Physics of Fat Loss (Should women run?)

Should Women Stop Running?

“I watch my friend Jessica running on the treadmill — day after day, year after year—like a madwoman, and going nowhere. Her body seems to get softer with every mile [...] actually, she’s gotten fatter,” proclaims fitness expert and Dangerously Hardcore blogger DH Kiefer in his recent article, Why Women Should Not Run.

The article, which pushes for the end of “solid-state cardio” — a fancy term for maintaining a consistent pace on a single machine, like a treadmill, for long periods of time — is causing quite a stir online, as well as with a few of my clients.  

 

In fact, I received this email just a few days ago:

"I’ve seen this article floating around (mostly on my crossfit friend’s fb pages) and I finally read it.  What are your thoughts on this?  I could see if all you did was 2+ hours of steady cardio a day, didn’t lift and didn’t eat right (starving yourself) that this could be bad but I can’t think that doing the occasional 3.5 hour bike ride once or twice a week is actually increasing fat storage.  Also, I do know some fit female runners and bikers but they are also very healthy eaters too.  What’s the deal, crossfit cult propaganda??"

Here's my response:

DH Kiefer is essentially correct, and it looks like he's done some great research, yet he fails to provide any real solutions to the problem.

I know a lot of people who are like Jessica, the article’s scapegoat, whose fitness program consists of medium pace, medium distance, medium heart rate cardio, periods of starvation, periods of gluttony, and no resistance training. And I agree: That’s a surefire recipe to slow down metabolism and increase body fat. As the article mentions, this type of training can also lead to hypothyroidism, a common condition among women especially.

To help explain my take on the subject, let’s do a quick break down fat and weight loss.

Let’s say one pound of fat contains an even 3500 calories worth of energy. If you want to lose one pound of fat in one week, you have to burn 500 calories more per day than you eat. Simple enough, right?

But the way you burn off that pound is crucial, especially over the long term. If you eat less and do solid-state cardio for extended periods of time, your body will actually reduce its Base Metabolic Rate (how much energy it takes for you to live while resting) in response to your decreased calorie intake and increased activity, or Active Metabolic Expenditure (AME).

This is a basic function of human survival. It’s essential for your body to conserve energy, or fat, when expenditure is high and resources are lacking.

Though Mr. Kiefer and I would agree on this issue, I disagree with his prescription to terminate all solid-state cardio. As my client mentioned, there are many avid runners and bikers who regularly incorporate solid-state cardio into their lifestyle, and many show no signs of hypothyroidism. It’s important to note that a person’s genes also play a role in how our bodies regulate metabolism, so it’s difficult to paint the issue with a broad stroke.

For these reasons, I believe these tactics make for a better course of action than simply ending your cardio:

1. Eat well and eat regularly.  Make sure to eat every 2-3 hours. This helps regulate your insulin levels and keeps your metabolism purring along like a well-oiled machine. But don’t just eat any food; eat the right food. Want to know what the right foods are? The Explore Fitness Summer Shape Up Challenge would be a great start. The competition includes 4 nutrition seminars and a trip to the grocery store: http://explorefitness.com/summer_shape_up.html

2. Pick up heavy things, then put them back down. Functional lifting produces an endocrine (hormonal) response that helps you to build muscle. This muscle-building process increases your metabolism and helps you burn fat throughout the day. Think of lifting as an investment that earns, even when you're not working.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR THE LADIES: You won't get huge from lifting weights. That’s a myth. People with massive muscles work out for hours and take all sorts of dangerous steroids and weird supplements to look like that. Yes you will notice growth in your muscles, but this won't make you look weird (it will make you look and feel hot). 

3. Do workouts that increase Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EPOC is a process in your blood where oxygen is depleted during exercise, then replenished after your workout. This “afterburn” effect elevates your metabolism and improves your body's capacity to utilize oxygen and burn fat. Workouts that boost your EPOC include: Tabata, High Intensity Interval Training, CrossFit, and many other great workouts you can find, and join, here: http://explorefitness.com/programs.html.

