I got my arse kicked ...

[FEENIX]

Altitude is a HUGE factor as well as the mental realization that maybe your work out is not what you thought it was? For instance ever try P90X OMG killer, made me think of airborne school, when I went I was in my prime, best shape I have ever been in! One of the black hats looked down at me in the pit ans said " you ant used to being smoked are you" I just grinned.

Altitude was not a factor for us as our normal hunting grounds are @ 7000'+ and we're only at ~4500'. The last time I did serious mountain biking was in 1996 and this was a last minute decision for us. IMHHO, there is nothing wrong with my work out. The same work out prepared me for a 10-day 80-mile backpacking trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness carrying 63 pound pack. I'm only 5'6" and 160 LBS. Similarly, my friend (5'8" ~175 LBS) do more weight exercise than cardio but he hauled a mature cow elk whole (not quartered or anything) by himself last year for 1.5 miles. He managed to haul in onto a card with 4" of snow, and load it onto his truck ... it took him 3+ hours.

The bikes are rental equipment from our base outdoor rec, not the greatest set up for comfort. I have to admit, the worst part of my body that is aching is where it has something to do with the seat ... if you know what I mean. This was also a test on the equipment and a feedback is due to the outdoor rec director and SQ deputy commander on Tuesday.

The point I was making about my workout is that I do it all year around and there are guys out there that go into the hunt without physical and mental preparations and expect to perform accordingly without any problem.

On our way back we ran into a couple of hikers on their late 40s early 50s about a mile from where we parked. All they have was hiking staff, no water, no bear defense. They asked us how far to the end and what have we encountered. We told them it's ~5 miles and we saw a couple of black bears.

While talking, another young hiker with a pack on his early 20s showed up and joined in with conversation. He seems fit and prepared but again no bear defense. They all turned around.

 

[ILtoMT50]

I tried getting into the mtn biking a cpl years ago, I couldn't find a seat that didn't kill my *** even bought some exspensive gel seat. If im goin to be on two wheels I have a husky 450 that Ill take for those situations lol if not ill be walkin...

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I do a lot of biking some years and have even been known to knock the crap out of myself screwing up a jump now and again. Fortunately I've only gotten knocked out once or twice. The best thing for your rear on a mountain bike is to never sit down. The only time I sit on a bike is when I'm using my phone or putzing because I'm riding local streets with my kids.

I run 8 to 10 miles a week every week (mostly to stave off being on blood pressure pills) and it has the side benefit of being able to go like hell in the badlands without slowing down. I'm doing 7 to 8 minute miles lately, which beats what I did in high school.

 

[Bullet bumper]

Altitude was not a factor for us as our normal hunting grounds are @ 7000'+ and we're only at ~4500'. The last time I did serious mountain biking was in 1996 and this was a last minute decision for us. IMHHO, there is nothing wrong with my work out. The same work out prepared me for a 10-day 80-mile backpacking trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness carrying 63 pound pack. I'm only 5'6" and 160 LBS. Similarly, my friend (5'8" ~175 LBS) do more weight exercise than cardio but he hauled a mature cow elk whole (not quartered or anything) by himself last year for 1.5 miles. He managed to haul in onto a card with 4" of snow, and load it onto his truck ... it took him 3+ hours.

The bikes are rental equipment from our base outdoor rec, not the greatest set up for comfort. I have to admit, the worst part of my body that is aching is where it has something to do with the seat ... if you know what I mean. This was also a test on the equipment and a feedback is due to the outdoor rec director and SQ deputy commander on Tuesday.

The point I was making about my workout is that I do it all year around and there are guys out there that go into the hunt without physical and mental preparations and expect to perform accordingly without any problem.

On our way back we ran into a couple of hikers on their late 40s early 50s about a mile from where we parked. All they have was hiking staff, no water, no bear defense. They asked us how far to the end and what have we encountered. We told them it's ~5 miles and we saw a couple of black bears.

While talking, another young hiker with a pack on his early 20s showed up and joined in with conversation. He seems fit and prepared but again no bear defense. They all turned around.

