HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED

Hello and thanks for visiting my climbing blog!

My name is Scott and I live in Atlanta, GA. I always had an interest in climbing mountains, but never really knew how to get started. In January of 2005, the company I was working for decided to open an office in Memphis and I volunteered to move and help get things kicked off. When I arrived in Memphis I only knew one person, whom I met a few years prior at a wedding, so I gave him a call. He agreed to meet me that evening, but couldn't stay out late because "...he was heading to Africa the next day." Upon meeting him that night, I learned he was leaving the next morning to try his hand at climbing Kilimanjaro.

The next morning, I was talking to my mother and telling her about the conversation from the previous night. During this conversation she asked me if I realized my Uncle Steve had been a climber for years. "No," I responded. She gave me his phone number and the following weekend I made a call to a relative I hadn't spoken to in years. Little did I know how much that call would change my life!

In the 6 years since, I've been to Africa (Tanzania & Kenya), Russia (Moscow & Mineral'Nye Vody), Mexico, Georgia (The country, not the state), and South America (Chile & Argentina), summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus, and Mt. Rainier, made two attempts at Cerro Aconcagua, an attempt at Ixta, made quick stops in London and Quito, Ecuador, met an endless number of extraordinary people, and developed a new relationship with my uncle.

The blog entries, pictures, and details below are my attempt to share my adventures with the rest of my friends and family. I hope you enjoy!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Go time! 89 days and counting!

After a brief hiatus, it's time to fire up the blog again.

Upon returning from a successful summit of Rainier on July 31st, I decided, for the first time in probably 12 years, to take an entire month off from the gym to refresh - this included cardio and weights. Unfortunately, this also included a lot of Mountain Dew, Oreo's, chocolate shakes, and a whopping 16 pounds on the old waistline (187 to 203)! Well, that all stopped on September 7th and a month into training I've already shed 11 pounds (back down to 192). The time off seemed to really help as my knees and back feel better than they have in years.

I've resumed training with the same schedule as Rainier, which includes a combination of the Spartacus workout, running, climbing, hiking, stadiums, and spinning. I'm also using the same food plan as before, including no beer, deserts, soda, or fast food.

Yesterday I did 3 runs up and down Kennesaw with 40 pounds in the pack and felt good. Ill work my way up to 60 pounds over the next 90 days. I'll also be getting my heart rate back up to 190 and, as of know, I'm peaking at 170.

All in all, right on track!

More to come over the next few weeks,
SZ
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