4. Something > Nothing! Mr. Kiefer’s argument that traditional, solid-state "cardio" is less effective than HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is correct, but women shouldn’t feel like they have to jettison running and other activities altogether. If you’re trying to lose fat, try balancing your longs runs and rides with higher intensity cardiovascular workouts, and work in the weights (see #2 above). The fact that you’re doing some sort of physical activity is a benefit to your health, no matter what anybody says. Just be sensible and try to add more diversity to your workouts whenever you can.

Hope that helps clear things up a little. If it doesn’t, shoot me a message at nate@explorefitness.com.

In good health,

Nate Lawrence

CPT - CES - CSCS

explorefitness.com

Inexorable.

This word, defined as "unyielding, unalterable" became my mantra for 16 hours yesterday. One foot in front of the other. Don't stop moving. I will cross the finish line. I am an inexorable force of perpetual motion traveling by ski from Crested Butte to Aspen, Colorado.

The race is called the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse (elkmountainstraverse.com). It stretches 40 miles between the ski resorts over the Elk Mountains following an old route used by traders who (wisely) took multiple days to complete the journey. The race starts at midnight to allow racers to finish in the daylight the following day. Along the route racers gain about 9k vertical feet and spend about half of the race above treeline in the alpine.

Explore Fitness entered two teams. Team A consisted of two time Olympian Carl Van Loan and Land Monster Taylor Leary (Bubba). These guys finished in 13.5hrs and by their accounts were almost as miserable throughout as team 2, consisting of Brandon DeBenedet and myself, finishing in 15:57.

Preparation for a race this long is intensive. We were required to carry emergency shelters, avalanche rescue gear, food and water for 24hours and other sundry equipment that added up to a 25lb pack in my case.

Physical preparation called for long backcountry tours, cross training and lower body strength conditioning. The biggest challenge for us as soft city-dwellers in training was finding opportunities to get out and train in race conditions. As preparation we signed up for the Vail Mountaineering Challenge in February, which was a grueling, brutal, race in itself that taught us a lot about our equipment, what kind of food was easiest to digest etc. In addition we pt treadmill miles in whenever possible and performed three interval training sessions per week for twelve weeks approaching the race.

The race started at midnight on Friday the 29th. The timing is arranged so that racers are over the steep alpine sections of Star Pass before the sun has a chance to warm the snow and increase the likelihood of avalanches.

 Taylor Nate and Carl Prepare to start

Beforehand at the pre-race meeting I noticed that people were noticing me, and specifically noticing my  Liberty Helix skis with Hammerhead telemark bindings (20lb approximate weight), and snickering at the relatively massive load I was preparing to cart 40miles through the backcountry. The average person involved in the race was 40-50lbs lighter than I and ratty facial hair abounded. Skis were skinny, light and had expensive backcountry bindings with their weight measured in ounces not pounds. It was evident to me that this was a real mountain man race and worried I was in over my head.

The race started at midnight with the town Crested Butte out in full party mode as they celebrated the end of the ski season with fireworks and crazy costumes. Combined with a full moon and 300 headlamps the noise and the energy made it hard not to start with a bang. We tried to remind ourselves not to get too caught up in the excitement and keep a "twelve hour" pace. 

The first five hours of the race seem e a blur. We climbed two thousand feet to exit the resort and skied into the Brush Creek Drainage where we found long flats and breakable snow crust that kept us in a single file jam for some time. Those who dared to try to pass out of turn were rewarded by being dumped into several feet of snow on the perimeter of the track set by  the course officials.

Several downhills and stream crossings later we began the gradual climb to Star Pass, where we would need to pass a checkpoint by 7am to avoid being disqualified, turned around and sent back to Crested Butte in ignominy and defeat.

I called a break at about four in the morning hoping to intake some calories and rest my legs. Five minutes later Brandon and I were shivering and our hands and feet had grown completely numb. Realizing that we needed to start moving again, we set off at a furious pace and remained in danger of frostbite and hypothermia for forty-five minutes after. We realized that extended breaks were dangerous until the sun rose and had a chance to warm the air.

ROUTE MAP FROM CRESTED BUTTE TO ASPEN

Uncertain of how far we were from the cut-off at Star Pass, we pushed harder to gain the high ridge line by dawn. To my surprise and relief, we made the12,500ft  pass an hour before the cutoff.

