More than one way to skin a skunk!

Was thinking last week when i was doing my weekly torture of stair-climbing to train for Mt. Kilimanjaro, that Kirk, Brad and I are all essentially forced to train differently for a variety of reasons. I have really no mountains to climb, but have great access to the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's Oakland Campus. For the past 5 weeks, i have been climbing 36 flights of stairs multiple times to get my legs, knees, gluts and back in shape for our trip. i started at 3 times up, and now am at 7 times up to the top. I've been carrying a day pack with about 15-20 # in it. I've really noticed a difference to date. Kirk on the other hand, doesn't have any stairs to climb, so he actually climbs a mountain.... go figure. Then there's Brad- he doesn't have a mountain or a tall building anywhere around, so he's relying on walking and short buildings to build his legs up. However, when the weather finally breaks and spring arrives, our three different training styles will start to merge toward one common style. We will all be outdoors, climbing hills and trails, with weighted packs and hiking boots on. This is when we will be starting to train with each other; which has huge benefits. Just a few are learning each other's pace, pushing each other's potential to a new limit, and learning how to communicate on key hiking issues. Kirk and I will be learning how best to communicate to Brad about what to expect on the trail, since he will not be able to see most of what is ahead of him. These upcoming months will be very exciting and demanding for us as we learn about each other. Keep posted, more good stuff to come!