New Project

One of my favorite crags in Wisconsin is Hillbilly Hollow. I fell in love with it back in college, when it was a regular haunt of the UW-Stevens Point climbing club. It is a hidden gem in Wisconsin, and home to some of the state's finest sport climbing. What it lacks in volume it more than makes up for in quality - boasting classic sport lines from 5.7 to 5.12 and even a stellar 5.10 trad line.

Buds!

One of my best and oldest friends, Ole, and his new lady-friend Jess spent a couple nights with us this week on their way from Boston, MA to Fairbanks, AK. I took a day off work so we could hang out and maybe get a little climbing in. Ole and Jess aren't avid climber, but have both been climbing before, so I figured a quick run up the Wiessner Wall would be a fun little outing. We headed up the grueling West Bluff Trail, and despite the humidity made it to the top of the Wiessner Wall.

Independence Training

Phil and I are leaving for the Bighorns in a couple of weeks, so we decided to have a "dress rehearsal" over the long Independence Day weekend. On Friday we decided to do an ascent of Turk's Head Ridge (5.6 variation) in the gear we planned on climbing in out west. It was fun, and we made pretty quick work of it.

Phil on the third-to-last pitch of Turk's Head Ridge

Chasing Fitness Part 2 - Basing and Nutrition

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or any other kind of expert so this is not professional advice - it is merely a record of what I did to lose some weight and gain a modicum of fitness. It worked for me, it might or might not work for you. Be safe, and check with a qualified professional before starting any diet or fitness program.

Originally I had planned on Part 2 of my Chasing Fitness series to be just about nutrition, but I feel that not discussing the base fitness I had accumulated prior to adjusting my diet and exercise plan would fail to tell the whole story and I want to give as complete of a picture as possible.

It should be said that my fitness program started back in the fall of 2013 when I volunteered to coach youth hockey for my local hockey club. Not wanting to be "that coach" I quit smoking so I could be a positive role model for my eleven and twelve year-old skaters. I had a good time coaching, the kids were great, and I was on the ice at least three times every week. I also got involved in the local adult pickup hockey games. Aside from that I did some cross-country skiing and easy ice-climbing in the area around my house. None of this was structured, and I did not lose any weight in that time, but I am convinced that I developed a cardiovascular base that made the transition into my structured program much easier. All told I was probably getting four to eight hours per week of low-intensity cardio and maybe an additional hour, or so, of high-intensity cardio mixed in.