June 6, 2025 • 50 mins
This is the story of the Great Range Athlete CASCADE Team. A group of 21 hikers who came together with the same goals: to impriove their physical fitness for their hiking adventures.
This team stretched from Vermont to Alaska and everywhere inbetween. At the end of their 6-week training program we got together in the Adirondack High Peaks for a group hike up Cascade and Porter Mountains in the Adirondacks.
This is their story.
Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house.
Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERE
Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46
Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks
2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue Line
Looking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail?
Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program,
SEEK TO DO MORE at
www.seektodomore.com
Visit my other websites:
www.46OUTDOORS.com
www.46OF46.com
This team stretched from Vermont to Alaska and everywhere inbetween. At the end of their 6-week training program we got together in the Adirondack High Peaks for a group hike up Cascade and Porter Mountains in the Adirondacks.
This is their story.
Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house.
Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERE
Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46
Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks
2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue Line
Looking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail?
Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program,
SEEK TO DO MORE at
www.seektodomore.com
Visit my other websites:
www.46OUTDOORS.com
www.46OF46.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the forty six of forty six podcast Summit Sessions,
where we'll talk all things Adirondack back country and beyond.
From high peaks stories and adventures to trail tips and tricks.
We'll dive deep into the heart of these mountains and
the people who passionately climb them. Adirondack maps and spruce
traps to bushwackx and backpacks. It's all here, the forty
(00:22):
six of forty six Summit Sessions. Hello everyone, and welcome
back to the forty six of forty six podcast. I
(00:44):
am joined this week for a Summit Session conversation with
none other than members of the recently graduated Great Range
Athlete Cascade team to talk all about their Great Range
Athlete experience, our recent group hike together, along with their
own recent adventures, and just how preparing yourself physically and
mentally alongside like minded people has improved their own mountain adventures.
(01:10):
The CASTA team was comprised of men and women across
the country from Vermont all the way to Alaska and
everywhere in between. So without further ado, I would like
to welcome all of you to the forty six of
forty six podcast Caska team. What is up tonight? How
are you guys doing freaking awesome? All right, that's what
I like to hear. Everyone are We got Lindsey Mack, Devin, Annie, Gary, Karina, Andrea.
(01:35):
We got people from all over the country right now
here on the team tonight. So we're just going to
have a little conversation chat about your experience. How did
it go, what went well? How'd the group height go.
I'm going to start with Gary from Vermont, the legendary
Gary from Vermont. Gary, talk to me about your great
range athlete experience. Why did you come here? Tell us
(01:55):
a little bit of background about yourself. Obviously you like
to recreate here in the ADK. Give us a little
update on yourself. How did it go, how'd the training go?
And then how did you feel that you performed when
we did go on the Cascade hike.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Sure, so, after forty some odd years of being behind
a desk and kind of neglecting my fitness, I had
an epiphany back around Christmas in January that I was
wicked out of shape and if I didn't do something,
you know, the rest of my days were going to
(02:28):
be less than they could be. And I want more.
I got retirement coming up, so started looking around for
what could I do to change course and do something different.
And I had been following great range athletes and so
last ball when I heard about it and decided it
was time to make the leap and do it. And
(02:50):
it was interesting because you at first, I didn't know
if I could. You know, week one, by the end
of it, I was starting to question my decisions because
I had a lot of aches and pains and breathing heavy.
Uh you know, week two got easier. By week three,
I'm like, I can do this, and uh, you know,
just plowed my way through, showed up every day, did
(03:12):
the work, and got the reward at the end. On
that group hike, you know, that sent up Cascade Porter
was a lot better than it had been in a
long time. You know, I was struggling going uphills and
frankly struggling coming downhills, and I didn't experience it with
that hike. You know, I had knees at the bottom
(03:34):
that weren't hurting. I felt in control. So overall, you know,
good improvements in fitness and yeah, really you know, mental demeanor, everything,
you know, great impact on my life.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Glad to hear brother, glad to hear it. So you
would say that your your body held up a lot
better on that hike than previous hikes. So I'll talk
to me a little bit about what you said. How
week one you were you were questioning your decisions. Let's
let's let's let look let that go unnoticed, So let's
go back that a little bit. Talk to me a
little bit more about that. Uh, you know what made
you feel that way during week one?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
So a little overwhelmed by some of the initial workouts.
You know, I really hadn't done any structured training before.
You know, I would sweat on the treadmill to no end,
but I wasn't working towards a purpose going through you know,
the fitness routines that you threw at us. You know,
it was some new movements I hadn't done before, and
(04:32):
you know rep counts. I wasn't even thinking of sure,
So I was, you know, ending the workouts literally sitting
on the chair, you know, sweating, breathing heavy.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah, I remember, I.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Forget whether it was day two or day three, Waking
up at the top of the stairs, getting ready to
go down for breakfast and wondering do I really need
to go downstairs today because I don't know if my
legs do you carry me down?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Anyone else feel that way at some point, just raise
your hand if anyone else felt that way. At different
points throughout the program, everyone's raising their hand and laughing
and shaking their head. Yeah, that's what we do here
a great range athlete. We make you question your decisions
in week one, but week two you're still here. And
then week three, you said, is when things started to change.
