All last week i had an excess of energy every morning. I would go running, and then the next day i didn't feel like i'd been running at all so i would go again, until i decided i needed to really get some exercise. I went up into the mountains on Thursday, and since it started out as a really nice day, i figured i'd do a little experiment. I decided i would try and climb half way up a mountain on an empty stomach, to better ascertain what these guys were going through.
So i got to the trail and i was already hungry, but pretty energetic. I was happy to discover, once i had to leave the trail, that the snow was seriously glazed, so that i really didn't need the snowshoes i brought. The south side of the ridge i was climbing had a lot of newly exposed bare mud and rock too, so i made my way over to that area of the mountain. It was kind of surprising what happened as i got hungrier and got to the steepest parts of the ridge.
If i'm at work or school and don't eat i find it very difficult to think. After climbing for over two hours, my head was still perfectly clear, but my body was having a terrible time. I was loosing a lot of strength in my feet, and coordination when trying to find good footing, so i ended up stumbling or stubbing my boot. My willpower was seriously sapped. I no longer had any desire to continue at all, i just kept doing it out of stubbornness. I really wanted a burrito. Not only that but the weather was going downhill.
I did make it to the top, and that was nice since i'd never been up there in non-summer conditions. Fisher was upset that i hadn't brought any food for him either, so he was eager to leave. On the way down i met a group of a dozen British people who apparently thought late April was a great time to head to Alaska. But all in all, the trip helped me understand how those guys in the Andes could have such a hard time, especially since i'd had a good night sleep, and had only gone for a night without nourishment
