Tag: hike

The Grave(s) Road to Kilimanjaro

On By amyirish1In africa, Uncategorized9 Comments
This summer, I made the decision to hike Kilimanjaro. I paid and started training for the hike that I’m thankfully leaving for in 2 days. However, in the months following booking the trip, though training hard, my stamina and endurance seemed to be getting worse, instead of better.

I was having trouble walking up the stairs to my office. Simple, 3-hour hikes turned into 5 1/2 exhaustive hauls with constant stopping to cool down and slow my heart rate. One of the guys going on the trip said he could see steam coming off my back on an early-December hike only 200 feet into the trail.  I was trying to wait until my appointment for a physical that I had scheduled for January. Unfortunately, while trying to get some altitude training out in Colorado, I hit a point where I needed to go see a doctor – and it couldn’t wait until January.

On December 22nd, 2 months before I was supposed to hike Kilimanjaro, I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and given a 50% chance of hiking. A common cause of hyperthyroidism, Graves’ Disease causes shortness of breath, increased heart rate, intolerance to heat, hand tremors and muscle weakness – all of which would hinder my ability to hike. I think it all started around the time and was the cause of me passing out at a Thievery Corporation show at Aura in September. I had felt excessively warm, and couldn’t believe that people around me were still wearing jackets – I was drenched in sweat. I turned to Chris – told him I was going to drop – and dropped – right in front of the stage (that was embarrassing). When I came to, the cop had already called the ambulance, and could thankfully see that I was not drunk or strung out on drugs (I was probably the most sober person there)!

25358336_10102618257912195_7394295101395962520_o
Rabbit Ears Pass in Steamboat Springs, CO.What this picture from mid-December neglects to show is that I’m sweating and it’s around 5 degrees outside (and not putting any effort into skiing). I was down to a sports bra about 5 minutes after this. Photo by Chris Bennett Photography
My thyroid levels were off the charts. My doctor told me that I needed to stop all excessive physical activity until they were under control as I ran the risk of cardiac arrest. I went into a Google frenzy, reading about recovery times, buying travel insurance and trying to figure out my chances of actually hiking and what I could do to increase those chances. Most message boards had people saying it took 3-6 months for them to begin feeling normal again. I had 2 months to my hike.

After a few weeks taking 8 pills a day (six 10mg pills of methimazole and two 10mg pills of propranolol), I was starting to feel a little better, so I started up again with some training hikes. They were slow going to keep my heart rate down and I was often in a tank top or sports bra – but I was finally starting to feel better. Every two weeks I had my blood tested and my doctor would tell me to cut my meds – from 6, to 4 and to the current number of 2.
26962526_10102670637358365_2182501610672134890_o
I was in a sports bra about 10 minutes prior to this. Whiteface Mtn. in NH – Photo by Chris Bennett Photography
6 weeks after the initial diagnosis my endocrinologist gave me the clear to climb. While that has only given me a couple weeks to really train, I’m confident enough in my physical abilities at this point for this type of climb. Huge thanks to Dr. Brodsky at Maine Medical Partners Diabetes & Endocrinology for understanding my goal and providing and opting for an aggressive treatment! And while we don’t know what causes Graves’ Disease and it will likely be something I have to deal with for the rest of my life, but now knowing, and keeping my thyroid in-check will allow for more adventure and travels!

 

325 days, 13 countries, 65,000+ miles

On By amyirish1In africa, Australia, Botswana, Euro Travel, New Zealand, road trip, Southern Africa, US TravelLeave a comment

My first retirement is over.

325 days ago I left a great job to spend time exploring the world. What I thought would be between 3 and 6 months turned into almost a full year – and an experience of a lifetime. Now, I have found a new career with Energy Circle – creating digital marketing plans for companies & organizations that work to build and outfit efficient and healthy buildings. It’s a bittersweet ending to an incredible year – as I would love to keep traveling (and will continue to some extent), but like all things, traveling costs money so I need to pay the bills…until my next retirement 🙂

So now, a full wrap-up, reflections and thoughts about this past year:

  • 325 days (June 17, 2016 – May 7, 2017)
  • 4 continents (North America, Europe, Oceania (Australia), Africa)
  • 13 countries (US, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, UK)
  • 28 states (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland.)
  • 14,000+ miles of road trips (doesn’t include every day driving while home)
  • 65,000+ miles of total travel (estimate including air travel)
  • 9,500+ photos (some better than others)
IMG_5178
My Instagram feed of photos since I began traveling back in June 2016

Favorites:

  • Country: New Zealand. When someone asks what my favorite place has been there is no question, and no hesitation when I answer, New Zealand. From the people to the geological features, New Zealand was absolutely incredible. Africa would also go on my favorites list, but it still doesn’t come close to how much I loved New Zealand.
  • State: Utah – I would have loved to spend more time in Utah – specifically the Moab area!
  • Activity: Bungee Jumping. Such a rush (and surprise! I did it in New Zealand) as well as hiking all over!
  • Airport: Heathrow, London. This may be just because there were clean showers that were welcome between 10+ hour flights!
  • Border Crossing/Immigration: Dobe border crossing from Botswana into Namibia. We had to track down officials for both countries to get our passports stamped! The border was so remote that they only get one car every 2-3 days!

