Mountain Climbing?
 

Does anyone do this or have aspirations to do this? I really want to climb Mt Kilimanjaro when I get to goal.

I love hiking, camping, backpacking. I'm not much of a rock climber, but being outside and hiking up a huge hill is really really rewarding. I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with reaching the top - and the view!

You can start by going backpacking - it is amazing exercise to hike 10-20 miles with 40 pounds on your back. There are also a number of 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado that are cheaper to climb.

I love this goal!

I do this. What mountains are you climbing now? How are you training for Mt. Kilimanjaro?

I hike the mountains in New Hampshire. I did a bunch this summer, including the highest one, Mt. Washington with my 77 year old dad and my friend who had recently lost 40 pounds. It was so amazing.

There are a ton of amazing mountains right here in the US, too.

You can read about my hiking here: http://lainesotherblog.blogspot.com/search/label/hiking

And I love this guys blog: http://fatmanofthemountains.wordpress.com/ He's not waiting for any "goal" before he just gets out there and starts walking up hill. His post on "fat not dead" is so awesome.

I want to, yes! And when my son is in boy scouts he's going to go on a 40 mile hike and I think I will go with him! :carrot:

I do hike when I go on vacation but don't have much hiking opportunities in Florida. I just walk flat trails here. There are not many hills. I don't actually know anyone who likes to do this or has time to do this so any training I do will have to be on my own. :( (i.e. I can't really go on a 2 day backpacking trip) I looked on meetup.org but didnt find any groups in my area that were into this. I was thinking about strapping 40 pounds to my back and going to the gym and walking on the treadmill at a 15% incline for a few hours haha.

I was also thinking about strapping the weight on the back and just walking a flat local trail that is 5 miles or so and then turning around and coming back.

Thanks for the blogs, seagirl! Those are great!

Here's one more: http://fatpacking.com/ Backpacking trips for over weight people.

Click the "get data" button without filling any info here:
http://fatpacking.com/Success.aspx to see the reasons people don't finish.
"Participant was fully capable of completing the trip, but did not like backpacking, insects, and the lack of plumbing."
"Participant was most likely capable of completing trip, but after a long strenuous day, was no longer in the correct frame of mind to want to continue."
"At the last minute, participant dropped out of the trip before stepping foot on the trail."

and my favorite: "Participant was a very unhappy individual who, not surprisingly, did not enjoy backpacking either."

haha! i know some "individuals" like that ;)

wow! what a great organization! maybe I'll do one of the harder ones next summer in preparation. I wish they had shorter trips so I didnt have to save up so much vacation time first.

My dad is 55. And just took a trip to South America to climb one of the biggest mountaings on this side of the world. (Aconcagua? I know I'm butchering that spelling) I, on the other hand, can hardly climb more than a few flights of stairs without feeling winded. My ten year old half brother is a nationally ranked rock climber (like, top 5 ranked) I don't think my poor little t-rex arms could help me climb anything!

While I may never climb a crazy mountain like my dad, I would like to do some of the smaller and closer ones with him when I get to goal. And I would love to climb with my brother. Who knows- maybe I'll catch the bug too.

So yes- mountain climbing is definitely a goal of mine. I'd also really like to do the Tahoe Rim Trail.

We do!!!!!!!!!
 

plenty of hiking and mountain climbing on all levels here. Seattle is surrounded by mountains big and small and we are out in them. my Dh is the most adventuress, he climbed Mount Rainier (14,600 ) this summer. But I climb with him and our kids too, just not as high. When he was on Rainier this summer he climbed with a bunch of southern guys. All the Louisiana guys climbed stadium stairs with their packs to train. It is totally not unusual for me to see people in the gym on stair climbers w/ packs on, but it might be more unusual in FL.;) The altitude would be the trickiest part of it for you. Go for ! Work in the direction of your dream. Keep looking for hiking groups, or start one yourself. all experience is good experience.

Katkitten, check whether your local universities or colleges have a hiking or outdoor club. Or a continuing ed program. At most universities I've been at, they're not limited to students/faculty only, unless you wanted to rent the equipment personally. If you joined an already-organized trip, you paid a fee that covered any equipment (canoes, university van, whatever).

Anyone wanna go trekking in Tibet? I need some partners too.

bronzeeager-tibet is another one I want to do eventually! But one of my close friends grew up at the base of Kilimanjaro and I want to meet her fam and see where she lived =0)

p.s. I am perfectly ok with look like a dork at the gym. Been doing it for over a year now =0P