Training on a treadmill

Doug,

Good for you and your success at the gym.

If you've lost 7 pounds while working out, you've also dropped your % body fat. So you've lost maybe 11 pound fat and gained 4 pounds of muscle. Which really helps your strength-to-weight, i.e. performance.

Thanks for all the fed back guys. I will use the eliptical trainers with my pack on at my well ewuipped community gym.

I have dumbells and a BowFlex at home and do resistance training every 3 days. Being 69 I am usually only at the "maintenance" stage of weight training. Any building comes slowly.

I can't run B/C I have herniated #4 & #5 lumbar discs. But a pack with the weight on my hips is fine – otherwise I wouldn't be on this forum.

And I'm getting up early lately to hike before the temps reach 90 F. here in 'Vegas. I have been hike training up to this month. This is in preparation for a Ruby Creat Trail backpack in northern Nevada in early July. The Rubies are "Nevada's Yosemite". High alpine lakes and great mountains.

Woohoo! Now there's my area. Let me know if you need help or advice.

Corbin, I've back[packed Lamoille Creek/Canyon twice and loved it. We are using a commercial shuttle for the Ruby Crest Trail to save time.

In the one long (11 mile) "waterless" section I'll have 2 1/2 liters of water in my hydration bladder and a big bike bottle of electolyte drink. I'm taking a very light fold-up Platy 1 l. bottle for that day. Guess that should do me for the whole day.

Whaddya think.

BTW, my "BIG 3"

PACK> REI Cruise UL 60 W/ 2 side pockets (2# 10 oz.)
SLEEP SYSTEM> WM Megalite (overfilled by 1 oz.)& Thermarest Prolite
Tent> TT Moment W/ painter's cloth plastic ground cloth

OTHER NECESSITIES:
Stove is Brunton Crux & large fuel canister
3 cup anodized aluminum pot W/ lid.
Plastic cup & Lexan spoon.
Light, cut down MSR aluminum roll-up windscreen

EB down jacket (in my avatar photo),
REI Kimtah eVent parka,
polyester wide brim hat & other synthetic clothes.
Merrill Mid GTX boots or Merill Ventilator shoes.
EB hiking poles

FOOD:
Mainly freezer bag dinners & fleece cozy. Some freeze-dried omelettes & microwaved turkey bacon (Mmmm)

If you've been there before, no problem. The majority of the trail looks quite a bit different than Lamoille if you haven't seen it, it's about 1/3 "typical Lamoille-ish", 1/3 "crest section", and 1/3 "typical Nevada-ish." The crest section (no water) takes a small entrance "toll" to reach from either side, but once you get there you can fly along with no difficulty.

As far as equipment, I reckon almost anything will work. I'll be making the transition from "minimalist" to "ultra light" this season myself (chief difference being weight…).

When out on an oil platform for 2 weeks at a time, I used to do step ups on the side of the bed, a 30-40cm step, 1000 or more per leg. Really good cardio and thigh builder. Then I read somewhere that that sort of exercise causes excessive wear and tear to the knees. Anyone got any opinion on that?

I'm a big fan of multitaskingtraining too. I throw my 17 mo old son in a backpack just before nap time and then do a couple hours of hills at the local park. Stroller with napping kid works great too. Brownie points with the wife also for taking Jr off her hands for a while.