I once enquired about a snow mobile trip in Canada for me and the wife. It was in bear country so I asked what precautions they took such as firearms carried etc. to protect the customers as I had no experience with bears . They said they did not believe in carryng any firearms and that bears were very friendly and would not be a problem. I asked If I would be allowed to carry a firearm to protect me and the wife they said no . I did not book.
Seems to me that a lot of people take silly risks around bears , when it's just common sense to be prepared just incase . I like the people that say don't run away from a bear just stand still . Yeah right , you are going to just stand there while a 500 lb Grizzly comes straight at you , BS.
You don't have to out run the bear , you only have to out run the other people you are with . So they can stand still and get eaten while I run like f*cking hell .

 

[FEENIX]

I do a lot of biking some years and have even been known to knock the crap out of myself screwing up a jump now and again. Fortunately I've only gotten knocked out once or twice. The best thing for your rear on a mountain bike is to never sit down. The only time I sit on a bike is when I'm using my phone or putzing because I'm riding local streets with my kids.

I run 8 to 10 miles a week every week (mostly to stave off being on blood pressure pills) and it has the side benefit of being able to go like hell in the badlands without slowing down. I'm doing 7 to 8 minute miles lately, which beats what I did in high school.

Did mostly that on our way back.

The impact of running is bad juju for my back, shin splint, and Achilles heel (yes, I'm falling apart ). Never a big fan of running, I put up with the pain from basic training to my retirement from USAF in 2007.

I do threadmill at 12-15% incline @ 3 MPH 30-45 minutes 3-4X/week at my target heart rate zone ... nothing fancy but sure makes my climb on the mountain wilderness of the Big Sky Country a lot easier.

 

[Trickymissfit]

All people do not respond to training in the same way. Some people will get fit quickly and others will have to do a huge amount of more work to get as fit.
Others will be fit and be able to out run or out perform one person but after the work is done that winner may be no good for the rest of the day but the looser will be ready to go again after a 30 minuet rest .
The human body is a very complex devise and we are all very different .
One time when I was in the Army I had to do a pre Vietnam course and the members are from all ranks and units in this particular course and even 4 SAS soldiers .
One day we had to run with full packs and rifles , ammo , food water the lot for 7 miles up and down these hills to a grenade range and run back in the afternoon . Pure F*cking murder .
On the way out about 600 meters from the finish I collapsed and was unconscious for a short while . On waking I was picked up and abused by a training instructor and he called me for all the weak bastards under the sun . I was so angry that I went after him with my rifle trying to hit him with the stock .
Lucky for him the mag was empty , I was delirious and not fully aware of what I was doing. I went after him down the track and eventually at some point he said , stop ! you have finished the run ! Suddenly I realised i was there and I collapsed in a heap. What he had done is get me angry purposely to make me mad dog mean and chase him over the Finnish line , and it worked real good.
Now for the incredible part .
In the afternoon we gear up again to run back. I am very nervous and feel I am going to fail , as I can't see that I will make it back. I start running , I feel ok and the miles go on . I still feel ok and I am passing other soldiers falling out by the wayside . " My hands are shaking on the keyboard NOW as I remember this 43 years on! "
The miles fall away and I am not getting all that fatigued and suddenly I realise I am passing two of the SAS soldiers and I'm only a few guys from the front . I feel elated and free and I'm just flying along . As I pass soldiers they look at me with a bizarre stare , " like what the hell happened to you John " .
They can't believe that the guy that passed out is kicking their asses all over the shop. . In the end I come 4th and only one SAS soldier beats me .
I have no explanation for what happened that day , only that maybe I am not as fit as many others on the first go but my powers of recuperation are " stellar" . I have noticed during my life , that I do come up better than others after many days in the bush . After one winter exercise where one soldier actually died , another soldier said to me after it was all over that I looked like I just had a holiday . At that time I was not sure what he meant. Now I know .
The training instructor that made me so angry , came to see me after the run and said , " he had never seen anything like that in his whole Army career and he had thought for sure I would need to be driven back in a vehicle at some point and it had taught him that recuperation ability is just as important as a one time performance . He also said that I may not be the fittest on any single one time run but working day after day I would run them into the ground.
So just because they kick your *** today does not mean for sure they can do it tomorrow .
I said to him thanks for getting me through the course but you are real lucky there was no ammo in my SLR . He looks at me with a funny look and leaves.

how well I remember those full field gear runs! I think I did three of them, and passed out on the third one in 95 degree heat. Felt really good that day, and should have known something was wrong as I was the only guy not in a full sweat! I was bitching because we were slowing down to a crawl, and the next thing I remember was guys pouring water on me! They said I was out cold for about five minutes.

