Last days in Kathmandu

Just about fully recovered now in Kathmandu and fly back to the UK early tomorrow morning.
I'm ready for the familiarity of home, although I'll still be alone when I get there as my family are on holiday in Turkey. I've been away a long time. I wonder what has happened in the X-Factor since Ive been gone!

Its the start of the Hindu Festival of lights - Divali and the city is very colourful at night with the streets adorned with multi coloured lights and candles lit everywhere. Last night I was invited into the home of Sidar Lakpa Sherpa to share a meal with him and his family. He lives with his wife, mother in law and 3 children - one just 5 months old in 2 very basic rooms - no carpet, no heating, in downtown Kathmandu. It was humbling and an honour.

This morning before breakfast I took a flight back to the Mountains, seeing them all from above this time. The skys were clear and there has been alot of snow in the last few days. I think my achievement is only just begining to sink in.

Retracing the 70 mile trek from the air was quite an emotional experience for me. I wasnt quite blubbing like a baby, but there was certainly a lump in my throat when we flew past Mount Everest.

Got there!

Just a very quick post. I got there. It was very hard work. Im on my way back now. Hope to be in Kathmandu on Saturday or Sunday and back in the UK Tuesday night all being well. Ive loads of photos and have kept a diary. I'll publish everything as soon as I can.

Tengbouche Monastry

After several days climbing I'm now at Tengbouche Monastry at almost 4000m.
The air is thinning - its becoming difficult to breath but Im in good health with no signs of Altitude Sickness.

I go up another 500m tomorrow to Dingbouche and following a further day for acclimatisation I climb 500m to my attack camp at Loubouche. I'll stay they a day for acclimatisation and then I'll trek to Base Camp. We hope to be there on MOnday at about 1.30pm

The hospitality of the people here has to be experienced to be believed. I am treated like royalty. Nothing is too much trouble.

Must go - Satelite Internet is expensive here!

Kathmandu to Lukla in the Himalayan Foothills

After several hours stood waiting at the airport (there was yesterdays backlog to clear and I wasnt on the first plane out as I had been told) we eventually get crammed onto a vintage twin prop plane and catapulted into the air. We are on our way at last.


About an hour later we touch down at Lukla airport with its tiny runway.

Because of the flight delay our litchen staff will not be cooking. They will press on and set up tonight's camp. We lunch in Sherpa's friend's house. Very traditional with a wood stove cooker and no lighting.




The children seem intrigued to see me! Lots of peeking around corners and running off giggling. I call them over and show them pictures of my family on my phone. They are mesmorised and the photo of Megan pulling a funny face draws hysterical laughter.
My bit done for international relations!

Lunch is served. Noodle soup. Lots of it. I didnt realise this was just the starter and it is soon followed by a huge plate of rice and some watery curry, a garnish of chilies in oil and an ommelette. I dont want to cause offence but this is way too much food for me. I sample a bit of each. It is a problem that will recur throughout my trip! The hosts hospitality is wonderful.

Still in Kathmandu!

Well this is unexpected! After a night with very little sleep - I didnt drop off til about 3am and was up again at 5.30 I was picked up at the hotel and taken to the rather less glamerous than it's name suggess Kathmandu International Airport. In fairness we were at the internal flight terminal which is the little sh*thole around the corner form the main concourse used for international flights.

Our plane was due to fly at 8.05, first one of the day and my Sirdar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardar_%28Sherpa%29) was awesome!! He saw his friend behind the check in desk and litterally climbed over everyones baggage and even some passengers to get right to the front of the queue. In fact we didnt even bother queueing! We were flight side as everyone else were giving us absolutely filthy looks as they patiently waited. I looked around and the Sirdir had gone again... he returned to explain that the main party had gone ahead yesterday and reported back that there was a fuel shortage for cooking. They couldnt get it anywhere so he happened to see another friend and arranged to borrow some!! So it doesnt matter where you are or what you do, it seems that throughout the world it isnt what you know is who you know that counts!

