In mid-spring, Terri and I took a well-earned vacation to the beautiful island of Bali. So there I was, on a tropical island, with the third highest mountain in Indonesia looking down on me every day.
It was tearing me up. I had gone to Bali to rest, but I was on the same island as Mt. Agung, an active volcano that last erupted in 1963, killing thousands. Treks were offered up the mountain. I thought of my coming yearly summer trek with my friend Ed Kondrot. I knew he was in training. I just could not resist.
Id been in Bali for 12 days and had eaten nothing but fruit with a small smattering of rice and veggies the whole time. I had not done a hard workout for three weeks prior when I did a three-hour hike in the Redwoods, with only a 1,400 foot elevation gain and low altitude. I knew I was in for it.
Mt. Agung rises 10,000 feet and generates its own weather. Nearly on the equator, its a hike you do not want to do in the searing heat and UV radiation of the day. I had to be picked up from my hotel at 1:30 AM. It took an hour to get to the trailhead. At 2:30 we had to walk up 360 stairs to get to a Hindu temple. Then the hike began. Our goal was to get to the crater rim before sunrise at 6:30. The stars were spectacular!
Despite its location on a tropical island, this mountain was too steep for streams. I had to carry my water. And Mt. Agung is a classic volcano: the higher you go, the steeper it gets. At the two-thirds mark, it became so steep that I had to ascend on all fours.
We made good time. In fact, halfway up, my guide asked me my age. His jaw dropped when I answered 57. He was shocked at the speed of my ascent. We made it to the crater at 6 a.m., in plenty of time to see the sunrise. We beat a party 20 years younger that started one hour earlier.
We all had a simple breakfast on the windswept rim. There were a few other parties. Their guides were equally amazed at my age. Evidently the record holder for the oldest to ascend was 65. My guides oldest client before me was 47.
We started down. With full daylight, it was easier than I had expected. Still, it was slippery, and I went down frequently. We were off the mountain by 10 AM. My legs were like Silly Putty, but I could not wait to brag to Ed about the trek.
The following day I could barely walk. Still, it was the type of pain that hurts good. And I left Bali with a great feeling of having conquered its toughest trek. Oh, Ed was impressed when I told him. He had been wondering if I was preparing for our coming summer adventure.
Exercise is a trump card for a lot of indiscretions. But I use it to keep myself in the best shape possible so I can age with grace. I tell you this story so that you will have fewer doubts about the need for a high-meat diet for physical endurance, and so you wont see age as an interference. Just remember, its never too late to begin or continue exercising, or to improve your diet.
The worst part of this trek? My camera failed on the rim after one shot. The memories will have to be imprinted in my brain.