Nate Lawrence on top of Star Pass

Our relief at crossing the high barrier was short lived as we began the next ascent towards Taylor Pass. We would end up traveling for over fifteen miles at an altitude over 11,000ft, and the altitude and distance would make the journey a true test of determination and focus.

Brandon's feet started to cramp and seize, my breathing became ragged and it was all I could do not to collapse into coughing fits and the ridges we knew we would cross seemed to get farther away even as we worked.

Regardless, we pressed on. Having passed the turnaround point and an aid station, we were now committed. Rescue at this point would have taken hours and potentially have cost thousands. We chose not to consider whether rescue by snowmobile was possible. Pressing on was mandatory.

Carl Van Loan feeling confident at dawn

I wanted to see the distant finish line so bad it brought tears to my eyes. Surprisingly, I found that this desperate yearning brought much needed energy. I decided to embrace what I normally consider negative emotion and channel it. These are the lessons that physical struggle can help to teach.

After some hours we reached the final backcountry checkpoint at Barnard Hut, a mere eight miles from the Aspen Sundeck from which we would descend to the finish line at Aspen Mountain. At Barnard we were asked some cursory questions about our health, fed hot soup and "Aclimate" the dubious tasting but undoubtedly nutrient filled supplement sponsor of the race.

We felt we were nearly home at Barnard, but the last eight miles stretched in distance. Fatigue set in and it took us three and a half hours to cover the distance, a pace significantly slower than our previous. I fought heat exhaustion, dehydration and nausea. 

Regardless we were confident in our ability to finish.  What's eight miles when one has covered thirty-two?

We finished the trek with enough energy to plan a descent to the base in style. We cut tight figure-eight turns and embraced a purple haired volunteer at the finish.

Carl and Taylor had finished two and half hours previously and were fast asleep at the hotel before we arrived but I did not begrudge them their rest. They later told us that they were tracking us online and that they felt happy that we would finish and sympathetic as they relived the challenges of the terrain we were covering.

Brandon and Nate hold their medals for display.

Carl and Taylor enjoy their victory

We made it. 

Some stats along the way:

40+ miles

7800 veritcal feet

14,500 calories burned/person

Average Heart Rate of 135bpm (Nate)

Pace 2.3mph

Moving Time: 14:50

Stopped Time: 1:20

240oz of fluids consumed

Five open blisters created (Nate)

Two toenails lost (Brandon)

Thanks to the Crested Butte Nordic Counsel and all of the volunteers it took to pull this thing off, Jeff Koether for letting us crash at his place pre-race, Ali Lind, Paula Van Loan, Stephanie Pobrislo and Jackie Dauw for meeting us at the finish and resisting making comments about the stench and to all of you who followed our progress and sent your thoughts and prayers in our direction.

Nate Lawrence

What a Year Explore Fitness!

As I sit in the Don Mueng Airport of Bangkok (the old one that the budget airlines fly out of), I'm inspired to reflect on the year 2012, the beginning of Explore Fitness and the blessing that Carl and I have received from all of you. We have an amazing existence and I think Carl would agree when I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