Countless hours passed as flight after flight was delayed then cancelled because of bad weather at the Lukla airstrip http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukla meant no planes could land all day. SO I find myself at the Kathmandu Crown Plaza! We will try again to leave tomorrow.

Already my decisoin to have a private trek with spare days for bad weather etc has proved justified!

Oh and bizarrely - in all the joints in all the world, I bumped into Dr Jim from Ben Foggles Extreme Dreams - Killimanjara programme and had a good natter to him.

Must go. byeee!

Kathmandu

The alarm went off at 7am Kathmandu time. Surely its not time to get up already. I could sleep for a week! May press the snooze button once...or twice.

7.18 I must get up I need to wash and sort some laundry out before breakfast and Im being collected at 9. I should have told the driver to call for me at 10. Look out of the bedroom window - something catches my eye. Some movement. A wild Monkey! It jumped up onto a perimeter wall about 10 metres from my window. Quick - wheres my camera. Got it! Got Him .. just about! Not a good picture but captured nonetheless.

Time for a bath. An interesting bathroom. Authentic probably best describes it.

A little grumble to myself about the hot water being luke warm until I remember that this is likely to be the hottest bath I will enjoy for the next 3 weeks and I am grateful for it.

I rummage through my bag. Oh no! some powder from my medical kit has escaped and covered alot of things. Oh well. A quick dust off and everything is fine again.

Breakfast. I think I'm hungry. Im not sure. I'm desperate for a cup of tea though and am pleased to be offered the first of what will prove to be many "milk tea" on the garden terrace. I wonder if there is a hint here that "milk tea" is for the westerners and usually its black .. or green. Maybe I should have opted for the black tea. Nah!

Time is rushing. I have only just got up, now I am scrambling for my essentials for this mornings tour of Kathmandu. Water, sun scream, notebook, camera, medicines, wet wipes and clinique moisturising spray!! What more could a man want!

Just about on time, I meet up with Rajesh. His large sunglasses and broad grin are a welcome and comforting sight. I quickly cash a travellers cheque at the hotel and am escorted to a black mercedes that has been brought around to the hotel entrance. I get into the back and we are away.

I cant help remembering the book that Terry Waite wrote, detailling his ordeal in Beirut. He was travelling like this! The streets we cruise down, run down by western standards seem fact of life in these types of City. There isnt squalor that I have seen yet though. No piles of rotting rubbish. No malnutritioned children pitifully begging. But it is a financially poor place. Of that there is no doubt. The roads, the pavements, the buildings all seem almost medieval. Yet they obviously function and I doubt the maintenance bill is high.

I'm fed a constant stream of information en-route to our first stop. I try to show an interest and nod appropriately. I have my regulation dark glasses on and would rather look at whats happening outside the car than absorb the local legends and the tale of how one chap cut off his father's head by mistake.

I am assured that the streets are quiet, but they look busy to me. Cars, vans, bicycles, pedestrians, cows, dogs, mopeds, minibuses. Everyone in the road. The system looks dangerous to me. Overcrowded little busses with even more people packed onto the roof, clinging to the roofrack. Vaery small children litterally holding on for dear life with one hand on the back door. Entire families complete with bags of shopping riding a moped. Kids on the handlebars, mum on the pillion and dad driving. Dad is the only one wearing a crash helmet. This is normal here.

Suddenly we pull over. Almost hidden down a side street is the entrance to Kathmandu's largest "Stupar", a buddest monument white, domed and with painted on eyes peering down. I see the first colourful prayer flags which cloak the site there are so many of them. This place was granted World Heritage Site status in 1979 ... apparently.

Still no improvement - and I fly out tonight

Disaster! Still no improvement.

Again a night of broken sleep. I feel OK but I still cant eat, my skin is clammy and I'm hot. I'm assured that I look fine.

