Shasta is looking like more and more of a no-go for September. Although the mountain is climbable year round, the conditions are most favorable for novice climbers during May and June. My potential climbing partners seem less-than-enthused to hear the words harness, ice axe, crampon, and summit-before-8AM when we talk over our plan. I'm still waiting their final decision, which will ultimately determine my fate as well - I won't climb it alone (although I considered it, I decided it's a bad idea right now). Consequently, I'm researching less-technical backpacking routes in Northern California: Desolation Wilderness, Trinity Alps, Lost Coast, Kings Canyon, Lassen. My list could be potentially huge, but CA is a big state and driving times will ultimately limit our options.
I'm a little bummed out that Shasta will have to wait until next spring/summer but it is probably a good decision. There will be other mini-exploits and distractions this fall that will help ease my adventurous ache.
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| Hiking the headlands just south of the Lost Coast |
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Anyone familiar with p90x knows that there are three phases of four weeks each. Week four of the first two phases involves a 'slow down' week, incorporating more core workouts, yoga and cardio - no weights. I took my 'slow down' week in stride - it was hard to slow down actually, and hard to give up the weights for a week, but I stuck to my plan. Now, 12 days out from the beginning of that slow down week, I'm still going pretty slow. My motivation is lacking and I can't seem to find the pure desire that drew me to the mat and the weights for most of last month. I definitely saw results from that first phase - I feel stronger than ever, I feel fitter than when I was running exclusively, I don't have any injuries like ITBS or plantar fasciitis, and it inspired me to really clean up my diet.
Healthy living - whether it involves running, p90x, weight lifting, yoga, or clean eating - is definitely a roller coaster for me. I am often flying high, sticking to my plan, motivated by pure desire to live a healthier/more active/more fulfilling life. When that passes I find myself absolutely craving fish and chips with a delicious draft beer, nachos piled high with cheese and guacamole, sleeping in, and making excuses for not working out. My life actually
feels different during these lows, like all of a sudden I'm way too busy or way too tired to work out. This is not actually true. My life is the same. I have the same amount of things to do, the same amount of spare time. I have not actually
accomplished anything by my stint of 'healthy living' - it's time I stopped thinking of healthy living as an accomplishment and more of a way of life. I think I'm getting closer.