(05:20):
So talk to me a little bit about mentally physically.
What was it about week three that had you kind
of saying I can do this?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So I think a lot of it was, you know, mental,
I was getting into a routine of the workouts. You know,
I saw the flow of how the week went, so
it wasn't surprising anymore. Was seeing a lot of the
same movements over and over again, realizing, oh, I've done
this before, I can do it again, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So it was becoming the new norm.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
But frankly, it was actually starting to get easier as
my body started getting used to the movements. I wasn't
having to think about form. I was able to think
about you'll plowing through, so, you know, bit by bit,
it just kept getting better for me.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, I love it. I love it. And Gary remind me,
how old are you, sir? Sixty years young? Sixty years young?
So how many burpies had you done in your life
prior to Great Range Athlete compared to how many you
did during Great Range Athlete?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Oh? I think I had wrapped up maybe like three
quarters of one in your first sixty years. Uh huh okay,
And I've kind of lost count of how many I've
done in the past whatever twelve weeks. Yeah, they're still
not smooth, but you know what, I go through them.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
But you're doing it. That's the thing that is, that's
the special sauce. You are showing up and you are
doing it. And then you had the adventure to you know,
the your your work paid off when we got to cascades.
So talk me about You mentioned your knees. Your knees
normally an issue for you, but you didn't find them
to be an issue. So talk to me. So talk
to us a little bit about how that felt different
(06:57):
compared to previous hikes.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yes, previous hikes, you know, uh, previous times I was
up with the high peaks, you know, going uphill It
was mainly a cardio exercise. You know, my legs wouldn't
give out, but my lungs would. I just didn't have, uh,
you know, the respiratory capacity to do it. That was
improved on the way up. Now on the way down
(07:19):
was where I would have issues though, because you know,
by then my legs were spent, they'd get wobbly. They
just didn't have, you know, that control on descent. I
didn't feel that this last time. You know, I felt
I was taking controlled steps. I wasn't just falling down
the mountain.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Awesome. No one wants to fall down the mountain. We
do not recommend falling down the mountain. Here at great
range athlete and forty six hours exert say that again.
Faster it is faster. It is a more efficient way
to get down the mountain. I cannot take that from you.
I cannot tell you. Well, Gary Gray, it was great
having you do. You were a fantastic member of the team,
a very core member. You were always always active on
(08:01):
the Marco Polo and uh, we always loved hearing from you.
I said, let me ask you that, how did the
Marco Polo do for you at the beginning? Were you
into it or you not into it. Obviously you eventually
got into it.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
But like I'd say, I was into it really in
that first week. Well, I you know, wasn't shy about
jumping in and sharing my experiences, you know, the winds
and the struggles. Sure, I wasn't preparing week one for
how powerful Marco Polos were though in carrying us through,
(08:34):
you know, that was really just key in creating that
team environment.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, herey, you need to give us your sign on though,
because that's what I look forward to every day.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Good day, Casskadians Gary in Vermont. Here, that's it, Katty.
It was a little eyebrow raised there too. I try
to be very uh.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
You know, determined about getting that in there. I'm glad
that you enjoyed the Marco Polo and I'm glad that
you found very early on that it was a it's
a powerful tool. And you know, I was telling you
guys before we started. No team took to Marco Polo
as quickly as the Cascade team took. I found, you know,
Annie and I talked about this week one. It was
(09:20):
like you guys had known each other for months already.
Literally the first week it was it was quite fun
to watch, quite frankly from my perspective. But Gary, glad
to have you there, my friend. All Right, we're gonna
move on to Karina from Geneva. Talk about another sign on.
Karina from Geneva. Karina showed up at the trail and
she wasn't able to do the hike with us up Cascade.
(09:42):
She had an event she had to go learn wilderness
first DAID at the Adirondack Mountain Club. But she showed
up to say hello and to take our team picture.
So Karina, thank you for that. But Karina from Geneva,
talk to us. What made you join Great Range Athlete?
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Had the training
program go for you? What's your background with the high peaks?
(10:02):
Obviously you uh, you know you wanted to learn wilderness
first AID, so your love for the outdoors runs deep.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Yeah, definitely, so does start.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
With the Koreina from Geneva here is that Jens.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Koreina from Geneva here. I had kind of, like Gary,
been following the Greatly Great Range Athlete program and all
the different group hikes and adventures since you started it.
I've been listening to the podcast for a really long time,
and I just kind of finally decided to go for it.
I was like, if I'm going to go for it,
I want to do it before summer hiking gets here,
(10:38):
also before my summer job starts, because my summer job
is one hundred percent outside and so I just I
decided to go for it. And it was a ton
of fun. I was thirteen years a gymnast, seven or
eight of them competitive, I you know, lost track at
this point. So I I've had that physical training before,
(10:59):
but I dropped off for the past six or seven
years because of injuries. And so coming back, I like you.