I have 4 weapons against upset stomach in my extraordinarily extensive home made trekking medical kit. I have pills and potions in there to cover all circumstances including but not exclusively Typhoid, Smallpox, a range of melanomas and nuclear attack. I decide that I need to dip into my magic set and I carefully select a mid level anti diahorrea potion, blackcurrent flavoured presumably to make it seem more appealing. It isnt.

The milky looking fluid tastes as bad as it looks. But it seems to help so I dont care!

I think Becky may be changing her diagnosis. The issue seems to be being taken more seriously today!

Dried toast is offered as an alternative to the oranges that I have testing my system with. I accept and cautiously eat half a slice. Slight discomfort but systems are going. Great I now have my window of oppertunity to check and repack. I grasp it with both arms. There isnt a moment to lose.

Soon we are on the way and M25 traffic is bad. I check in at 7.30, 2 hours ahead of flight but with a 40 minute walk to the gate and boarding at 8.30 there isnt much time. A brave farewell and we part. After an extended loo visit en route I need to call in the big guns and take a couple of immodium!

(Im having to precis from now as my online time is limited at the moment)

The flight took off 2 hours late and arrived in Kathmandu via a brief stop at Doha where the airport was well organised and spotless.

Almost had no baggage - we were told the London package of bags was still at Doha but suddenly the belt started up again and out they came.

Arrived at th ehotem and was presented with a silk hindu garland and a drink to welcome me to Nepal. Expect a photo here when I get back!

Deli Belly

What a nightmare. I have been struck down with Deli belly and I havent even left Lincoln!

Becky is convinced that it is nerves and that view is confirmed by our vetenary friend. I feel so much better in knowing that!

No improvement through the day. I have been awake since 3am and cant eat a thing.

My baggage still needs to be checked repacked and weighed. Things are not looking good.

Maybe tomorrow will be better?

Final Outdoor Training Day

Went back to Winn Hill in The Peak District to finish off my training, taking the steepest possible route to the top, descending then going back up again. It was tough going up the second time around!!

I did meet some fascinating people however, A Park Ranger - Roy, brilliant bloke to chat to. 72 years of age and been in the hills of the Peak District since he was 14. He was very very knowledgable. He assured me that none of the climbs in Nepal would be as steep as the one I did up Winn Hill. How he knew I dare not ask, I was relieved that he said that to me :)

Also met up with a couple of doctors who gave me advice about diahorea - lovely! An ex- army chap who told me he did the hill walk twice a week and it never got easier. That made me feel better too!! And a group of cyclists who mis-read their map and thought they were going up a bridleway. After my navigation nightmare here earlier in the year I was pleased to be able to put them right!



Finally for now, a couple of practice pics taken with my camera in 3D mode. This one you need those 3D glasses for, but is a nice effect if you have a pair even if the view isnt particularly spectacular.....

and this is the same pic just a different method. It works using the same technique as the magic eye pics. You just have to relax!

My Team

Although going solo - i.e. not in an organised group, I'm not so silly as to attempt this without a good support team. On this particular expedition the death rate has dropped dramatically from 1:50 to 1:50,000. It's not without risk but its a managable risk. The majority of casualties are from Accute Mountain Sickness but people are aware of this condition these days that we all know exactly what to look for and exactly what to do to. We will be taking a gamow bag for AMS emergencies but hopefully it will stay packed away. I'll fly from Kathmandu to a small village with an airstrip about 3 days trek from the entrance to the Sagamatha National Park - officially the start of the Everest Region Of Nepal where I shall be met by my Sirdir - he is the person in overall charge of the team, the sherpa - he will be navigating, porter to carry some of the things and cook.

Kit wise, in addition to personal kit that I'll be taking from the UK, we'll pick up extra items and rendeyvous the team in Lukla. We are using tried and tested North Face VE25 Expedition Tents as used by the summiteers of Everest, and various other tents to cook/eat in etc. There is probably a conception that going camping involves cooking and eating outdoors - and for alot of the time it will. But when the winds get up to gale force and the temperatures drop to anything up to -20 then maybe we will need some protection! We'll also be taking ropes and ice axes etc. but this is not a technical climb so unless we get unlucky with the weather, they will remain stowed away.