To reflect, here are some highlights

1. 99% of those of you who were training with Carl and I made the unsolicited decision to accompany us to our new location at Form Fitness. I was blown away by this. How humbling. What an honor. It was when I realized this that I realized how much you all care about our community, Carl and me, and most importantly, yourselves.
2. CrossCut/Booze Burn in the sweltering heat at Commons and Skyline Park. You participants really deserve a round of applause. Punctuated by vagrant hecklers, impromptu squirt-gun fights (some instigated by Erica's son Vaun), perennially shirtless Brandon, Goldi always wanting her picture taken with a sledge hammer and the open mouthed stares of local business people, this was quite a year. I've no doubt our CrossCut product will continue to improve and we'll look back on this sometimes-rocky start with ear splitting grins.
3. Explore Hiking. Grays, Torryes, Princeton, Bear Mountain, Eldorado Canyon and Mount of the Holy Cross. The boots of Explore Fitness covered some serious territory with a surprisingly small amount of whining. We will definitely be exploring new mounntains and terrain farther abroad this upcoming Spring and Summer.
4. Tough Mudder. This half-marathon length obstacle course was no match for Guicho, Erica, Lauren and I. Punctuated by three electrified obstacles (somehow Guicho and I got shocked about a dozen times and the girls were spared... how is that possible?), this race is for the stout of heart and the fleet of foot and we crushed it!
5. Explore Mountain and Road Biking. While this was often just a few of us (6am weekdays is a tough pill for most of us) we covered some serious territory at Kenosha Pass, White Ranch, the Colorado Trail, Lookout Mountain, Golden Triangle, the Monarch Crest Trail and capped it all off with a respectable finish (26/188) at the 24hours of Moab Race. We'll definitely be organizing even more mountain bike and road bike trips in 2013. Many thanks to Brandon Debenedet and Clay Wyatt for patiently waiting for me on the trails out there!
6. Shedding those lbs. By my rough estimation,  Explore Fitness clients SHREDDED 320 combined pounds in six months.Do you know a seamstress?You're getting RIPPED!
7. Scout trip to Costa Rica. While just a prelude to our big March blowout fitness adventure it was nonetheless amazing for Carl and I to get the opportunity to spend five days in beautiful Jaco Beach. Highlights include a tree branch breaking off as my big ass tried to climb, attempting to surf, succesfully paddle boarding and the face-to-face-splits-to-high-five dance move Carl and wowed the locals with (I assume they were laughing out of amazement). 
8. Personal Training. So many of you reached amazing new heights of fitness this year. The best part of my job and the the thing that brings me joy on a daily basis is helping all of you understand just how capable you are of so much. I've repeatedly been asked by clients if I prefer working with my class or with my young, fit people, the assumption being that I must be most enthused by those who can do the most advanced moves, the most intense workouts or lift the most weight. Not so. My most rewarding moments come from seeing people of all ages, shapes and sizes discover or rediscover how truly capable and strong they really are. Those smiles, those moments of triumph regardless of the actual accomplishment are what makes this job the best I can imagine.
9.  Sean Gale, KT, Sarah, JR and Club Form Fitness. Whe. I learned that Dumbbells was under new  I could not resist but pop my head in to scout the competition. After a quick conversation with Sean I realized that our dream of Explore was closer to being a reality than I had imagined. Here, all set to go, was a beautiful facility with a perfect location, an amicable small-business owner who sees his success intrinsically tied to our own and a friendly knowledgeable staff. It's been a pleasure and I look forward to growing together. 
10. The future. What little we've accomplished in 2012 has given me inspiration to believe that some of our biggest dreams could really happen. I know that Carl and I are not even close to satisfied with what we've done so far. In 2013 we will continue to strive to give you tne best fitness services possible. As you've seen already we've invited Justin Biel to join us, and I know that our team will continue to grow with quality individuals. Know that we are always looking to improve and what we've delivered to date is just the tip of the iceberg.

Crossfit HURTS

Crossfit has revolutionized fitness.

The idea of "metabolic conditioning" (referring to conditioning exercises intended to increase the storage and delivery of energy for any activity, most often through resistance training in Crossfit) and the use of interval training and competitive exercise has spawned a whole new nation of fitness freaks, myself being one of them. I LOVE Crossfit workouts, but I sometimes wonder why they're structured the way they are. Some of them are excellent and designed perfectly for a general population:

For instance:
Chelsea

5 Pull-ups 10 Push-ups 15 Squats

Each min on the min for 30 min

This workout is good (hard as hell) for anyone with generally good health and form. Obviously not everyone should or can do this workout, but in general, for those who are into fitness and start with a high level of fitness, this is a good one.

Why?

1. High repititions with only body weight provides a safe way to thoroughly thrash your major muscle groups

2. Full body functional movements make this a high calorie, intense circuit.

3. Built in HR variations, good for metabolic conditioning.

However, not all Crossfit workouts have these benefits

Here's Sunday's WOD:

Five rounds for time of:

275 pound Deadlift, 5 reps

10 Burpees

Post time to comments.

