How tough are you REALLY.....Just tell yourself the truth.

[Sourdough]

Yes, this a quasi recurring theme with me. I have been reflecting on the @ss'wooping that the Gull Rock Trail bestowed on me last Saturday.

Yes....I am in fairly good shape for a old man, but I had made a serious miscalculation about my fitness, which could have proved dangerous at best, and fatal at worse.

I could make all kinds of excuses, to myself to trick myself into a illusion of my skill-set, and physical abilities, but that would be counter productive.

No response is necessary to this thread, I wanted to reinforce the need to accurately asses your personal ability, and the ability of everyone on your team.

For myself I have decided that I need to loose another ten pounds on my body weight, and the pack needs to be reduced 8 to 10 pounds also.

[doug1980]

This is a very good topic. Health and fitness is very important and one must know their limits. I got winded just walking your property so I know I need to get off the couch more. I would like to lose about 30 more pounds and work on conditioning my body more. Being out of shape makes everything more difficult which isn't fun.

[BENESSE]

Spot on, SD!
Denial is not some river in Egypt. We need to get real with ourselves first, for we are our worst enemy

[Rick]

I don't know that it's even about fitness. Age places weights around your ankles regardless of what shape you are in. I've been defeated by a local trail no less than three times. Okay, I get it, it's better than me. Like you, I finally figured out I can't haul as much as I used to. I'm not becoming a minimalist but I am becoming a "what on earth can I still carry" ist.

[Tundrascout]

I think this is someone's polite way of saying "ARE YOU CRAZY?" :cool:
I was thinking about this today as I drove back from Kenai.
Besides fitness, its also a good trailer to what I've been reading hear about "Boots on the Ground."
How insane would it be to go hike 5 miles in extremely rough country with somewhat miserable weather coming in and using completely untested gear?:thumbdown:
I dont think owning Rambo and K2 on DVD qualifies me as a Mountian Man, for some reason...

[canid]

two words: Rick Moranis.

[Sourdough]

two words: Rick Moranis.



Over my head, Please explain

[canid]

you asked how tough i really was.

http://www.411mania.com/siteimages/darkhelmet_59313.jpg

[Sourdough]

Sadly still over my head........but I am guessing it is a movie.......?

[canid]

he plays a little nerdy guy in a lot of movies.

[Tundrascout]

AS, I think he was refering to Rick's last name

Moranis (pronunciation = As - a - 9)
-noun
Someone who does something crazy

[tsitenha]

Is it really about how tough you are or more how you can resolve your present limitations?
As a young man I was as tough as they come and equally stupid, if I couldn't bull my way through I never tried to solve the problems that arose.
Now I have no choice, I have to consider the many limitations that I have; not by youth and force but by guile and experience.
That why older men have a gut in middle age (old age in paleotimes) that stores the fats (energy) that will hopefully keep me in the game with only a few strides behind those young fellows. Life and field experience will do the rest. No need to haul that heavy load (bring a younger one along and let him carry it, this is all to make him better of course.
Now that doesn't mean I can excuse myself from not being in better condition but I have to accept my limits and act accordingly.

[your_comforting_company]

With the thumb infection which I'm still fighting, and a pulled muscle, I've been asking myself lately, just how much I can stand. I do it on a daily basis as a way of making a living.. sort of self-torture, but lately, I'm wondering just how LONG I can take that kind of torture.. what used to be a week or two, here and there, is turning into 2 months, with no end in sight so far.
Is it a test of spirit? of will? of human endurance? I don't know. I do know that it is important to test ourselves daily, assess our "comfort" relative to our situation, and compare that to what the situation could be if our lives depended on it.
Am I tough? Dang right. Am I a fool? Probably. Am I willing to do what has to be done, regardless of my comfort? Absolutely. Can I do what has to be done? I guess we'll see.
I did deliberately overload my pack a few weeks ago, to go on a hike, and I made it. Last weekend, I had a "proper" load in my pack while hog hunting in some very unforgiving territory, and I made it out of there too. BUT.. there is a dire need to quit smoking. It's amazing what we learn about ourselves when we put us to the test.
++ on this thread. Thanks for bringin' it up.