Mobile test

This is a test to check that i can make updates via phone or email when im away when comms allow.

Update

Ive loads of things to put on the blog but havent got around to it. You know how it is! Anyway there should be some more photos on here very soon so check back regularly!

If you would like an email progress report from Everest (technical constraints permitting obviously!) then drop me a note at: mobile@stumm.me.uk

Navigation Nightmare!

Ive got some new mapping software. Superb value. All Ordnance Survey Landranger maps of each of the 13 UK National Parks for just £20! One of the features is to estimate the time it will take to walk a given route. It does this by applying various walk rates depending on whether the ground is flat, uphill or downhill to the type of ground being walked. It supplies some numbers as a start point but you are supposed to time measured distance on flat, up and downhill to calibrate the system. So I went over to Derbyshire and did a good walk up Winn Hill from Yorkshire Bridge. Steep incline, steep descent and a flat walk around the Ladybower Resevoire.

What a disaster!!!!

To start with, I got the wrong start point. I got onto the right road OK, and found this

The Yorkshire Bridge Inn. Kitted up off I went - on the north facing track and then west through the wood to the hill summit. Hmm No wood and no easily acessible hill!! After half an hour trotting up and down the track I decided something had gone wrong! The Yorkshire Bridge wasnt the name of a pub.... it was the name of ..... a bridge!

This is the view from it!!

So... North up the track then west.... no problem. No problem at all unless you just look up and down the track, spot a westerly track up the hill and take it.... only to find you went south down the track initially rather than north.

So a ridiculously steep 1km to the summit, turned into a gentle(ish) stroll. Almost an hour and a half later and I reached an unexpected wood! So I turned back and tried to get a bearing, figured out what had gone wrong and got myself back on course. Didnt help with my timings though!

Reached the summit - here is the obligatory photograph at the trig point...

Some views en route.....

Thats LadyBower resevoir in the background

Thats the hill I went up.

So I got myself down OK and then needed some timings on the flat. Checked my notes. Walk about 15 mins should get to a stream. Check. Walk 10 mins should get to a bridge. Check. I was a bit surprised to find myself almost back to the bridge about 90 mins early! The features I reached were obviously not the ones I was expecting, but different ones further along the route.

So all in all from a navigation perspective it was a disaster! Oh well - its all a learning experience.

Next week is rest weekend but the weekend after I will be tackling Derbyshire's highest peak on Kinder Scout with the evil Jacobs Ladder ascent!

Snowdon

Just back from the first of my "big 3" mountains in the UK - Snowdon.
It was an organised training weekend with some people going to Peru, some to Killamanjaro and 3 of us going to Base Camp (albeit at different times). The hostel was comfortable, if basic (and expensive for what it was - wouldnt recommend it from a value for money perspective (www.snowdonlodge.co.uk). Apparently Lord Tennyson was born there!

After a nightmare journey there taking over 6 hours (couple of accidents en-route blocked the roads) we arrived at about 11pm on Friday night just in time for bed!

There are 6 trails up to the summit, and ourleaders, Riana and Richard took us up the Ranger Track on Saturday. Weather was touch and go, but we all decided we would prefer to risk not reaching the summit than take the other option which was to climb a smaller mountain with a peak below the 800m snowline.

Kit checked, and ready for off.

Got a new phone with a better camera. That will be 3 that I'll be taking with me now! Hopefully one of them will function OK while Im away.


Not bad for a camera phone! Absolutely stunning scenary en-route to the top.

reached the snowline at about 800m - time to put an extra layer of clothing on ... and a wooly hat!

Lunchtime at the top. Where did all those people come from?!!

And thats another summit in the bag! I need to adjust my gym work I think. Im really finding it quite difficult to climb the very steep sections of these walks. I always get there, but much slower than I think I should. I'll have to speak to Lana and see what we can sort out.