And I had the zoom call before I signed up
of just like, okay this I'm coming to you. I
don't have any gym equipment, I don't have access to
a gym, and I've got a couple injuries. What is
(11:20):
this program potentially going to look like? So we were
able to talk through that. I did the bodyweight protocol
for the whole thing, and I still like Gary. Like
the third day in I remember standing up on the
bus because we were chaperoning a field trip and I
had to turn around and something was going on in
the seats behind me, and I remember my legs just burning,
(11:43):
and then I had to sit back down and I
was like, oh, they'd better not make me get up again.
But I went through the program and I I had
a really great time. I'm so sorry my computer is
spritzing out on me trying to do an update. But
(12:03):
I was able to just kind of week by week,
take it one work out of time, switch them around
to make it work with my schedule. And the program
did what I wanted it to do, which was make
me more confident that I could go out into the
mountains and just I could hike and I could be
okay and not die at the end of it.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So, now, what makes you feel that way? So what
about the program brought that out of you?
Speaker 4 (12:32):
I like I feel. I don't know, maybe this is
just me, but when I'm in good physical shape, I
feel very solid, Like my muscles feel solid. I feel
very in control of all of my movements all day long,
walking around and going up and down and doing all
the things. So I just I feel very solid and
sued myself and sured my body, and just this past weekend,
(12:56):
I went on a four and a half mile hike
and then I went and I was out. I had
to clean my kayak and then I took it out
on the water for multiple hours, and you know, I
did bring it back in and I felt completely fine
at the end of the day. And that was a long,
hard day outside. So just being able to go and
do those things that's not just hiking, but also just
being outside. Yeah, I just feel like I can go
(13:20):
on and do what I need to do.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I love it. I love it. Quick round of applause
for Karina for coming to the trail head of five
forty five in the morning just to say hello and
to just take a picture for all of us in
the rain. No less, Karina, you are a super star.
I appreciate you being there, but great.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Couldn't miss the best team.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
That's it. You had to be there. You were just
up the street. Why not. How was the Wilderness first
Aid weekend though before you? Did it go? Well?
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (13:48):
It did.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Yeah, it was a lot of fun. And I'm going
to be with you are I'm certified. I'm gonna be
able to be our head medic.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Of a source. Absolutely. I love it. Glad to hear,
glad to hear it. Was a well awesome, very good.
All right, let's move on. Let's see Gunda to doun done.
Who am I going to call on? Next? Andrea from
the Cat Skills. You are on my screen. Next, Andrea
from the Cat Skills, tell us a little bit about yourself.
You are so Andrea is already super fit, super in shape.
(14:18):
She's the CrossFit person. Why did you join Great Range Athlete?
Talk to us about your story, because yours is like
everyone else is, everyone's got a unique reason for joining this.
This wild world of Great Range Athlete that has this
has grown into here. So talk tell us your story.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
So I had seen some of your content and stuff
on Instagram and it looked interesting and I was intrigued
and just wanted to try like a different type of
fitness program. So yeah, CrossFit has been my main jam
for a long time. But you know, the gym I
attended closed, so I lost I lost that like team
caaraderie part. So I wasn't really expecting to find that
(14:59):
through this app or through this program, I should say.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
But the Marco Polo app was pretty.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Cool and making friends and talking to everybody, and it
was nice to have that community again, and especially because
I don't have many friends that are really into hiking
or fitness, and it's really great to have those type
of people around me and those type of people to
talk to.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Yeah, so what else? What else do you want to
building that community? In having that community, you don't realize that,
like it's easy to take for granted, having like a
social circle of people who enjoy the things you do,
let alone hiking, and then merging training all in one
one place, everyone doing hard things together. It's amazing how quickly,
how quickly bonds are formed. So and you were probably
(15:47):
the most active person on the Marco Polo probably anyone
else think anyone else was more active than Andrea. I
think probably not a lot of headshakes right now, which
we love. She's also wearing a great range Athlete hoodie
right now for people listening who are not watching. But yeah,
it was it was great having you and having you
know again, like different people from totally different levels of fitness.
We have people on the couch who have never done
(16:08):
a workout a day in their life. We have people
like yourself who are super fit and super in shape,
and everywhere in between. It just shows that, like when
you're training and you're training for the mountains. There is
always a next level, there's always a new place to
get to to. You know, you lift more weights than
this person. Great, you both do that. You put the
same effort into get to the next level for whatever
that looks like for you, and you were a prime
(16:29):
example of that. So would you say you got what
you came for with Great Range Athlete, given that you
came more for the training and kind of left with
a community as well.
