Feeling much better six days into the antibiotic regimen – cough is almost gone. And went to the gym yesterday and today. Did 20 minutes on the bike, stretched and lifted weights yesterday – felt pretty good.
Today rode the bike for 28 minutes and then struggled on the ellyptical machine for 14 minutes. Really puffed, even though I cut back from the level I usually set the machine at. Also, as soon as I stop the cardio workout, I get a cough for a couple of minutes – the “sinusitis cough” for want of a better description. It doesn’t happen while I’m working, only when I’m finished. I’m sure there’s some physiological reason, which I’ll ask Dr. Zeitlin about when I see her (unless someone leaves a comment/emails me with the answer).
I have been reading a very sprawling book called The Complete Walker IV (as in 4th edition), which I first read (the first edition) way back around 1970. It’s all about camping and hiking, written by an interesting character named Colin Fletcher. The latest edition came out in 2002, and Fletcher (because he was around 80) enlisted a co-author for the fourth edition.
We are aiming to do some car camping this summer with the family – maybe back to Pennsylvania, and definitely up to Vermont – AND I (and Brigid) also want to do some one day hikes in the area. My goal is to walk the length of the Appalachian Trail in NY State (it runs 88 mile in NY), spread over several different days. No camping out. Several other people are interested. I’d hoped to do it the last two summers, but then lymphoma made it a no-go. Hence the re-read of Fletcher’s book.
Then today, whilst in the gym I watched most of an episode of the interesting Discovery Channel Show, Man vs. Wild. In this series the host is a survival expert named Bear Grylls (Bear is a nickname he’s had all his life). The guy is a former member of the British Army Special Forces, has climbed and reached the top of Mount Everest, and crossed the North Atlantic (not alone) in an open inflatable boat. Yup. Not exactly car camping in Pennsylvania. Tough guy, but nice fellow.
Here’s what he looks like.
Anyway in this show, he gets dropped off in the Mohave Desert and has to walk his way out. All he has are his clothes, a flint, a canteen and a knife. (And of course a cameraman and sound man following him around.) An interesting show. At one point his head gets so hot (his “hat” is his undershirt, sliced and re-shaped into a protective turban) that he decides the only way to cool it down is to pee on the headress and re-wrap it around his head! Which he proceeds to do, commenting that “It’s pretty gross and smells bad, but there’s nobody else out here.”
I went to the Man vs. Wild website tonite and it’s pretty cool – complete with interesting videos (No worries – rated G). Worth a look if you’re so inclined.
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