Diary of a Madcap Idea IV - I've got to go up HOW far!!!

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9 km straight up!

I started looking at the itinerary for my trip in August in more detail. The first thing I looked at was the net amount of climbing I would have to do. The answer came out as 9 km. Because the net ascent (sum of the positive differences between day start and day finish) does not count going down to go up, the amount of actual climbing is likely to be between 150% and 200% of this figure - 13.5 to 18 km.

Eeek number one.

Then I looked at the distance. Descriptions of the distance covered differ, but the consensus seems to be between 17 and 21 km per day for each of the 24 days. The total distance seems to be about 217 km.

Eeek number two.

The number of passes also differs, depending whether counting passes greater than 4000, 4300, or 4500m. My reckoning is eleven passes, with average height of just over 4800m.

No eeek here - this is the reason I was interested in this trek in the first place. It is also why I have been training very hard since the middle of November, last year.
Well maybe a minor eeek. I had not picked up that the highest pass is 5250m, which is not far short of the highest I have been (5630m).

Finally the weather. As the dates have been moved earlier in the year, there is more chance of the monsoon affecting the weather. This may not be too much of a problem, since the monsoon mainly seems to affect the South of the country, whereas I will largely be in the North. I will be at altitude so temperature are likely to be quite reasonable during the day. A different matter during the night of course. There is not likely to be much snow in August nor the start of September. Later in September the trek will be largely descending and moving South so not a problem.

No eeek here.

So it turns out to be two and a bit of eeeks.
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Spring in the Tree Cathedral

Diary of a Madcap Idea part III

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With only 16 weeks before I start trekking, I tried to assess my progress. I am improving all the time but don't know if I will have done enough. I look at the pros and cons of my currently training, and other options.

Gym:
    Pros:
        Convenience. (5 minutes walk away).
        Expertise. One of the trainers at the gym has been working with me to build my training plans.
        Intensity. From previous experience, and research, it appears that trekking at altitude with pack, takes between 500 and 700 Kcal/hour. In the gym I am regularly achieving half of this, with substantial parts of my workout not measured.
        Terrain: On the treadmill I can simulate hill walking, with all the hills being up.
        Weather: Possible to do training irrespective of weather.
    Cons:
        Tedium: A lot of my work is on a treadmill. In Victorian times a treadmill was used as punishment. I know why.
        Indoors: One of the joys of walking is being in the great outdoors, with the birds kicking up a racket.
        Weather: A factor in trekking is dealing with the weather conditions, good or bad. This can't be replicated inside.
        Terrain: It is artificial terrain, and condiitions.
        Progress: While I can determine that I am improving, I find it difficult to know if this is sufficient.
        Work: It is very hard work.

I am doing three sessions a week, ranging from 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

Walking locally:
    Pros:
        Outdoors: Pleasurable.
        Other benefits: Makes sense to take my camera with me, which enables me to get some photos
    Cons:
        Convenience: Even the closest, none pavement walk is 20 minutes walk away. It is also very short. Anything longer is a car journey away.
        Terrain: No hills.
        Intensity: It is difficult to do intensive training without concentrating on speed rather than stamina.
        Vanity: I'm sure I'd feel conspicuous and silly with my gear setup for Himalaya rather than the lanes of Northampton.
       
Walking non-locally
    Pros:
        Outdoors: Pleasurable.
        Terrain: Can be hills, depending where I go.
    Cons:
        Convenience: Likely to be an all day event, when travel to and from is taken into account.
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Kestrel aloft

Incoming!