At this point, Ambrose and I backpack between May and September – and the May and September trips are few and far between. Our season is more concentrated between June and August. But that doesn’t mean we can just sit back in the off season. We both continue to work out in various ways. I do Crossfit and hiking when the trails are dry enough or frozen enough. We both go to the gym.
One of the questions I’ve been getting lately is if my husband and I have any big trips planned for this summer. As a matter of fact, we do, and I’ve rattled those trips off to those who asked whether they actually wanted to hear it or not. But the biggest trip, the one longest in the making is our return to the Washington Coast. We didn’t do the trip we planned last time, and this time we are both determined to make it all the way. To that end, Ambrose has added something new to his off season routine.
He has challenged himself to walk on a treadmill and burn a set amount of calories in under an hour. The first goal was 700 calories in under an hour and he has been hitting that for a while now. But last Saturday was his first sub-50 minute 700 calories, and I happened to be on hand to record the moment.
 |
| He just got to 700! |
 |
| Close up of the numbers. |
 |
| He’s really glad I’m driving us both home. |
Next is to try for 800 calories in under an hour. He is working hard on his endurance and ability to sustain speed in order to prepare specifically for the coast. He already figured out which dates would be best for us to travel on with regards to the tides. We are being set up for success – we just need to do the work to get there.
This may be our off season, but the work we’re doing is important to the play we want to do during backpacking season.