I got my climbing chair! First pics are of me in the chair at Colours. Then pictures of the chair in different angles at my house. The pictures of the wheel are called Magic Wheels. There are two gears to them and I turn the middle part of the wheel to put it into gear like a bicycle. Also there are not locks on the chair but when I am in the high gear, I will be able to go forwards still but not roll backwards so acts like a locking system. The two wheels out front will make it easier to actually got over rocks and in the sand and snow. The “armrest” looking things and you can see holes going through the to part as well, that is where we will be able to slide a pole through on each side and then four people will be able to pick me up like its my chariot :) There is also an area by my legs where a rope can tie onto so if/when needed, as I push, people can also steer and help pull. The chair is not totally done as we need to raise the footrest but also there will be another wheel out front and one under my chair that will act as stabalizers. Even though I don’t need a seatbelt in my everyday chair, I’ll use one up there because we just want to be a safe as we can and I really don’t want to fall out. Also will have a strap behind my feet as well as in front just to keep my legs on the foot plate.
I am excited about it. I can’t wait to go hiking on Sunday with my friend Matt. We have gone twice already together before but just with my regular everyday chair and so we are hoping that it will just be a lot easier. At least easier going over the rocks and sand/dirt and cracks. The chair is a lot heavier because of the wheels and I will have to figure out how to use the gears and when but that is why we will be out there. And hopefully there are only a few things that we need to tweak with it. I will post again after my hike on Sunday so you all know how the new chair works out :) Have a great weekend!
Last night, since everyone had such a hard workout on Tuesday, we decided just to do some grocery shopping. Healthy grocery shopping of course. Erica, Tara and myself headed to Jimbo’s Natural Grocer in Carlsbad, CA to get some good food to stock up on. The girl’s have really embraced the CHEK-lifestyle in that really knowing what you put into your body is what you are going to get out of it. It was good to see what they like and don’t like, especially with organic and natural foods. Here are some pictures from the adventure.
- Derek
That is going up, not down.
On Tuesday, Erica and I took advantage of some of California’s many hills to get some training done. With some weight on my back and a good incline in front of us, we made the most of it. We are now only 63 days away from Africa, and things are getting hectic.
- Derek
We had our first big snow storm here in Salt Lake City and I took advantage of this great opportunity to do some much needed training in the Brighton Back-Country. I feel the best I have ever felt in my life right now. Losing 41 pounds feels good! Not going to miss that weight at all. It’s going to make the hike much easier for me.
-Zackamanjaro
It's Going to Be Cold...
As I am traveling for work and find myself in Boston this weekend, one thing I noticed is that since living in San Diego for the past two years now, my blood has become thin and I get cold easily. Now do not get me wrong, I know cold. I am originally from Buffalo, NY and I even had a small stint as a snow-maker in Vermont one winter a few years ago. At that time, I could be outside and absolutely fine in anything that was over 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, not so much. As I went out for dinner the other night when I arrived here, I found myself almost jogging towards the restaurant once I got out of the car and shivering right when I got in my taxi from the airport. This is something I need to take care of.
The other issue with being on the road now (I have been away for 10 days of this month so far), is staying in shape. Hotel fitness, or health for that matter is very hard with the inadequate weights or facilities. But in Atlanta, you saw I found a parking garage and ran stairs and had a couple swims there as well. Now that I am in Boston, I decided to work on two things: my lack of experience with the cold, and my fitness. I had received my AKU boots the other day that I will be wearing on the climb and I also want to break them in, a lot. So yesterday, I went for a 2 hour hike in the park outside my hotel. This was awesome and not only did I get some good training in, and break in my boots, but jut walking for that long is really calming as well. This project is stressful and so is life sometimes, but getting away is definitely a good thing every once in a while.
Now, today I actually went for a long swim and even sat in a sauna for a little bit. These are just a couple things to keep someone sane on the road, and stay fit to climb Kilimanjaro.
We are only about 67 days away, and I know the team is getting excited, as am I. There are some big announcements coming soon, so stay tuned.
- Derek
Here are some pics from Erica’s and mine re-adjustment of our Atlas’s in our upper spines with Dr. Sheppard, a highly-recommended Spine and Sports Rehabilitation doctor in the North County San Diego area. This procedure corrects years of body misuse and re-aligns our heads with our necks, and let me tell you, it feels great.
-Derekamanjaro (doesn’t have the same ring as Zack’s)
This video explains how I was nominated for the “Through the Roof” Documentary. There were 240 nominees out of about a thousand Overstock.com employees. The executive team at Overstock.com than chose the best 11 nominees, and we each did a 20 minute interview on video. In that interview they ask some really personal questions as well as some really funny ones. The best question was: “If you had to wear something for the rest of your life and only had a choice between moon boots or a sombrero…which would you choose and why?” I said: “Moon boots because they’re awesome, I used to wear my moon boots in the middle of the summer because they were so cool.” After the 11 videos were created, the executive team narrowed it down to the best five videos and sent them off to the C.H.E.K. Institute to pick the best person for the climb.
**They picked me!
-Zackamanjaro
These pictures are of my hike today with friend Matt Romero. It was a 2.1 mile climb (one way) just about all up hill, off road dirt and rocks, and many steep areas. It is a very good climb though.
These are some quick clips from my recent camping trip up Malinche in Tlaxcala, Mexico with some friends. 14,600ft is no joke. I am still very sore from it.
Less than 90 days!
-Matt
About Me
We are headed to Africa to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with two challenged athletes. Our goal is to raise awareness for individuals with physical challenges so they can participate and compete in the sports they love with portions of the proceeds to benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation. By providing opportunities and resources needed for active lifestyles, CAF enhances these individuals’ self-esteem, independence and quality of life.In January of 2010, we start our journey from Los Angeles International Airport and head towards Tanzania, and we would like to invite all of you to follow along!
Here we will frequently be keeping you all up to date on our progress before, during, and after the climb.
Keep checking back!
