Nutrition
Before the
ride I weighed 215 pounds. I rode an average of about 60 miles in
eight hours daily. I was spending
about 5500 calories per day. My menu was 2300-2500 calories. At the end of
ten days I was down to a healthy 198. Almost my high school football weight. The weight eventually came back, but it took about five months. If I
could afford take two or three of these trips a year, I would be… heh… a
happy camper.
Physical
Precipitous
drop in my Cholesterol levels with a significant gain the the “happy” or HdL
calculation. My cholesterol was “just ok” at the start of the trip but by
then end, I found my "bad" Cholesterol was well below
100, and my "good" cholesterol increased more than 30%.
Dollars
I spent
about $400. I already had most of the gear, so you would have to plan
your spending according to your camp-worthiness. Where can you do anything for $40/day?
With all the kit gathered, the next trip has only the cost of
provisions, -daily? 10-15 bucks tops. As long as you don't have mechanical problems you
could do the entire Grand Illinois Trail Thrubike and only miss a week of
work.
The Rules
I did it in
one solitary continuous trip, sleeping under ripstop every night. Every
on-schedule night anyway. I use the schedule slip and budget surprise to rationalize the final night's pizza, beer, and
hotel.
The Experience
How could
you include a star filled night in anything other than the success column? The
fresh air, the sights, sounds, and smells that are life outdoors on a brisk
fall week in Northern Illinois? You can't buy that. You've got to live it
for a while. I think Pirsig
said: "Experiences like these are the milestones from which
life should be measured."
Artistic
Did I
mention I have a t-shirt for sale?
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