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Go Hiking And Widen Your Window

Go Hiking, Keep Moving Forward

Yes, “Widen Your Window” is the subject of this week’s Bookish Weapon so I thought I would play with that idea a little when it comes to hiking.

The author is talking about widening possible responses in times of stress. One of the ways to do that is to get out into nature.

Relaxing

Being in the woods is relaxing. Even when you are pushing hard up the mountain you can smell the wild strawberries, the bark on the trees, and sometimes if you’re lucky, smoke. Yes, smoke! So maybe smoke is one only I would like and a certain kind of smoke.

When I was small I would spend time with my father clearing land. We would dynamite a stump or two and then burn them. The odor from the stump burning is what has stayed with me. So whenever it is in the air it takes me back.

Getting Away

If you are heading for the mountains it means you are not worrying about work or problems. Your mind is focused on the climb. You leave your cell phone wrapped up in your backpack. Yes, I know many don’t, but they should keep it tucked away. Distractions like that are unwelcome in the woods and you will not be widening your window.

Unless you live close to the mountains, it takes a while to get there. This trip helps me detach from my life back home. By the time I am at the trailhead, I am in a different world both physically and mentally.

Use The Exercise

One of the exercises in this book is developing an awareness of the contact between our body and immediate surroundings. She has you sit in a chair for this, but you can do it on the trail. Feel your feet on the ground and the wind on your face.

I think you could even use the trail to release stress. When you reach a quiet spot, take a deep breath and exhale while imagining all of your stress and tension leaving your body. It works great and I have a particular place I like for doing this.

Your window a little narrow? Go hiking!

Go Hiking And See A UFO

Go Hiking, Keep Moving Forward

Well, if you don’t get into the mountains there is much less chance you will see anything. Now, if you are snickering or rolling your eyes right now, check out the Joe Rogan podcast number 1361 with Cmdr. David Fravor and Jeremy Corbell. Now that you have listened to that, I will continue.

Oh, you don’t have the time to listen to it? Ok, let’s just think about all this.

The Media and UFOs

Recently I was listening to David Sinclair discuss his findings in the area of anti-aging. Some of the things he talks about are amazing. Then I heard a radio newscast discussing his book, laughing and joking about it. Of course, they do the same thing with the subject of UFOs.

The other extreme is Coast to Coast. Listen to George Nori. He took over where Art Bell left off. There you will not only hear credible stories but crazy nut cases as well. It is great entertainment.

Mountains and UFOs

The first reported sighting of a UFO was over Mt Rainier in the 50s. UFOs like to fly over mountains. Those green guys probably just like the view.

If you hike in the dark as I do, well before sunrise you can see all sorts of things up in the sky that you don’t see during the day. Even if you just hike during the day, keep an eye on the sky, because you never know what might show up.

My Experience

Yes, I saw something that I have never been able to explain. It was years ago at Lake Wenatchee, at night. I was lying on the beach, sober, looking up at the stars. I saw a couple of satellites move across the sky and then I saw something amazing. From four different directions, these white, star-like objects converged on an imaginary point. When they all met in the middle they immediately went back out away from the center. Each one probably just kept going the same direction. They all disappeared. Oh, how fast? Very fast! I have never been able to explain it or have anyone else explain it to me.

As Joe Rogan and others have said, “We are not alone.”

Go Hiking And Climb To Nankoweap

Go Hiking, Keep Moving Forward

 

Apparently, you can access this area via roads, but when I climbed to it, I did it from the Colorado River. It is a decent hike, especially in hot weather. Unlike here in the Northwest, it gets really hot.

It is a historic spot that challenges you in a couple of different ways, but as you can see from the picture I took, the view is worth it.

Narrow Path to Caves

If you are afraid of heights this might be one you want to leave to others. The path becomes very narrow as you approach the caves. Even I had to sit down for a minute to compose myself.

The caves (actually graineries) were made by the Paiute many years ago. It is hard to imagine them working at that height, in those conditions. We are so pampered in today’s society. Those people had to work to stay alive.

Best Way To Get There

When I went, I used Colorado River and Trail and floated from Lake Powell to Lake Mead taking twelve days. There was lots of hiking and I will talk about some of those other hikes in the future. The Toroweap hike was one of the best.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to hire Colorado River and Trail to take you, you will not be disappointed. They use very big boats with motors so although you are shooting Class V rapids, you don’t tip over. In my opinion that is a bonus. You do get very wet and the boat does rise to probably 30-degree angles at times. Lava Falls is the biggest rapid.

And in addition to keeping you alive, this company also cooks for you and provides a portable outhouse for your convenience.

So hire somebody to take you down the canyon. This is not just a white water trip. Go hiking!

Go Hiking And Climb Granite Mountain

Go Hiking, Keep Moving Forward

Go Hiking and Climb Granite Mountain, Bandera and Bear Mountain

These three mountains are ones that I climb infrequently so I thought I would lump them together.

Granite Mountain

If you like being in the sun Granite mountain delivers. Most of it is out of the woods so it can get pretty hot in the summer. Bring a lot of water.