Here are the issues:

1. Who is 275lbs good for??? Maybe me, and maybe a few other 200lb+ guys, but pretty much no one else. Why would Crossfit assume this is an appropriate weight selection for everyone? One might argue that they don't and the 275lb number is just a suggestion, but I would think this weight prescription would be improved by saying something like:

125% of body weight for well conditioned lifters,
100% of body weight for moderately conditioned lifters
50-75% of body weight for beginning lifters

2. The format is wrong. The deadlift is a BIG functional lift that involves lifting heavy weight (275lbs right?) in a coordinated fashion engaging the entire body with an emphasis on keeping spinal erectors rigid and engaging glutes and hamstrings as prime movers. This is not extremely simple and takes some practice to do correctly, and regardless of how good at Crossfit you are, your form will slack if your heart rate gets high enough. YES IT WILL. It's science. Nueromuscular facilitation begins to fall off when your heart rate reaches about 75% of your HR max  according to the NSCA Essentials of Strength and Conditioning textbook.  So why do you care if your form sucks doing a 275lb deadlift? Ever had a herniated or bulging disc? Not fun.

3. This workout doesn't efficiently target any energy system. This workout took most "crossfitters" about 5minutes, not enough to truly tax the glycolitic (longer anaerobic) or oxidatitive (aerobic) energy systems, but has a HR intensive element that prevents the participating athlete from making the most out of the strength element

(How not to do a deadlift correctly, 105lbs)

A good coach makes all of the difference, but I would warn you against simply going through the Crossfit.com page WOD without thinking about how each routine benefits you. It seems to me that some of these workouts are designed more to be brutal than to be safe and effective.

Nate Lawrence

BASIC NUTRITION FOR FAT LOSS

Nutrition Position

Explore Fitness believes that proper nutrition is about changing lifestyles to reflect better choices while still enjoying food. Food need not be a source of stress or a guilty pleasure, but rather something enjoyable and life sustaining.

Explore doesn’t believe that fad diets, aggressive supplement regimens or other non-sustainable activities are real solutions to issues with diet. In order to see lasting results that help our participants for life, we take a sustainable and enjoyable approach to diet.

Explore Fitness believes that nutrition need be approached on an individual basis, while considering the whole person.  It is when we consider each of these factors that we can truly achieve optimal health and happiness.  There is no cookie-cutter approach, or one-size-fits-all plan.  This is why we take the time to go beyond symptoms, and look beneath the surface to identify the hidden causes of weight gain, stress, fatigue, digestive disturbances, poor skin, depression, anxiety, and beyond.  

Contact us today for a free consultation by a registered dietician.

 Nate Lawrence Circa 2004. Weighed in at 260lbs.

Eating for Fat Loss

Fads and binges do not work over the long term. There are drastic ways to lose fat quickly that include starvation, supplementation, zero carb, and “cleanses.” Eating has to be a sustainable part of your life. Changes in diet should be permanent, or with the goal of changing habits long-term.

Here are some basic rules to live by:

1.       Caloric deficit - To lose significant amounts of weight. It is necessary to introduce a caloric deficit.

·         The size of the deficit will vary greatly depending on the individual.

·         Seek the help of a professional to determine your needs

2.       Keep your blood sugar balanced.

·         Too little blood sugar induces cravings, and signals your body to slow down and conserve energy.

·         Too much blood sugar forces your body to have a hormonal reaction that brings this excess of energy back to equilibrium as body fat.

·         If you feel significant hunger, your blood sugar is low.

·         Eat something when you wake up. Even if you don’t feel hungry, something light will help your body’s metabolism get started and give you energy for the day.

·         Eat every 2-3 hours.

·         Avoid big meals.

3.         Control your portions Inevitably, you will find yourself in a situation where you are hungry and low on blood sugar.

·         Slow down. Your body’s satiety signal will lag behind your ability to consume food by 10-15minutes. Eat some, then wait some, and if you’re still truly hungry, eat some more. Often you’ll find that your cravings fade after a while.

·         Drink water – Feelings of thirst and hunger are often confused. You will feel less hungry if you are well hydrated. Proper hydration is also essential for proper nutrient transport, proper cooling and just about everything else your body does ever.

4.       Eat around your workouts.

·          Eat a balanced mid-sized snack  60-90minutes prior to vigorous exercise.

