[Philmont] Conditioning

I'll throw my two cents into the fray...

Preparation:
Coming from Green Bay, WI, our elevation above sea level is about 650 or
700'. The highest point in the entire state is 1,900'. With base camp at
6,500', it's almost impossible to get truly prepared for the mountains while
at home.

With that said, strong cardiovascular workouts will help as much as
anything, not to mention multiple practice and shakedown hikes with full
pack. Anything to resemble the stresses of backpacking at higher
elevations.

Some issues to be aware of:
Blood Pressure:
Again, coming from the relative flatlands, I've never had a BP problem.
Always somewhere around the 120/80 mark. At my physical (granted, I'm not
getting any younger), my BP was elevated slightly, but not abnormally. The
doctor wasn't excited, so I wasn't excited.... until the med re-checks at
the Philmont Health Lodge. I was something like 162 / 92. I almost rang
the bell! I took it easy that night, relaxed, didn't drink anything with
caffeine and passed the BP test the next morning. Pretty scary for a bit,
though. If it hadn't come down, I was headed home on the next train.

Weight:
If you aren't within the height & weight restrictions for Philmont, you have
at least a year to get there. Don't disapoint yourself, your crew, your son
or daughter and leave them all hanging having to carry more gear just
because you couldn't get in shape. If you don't, you'll be headed home
before you hit the trail.

Medical Issues:
If you have any issues at all, call the Philmont Health Lodge to discuss
them before you get there. Don't assume anything. Get your own doctor
involved if necessary. Better safe than sorry. A trip to Philmont costs
over $1000. A phone call doesn't.

Good luck!

Pete Swiggum
Green Bay, WI
Philmont 2005
ICWTGBTP!!

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Received on Fri Sep 8 15:21:38 2006