I have a long way to go to being capable in tying all the social media tools into this blog, but i am making progress.  Today, i uploaded several videos to youtube and I will attempt to make links to them here.  The videos are parts of the story of my training for Denali. As previously noted, my training consists mainly of core work (ugghhh and ouch) and general strength training and work on the hills of Providence in my neighborhood around Brown University.  My climbing partner Keith thoughtfully sends me text messages that are essentially a countdown to Armageddon - thanks for all the gentle reminders, Keith.

so here are some links to videos related to my training - critique is most welcome!

Annabelle rides in my training pack - this is a video taken by my 9 year old daughter Annabelle from inside my training backpack, which she rides in to give me a much more interesting and fun workout than i get with 50 pounds of rice in my pack :)

Annabelle asks me about my Denali climb - as i take a break from the hills along the Providence riverfront, Annabelle asks about the nature and purpose of my Denali climb

Annabelle makes me stretch!! - no rest for the weary!  after her interview, Annabelle instructs me in some of her ballet stretching and asks me to demonstrate my sit-up and push-up routine

One foot in front of the other....

as the departure for this climb nears, i am paying close attention to various categories of preparation:

• Fitness - i am feeling quite good and feel that i am making appropriate progress along the training schedule MountainTrip provided.  my core is substantially more solid (even if not more attractive) after 4 months of work and my overall strength and endurance is dramatically improved.  i can't but think, however, that my fellow climbers are working as hard as i am, but starting from a better place and decades younger.  just hoping i can come up with some way to ingratiate myself to them so they don't just let me slip into a crevasse and leave me there for millennia to come.  College street is my hill of choice.  It is a hill leading up to the main gates of Brown University and it is about a 7 minute roundtrip to do the hill.  i have been alternating days between simply running the hill and walking the hill with 50 pounds of rice in my backpack.  Friends have said they would like to join me for this late afternoon hour or two ritual and so far, my friend Jim from the age of 11 (48 years) joined me one day this week and is threatening to do so next week as well.
• Gear - this is a major undertaking.  turns out that much of the gear i purchased for previous climbs of Ranier (USA), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Elbrus (Russia) and Aconcagua (Argentina) are not acceptable for Denali or i simply dont have enough - packs not big enough, boots not warm enough, coat too heavy, not enough rope, etc.....  So i have been researching options and purchasing gear and narrowing the list of stuff still to be acquired.   the boots i decided on, (after tracing my foot and sending pics to MountainTools people in california and receiving two pair of recommended boots to try and walking around the house in them) are Millet Everest boots - $999.00!  my climbing partner Keith says, "not a bad deal....only $100 per toe!"
• Philanthropy - i have decided to use this climb to raise funds to support the college dreams of kids in my community who are capable, ambitious and hard working but don't have the resources, networks or mentors around them to help them develop and prepare a great path for themselves.  I will get a fundraising site up in the coming days to enable that part of my mission

more later!!

As I begin my 60th year, I continue to contemplate how to make the most of my little life.  I am reminded of the great old book i picked up at a yard sale many years ago, "the aim of life" by philip moxom. In this wonderful book of advice to young people, written in 1893, he includes chapters on... the aim of life....character....habit....charity....companionship and others.  If I continue to be anywhere near as lucky as i have been in life so far, then I imagine i may have another 20-40 years to enjoy this amazing world and the journey of life.  I hope to keep Moxom's ideas, along with others, as a guide, as a reminder, as a source of inspiration for today and the days ahead.

This blog will serve as a reminder to me that i should keep trying to do difficult things - to keep my mind and body and spirit challenged....so that i keep enjoying the world and doing my best to change the world in good little ways.  "sixtyoversixty" is an idea...reaching for sixty new challenges in different aspects of my life as i continue in my sixtieth year and beyond.  The first of these big challenges is climbing Mt. Denali this summer, the highest mountain in North America.  It will be my most challenging climb so far, having climbed the highest mountain on each of the continents of Africa, Europe and South America since my 50th birthday.  This will be a long and difficult slog!  A very cold and unforgiving mountain, carrying 70lbs on my back and dragging another 60lbs on a sled for 20+ days.  I have been preparing my body and mind as best i can and am very much looking forward to the adventure.  I will use this climb to raise money to support the higher education dreams of kids in my community who have the initiative and the desire to succeed but need a little help and coaching along the way.

Today (April 18, 2013)  is both the 11th anniversary of my daughter Grace dying and my daughter Annabelle's 9th birthday.  A really emotional day, but also one that reminds me of the nature of life and living - that our journeys are a big mix of joys and sorrows, successes and setbacks, good luck and bad luck, opportunities and risks.  I am also reminded today that i have this one big opportunity to have a life and, as my friend Rebecca says, "enjoy the world and change the world".

Blogging is new to me - this is my first clumsy attempt -  I will throw stuff out there with hopes that it will be helpful to someone in some way.  In any case, i suspect it will be a fun and helpful experiment for me.

Hill training

College hill