One of my yearly treks is an elk hunt in SW Colorado where our preferred style of hunting is Spot-N-Stalk. To do this on the public land where we hunt and subsequently pack it out on our framepacks takes a certain amount of conditioning especially for a flat-lander like myself. The older I get the easier I can put on weight (I like the kind of food that is bad for me). A knee surgery knocked me out of running so I have taken up bicycling for the last 7 years or so. This past Saturday I participated in a bike ride called the Hotter-N-Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, TX and rode 100 miles on my bike. For those of you who hunt in rugged terrain or in the high country, what do you do to either stay in shape or get into shape?

Ernie

Pretty rugged and rocky and steep in southern AZ where I hunt. I make my boy go into those places. Just lost 32 lbs though...I'm feeling frisky again.

marathon sex

I like to get in shape when scouting,the terrian is very hilly and after a few weekends I can feel the difference,and also working at a ski resort doesnt hurt either,but you wont be able to scout the area before you get there but anyone that can do a 100 miles on a bike seems to me to be in good shape already I know if I did 100 miles on a bike I wouldnt be able to move for a week,if this helps try running up the biggest flight of stairs you can find,this helped me after a shatterd heel to regain mussle in my leg

Well, my boy is a little to young to send into the hills at the moment, but I am looking forward to the time when he is able.
Truth be known another reason for working out besides preparing for hunting is the ability to eat what I want. I'm a Chow-Hound at heart!

Ernie

ernie,how you doing sore i guess.i have lost 65 pounds in the last 3 years.eating right not watching tv.just staying active.the funnest thing i do to lose weight is shooting.walking down to 400yds and back a few times a week at the range is great plus damn it i have another reason to go shoot.i walk back and fourth over ten times a session when i am at the range.

been real busy and to hot to shoot much but have shoot the 416 rem mag a few times.and you should see the look on people faces.the recoil is stiff to say the least.my starting load(did not chrony yet) stings my hand.but it does not jerk your arms like you would think.going to ssk for their superbrake,tsob,and chroming..more info to follow on it and the 300rum.

hope your doing good.

The good news is that I didn't get sore or have cramps during or after the century ride. Yes, I was tired, but I felt good. I held just under a 20 mile an hour average for the ride and held a 21 mph average until the 80 mile mark (which was the first time I stopped). At the 90 mile mark I stopped to visit with a friend I hadn't seen in several years. It took me five hours and seven minutes from start to finish. When it comes to elk hunting the better shape I am in the more I enjoy it and the longer I can go if the hunting gets hard or after we get one or two down. Haven't done any shooting since the clinic, but expect to shoot some in the next few weeks. Come October I will get on the Nordic Track to do a different kind of workout before elk season which is November 8-12. I can't wait!

Ernie

xphunter - congrats on your first century ride. I started cycling summer of 2001 and enjoy it very much. For those of us who live in areas where it is easy to ride I think its one of the best things we can do for exercise.

One thing I do in the winter to supplement is to go the gym and do squats and/or deadlifts. Both were the best thing for recovery after I injured my back. Sounds crazy I know but if you start with low weights, work up slowly and use good form then building those supportive muscles in your knee and lower back will go a long way to prevent future injuries.

my 2c.

NRC

NRC,
Didn't mean to mislead, this was not my first Century ride, but it had been three years since I had ridden 100 miles at one time. I had only done 4 or 5 100K rides the past couple of years. It sounds like you have a good training regimen going. Cycling has been good for me both socially and physically. I have met a lot of good people while cycling. The key is balance.

Ernie

XP, i'm with you guys about cycling-- it's got to be one of the best aerobic workouts going, and my preferred method of getting in shape for the season. But i also run stairs as i belive NRC also mentioned, as well as a freehand upper body workout once every 3 days-- pushups, pullups, and dips. BUT, i'm of the opinion that nothing will get you in shape for backpacking like backpacking itself, especially when it comes to conditioning the feet for miles in rugged uneven ground. You can't really condition your feet (and legs) for that besides just doing it-- at least, no way i know of.

Gotta love SR25's comment though, and MBK's comeback has gotta be the Post of the Week winner.

[ 08-30-2003, 13:06: Message edited by: sscoyote ]