Least Favorites:

  • Country:  None. There was something amazing about every country I visited – and I would revisit every single one!
  • State: Again, I don’t know if I have a least favorite state!
  • Activity: Going to drug stores in Australia. Unfortunately I was sick through my entire travels in Australia so frequented the drug store to get medicine! They don’t sell over-the-counter cold medicine so I had to speak to a pharmacist every single time. Plus, they only provide around 4 days worth at a time, so I was going every 4 days!
  • Airport: LA. I didn’t have to go far within the airport, but it was crowded and my terminal didn’t have many options for grabbing a bite to eat!
  • Border Crossing/Immigration: Boston/Logan airport. I don’t think I spent less than an hour in this line in any of my travels this past year – and at one point the line was so long people couldn’t even get off the plane!

I learned so much during this time,  and if I were to share anything with you it would be that if you need a break, take it. Time away from the office, a desk, or your home can be extremely refreshing and give you greater perspective and a better idea of who you are. I hope that in another 5-6 years, I may be able to retire again for another year. My advice to everyone is to take risks, get outside your comfort zone and never stop traveling. Whether it’s across the globe or across your town – there is something new and exciting around every corner!

4 Hikes and the Holidays

On By amyirish1In US TravelLeave a comment

I’ve been home for about 2 weeks now, and though I’ve been silent on the blog front, there has been a lot going on! Those who follow my Instagram account (amyirish1) may have seen some posts from recent hikes. In addition to those, I’ve been thinking about and trying to figure out my next steps.

I’m going to stay in the New England area through the holidays…and go to warmer climates and get my scuba certification in January. So until then… I need to find things to do! I’ve booked Airbnbs for a road trip the week starting the day after Thanksgiving. I’ll drive to New York to visit my old college roommates, and then head north for a couple days to do some hiking in the Catskills. I’ll spend a final day in the Burlington, VT area for another hike before heading home.

I’ve found myself easily bored since I’ve been home, so I’ve done some pretty awesome hikes more locally. More locally I mean within a two hour drive. I took Blythe’s dog Pua (Blythe is my brother’s girlfriend) up Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton last weekend. It was a nice short hike that Pua could handle. It took less than two hours and with the leaves covering rocks, it was a little tricky coming down with Pua pulling!

Summit of Pleasant Mountain with Pua
Selfie!

On Thursday I drove a couple hours to Mt. Major in New Hampshire. I’d say it was a comparable hike to Pleasant Mountain and had some great views of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Sun peaking through the trees on Mt. Major
Summit of Mt. Major – overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee
Summit!
Little waterfall on the brook

Friday I went to the border of Maine and New Hampshire to Blueberry Mountain. I think I was the only person on the mountain – I didn’t see anyone else. It was about 4 miles up and back with views of the surrounding mountains. The trails were not very well marked, so at times I had to stop and try to figure out which direction was which.

I downloaded the maps.me app on my iPhone before I started traveling and it has been a lifesaver (you can download maps of regions/states for offline directions). It has quite a few trail maps in addition to the standard road maps and I’ve found it has some additional trails/roads that Google Maps doesn’t have. This came in very handy when there was no visible path/markers indicating the trail!

Gorge at the end of the hike
Top of Blueberry Mountain
This is where Maps.me came in handy. There is a trail in this picture…

Saturday I woke up early and drove almost two hours to hike Tumbledown in western Maine. It was a gorgeous day (all these days have been mid-50 degree weather). I was the second car in the lot (and it turns out the other car were people camping up there the night before). I, once again, had the mountain to myself – at least on the way up! Tumbledown was incredible. I took the Brook trail up and did the connector to the saddle of the western peak. It was more challenging than the other hikes, which was what I was looking for with some rock scrambling. It was about 4.5 miles roundtrip with waterfall after waterfall up to Tumbledown Pond. I then kept going to the east peak for views down at the pond and of the surrounding mountains. Maine is truly breathtaking. This has been my favorite hike so far.

Summit of the east peak of Tumbledown
So many waterfalls
Selfie over Tumbledown Pond

I was expecting the hike to take about 4.5 hours (the sign said the 3 mile hike would take 4 hours), but I was back to my car in just 3 (I’ve been looking for some 4-4.5 hour hikes). I was so happy I got an early start too, because by the time I got to the top, a number of other people were at the pond and by the time I got back to my car the lot was full!

15151122_10101296148370435_1277875396_n
Tumbledown Pond

After the dusting of snow last night (well maybe a couple inches) we’ll be prepping to host Thanksgiving at my brothers house this year. Enjoy the holiday!!