[Sourdough]

I thought that 13 or 14 miles wouuld be so easy that I did not depart till 1:PM and I knew it would be dark at 6:45. I was shocked at deep I had to dig deep with-in to grind out what I expected to be a cakewalk on a cool clear day.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

I have to stay active. I have so many bad habits I have to get my blood pumping to blow all the crap out of my system. I know you hear about peoples 80 pound packs but those people don't carry them they just say they do. Even if they are physically capable of doing it it's no fun and how much do you do things that are not fun? I don't think of it as toughness. How would it apply if I was not tough enough to carry a tent and sleeping bag but tough enough to sleep under a tree? You just have to find a way to get it done. I find new ways every week.

[Sourdough]

With the thumb infection which I'm still fighting, and a pulled muscle, I've been asking myself lately, just how much I can stand. I do it on a daily basis as a way of making a living.. sort of self-torture, but lately, I'm wondering just how LONG I can take that kind of torture.. what used to be a week or two, here and there, is turning into 2 months, with no end in sight so far.
Is it a test of spirit? of will? of human endurance? I don't know. I do know that it is important to test ourselves daily, assess our "comfort" relative to our situation, and compare that to what the situation could be if our lives depended on it.
Am I tough? Dang right. Am I a fool? Probably. Am I willing to do what has to be done, regardless of my comfort? Absolutely. Can I do what has to be done? I guess we'll see.
I did deliberately overload my pack a few weeks ago, to go on a hike, and I made it. Last weekend, I had a "proper" load in my pack while hog hunting in some very unforgiving territory, and I made it out of there too. BUT.. there is a dire need to quit smoking. It's amazing what we learn about ourselves when we put us to the test.
++ on this thread. Thanks for bringin' it up.


That is exactly what I am talking about, It is not about a contest of me as opposed to another. It is about not biting off more than you can chew. It is about being honest with yourself, about what you can do, and being clear about what you can not do.

[DOGMAN]

"How tough are you REALLY....."

Not nearly as tough as people think I am

[sthrnstrong]

I aint as tough as I once was, But I'm as tough as I ever was

[finallyME]

How heavy was your pack? You should try and get it under 30. Under 20 is even better. Your body can only take so much.

[klickitat]

Sourdough, this is funny because after my bear hunting incident that was caused by a heart problem, I have had to stop and put things into perspective. This was a very depressing thing to me. Now I just need to figure out how to over come things and move forward.

I figure a blend of loosing weight, physical activity and mechanical assistance to help me move forward.

[oly]

Good point sourdough, it is best to underestimate your abilities to avoid a hazardous situation. I myself have bitten off more than I can chew before.

[hunter63]

How tough am I ?
Well, I gotta say there are more and more things that seem to fall in the "use-ta could" category.

I'm thinking that as we grow older, hopefully we can afford to be better equipped, motorizing more things, and understanding limitations.

Lots of mistakes have come and gone, with thankfully only minor collateral, permanent damage, by "John Wayneing" stuff, figure I used up a good 7-8 of the 9 lives.

I don't have anything to prove to anyone but myself, and find that getting out there can be accomplished with better planning, equipment, discretion, with out lowering expections.
Life is hard, more so by being stupid........

[aflineman]

I know I am not what I used to be. Can't hunt as deep or hike as far. If I do want to try, I need to a lot myself plenty of extra time. I am in better shape than I was a year or so ago, but I will never get back to what I was when I was doing pole inspections (many years ago). Having surgery and getting back to work has helped, but to many injuries (plus doing stupid stuff as a kid) have caught up with me. I ain't anywhere near giving up, but advil does become a friend at the end of some days. :D
I do enjoy showing these young apprentices what for at times. Feels good to outwork them on some jobs, just to prove to myself that I can still do it. (Sometimes to my own surprise).:D

[aflineman]

Sourdough, this is funny because after my bear hunting incident that was caused by a heart problem, I have had to stop and put things into perspective. This was a very depressing thing to me. Now I just need to figure out how to over come things and move forward.