Speaker 5 (16:41):
Yeah, I think I got what I came for. I
was intrigued and interested. I tried some new and different
styles of workouts. It was definitely a leg heavy, which
was good. So I think I got everything that I
came forth through the program. I mean that's why I'm
moved up and leveled up to the Laque team.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, I know, I love it. I'm glad to have
you there. So talk to me about like like like
you live in that you live in the cat Skills,
but like you're like, what, like you probably prefer the
Adirondacks more than the cat Skills, Right, come on, just
like like level with me, be honest with me, tell
me the truth here.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Uh, I mean the cat Skills is home, but as
an earth science teacher, the Adirondacks is way more geologically
interesting than our dissected plateau that I live on down here.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
That's it. So on the on the way down Cascade,
Andrea gave us a little a little lecture about the
mountains and about why the mountains are the rocks and
all the things. You said, you're an earth science teacher, right,
that's what you said. Yeah, So we got a little
lesson on the Adirondack Mountains and why they're so unique
on the way down. I'm gonna I'm going to put
(17:49):
you on the spot right now, give us a quick
two minute lecture. What that you told us on the trail,
Like what makes the Adirondack Mountains themselves so unique? Like
what you told us on the trail.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
Well, they had like their own unique like dome uplift.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Most of the rock material there is like a billion
years old or something like that. Everything is like a
granite nice mix. So you have your nice white speckli
granites mixed in with stuff that got metamorphosed like miles
beneath Earth's crust and started turning into the nice rock
which is a metamorphic rock. And it's spelled g N
(18:28):
E I S S. So it's not the word nice.
Everyone in my class calls it guinness, which is yes,
but it uplifted on its own thing. It is not
part of the Appalachian Mountain chain. A lot of people,
you know, think that along the way. I'm trying to think,
and that's why a lot of the rocks that there
are so hard and they're unique, and we have those
(18:49):
nice rounded tops from when the glaciers moded over multiple
times and carved some nice valleys for us to have
to trudge up the mountains instead.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Very good. Just like just some nerd talks. I just
like rock talk. You should start the rock Talk podcast,
Andrea would be that would be a fantastic conversation all
about rocks, just rocks all day long. But anyways, very
great having you on the Great Orange Athlete team. I
appreciate you being there. I appreciate you coming up and
joining the trail the trip up Caskating Porter. Had you
been up Caskating Porter before? Yes?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
Yeah, we're twenty nine of forty six and Porter was
my first and then we hit Cascade on the way back.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
All right, very good, very good, nice rainy day on
Cascade and Porter for those of you who weren't here,
so great. We're gonna move on now to the fastest
person on the Great Range Athlete Team Hike Up Cascade.
Mister Matt Collins from Connecticut. Mac was a repeat of
Great Range Athlete. He came back for more fun. He
was a part of the Gothics team and then he
joined us for the Cascade team. Mac, talk to us,
(19:51):
what brought you back to the Great Range Athlete Team?
Speaker 6 (19:54):
So yeah, this time around, So, I've been dealing with
job loss and I let my job really to find
who I was, So it was really hard for me.
I kind of fell out of touch with athletics and
working out there and also a little bit and I,
you know, my dad wanted to join the group. He
couldn't make the call, but I really want to do
it with them as well.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
A little bit of.
Speaker 6 (20:16):
Why I joined the Geo Gothics team as well, which
is I had a pretty gnarly ski accident two years ago.
I broke my legs scapula and I still have a
little bit of muscle atrophy and you know, I'm balanced
in my leg and my left arm, so yet doing
this program I built strength back up, and I feel
(20:37):
a little bit more even now.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
I was able to, you know, get.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
Back into it, like I felt like I would use
my right leg on I'm driving up the ye step
ups and else.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Not only did you do some step ups, but you
did some step ups. There was a workout where we
had I don't want to spoil it for anyone that
might join the cast or the Great Range Athlete program,
but let's just say Mac there was a day where
there's step ups where Mac did over six hundred of them,
which was, let's I'm just gonna tell you a lot
(21:14):
more than what we're what we're programmed. So Mac just
decided to just obliterate the whole workout and just set
some set some records there, so amazing stuff. So you're
you know, you're moving yourself in the right direction. I
love that, love that you were there. Yep.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Yeah, So I got really I really got back into it,
and I you know, I let myself not be defined
by what I work I do, but luso this you
know what I can to do physically now, So I
feel like I feel more accomplished.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I love it and you you doing the workouts and
I joining with your father. Shout out to Dave who's
not here on the call tonight, but you you you
guys like always posting together like you were doing the
workouts together. Man, that was just so awesome. That was
just so awesome to see. It was very inspiring. It
was fun to watch, you know, you guys make having
this bonding time. Were the workouts you're doing together? It
was it was super awesome. Shout out to Shout out
(22:04):
to Dave, and shout out to Jenny who was going
to listen to this, who is part of the Great
Range Athlete Wolfjaw team that kicks off in three days,
three days, four days from us recording this right now.