Sunday morning started with some theory - Navigation Skills, Safety and Security, Top Tips and you will have to trust me that these are hand drawn weather maps to explain how weather works and how to spot looming problems!

The forecast of very heavy snow on the way home persuaded us to skip the planned short walk in Betws-y-coed in favour of a shopping trip to the abundance of outdoor shops there and a lunchtime return home.

All in all a worthwhile trip with some breathtaking scenary and harsh conditions to test us.

Burbage Rocks - Dark Peak; Derbyshire

Had a day in the Peak District yesterday with my (sometimes reluctant!) walking partner!

It was a grade 2 walk of about 5 miles but having to gee up a un motivated 12 year old daughter made it feel much tougher :)

Got the car stuck in snow in the Longshaw Car Park (Thanks to the nice man who kindly helped me out!)

Nice day out. Next week it's the first of the country's big 3... Snowdon!

The Yorkshire Dales Highest Peaks

Spent a couple of days in the Yorkshire dales - camping in sub zero temperatures with gales howling. Equipment stood up to its most demanding tests so far.

My boots were amazing - very comfortable. No Blisters. No squashed toes on the descents. Totally dry. The Gortex Layer worked!

Additionally I think I now have 2 pieces of must have kit that I couldnt imagine trekking without. My Leki trekking poles were absolutely invaluable. Very expensive but I dont think I would have got up either mountain without them. Not only did they offer tremendous support in normal conditions, the ascents were litterally blocks of ice. They dug in and held me well. The snow baskets, which I almost dismissed as not needed, performed brilliantly on the snow covered ridge of Whernside. My hydration pack neatly hidden away in its pocket of my Berghaus FreeflowIII 35+8 pack kept me supplied with continual water without my having to stop. I had to stop lots because I was knackered :) but not to get my water bottle out.

Ive discovered a great website for walk routes: http://www.go4awalk.com

The walks are graded from 1-9

1 = A gentle stroll, 5 miles or less on flat terrain.
2 = A pleasant afternoon walk over 5 miles
3 = Gentle ascents and descents, 5 miles or longer
4 = Harder ascents up to 1000ft, 5 miles or longer
5 = 4 to 6 hour walk in the Derbyshire Peaks
6 = Single Lake District Summit
7 = A couple of Lake District Summits/Single Scottish Summit
8 = Multiple Lake District Summits/Couple of Scottish Summits
9 = Full Day Hike in the High Mountains/Multiple Scottish Summits

Day 1 was a Grade 5 walk up The Yorkshire Dales highest mountain, Whernside. Cold, Windy, Snowy and Icy. Perfect :)

Then after a good warm up and something to eat in a nearby pub it was time to prepare for Day 2. This is me tucked up in my sleeping bag in my tent!

Day 2 was a fantastic walk up the 2nd highest Mountain in the dales. Had to modify the route slightly as the day started with torrential rain which delayed my taking the tent down and packing it away. I took the Med/Hard difficulty level route which took me up an almost vertical climb to the ridge. Superb views of Whernside, The Ribblehead Viaduct and Pen-Y-Ghent, the third of the dales famous 3 peaks, and one which I shall crack in the next few weeks.

Walesby, Lincs

Took Hannah up to Walesby in the Lincolnshire Wolds to try out my new boots (very comfy) and trekking poles (ski poles as Hannah calls them). Didnt really go far enough or high enough to evaluate their usefullness but it was good to see how they felt.

Dietting hard at the moment with calorie intake around 1500 a day. Determined to shift some weight but its not proving very easy.

New Kit Ordered

Took advantage of the January sales to get things from my mountain kit list ticked off. Its very expensive and I have spend about half as much again as the trek itself cost in kit. It would have been much worse had I not got them at sale prices though!

With the average temperature at 6pm on Everest in October being -10 degrees celcius, its probably not a good idea to scrimp on the things that will keep me warm and dry. My sleeping bag should keep me warm down to -20 and should keep me dry from falling ice on the inside of my tent. The ice is formed by either accidentally touching the tent sides in the night, or frozen condensation caused by breathing!!