It is not a particularly difficult climb, but there are a good number of rocks. I broke both of my trekking poles coming down this mountain a few years ago because they got caught in some rocks.

There are a couple of significant avalanche shoots so take care to stay away in the winter. It is called unnecessary risk.

Lookout

Like all mountains, getting to the top of Granite is the goal. On top of Granite is a lookout. It is not as nice as the one on Pilchuck, but you can sit and look at the view which includes the freeway.

I suppose Granite mountain is not my favorite climb. Maybe it is because it took my trekking poles. All mountains are unpredictable. Still, all the mountains are worth climbing at least once. It is actually a very popular hike and is close by off of I-90.

It has been a while since I climbed it. Maybe I should reconsider, forgive the mountain and give it another shot.

Bandera

The two outstanding things about Bandera are how steep it is and how short it is. It is supposed to be 8 miles round trip. Maybe. It does get steep but has a nice view of a lake at the top. It is right off of I-90 so once again a mountain that is close.

Bear Mountain

Confession, I only climbed this mountain twice, years ago. Like Granite mountain, there is a considerable amount of the trail exposed to the sun. I also remember lots of mosquitoes. But don’t stay away just because I do. Check it out yourself! Go hiking!

Go Hiking And Feel Powerful

Go Hiking, Keep Moving Forward

Hiking does make you feel powerful. Just the physical movement gets your blood flowing and then as you climb higher and higher you feel stronger.

Sure it is hard, but deep inside you feel power. It grows as you climb. Wait! Stop! How can the be? Ok, here are some ideas.

Mantras

Mantras keep you focused on the task at hand and not how difficult it might be. Here are my favorite, all of which I stole from somebody else. You can steal them from me if they fit.

Life is good. I am strong. I can do this all day long.
I’m strong and powerful. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
My body is my home. My home is my temple.
I’m strong, I thrive, at 165.
Measure your day by what you sow and not by what you reap
Find happiness in the short term misery of discipline so you don’t suffer the long term pain of regret.

When I am hiking I am saying these six mantras over and over again. They help me focus and I believe they get drilled into my subconscious.

Micro Goals

I may have talked about micro goals before. In the Unbeatable Mind community which Mark Divine began they are a staple. When it comes to hiking they are perfect. You feel a little tired or maybe a lot tired. So you pick a rock or a tree up ahead and just tell yourself you are going to go as far as that tree. Of course you keep going after you get to it. Then set another micro goal.

Eventually after you have set enough micro goals you will reach the top. Then it is time to back down and that is not as easy as it seems at first. So set some micro goals then as well. Now go hiking!

Go Hiking And Get Interested In Exercise And Health

Go Hiking, Keep Moving Forward

When a person puts as much effort into a pastime as I do with hiking or someone else might do with Spartan Racing, for example, they become very interested in how they can keep the body going, avoid injury, recover from injury, etc.

In the corresponding Bookinsh Weapon post number nineteen, I dive into some of the things I have learned from listening to the Ben Greenfield podcast. However, there is so much information that I thought I would continue up this trail. Joe Rogan’s interview recently with David Sinclair covered anti-aging. So a lot to discuss. Let’s get going.

Hardware

I thought it would be fun to discuss some of the hardware that is available to improve everything from sleep to performance, to eliminating pain.

The new NuCalm device that sells for a little less than $5,000 does a lot. The company spent twenty years researching to develop this product. It can give you two hours of deep sleep in twenty minutes or improve you regular night time deep sleep and much more. Greenfield has tested it and it does work

The Circadia device sells for less than $1000 and helps you fall asleep. This is Greenfield’s suggestion for folks on a “budget.”

The Grounding Mat (you sleep on it) brought to you by Ben’s guest Clint Ober, is supposed to eliminate pain. Twin size is only $129.

The Chilly Pad gets high praise from a wide range of sleep experts. It allows you to keep your mattress cool while you sleep which helps you sleep better. It sells for about $600.

So I guess you would put the grounding mat on top of the Chili Pad or…

The Halo Sport helps you learn any motor skill quicker. It could be guitar playing or lifting weights.

The Joove Light – Red light that is good for you. Benefits: muscle recovery, joint pain, sleep optimization, testosterone, inflammation, bone health and skin health. I want one! Maybe more than one since they have a portable device as well.

More About Supplements

In the Bookish Weapon post I listed some anti-aging supplements, but here are a few that didn’t necessarily fall into that category, but as you will see, I think they are great!

Atantril – If you have gas, this one is great.
Restore – Protects against Glycosides. I’s great!
Lean – Helps you avoid glucose spikes (from Ben Greenfield’s company Kion). It is great!

Fixing What’s Broken

In Joe Rogan’s podcast with David Sinclair they discuss the progress being made in the field of genetics when it comes to fixing the body. For example, they shot a virus carrying a reprogramming genetic code into the eyes of old mice who had eye problems. All the mouse eyes were reprogramed to have brand new eyes. So within the next year they will begin human trials on people that have Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma.

It will get even better. Later they are planning to use the same technology to heal spine injuries and other serious problems. This is so exciting! In the next ten years health care as we know it will be changing dramatically.