Now, before I go further, you have to understand. I am not in mountaineering shape. I just completed six years of higher education to get my B.A. and M.S. degrees. School was not kind to my Viking-built body. I'm considering posting a body shot to give a visual, but am unsure if I want to inflict that on anyone. While I've stayed active on and off, the nights of popcorn and ice-cream binges while doing homework took their tool.
I have never really contemplated summitting a mountain. That's something that sounds cool for about 20 seconds, and then you think about all the things that it actually entails... And then if you're like me, you go online and research your geeky heart out, and realize what a ridiculous thing it is that people even attempt to climb up 13,211 feet (4,027 m) on an active volcano, with only about half of them actually making it to the top.
But the craziest thing of all? I said yes. And I think I'm actually excited about the thought. What strange human brain wiring makes us want to do these things?
I clearly have to document this process. The goal for our attempt is near or around my 26th birthday (early August) in 2013. That gives me about a year and a half to get into the best shape of my life. That seems pretty managable, right? I've now had 4 solid weeks back at the gym, and I even signed up for a few personal trainer sessions to get a better idea how to build the necessary muscle groups (aka my whole body). Having a long-term goal as a motivator is a new thing for me, and I believe it will be helpful.
Though to be honest, if I think too much about it the thought of summitting just makes me want a cookie.
Mt. Rainier certainly looks pretty (and not very large) from my office window, doesn't it?