So it's a family affair here at Great Range Athlete
for the Collins family. Glad to have you, dude. And
for those of you who may have listened to my
podcast episode about Whiteface Mountain last year, White Face and
(22:26):
Esther where we walked down the toll road, it was
this gentleman Matt Collins who who was the inspiration to
walk down the toll road. So Mac, I appreciate you
giving me that adventure that day. It was it's still
like one of my highlights of my one of my
favorite days in the high Peaks, which is walking down
the Toll Road. And it is since since we did that,
it has become like a thing. People will message me
(22:48):
saying I listened to your podcast and now like we
walked down the toll Road after climbing White Face and
it was such a fun experience. So we started something
that day, Mac, and that was because of you. So
I shape that. Good stuff, dude. Glad to have you
on the Great Range Athlete team. Glad to see that
you came back for more fun and you're here again
for even more fun here on the Elite team. So
(23:09):
good stuff, my brother. Good stuff. All right, we're gonna
move on to let's see who's on my list here. Devin, Devin,
you are up next. Your your straw has been drawn. Devin,
talk to us about yourself. You're not from too far
away from here to give us your why'd you join
Grey Range ath They give us a little background about yourself,
about your hiking the outdoors, and a little bit about yourself.
(23:30):
My friend.
Speaker 7 (23:31):
Yeah, yeah, So I'm from the southern tier of New York,
so it's about four hour drive. I've been coming up
to the at Arondecks now for fifteen years, but I
didn't really start hitting the mountains until a few years ago.
My first ad Aroneck mountain hiking experience was Mount van Hoovenburg,
and I will admit it here on the podcast. I
(23:51):
was up there for a work conference. I was out
of shape, I was wearing jeans, I was coming down
from a sinus infection, and I was walking up that
mountain and about halfway through us like now I got
to turn around, like I can't do it. So it's
out there in the world. I've admitted it, and all
of my teammates are laughing at me.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Happens to all of us. In fact, I wouldn't be here.
Ad I not turned around on the mountains at one point,
So here we are happens.
Speaker 7 (24:13):
Yeah, And looking back now, even though that was a
big failure for me, I was bit like I was
bit by that bug. I'm like, you know what, I
want to do this again. I want to I want
to get at it. So that was right after my
daughter was born and I was just kind of thinking like, Okay,
it's time to make some changes in my life. It's
time to get in better shape. So I've been following
(24:34):
the podcast for a while, and it struck me as
the perfect opportunity to mix my love of being outdoors
and my love of the mountains with the desire to
get in better shape. So it allowed me to kind
of get a physical goal.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Tied to something I love to doing. So it wound
up being a no brainer.
Speaker 7 (24:56):
And actually I'd made the decision to join the team
after listening to one of the podcast episodes with another team,
you know, you had like just dropped it as the
Cascade roster was opening up. So if there's anyone out
there listening right now and you're just waiting for the sign,
this is your sign, Like sign.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Up, I'm very very glad I did. I'm glad to
hear that. I appreciate that. I'm glad it was so
impactful for you. Now when you have you gone hiking
since we since we I know you weren't able to
make the Castgade team. Have you been out there since
the program has ended, not on mountains but around like
local trails. What I One of the things that I've
(25:32):
noticed a big difference in is my running. Actually, so
I've always enjoyed running, and I've always focused on.
Speaker 7 (25:39):
Cardio cardio cardio, and what you got me clued into
was strength training. And if anyone can see my skinny
little arms, you'll know, like I do not do strength training,
but you know, your program was so focused on building strength.
And even though there was only one day in the
program of that steady state cardio, this last weekend I
(26:00):
went out and ran the best five k of my life, like,
hands down my legs for killing it, and I was
feeling great. So it's that real life like strength building,
that I can just do things now better than I
could before. So I'm looking forward to hitting the trail,
but just knowing that, you know, I can run a
five k in my fastest time yet after doing nothing
(26:21):
but strain training for the past twelve weeks, that's that's
amazing to me.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
I love it. Who would have thought, get your body
stronger and you can go further? Man, That's uh, that's
pretty much like what my entire life is about, quite frankly,
and now you are. You have just showcased that once
again that when you get your body strong, you can
go further, you can go farther, you can go faster,
you can do more things. So I love to see
that that impact, that you're running to Also, congrats on
(26:45):
that that fast, that fast time. That's exciting stuff. That's
exciting stuff. So you you joined the Great Range Athlete team.
Have you been? How far into the forty six are
you at? Let me ask you that first, I am
four out of four? Four out of forty six? What
are we talking? Probably cast game, porter, I bet caass
game and quarter were the first and then helps and
take it with up. All right, cool? So have you
(27:07):
gone back to Mount van Hovenburg yet, that's where I have? Okay, okay,
I mashed it. Oh my god, of course I'll do
am amazing. But now I almost feel like I could
trail run up the dark thing. You most certainly could.
The reason I was asking because Mount van Hobenburg is
my number one favorite summit in the Aduran Deck Park
in terms of the US perfect in terms of the view.
(27:28):
So if you hadn't been back up for you know,
your redemption, I was going to suggest that you make
sure you come up and hit up Mount van Hobenberg.
But glad to have you, Devin. You are another person
very active on Marco Polo. Hit me with that, like,
did you from the community aspect of it? How how
did that hit you in the program?
Speaker 7 (27:45):
Yeah, So when I first learned about Marco Polo, which
is like a video messaging walkie talkie app, I was like,
oh god, I I don't know if I want to
do this. What have I signed up for? But being
in this community of all of you as a smiling
faces motivated me to get out there every single day.