The only major item still to buy is a new pair of boots.

A Day In The Dales

After getting up at 4am and driving for several hours we arrived at Dent ready for a day in the hills!

And several hours and much pain later, the summit was reached.

Very Wet. Very Cold. Very Windy.

Can't say it was enjoyable but as a training excercise it was absolutely invaluable.
It highlighted several deficiencies in both kit and skills but nothing so major that it cant be quickly rectified.

Thanks to Rick and the rest of the gang for inviting me to tag alone. Very much appriciated and I look forward to coming along again with you in April.

Back In Training

I cant believe it's so long since I last posted. I am ashamed.

I have only trained sporadically for the last erm... looks like 3 months. However Im back and Ive been in the Gym every day for about the last week. Pretty much starting from scratch. No thats not true - I weigh 5Kg more than when I started back in July - but that will soon drop off again.

I think the secret is to make sure I go every day. No day offs at all. No excuses. Once you get out of the routine its very hard to get back into it again. And I'm now less than a year away from my departure date.

Gym & Diet Plan Phase 1 Finalised

I now have the elements for the first part of my gym training programme.
Upper body training, lower body training, core and cardio vascular in the Gym together with a diet routine necessary to sustain the training.

The rules are pretty simple.
I eat every 2.5 hours. 1 hour before training I take on carbs and sugars (beans on toast seems to work best!) For my meals I am given an "allowance" of various food groups, so for example on a non training day I can have 6/8 units of carbohydrate, 6 units of protein, 5 fruits, 1/3 fat units and so on. A unit is clearly defined. 1 slice of wholemeal bread 1cm wide = 1 carbohydrate unit. 1 chicken breast = 3 protein units. How I use my allowance is up to me, but I need to spread the intake as evenly as I can over the day. It sounds a nightmare but by eating every 2.5 hours you are keeping the body topped up with enough energy that it needs for the next 2-3 hours.

Yesterday I accidentally missed my training start time by an hour and that meant I was running on empty at the gym and as a consequence it was hell when I stopped. I had a massive sugar craving and took 3 hours to recover.

The aim of the game is to prevent the body from releasing insulin. That regulates the glucose levels in the blood stream. If sugar levels get too high, insulin is released and the sugars come down. When they get too low you take on more sugars and cause a spike which realeases insulin again. and so on. If the blood sugars can be kept as level as possible that will prevent the need for inslin to be produced to regulate the sugars. So whats so bad about insulin. Well insulin does 2 jobs. It takes the sugars from th bloodstream and promotes the storage of the energy in the body. How does the body store energy? As fat. At the same time it tries to hold onto the fats that are there, and inhibits their release to fuel the body. After all the reason the body is releasing insulin is because it is trying to store excess energy!!

We shall see if all the theory works over the next few months :)

Need to update my blog!

BP 141/95 RHR 61

BP too high. Not sure why. Need to monitor that closely for the next few days.
Hoped to get an early Gym session in today but that didnt happen. Will go just after lunch.
The diet plan is taking a bit of organising to ensure I eat the right things at the right time.
Also it needs quite a bit of organisation to make sure Ive been shopping so that I have the right foods in the cupboard at the right time!

Rest Day

No training today. Im working and later my nephews 18th Birthday BBQ.
Im no longer vegetarian. My diet was looked at as part of my fitness baseline and Im not getting enough protein to sustain the training I will be doing. Plus I dont thing there will be many nice little vegetarian bistros at 17,000 feet!

In the same way that it was an easy transition from meat eating to vegetarian, so the switch back is just as easy. Cant wait for my first bacon and mushroom sandwich. Thats the only real thing Ive missed!

