existential undertones that I connect to our course studies more than from any personal experience.  Nevertheless, powerful artistry of well-cultivated minds.  We deconstructed the poem Invictus within ORGL689 for personal connection and meaning. Listen to the track and review the lyrics to see what you draw from them and your own connections hardiness and resiliency:

"Radio Daze"
(feat. Blu, P.O.R.N., Dice Raw)

[Dice Raw]
And the radio daze kept us in the dark
And the satellite age brings us to the light
Some feeling the pitch, some feeling the bite
They ain't ready to talk, they're ready to fight
Never leave you alone
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)
Never leave you alone
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)

[Blu]
Yo, so what you searching for? From birth
Born hurting and yearning for certain somethings
Lurking and murk them, got them turning this
Bed into a coffin, burning over passions in this passion
Or more or less over what the past done passed us
Cause see, the past tense, it never really passes
Phases that trap us and cage us like classes
Fogging my glasses, lost in a mass mess
Task-less dilemma to match somebody's status
And I'm average as fuck, no car cats gassing me up
Passing bucks like a casual blunt
Granted, hustling habits on the stumble, the mansion
While bums pass, asking for a buck for some bagged bricks
Bad shit going down on the daily
While bad chicks pass in a Mercedez, damn
They see he's the bastard for chasing them
Maybe, it's the patterns that make me that made me crazy

[Dice Raw]
And the radio daze kept us in the dark
And the satellite age brings us to the light
Some feeling the pitch, some feeling the bite
They ain't ready to talk, they're ready to fight
Never leave you alone
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)
Never leave you alone
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)

[P.O.R.N.]
Life is fiction, competition and contradiction
Petty perceptions, window dressing for misdirection
Love is a lotto, I know I know you know what I know
Hope is so hollow, that's why winos follow the bottle
And people pressure, make death a hidden treasure
A girly pleasure, lonely language inside a letter
It's now or never, move it, move it, love it or lose it
'Fore it's recruited, then included inside the stupid
It's things of nature, paid a player and say your prayers
Naysayers, the haters, the major players, the beggars
You 'bout it, 'bout it, don't allow it to pow without it
Then those who doubt it, do or die to death are cowards
The world is yours, and the world we can't afford
So ignore the law; start a fire, then start a war
If you're sick and tired of your access denied
Free will died long before Glydes and iPod

[Dice Raw]
And the radio daze kept us in the dark
And the satellite age brings us to the light
Some feeling the pitch, some feeling the bite
They ain't ready to talk, they're ready to fight
Never leave you alone
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)
Never leave you alone
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)

[Black Thought]
Yo, it's too much strain, phenomenal gain
I'm going through things; headaches, abdominal pain
Try'na numb it with that kettle like I'm from the Ukraine
Check the blue flame, lighter running out of butane
What's up with my destructive urge that's unproductive
Choices I'm stuck with, now starting to fuck with
Contaminating family and close friends
Telling me to stop burning the candle at both ends
Ain't like I'm on a coke binge, hanging in dope dens
Or life is just a pool of Patron I'm soaked in
The darker the covenant-slash-trainwreck for you to rubberneck
You ain't felt the true pain yet so you be loving that
Hit me up at black.gov like the government
Banana Republican, alien intelligence
Kill switch, real pissed, thinking of some ill shit
The stone the builder refused, he need to build with
Got immunized for both flus, I'm still sick
Via satellite, radio, the realness

[Dice Raw]
And the radio daze kept us in the dark
And the satellite age brings us to the light
Some feeling the pitch, some feeling the bite
They ain't ready to talk, they're ready to fight
And the radio daze
And the radio daze
And the radio daze

On the Road Again . . .

876 miles driven; four hotels in four nights and capped off with a three hour flight delay turned cancelled flight that killed my Friday night return and my early Saturday morning training plans.  Another night in another hotel. Challenges to resiliency can take many forms. Travel in the post 9/11, the post airline consolidation environment and the impacts of whether are one such basket of possible experiences that can challenge the unprepared.

I built the itinerary to maximize the value of time away from the office, so the mileage and frequent hotel changes were an accepted part of the trip plan from the start.  No issues with control, challenge or commitment from me for those first four days.  I had to deal with and adjust to the last.  Over the trip, I was able propel myself fifteen miles on inclined treadmills and ellipticals and burn around 3240 calories with 255 minutes of effort over four days which offset a suboptimal travel diet (although it was all good) that included Tex-Mex, Big Red, and Shiner Bock - Hey I am in Texas!

The loss of personal time and the delayed return home is a very infrequent experience - twice in the last 6 years, yet both having to do with Houston? While unfortunate, is not the first or last time in will happen in my life. I have been traveling for work almost from the start of my career, and spent countless hours idling in airports from planned and unplanned connection delays.  Sanctuary comes from jumping in to your favorite music. With the right airline, sanctuary also comes from an airline club room these days too.

I view all as an assumed risk.  You need to travel to where you are going whether physically or metaphorically, and what happens from A to B and back falls under that broad category drawn from liability waivers.  Perhaps it is Fear of Death / Embrace Death from High Altitude Leadership - knowledge and acceptance that things can go very badly.  Attitude and how you treat others in these instances can be clear indications of whether your hardi-house (my own addition to the hardiness and resiliency lexicon) is in order.  The cumulative experiences of my past, and what I draw from them better prepares me for the future.

Individual Hardiness Is A Choice

Some Friendly

In addition to a great track by The Charlatans (UK), I think it describes the general warming trend among my fellow walkers, joggers and dog walkers to the lone backpacker in the early Memphis morning hours. 

Familiarity and good hygiene soften perceptions.  "Hellos" are reciprocated.  

Will I be missed if I downshift my training after Mount Adams?

One Hop Backward, Two Steps Forward

Knees - essential for propulsion, yet problematic in motion when inflamed.  Over training with too much weight in my backpack too soon has been the culprit, and it impacted my mobility.  No one my age likes to creak and pop when you were otherwise relatively quiet a few weeks back.

Therefore, one hop backward on my good (right) leg as far as preparedness for our team endeavor is concerned.  

Challenging myself to find a better path to normalcy, I made two adjustments this week following: 

• converted the pack weight to actual items to be carried on the trip instead of Vitamin Water bottles and kettle bells.  It is now cube versus mass.  I am dealing with lighter load overall and more evenly distributed weight than the 60 lbs. I have been walking over 5 miles in the mornings - the first step forward.
• started using an adjustable knee strap on the left knee - the second step forward.

On the same route Wednesday morning, I did the same 5.35 miles 7 minutes faster, had almost no inflammation and less overall creaking in the subsequent hours of the day.  A day later everything feels better.

"I Should Do Disco"

This comment from Makalu Gau in Frontline: Storm Over Everest about the 1996 tragedy really stuck with me after viewing it.  It is not required viewing as part of ORGL689, yet it really explores the mental dimensions and deliberations of hardiness.

Stuck out in the open overnight below the South Summit, it would have been easy for Makalu Gau to succumb to the perceived inevitability of death from the most inhospitable conditions known to man.  Yet keeping his mind engaged and his body moving "dancing disco", he did not freeze to death and made it off the mountain.  He suffered significant injuries to his hands and feet, yet he was not part of the unfortunately large death toll that year that claimed experience guides and their clients.

His recollections and the shared experiences of the other climbers profiled in the show really opened up the importance mental choice and commitment to live.  It is really worth your time to watch it and learn from the experiences of those who lived through it.