You know, yeah, yeah, Annie, I see you doing a
(28:07):
little smile there, but no, like truly you know, as
we're out there sharing our successes in our wings, winds
and cursing over how or our legs are like that,
camaraderie helped push us all forward.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
So I mean that was.
Speaker 7 (28:20):
That was a game changing aspect of.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
The program for me.
Speaker 7 (28:23):
On that team building that really helped kick me into gear.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Awesome. Having that extra source of motivation, accountability, camaraderie, all
those things makes it a lot easier to show up
on the days where you don't really quite feel like it.
But then you wake up in the morning and there's
already we've already seen three different people post on Marco Polo. Hey,
workout's done, Mount Strength Day's done. And you just woke
up and you're like, oh, man, I feel behind. Now,
all right, I'm going to show up to That was Andrea.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Yes, Andrew is always a five or man Alaska sir, Yeah, yeah,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Yeah, shout out to Ryan from Alaska. He would, you know,
with the time change, he would typically at night, so
we'd all wake up to Marco Polo's from Ryan from
Alaska every morning. It was awesome. It was good stuff.
But Devin, glad to have you on the Glad to
have you on the team. And speaking of redemption, I'm
moving on to Lindsay. Lindsay is about to do a
redemption hike up Mount Joe very soon. But Lindsay talked
(29:18):
to me about why you came to the Great Range
Athlete World. Tell us your story.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
So Mount Joe definitely almost a year ago. Uh, it
beat me up pretty good. I remembered climbing it as
a kid. Had no problem getting up it. Figured I
was in town for a conference. Through a little day
pack on my back with some snacks and water. Kind
of my husband to go for a hike and we're like, god,
Mount Joe, it's easy. Sure it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
It's not easy. You know, everyone always says, no Mount Joe,
go at Mount Joe. Mount Joe still climbs like a
high peak for at least a quarter of a mile,
so it's it is deceiving that little Mount Joe.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Yeah, so it really humble me.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
And when I got back down, that fire was lit
and I got mad at myself and I said, not happening.
I came to you also through the podcast and actually
started with you with a seek to do more program
and did my initial ninety days through you. Actually probably more,
I think, yeah. And one of the things you always
(30:21):
tell us is don't let your foot off.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
The gas because you're going to roll backwards.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
And I had a hike coming up with my brother
and coach Annie in here was saying, hey, you know,
if you joined the Cascade team, you'll be perfectly ready
to go for your hike that you're doing down in Pennsylvania.
I'm like, all right, let's game on. I remember doing this.
It's been you know, a couple months since I've been
in a group. Let's do the Great Range Athlete And
(30:48):
oh my gosh, am I so glad I did because
this team was fantastic and I absolutely enjoyed getting back
into Marco Polos, getting that CAMARADERI starting everything back up again,
and it felt like a brand new adventure that I
was going on after the Seek to Do More. Another
thing was is during my Seek to Do More time,
(31:11):
I was going through rehab on my knee, and this
was a time where I'm like, I can start building
strength back into my knee now that I've been cleared.
And I took every single one of your workouts and
I did them no matter how slow I was because
my lower body was not fit at all. I was
not getting into it. And I did every single workout
(31:32):
and I had to modify a ton of it to
get my knees back in and get my.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Core back in shape and everything.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And then I started doing challenges, and challenge number one,
I think was about a week into our group, and
I did a five mile ruck, thirty mile ruck, and
I said, let's see what we can do. And I
cleared it at five miles doing a straight fifteen minute mile.
And never thought I would ever compete period and do that.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
And then at.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
Seven weeks into this program, you finally cleaned everything.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
I couldn't go on the hike with you guys.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
I was so bummed, but I got to do a
four day, thirty mile hike, four thousand foot elevation game
with my brother at Loyal Sock and the Link Trail
Loop in Pennsylvania, which hiked like a crazy thing. I
had not been backpacking since when we worked it out
(32:31):
nineteen ninety eight.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Wow, and let's jump.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Into it on the four being alive, Karina, were you alive?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Korea from Geneva? Not even close.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
I'm this century baby, hilarious.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
There was a there was a moment on the Marco
Polo where Koreina from Geneva was just roasting all of
us for being for being old. It was it was
a good day. It was a funny day. It was
a funny day. Anyways, continue Lindsay can talk tell us
about that hike the back.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
I love the aderon Decks. Grew up Aderondecks, did nothing
outside of the aderon Deck Park. So this was my
first adventure south of New York State and going into Pa.
And I got to tell you, if you guys are
looking for a backpack trip, it's a loop and it
is very intense. It was a lot harder than I
thought it was going to be. And we did break
(33:22):
it up into you know, five to nine mile days,
which was great for me because I overpacked like a
crazy person and was carrying a forty pound pack during
this event.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
All right, Yeah, all that rocking though that you'd been doing,
you preparing, you've been rocking for You've been rocking since
before we started working. You got it before we met,
like six months ago. Yeah, And rocking is a fantastic,
fantastic exercise and movement that's like low impact but like
you can really improve your cardiovascular capacity. Obviously it translates
(33:53):
to hiking like as good as anything. So it worked
out for you. So how did that feel? Though? The
fact that you were able to wear the forty pound
pack and you did it?
