And We're Off . . .

Atalaya #8

This is the point when I actually LOVE the slippery slope.  No more time for tweaking and adjusting.  If we don't have it now we'll do without.  We launched our final Atalaya ascent a day early to make room for final prep and coordinating the departure of our current Airbnb guests.  And for the record, that last training hike was our fastest boots and packs round-trip (6.5 miles, 1,850 feet ascent/descent) -- 2:18 fully loaded.  So we're off.  It's a drive to Denver.  A flight to Narita, Japan.  A flight to Chengdu, China (where we'll meet our guide and the other two trekkers) and then a hop to Lhasa.  All told, about 20 hours in the air (OMG, not looking forward to that).

Cliff's duffel and back pack

We each have duffel bags right at the 44-pound weight limit for checked baggage (it's taken some cross loading to make that magical equation balance) -- and our carry-on back packs.  We've read and reread the information on Acute Mountain Sickness and have done all we can to prepare by achieving a high-level of fitness and loading up on the recommended medications to help us manage life (and breathing) at 12,000 feet and beyond.

We're hoping the four acclimatization days in Lhasa give us the  kick start we need.  I particularly am excited to visit Lhasa, see the Potala and join the Barkhar Kora pilgrimage circling the ancient Jokhang Temple.  The weather forecast includes some suggestion of rain during our time in Lhasa (and oh have our UK treks given us experience trekking in the rain).  Still, we are hoping for some clear skies on our city days, trekking days (and most certainly for crossing the Guring La).

Flashback to 1982

As we are making our final preparation and launching on this Memorial Day weekend, the arduous duty, selfless service and in some cases ultimate sacrifice of service members are foremost in our minds.  We forever are grateful for those who served, and ever humbled by the fearless actions and devotion of the fallen.

Those who walked before us inspired our own opportunities to serve -- and the camaraderie and bonds of our time in uniform.  Without doubt, that service fanned the flame of our adventurers' hearts, and keeps alive our commitment to duty, honor, country -- wherever our travels may take us (this year, on the occasion of our 36th wedding anniversary).  And if you're out there, Darrell Lewis, this marriage did last . . . and it gets stronger with every step (so many in the books, so many yet to come).

Finally, for those of you wondering about our better quarters, here's a snap of our stay-behind team members awaiting the arrival of their pet mannies (freshly groomed and ready to push the limits of life with their "substitute teachers, no doubt).  We find it difficult to leave them.  Next update from somewhere in Asia . . .

Illy and Munro in Santa Fe

Trekking Season 2018 -- Tibet!

1 April ~ Atalaya #1

There are certain surefire signs a TeamBoltz trek is afoot:

• The pre-packing stacks begin to overtake our living space -- presenting an eerily hoarder-like maze of hot-weather gear, cold-weather gear, sun-gear, rain-gear, foot-gear, head-gear (and so on and so forth) to be navigated by Boltz human and canine team members alike (until the final pack).

• An ongoing series of checks and double-checks pepper nearly every conversation: "Did you read that George Will oped in the Post and how many pair of sock liners are you taking?"

• Thoughts of things not done lurk in shady mental corners to tease and taunt: Maybe we should have learned to speak Tibetan . . .

• Workouts become so routine (and recovery so fast) that by 10:00 a.m. we're trying to recall our walk/bike/hike/gym routine from earlier in the morning.

• And of course there are the pre-departure to-do lists, which once started grow like kudzu in a South Florida ditch.

And all these signs are oh-so apparent as we begin the single-digit countdown for this year's epic trek to Tibet.  Tibet is likely our final frontier in Asia.  While we never say never, it's a long trip from here to there and were it not for an irresistible opportunity to join a trek led by the guide who literally (seriously) wrote the book on Trekking in Tibet (Gary McCue), we probably wouldn't be going now.  Trip of a lifetime?  Too soon to say that.  Bucket lister?  Sounds a little terminal to us.  But for sure, this is a highlight in our trekking lives that is set to take us higher than Kilamanjaro and keep us in thinner air than much of the Snowman Trek in Bhutan.  We'll be following the final weeks' of trail trod by Austrian climbers Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter at the conclusion of their 20-month, cross-country escape from internment in India to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1944 where they (and apparently Brad Pitt 😉), spent the following Seven Years . . .

26.2 miles w/ USMA bf, Deb

Our training, which has been pretty intense, started in earnest on 1 January with a mid-training marathon (no kidding a "training day" included the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon at White Sands Missile Range the third week in March (walked)).  At this point we've logged 300+ hiking miles alone (doesn't include gym and other training hours).  So, we're ready ("could-we-skip-the-last-hike-up-Atalaya-Mountain? ready") to go! 

And, as with other treks, I'll be blogging along the way.  The challenge, however, is posting.  I'm a Google blogger, and Google is one (of most) websites blocked in China.  Beyond that, we'll be remotely sited throughout -- mostly in tents without internet access.  So here's the plan: We'll maintain our blog throughout, then post it over a series of days upon our return (23 June).

'Til then, Munro and Illy will be holding down the fort here at home in Santa Fe with their pet mannies (no typo), Jean-Philippe and Narayan.

So it's one more trip up Atalaya (#8, this coming Sunday) before we're wheels up in Denver.  I'll update once before we launch, then upon return with notification that we're loading the blog.

Sending best energy . . .

20 May ~ Atalaya #7 ~ TeamBoltz