·         Eat a balanced meal immediately following your workout.

·         Do not use this as an excuse to overeat

5.       Practice situational self control.

·         Avoid putting yourself in situations where you’ll know you’ll be tempted to make poor choices.

·         Pick restaurants where you know you’ll have a healthy option (don’t go to Taco Bell. Ever.)

·         If you know you are going into a situation where you’re going to be tempted to make poor choices (a friend’s bbq for instance), eat a healthy snack before you go and minimize your cravings.

6.       Read every nutritional label. You’ll be surprised to learn what some things you buy are composed of.

·         Be sure to note:

o The ingredients

o Serving size

o Calories

o Calories from fat

o Grams of protein

o Grams of fat

o Grams of sugar

o Grams of Carbohydrates

·         None of these things are necessarily better or worse than others, but you should know what you’re eating so you can balance your meals properly for your goals. You’ll find some interesting things about the good foods you eat as well. Did you know a serving of whole oats has 7g of protein?

7.       Alcohol – Not your friend

·         Alcohol has 7calories per gram (protein and carbs have 4, fat has 9).

·         Alcoholic drinks are often associated with other sugars and can be high calorie besides alcohol.

·         Alcohol is dehydrating

·         Alcohol is detrimental to sleep

·         Alcohol has very little nutritional value

·         Example: Jennifer likes to have a few glasses of wine when she gets home from work with her husband. She consumes about 300calories per night on weeknights and then has a few extra drinks that give her another 200calories per day on the weekends at social functions. Her total caloric intake of alcoholic beverages is about 3,000 calories per week. Her goal is to lose one pound of fat per week which requires a caloric deficit of 3500 calories. Jennifer must now burn 6500 calories more than what she is eating every week to reach her goal. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Does that sound at all familiar?

8.       What do I eat? Everyone has different requirements. Finding a healthy diet can be a matter of trial and error The guidelines listed are a decent starting place for many individuals.

·         Individuals trying to lose weight should eat a diet consisting of:

o 20% Fat, 30% protein,  20% starchy carbohydrates, 30% low glycemic carbohydrates.

·         Generally, active athletes should get about 1gram of protein per 1kilogram of body weight. So if I weigh 150lbs, I’m about 68kilos, so I need about 68 grams of protein. This is rough, don’t get hung up on this number. Generally most Americans get plenty of protein in their diets, usually alongside saturated animal fats!

·         Glycemic Index – A measure of the body’s ability to turn a carbohydrate into glucose, or blood sugar. Carbohydrates with a higher GI (i.e. white bread GI=100) should be avoided in favor of carbohydrates with a lower GI (i.e. Broccoli GI=15) for purposes of weight loss. Carbohydrates with a lower GI tend to be more filling, higher in nutrients, and lower in calories than starchier, higher GI carbohydrates. Just because something says “sugar” doesn’t make it a high GI food. An apple for instance has a GI of 38, despite having most of it’s calories from sugar (13grams). Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong eating fruits and vegetables.

·         See the attached Table for some general guidelines and food suggestions. Remember that everyone is different, and your needs may vary.

9       

   YOU WILL SLIP UP. Don’t get depressed or mad at yourself; just try to make as many good choices as possible. The effects of your diet are cumulative, one bad decision doesn’t screw the whole thing up, just as one good decision doesn’t complete your fat loss journey.

SUGGESTED READING:

The Zone Diet – Dr. Barry Sears

My favorite book so far, various adaptations come with lots of recipes. His concepts are easy to understand and implement.

 

 

Happier and healthier weighing in at 205! 2012

Nate Lawrence

Mount of the Holy Cross and Upcoming Hikes

Here's the grabber:

Explore Fitness hikers crush Mount of the Holy Cross in record time! Information on the Princeton hike at the bottom of this post.

Mount of the Holy Cross



Despite leaving Denver at 12pm on a Saturday, we still managed to find traffic on the way to our campsite, Half Moon Campground adjacent to the Holy Cross Wilderness area. Despite the delay, we made it with little drama on an interesting 4WD trail with evidence of a series of controlled burns about.