Speaker 4 (34:03):
It was amazing.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
And I got to tell you because I really put
effort into your program with the Great Range Athlete and
worked very hard on my legs and as I said,
I've had a lot of need troubles and gone through therapy.
Are do you know I came off of that entire
event with no swollen knees and no knee pain for
all four days. And there was one section of the
(34:25):
hike where it's sixteen hundred feet half a mile straight
up seventy two percent grade rock root climb just like
a regular you know, wash out scrambling you would have
in the Adirondacks and came when up that came down
that no trouble whatsoever, and would not.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Have been able to do that unless I went through
this program.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Awesome, So glad to hear that it went well. I'm also, like,
you know, a from a personal standpoint, glad to hear
because your backpacking trip was a result of you in
the Seat to Do More program, and part of that
is to like strengthen relationships that you have with people
who you care about. You kind of like rekindled your
relationship with your brother because of that program and built
(35:06):
and planned this backpacking trip. It was like, I remember
when you came and told me, guess what I'm going
to be doing in May. You know, this was six
months ago at this point, So now that it actually
it happened, like it gives me chills and it makes
me so excited to see like the power that things
like hiking and backpacking the outdoors, like what it can
and fitness right, like what it can all do to
(35:28):
just improve your quality of life beyond just the adventure.
You know, like you rekindled again, a relationship with your
sibling over this common experience of backpacking. How freaking awesome
is that you're seek to do a more.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Program really helped me out with you know, unpacking that
relationship and finding the common crown which I did not
expect to be hiking, and I went from not really
talking to him at all to two or three times
a day now, which is amazing.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
So I get my brother back too, which is really.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Cool, unbelievable what I I that is because the mountains
they give, they give, they give you get, you know,
like the great outdoors man. It is great for a reason.
Super awesome to hear lindsay, it's been great to reconnect
with you too on this in this program. I miss
I miss having all I miss hearing your laugh and
your your smiles and all the calls that we had.
(36:19):
You have a podcast. I want you to plug your
podcast right now.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Oh that's awesome. I am just rucking it. So, as
I said, I absolutely love rucking. So we talk about
all the things to get you started, you know, everything
from weight to packs, to what you should be doing today,
just setting goals to adventures.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
That you can have bringing up the group.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
So uh, actually you'll get to hear about more about
the adventure that I had with my brother here coming
up very very soon.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Glad to hear it. Just rocking it very good. Just
just rucking it or rock it, just rock it, ruck
just rock it. Okay, just rock it, give it, give
it a listen. Lindsay's from Rochester. Half the podcast listeners
are from Western New York, so you guys have a
lot in common there. Well, Lindsay, was awesome having you
on the Great Range Athlete team. Hope you had a
great time. Glad to hear again that the backpacking trip
(37:08):
with your brother was a smashing success. It warms my
heart to hear that good stuff. Moving on to Annie
Coach Annie, Great Range Athletes original team member now turned
coach Annie, talk to me about Great Range Athlete. Tell
us your story. Welcome to the forty six to forty
six podcast.
Speaker 8 (37:28):
Right, thank you so, way way way long long ago.
In May of last year. Well, I've been I've been
backpacking with my kids. I'd been hiking a lot, but
I knew that, like, I could do better, I could
(37:49):
go farther. Like I started hiking, and I'm like, well,
I want to go farther so I started backpacking. I
was like, well, if I was faster, if I was
strong like I, you know, I wouldn't have to take
as many days off or I wouldn't you know, it
wouldn't take me so much time to recover Afterwards. I
had found out I usually go up to Vermont because
Vermont's wonderful. But I was listening to a podcast and
(38:13):
you are a guest, so I was like, fine, we
usually nipped the corner of the Adirondacks when we're going
in anyway, So I decided to listen. And then I
was like, damn it, now I have something new to
be obsessed with. I'd been working on the Appalachian Trail,
but I was like, ugh, now I gotta be obsessed
with the Adirondacks now. So then you came out with
the Great Range Athlete program, and I was like, I
(38:33):
just hadn't. I worked at a gym, so it's not
like I never worked out or anything, but I wanted
something that was specific to hiking.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
And there you were. There.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
I was right into my lap.
Speaker 8 (38:43):
It was amazing, and I was like just unhappy and sweaty,
as just a big sweaty mess. So the Marco Pola
thing did not appeal to me at all because I'm
already so sweaty. I don't want to be talking to
strangers while I'm sweaty. But and and thank you you
(39:04):
shared my one of my first check ins with everybody
from way back then from Jukra Black Deer, when my
hair was a lot shorter and I was a lot
rounder and sweatier. But I immediately found a family. I
was doing workouts that were super challenging each week. Even
(39:26):
though the workouts were similar, I was able to continue
to challenge myself.
Speaker 4 (39:30):
I was getting stronger.
