Mt Baker - Day 78-77 (It's in the legs)

So you just can't just take a casual stroll to experience the "freedom of the hills" that John Muir and others have so eloquently described. Remember that you are carrying a fifty pound pack on your back. The first day of even the most elementary of trips, you may climb for 10 hours just to reach base camp. On the last day, you will ascend to the summit, return to base camp only to pack, and then hike to civilization as we know it. One climber relayed to me on a previous trip that his descent from the Denali summit to his vehicle took 24 hours straight. My knees ached just thinking about it. Remember that 30% of climbers who climb Mt Baker never succeed and are forced to turn back. Not a casual stroll, indeed. Its more about the physical and mental endurance necessary to meet a challenge.The foremost factor that determines success is arguably in the strength of the legs. My training sessions are increasingly focused on this part of my body

Fortunately, from my winter mountaineering experience last January, I learned of one of my weaknesses. At that time, I was a part of the Adirondack Mountain Club winter school. We were climbing various peaks outside of Lake Placid. Spent the whole day hiking on each of the four days of the school. Climbed on snow in weather with temperatures at minus 25 degrees farenheit. For nearly the whole time we were either in snow shoes or crampons. Backpacks were relatively light at 25-30 pounds. No problem with shortness of breath, getting winded and needing to stop to avoid exaustion. However, it was at that point that I realized there was a certain muscle group beginning to fatigue that I had neither anticipated or previously experienced. I began to realize that should muscle fatigue progress any further, they might simply altogether stop functioning. I began to wonder as to what happens if these muscles give out completely; especially, when I am 3/4 of the way up the mountain. I shuttered that I could end up frozen in place, the history of my experience forever captured as an eternal ice sculpture of human failure for all to witness. The experience generated a more intense pulse within my state of chronic anxiety. Being embarrassed by my predicament in front of my fellow travelers would be the least of it. I do not want that to happen again.

So which muscles were the earliest problem? It turns out the first set of muscles to go were ones that I would never have considered, the inner portion of the upper thigh. My anatomy text, which I do not have with me at the moment, would identify several muscles; the adductor brevis longus and magnus, the gracilis, the pectineus are the principal ones that I can recall. I have long forgotten the blood supply, innervation, origins, insertions or other descriptives of this group or much else about the anatomy of the upper leg. I had to ask myself what about this climbing effort caused these muscles to fail. I am still thinking about it but the best I can tell it has to do with the added weight on my feet. More specifically, it has to do with the exertion of lifting your boots up, through, and out of the snow and ice to take your next step. The stress is compounded by the weight of the snowshoes or crampons and the snow and ice that may accumulate around there edges. Remember, the plastic mountaineering boots may by themselves weigh 5 pounds each. This stress can over a period of time add up pretty quickly. Having lived with my generalized anxiety problems for nearly my whole life, I have learned how to compensate. I will be sure to prepare long in advance to avoid the problem in the future.

I have also begun to believe that most of the common exercises do not increase indurance of this particular muscle group. None of the machines in any of the fitness centers previously visited seem to work them. Certainly, not days of jogging on trails or on treadmills. Lunges, dead lifts, bicycling, step stairs,eliptical machines - none of it - nada - nothing. Paul G has, however, come to the rescue. Knowingly or not, he has finally identified for me exercises to be incorporated into the daily routine which seems to answer the call. These will be described tomorrow after I have time to worry about it some more.