The Wild

Travel Log: South America

Just a little planning progress today.

I made a trip to the public library. I don’t want to go off on a tangent, but I am a huge proponent of the public library system. It is sometimes hard to appreciate the importance of libraries in modern consumer society, but the tradition they represent is vital. Free access to high quality (rigorously reviewed) information is essential to democratic systems and free societies.

In the library I found an entire section devoted to international travel. I snagged two large books on the continent I will be visiting and checked out. I plan to skim them in the coming days looking for insights.

I also made time for the gym today. Normally I focus on lifting, but I have altered my workout in anticipation of the upcoming trip. More cardio.

I struggle with the tedium of cardio, but I have found a hack. In my gym there is a stair climber that allows the user to choose famous landmarks to ascend. The entire workout is centered around climbing flights of stairs until you reach the top of the landmark. It may sound a little silly, but it keeps me focused on a goal.

In this case the goal is to ascend the Eiffel tower, from the base to the very tip of its radio antennae. The tower consists of 121 floors, which equates into 1818 steps, and 1212 feet climbed. My most recent time was 00:35:38 which is not a personal best, but still a number I am good with. I have been doing this workout for about a month, and each time I push to shave time off my personal best.

I am hoping that moving to cardio will help me adjust better to the high altitude I anticipate. At home I spend most of my time at sea level, but I am very familiar with the challenges of rapid altitude increases.

Years ago I flew into Lhasa, and then joined a group expedition to Everst. I did not properly acclimate, and the rapid ascent wreaked havoc on my physiology. There will be nothing close to that kind of altitude this trip, but it always pays to prepare.

Stay Wild!

Reference:

South America – Book

https://shop.roughguides.com/book/the-rough-guide-to-south-america-on-a-budget/9781835291061