Heat will do two things to you. It will make a man out of you, or it will kill you. In Vietnam this time of the year you probably averaged 115 degrees a day. But I've seen temps right on 130 degrees (I remember powder temps in the mid 140's in the shade). No room for fat boys, and really hard on the great big football player types as well. I weighed about 145lb., and carried about 110lb. of gear when we C.A.'d a hill top. If I had to walk ten or twelve klicks to get there, I would have died in my boots. And I was in shape for a 23 year old. Remember once when they dropped us off on the wrong hill top and the right one was about five hundred yards to our west. Some idiot told us to simply walk over there (mountains)!!! It ended up being a six klick hike, and I probably lost eight pounds doing it. It took the six of us about ten hours to get up there carrying a heavy combat load out. My feet were bloody, as was my shoulder from all the weight of the 60 and four belts of ammo. Think the thing that saved us was that it was getting dark the last four hundred yards to the top. First Sargent was about 38 years old, and I figured him to be in trouble, but he lead the way, and I was the number two man. Well a couple times I slid past everybody on the way back down! Once we got up near the top we suddenly realized that we didn't know squat about what was up ontop that mountain top. We lucked out as there was nothing but leeches.
gary

 

[LoneTraveler]

Us flatlanders respond in many different ways to higher elevation. A friend of mine with MD on his name liked to hunt Colorado. He had to go a week early and put up with a headache for about 5 days. He said he could not get a prescription drug that would help. I learned in 1992 do not let someone push you over your capacity from about 9800 ft. up. You are there to shoot and shoot accurately. When I went to New Mexico in 2009 I was 66 years old. The first morning I went with our crew and guide. Walked till we was huffing and puffing then stop. The second morning I told the guide I will walk my pace. 100 yards stop breathe 4 or 5 good deep breaths, then another 100 yards. When they stopped to rest I passed them and went on up the mountain, The guide caught up with me. At 8:05 am I was glad I had walked my pace. At 220 yds. The bullet hit within an inch of my aim point. I danced a little jig and was camp cook. As hunters we must stay in shooting composure, Not running a foot race up a mountain.

 

[Rick Richard]

I am no longer a young man and with age it shows. I train year long for those couple of trips to Wyoming each year in the high country, but no matter what I do the altitude still kicks my butt. I just wish there was a way to prepare for this also.

 

[FEENIX]

Us flatlanders respond in many different ways to higher elevation. A friend of mine with MD on his name liked to hunt Colorado. He had to go a week early and put up with a headache for about 5 days. He said he could not get a prescription drug that would help. I learned in 1992 do not let someone push you over your capacity from about 9800 ft. up. You are there to shoot and shoot accurately. When I went to New Mexico in 2009 I was 66 years old. The first morning I went with our crew and guide. Walked till we was huffing and puffing then stop. The second morning I told the guide I will walk my pace. 100 yards stop breathe 4 or 5 good deep breaths, then another 100 yards. When they stopped to rest I passed them and went on up the mountain, The guide caught up with me. At 8:05 am I was glad I had walked my pace. At 220 yds. The bullet hit within an inch of my aim point. I danced a little jig and was camp cook. As hunters we must stay in shooting composure, Not running a foot race up a mountain.

I'm glad it all worked out for you. This reminds me when I helped a friend recover his downed elk. He was 65 years old at the time. He point it out the general direction about 1/2 - 3/4 mile up. He told me to move on and that he'll catch up with me; kinda doing like your 100-200 yards stop, breathe/quick rest, etc., ... except he would lit up a cigarette in the process.

Anyways, my hunting buddies and I harvested 3 bull elk that season - 1 in the opening day of rifles season and 2 in the middle of November on the same day just minutes apart. I was blessed with a 931 yards harvest. Needless to say, we put over 100 miles on foot when the season ended. We got some equine help to recover mine, thanks to a friend that has 4 of them - still took us 8 hours though - but what a relief.

 

[RMulhern]

I'll take a mule any day in the mountains! They aren't stupid!!