Weather in the Pacific Northwest is unpredictable at best, and springtime is no exception. After taking two weeks off to take care of things around the house before they got out-of-control, I was anxious to get back out on the trail. Spring usually spurs a desire in me to get outside anyway, probably due in part to a childhood filled with camping, picnics and trips to the great outdoors. This year, knowing I have so far to go to be in condition for St Helens, I am feeling the pull even more.
Conditioning for an endeavor such as reaching the summit of Mt St Helens isn't a major ordeal. You start out small, and gradually increase the distance and steepness of your hikes. Step by step, you will get there. The distance to the summit doesn't concern me - I have proven time and again that I can go all day, walking as much as 25 miles in a day. It's the climb. My memories of the boulder field that I will have to navigate are still vivid in my mind - roughly 3 miles of climbing up, over and around boulders ranging in size from basketballs to VW Beetles.
Therefore, after having to cancel a recent hike due to the forecast of snow and high winds below the elevation we'd be hiking, I felt an increased urgency to get back to my conditioning. It is, however, springtime in the PNW. Nevertheless, our fickle weather need only to be an interference to be circumvented, not a show-stopper. For this reason, I decided to purchase a used Stair Machine for $30. I can now continue my conditioning indoors and climb virtual mountains one stationary step at a time.
I set up my machine in the sitting room, angled towards the television. I set the resistance at 5, mid-way, climbed aboard and climbed 100 stairs (roughly 6 stories) while watching Wall-E. I returned for another 100, then a third set, before retiring for the evening. The following day, I increased the number of steps to 125 and did another 3 sets throughout the day. In this manner I will continue on, training indoors during the week, and outdoors in the woods on weekends as the conditions allow.
Step by step, I will get there.
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