I figure a blend of loosing weight, physical activity and mechanical assistance to help me move forward.

You just have to keep punching away at it. My best friend and hunting partner had a heart attack a few years back. Come to find out he has been having issues since he was a teen. (Long enough to grow a couple of bypasses on his own). :noway: Now that we know, we just enjoy what we can and don't push it (to much). For him, it will never really get better (and will still probably kill him), but we just adjust where (and somewhat how) we hunt. He still figures he would rather go in the woods rather than on the job. It tears me up inside worrying about him sometimes, but I won't let that stop us from enjoying our time hunting.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Being fat and out of shape is a good time to determine pack weight. See how far you can walk or climb now without a pack. If you loose ten pounds then carry a ten pound pack, loose 20 pounds then you can carry a 20 pound pack. I don't like to carry any more than 20 pounds and it begins to get uncomfortable after 5 or 6 hours. I can carry up to 15 pounds in web gear all day and not even notice it, that's what I like. I do prefer back packs in winter because they are much easier to get in and out of when wearing lots of clothes. I am experimenting with making web gear that will fit under my coat. I have a few bugs to work out yet (the gear has to be less than 2 inches wide). I think it's final weight will be 7 or 8 pounds. I also have a minamalist kit that I just throw over my shoulder and only weighs a couple pounds.

The simple truth is a woman with ultra light gear and knows how to backpack has big advantage over most guys because she does not have to prove she is a man. Women also have most of thier body strenght low. REI types catch hell on survivalist forums but when it comes to back packing they are the ones that do it the most and a lot can be learned from them. They are about 90 percent of the people I see on the trails. The rest are usually hunters and few that live out there packing groceries, etc.

[Sourdough]

AS: I am going to start a new thread rather than High-jack this one......I really want to figure out this arctic overnight survival pack.

[Rick]

Given my age, I figure I'm pretty tough. Meat tenderizer and a good marinade will help I'm sure.

[wareagle69]

tough decision about whether to respond to this as some have said it sounds like bragging but here goes
As most here know i earned my ranger tab, i am a former pro bull rider and cage fighter, physically tough? sure was back in the day, but more than that mentally tough
so it now bears the question am i still both? mentally -you betcha, physically well. ... i still do carry a 60lb pack, 70lbs in the winter, albeit it is no 30 mile treks, but i still do cut down all my lumber by hand, cut it up and carry out the logs over my should on hilly terrain. now more and more as i get older as i have to stop for a break i tell myself i goota save some coins up and purchase a quad.
Then my mind trails to dick prenoke and i marvel at what he did at his age by hand, and i reshoulder my load and drive on.
as hunter said - i don't have to prove myself to anyone but myself, and thats where i am at, At almost 42 i look at my heros and quit feelin sorry for meself-enough said

[EdD270]

How tough am I?
Well, being old, out of shape and recovering from spine surgery, I guess not very.
On the other hand, while it takes me longer to do things and get places than it used to, I still get there and get it done. I can't carry as much as I used to, so I find better ways to do things. I'm trying to improve.
Mentally tough as ever, I can force myself to do things the body really don't want to, and probably shouldn't, do.
Quit caring what other people think of me a long long time ago. As long as I know I'm doing all I can do, that's enough. It takes a lot of years and hard knocks to learn to be content.

[kyratshooter]

Used to be a saying we used in the teachers lounge when discussing certain students, Something about "If you're gonna be dumb you better be tough."

I think it works the opposite way too. If you arn't tough you better be smart.

Thats one thing I like about this forum. There's a bunch of old cagy boys and girls here. The "more you know the less you tote" crowd.

When you are 60, overweight, on meds, already had you second heart attack and third back surgery you are not bugging out to anywhere with a 70 pound pack.

In fact, I figure from what I experienced in the army, to be able to live for a good while on what all the young tough dudes have to discard along the trail. What you could just barely carry when you left the house becomes way too much to carry within a couple of miles.

[FVR]

How tough am I?