Our luck continued as we occupied two recently vacated campsites and found no notice regarding an expected fire ban. Grilled Kebabs courtesy of Britta and Zanna and a few Coors Lights courtesy of Clay and Brett later, we crashed early in anticipation.

Sunday alarm went off at 4am and we departed promptly at 5:10am (only 10minutes after the scheduled time, not bad for a group of nine).

Up to Half Moon Pass in the dark and some beautiful views in the early morning alpenglow


After descending into a valley and crossing a small stream, we headed back up the ~4k feet to the top.


Rugged Terrain


A few breaks



The top



Summited about 9am, back to the campsite at 1:30pm, a mere 4.5hrs faster than the 14ers.com trip report predicted. Domination.


Group shot


See you on Longs Peak August 18th.

Nate

Update on the upcoming Mount Princeton hike:


The Princeton hike has been delayed to the weekend of the 24th. We will be departing on Friday the 24th at 2pm.


Participants will have the option to stay in a hotel, camp or stay in a private cabin in shared spaces. Costs will vary depending on your lodging choice and the length of your stay.


Everyone should plan on staying Friday the 24th and hiking on the 25th.


Lodging is currently available at Mt. Princeton Hot Spring Resort, or at a myriad of mid-range hotels in Salida or Buena Vista.

Mt Princeton rents cabins that sleep ten.

The National Forests have enough camping spots for 20,000+.

A friend of Explore has limited availability at a private cabin nearby.

PLEASE RSVP to explorefitnessdenver@gmail.com WITH:

• If you're planning on participating
• What sort of lodging interests you
• If you have a 4WD vehicle and you're willing to drive.

Here's a link to the rout description:

http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=prin1&peak=Mt.+Princeton

There are two options to get to the top and we can accommodate different levels of hikers.

Gonna be SICK.

Nate 

Get High! Explore 14ers!

Welcome Explorers!

So far this summer we've bagged two 14k ft mountains (Gray's and Torrey's Peaks). Now, it's time to head farther afield and continue to challenge ourselves.

  Yup. Two in one day.

Here are the coming planned hikes:

July 22nd: Mount of the Holy Cross




This iconic 14er is near Vail and about 2.5hrs from Denver. Plan on getting up really early, or join me on camping the night before at the Halfmoon campground (recommended).

This is a challenging hike that should take 10-12hours and cover 4,723 vertical feet. It's worth it. Holy Cross is on every peak chaser's bucket list in Colorado, and a few brave souls attempt the ski descent of the cross couloir every year. Scary.

Our route will be the North Ridge and is rated as an intermediate climb with limited exposure and scrambling.

All the information you need from 14ers.com
http://www.14ers.com/photos/peakmain.php?peak=Mt.+of+the+Holy+Cross

August 4th and 5th: Mt Princeton OVERNIGHT


Climb this massive member of the Collegiate Peaks from the comfort of either a private cabin in nearby Maysville or the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs resort.



This hike is beautiful and puts you up on the enormous Mt. Princeton summit with views for hundreds of miles. Finish with a soak in the tub at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs.

http://www.mtprinceton.com/

The hike itself is challenging but not extreme. Six miles and 3,377 vertical feet make this doable in about six hours for most, which should leave us plenty of time to enjoy a meal in Buena Vista before heading back to Denver on Sunday.

All the information you need at:
http://www.14ers.com/photos/peakmain.php?peak=Mt.+Princeton

RSVP for details. Lodging expenses will depend on how large our group is, but should be around $100.

August 18th and 19th: Longs Peak OVERNIGHT Camping


The big daddy. Oh yeah. Long's Peak is a major accomplishment for those who are up for a challenge. We will camp at the Long's Peak Trailhead campsite Saturday the 18th and hit the trail around 3:30am in order to be off the peak before any potential lighting.


Be prepared for this hike. 16 miles, 4,845 feet vertical, and quite a bit of rocky traveling make this our most challenging peak of the summer. This peak is located in Rocky Mountain National Park, and off-limit to dogs. Get there and do it, and you'll know you've accomplished something.

All you need to know at:
http://www.14ers.com/photos/peakmain.php?peak=Longs+Peak

RSVP for more details.

I look forward to exploring these amazing peaks with you this summer!

Nate Lawrence