Almost decided on the company I will be trekking with. I think it will be this lot: http://www.walksworldwide.com/

I was attracted to them in the first place after reading this in the Guardian online:
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/feature/0,8806,1120383,00.html (Trip NUmber 7)

They are not the cheapest by any means, but they seem to know what they are doing. Had some good conversations with Helene, she seems to be chief organiser for this particular trek and has done it herself. Very enthusiastic lady and bends over backwards to help - even with some of my more off the wall queries! Very professional website, very professional staff. I think I will trust the trek organisation to them!

Found some nice photos of base camp here:
http://www.everesttrekking.com/base_camp/

I think I will try to sort out my hill walking schedule later. I want to try to get up into the hills about once a month if I can - maybe increasing the frequency as D-Day approaches. I want a fairly early trek up Snowdon to baseline progress. Ive done it before and I cant see the everest hike being steeper. I dont know but I would imagine this one is fairly typical of how each days trek will be. I may be very wrong! Over the coming months I will climb each of the UK's 3 highest peaks as part of my training. None of them are anywhere near as high asI am going, but I think the climb up each of them is probably higher than any individual day on the expediation.
The only thing I am not sure of is how high the start point of each climb is above sea level. Obviously that will impact the actual distance climbed.


Ben Nevis
The Cairngorms
Scotland
1344 metres

Snowdon
Snowdonia, part of the Cambrian mountain range
Wales
1085 metres

Scafell Pike
The Cumbrian Mountains
England
977 metres

Tough Training Day

Gym 8.15am

I dont think we are going to see such dramatic performance improvements from now on. I think they will be there but much steadier. Today was a tough one.

Im drinking much more water at the moment anyway as my coffee intake has now stopped and my tea intake reduced.

Training Starts In Earnest

First early morning session today. I was in the Gym at 7.30

Got very headachey today. Didnt have breakfast before I trained. The theory is that with very low glucose in the body it has no choice but to get its energy by converting fat into sugar. Then afterwards you hit your body with carbohydrate to replace the energy expended, but instead of that being stored as fat, it is slow release that is held as glucose.

I also cut righ down on the caffeine. Just one cup of tea before I started training. That wont have helped. Found this website on caffeine withdrawl http://coffeefaq.com/caffaq.html#CaffeineWithdrawal and thats what I experienced. So the headache was because of one of these things I think. I shall still drink about 3 mugs of tea a day because according to the Ranulph Fiennes Book "Fit For Life" the cancer fighting antioxidents in it outweigh the negatives effects of the caffeine... and I always believe what I want to believe :) Cant imagine not having a cuppa first thing in the morning!

Its important for me to cut down on the caffeine because although I have a better than average lung capacity, I have to get the oxygen into the muscles as efficiently as possible for the effort at altitude. There are 2 ways of doing that. Making your heart muscle pump more blood per cycle (Hence the CV work in the Gym) and letting the blood flow more freely around the arteries. Caffeine constricts the arteries, so by reducing caffeine, they should widen.

Fitness Baseline

Had a full fitness baseline today so we know where we are starting from and should be able to see measured improvement until its time to go.

Lana is printing the results and I'll edit this post when I get them next week to show the numbers.

Fitness Test

Did an informal Fitness Test at the Gym, from a book, before tomorrows "official" one!

Weight 94kg (About what I expected)
RHR 110 (Much higher than normal - must be stress!)
3 min Step Up Test 150
Crunches in 1 min = 31
Press ups in 1 min = 23

Average according to the book! Plenty of scope for improvement as the weeks go by.

1.1 Where I'm Going

Thought I'd better put a picture of where it is that Im actually heading for. Seems along way ahead, but Im sure the next 15 months will fly by.

There is an Advanced Base Camp (Base 3) which is the highest point on Earth than humans can go without having specialist mountaineering skills, but Everest Base Camp at 5,340 or around 17,500 feet is plenty high enough for me at more than 3 miles vertically up above sea level!

Maybe to Base 3 another year!

The Journey Begins Week 1 of 65

Lana from Fitness First Lincoln has the responsibility of getting my fitness to the required standard. Although I have been doing a bit of training, We have 15 months of hard work ahead of us! Lets call this Day 1. Now it gets serious!