I really don't know, tougher than most, not as tough as some. I do however have alot of common sense and admit that I will push myself to the line, sometimes venturing over it for awhile.

I believe in balance and pacing. I do this at work and like Lineman, enjoy watching the young muscle heads who are all that, realize that it's not all about lifting weights. It'a about balance, in life and work.

[ravenscar]

I aint tough, but im sure i can do 50 nonstop if nessisary. mostly im into cultivation of plants and such, and within a year im sure i could have a good garden ready to go for next year

[RichJ]

Well just to add a little to the discussion, I'll give a personal testimony.

This is not a brag post, it's just my experience. I'm 38 years old, 5'4" and about 135 lbs. My pack weight is usually 35-40 lbs. but I have done 50 lbs. up some steep stuff before. My backpacking trips are usually long weekend outings when we have a holiday on a monday or something. I usually cover about seven to ten miles a day over moderate to difficult trails. That's not a ton of miles but it's a good clip considering the elevation changes. Anyway, my best friend is 6'2" and about 230 lbs. He packs about the same weight as I do and we usually stay together for most of the trip. I am a fast walker and am always in the lead. When I get to the top of a hill or other break in terrain, I'll stop and let him catch up. He is usually winded but never too far behind. But at the end of the day or whenever we reach our destination, he drops his load and is burnt. He always has to rest for an hour or so just to be able to function properly. Me on the other hand, when I get to where I'm going I'll drop my pack and am hardly even tired. My back my be a little fatigued but other than that I am as spry as a lamb without the pack weight. I am not a fitness guy either and never exercise. I consider my hiking to be my exercise and I usually get in a good hike only about every couple of months. Anyway, I think it has more to do with technique than your level of strength or cardio ability. I ballance my pack and adjust it to my body and I am always comfortable on the trail.

[kkbmtgg]

This is interesting stuff, I'm certainly no youngun but I do admit to pushing myself more than I should these days but for me it's a matter of "I gotta know" just where I'm at in lifes declination just incase I should be in a 'have to" situation.
My old groundpounder ways won't allow too much arse time but I've noticed that these days I do more talking about what I've done than what I'm doing.....That sucks.

[NCO]

Me... I'm one of the younger members here, 22 years of age, in good(not excellent) physical condition, healthy and bone headed. My main weakness has to be the lack of experience. Sure, I have 22 years of experience of living near the arctic circle, been around in the woods all my life and so on. But still, somehow a 22 year old cannot know as much as a 50 year old. I still learn more every time I go out. My pack is constantly evolving and so are my methods, maybe after 30 odd years I'll get wiser...
It might be that I lean too much on my physical ability than my brain. It is easy to replace good judgement with a big axe or 10 more pounds in the back. Funny thing is that I know this issue, but still prefer the big axe...
I suppose it is the human nature of wanting to do things the easy way. Not necessary physically easy, but easier never the less.
I'm not a man who's afraid of physical labor, long work days and little rest. I have done it, can do it and will do it in the future. Sure it would be nicer to lay in a warm bed with a wife or girl friend than to get out on a frozen logging trail or what not, but still I rather get the jobs one.
One motivator I have for that is my view of the community I live in. I feel that I have no right to make other peoples lives harder, by for example doing less than my share. Only person who's life I have right to make harder is me. Good thing is that this view is common here...

[Rick]

I guess I'm still pretty tough. I can watch Ravenscar do fifty nonstop if necessary. Of course, I'll probably need a snack afterwards.

[trax]

Certainly not as tough as I once was so I try to pace myself and plan my trips accordingly. For most things, I can still do what I used to, I just need more recovery time. A couple of autumns ago one of my elders asked my how old I was, I said 49 and he said "when I was your age I could still pack a couple quarters of moose a couple of miles out of the bush" I said "yeah I can still do that" I didn't talk about how long I'd want to sleep in the next day.

[tsitenha]

Well Trax, I'm one step lower, I bring a BBQ along so I can eat that quarter on the spot over sometime mind you, but eat it I will.

[shooter_250]

<<< tuff enuff to run over someones' foot with my wheelchair,,,if they'll hold still