Speaker 8 (39:32):
And then I decided the last minute to make the
nine hour, five hundred mile trip up to the Addron
Necks for the Marcie Team hike, and.
Speaker 4 (39:45):
I was shot. I for sure thought I was the
only woman that went on the hike.
Speaker 8 (39:48):
So I was a little nervous not hiking with all men.
But I was nervous that I was going to sell
everybody up. And I didn't, and so that was awesome.
And then I kind of asked everybody if they wanted
to do Rocky Peak Ridge because I had already started.
I had already joined seek to do more, and I
was like, if I don't do Rocky Peak Ridge, They're
(40:10):
not going to want to be my friend. They're going
to think a bruiser. So we had to do Rocky
Peak Ridge. And then Jeff asked, He's like, hey, do
you want to do Cascade and Porter tomorrow?
Speaker 4 (40:19):
And I'm like, I just.
Speaker 8 (40:20):
Did this my first high peaks, Like, there's no way
I'm going to be able to do that. And then
the next morning we got up at five am and
we did Cascade and Porter and no problem. We had
a great time, and then I drove home and then
went to work the way next day. So it hasn't
just helped on my adventures, because since then being on
(40:42):
three day, three hundred and four, seek to do more.
So it hasn't just helped with all these ridiculous adventures
that I keep setting up for myself. But it's helped
that I can do my ridiculousness and then I can
go to work Monday and buildungs difference.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
You can do it well and be not broken for
the next week of your life, not broken when you
get back to the trail. Like any Joe Schmoe can
stumble their way to the top of a mountain, mount
Marcy's filthy with them all summer. But can you get up, Marcy,
get back home and be ready to just do it again.
That is the difference. That is what we are working towards.
(41:21):
And you've proven that that was your story, which is awesome.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
I mean I have to travel so far to get
up there, so I try to pack in as much
as I can. October I did Street and I and
then I did a half, my first half marathon.
Speaker 4 (41:34):
With a whole bunch of people. Lindsay was there with
donuts at the finish line to I remember Great Meade.
That was the greatest thing ever.
Speaker 8 (41:42):
And then I did Cold in a Marshall the next day,
which like and then I got home and went to work.
Speaker 4 (41:50):
I was able to do.
Speaker 8 (41:52):
For my forty third birthday, I did forty three miles
on the Appalachian Trail in forty three hours.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
But then I was like that that's not enough.
Speaker 8 (41:59):
So during this session I did it in twenty one hours.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
Just a little loson eating, no big deal.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
Yeah, I remember when you did that. During that was
during the Marsie team. The forty three hours, it was.
Speaker 8 (42:12):
Forty three hours, was at the end of the right
at the end of the Marsie team. And then the
twenty one hours was during cascade. Yeah I know that,
I remember, so that was crazy. But I finished at
noon on Sunday. I hobbled home from Harper's Ferry, took
a nap, My husband got me a big steak for dinner,
(42:33):
and I woke up on Monday and I went to work.
And I have a really physical job, so the next
day was bending and lifting and squatting and all kinds
of stuff. I woke up and I did my mountd
strength workout, I did my squatting, and then I went
to work and I was fine.
Speaker 4 (42:50):
And like none of.
Speaker 8 (42:51):
Us are elite athletes, Like nobody's paying us to climb
mountains or to raise races or to do any of
this stuff. We're doing it because we love it, because
it's fun. But it's not fun if you then have
to take extra time to you know, lick your wounds.
So it's it's been pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
I love it. Your story is a Your story is
a perfect example of what happened. So Lindsey, you were
just talking about how I constantly tell you guys to
not take your foot off the gas pedal because the
second you take your foot off the gas pedal. Your
car starts rolling backwards. Slowly, it starts rolling, but then
(43:32):
it picks up speed, and then it picks up speed,
and then before you know what, the car rolls beyond
the bottom of the hill. You are a perfect example, Annie,
of what happens when you just keep going. You accomplish
one thing, and then you set your sights on the
next mountain, and you climb that mountain. Then you set
your sights on the next mountain, and you know a
year has gone by. You went from the woman on
the couch who was struggling to do the very first workouts.
(43:55):
I remember you were the first person to really throw
some venom at me in the mars A team thread,
which I love. And now look at your coaching great
range athlete teams. What you've done. You've done half marathons,
you are crushing big high peaks, you're crushing huge days
on the Appalachian Trail. You've done a powerlifting me, oh,
I forgot about that. You're yeah, but and you're like
inspiring other people and helping other people do like It's
(44:17):
just a prime example of what happens with fitness when
you just keep going. So all of you guys on
the team on the call right now, all anyone listening
to the podcast, that is that is what waits for
you when you just keep showing up day after day
and don't stop. You don't look at it as I'm
doing this, you know, six week program and then when
it's done, I go back to being who I was before. No, No,
(44:39):
that's you. That's your sling shot moment to shoot you further.
You know, you guys heard me say that. That analogy
a lot. You pull the sling shot back. You either
fire that marble or you drop it, and it's your
call and the way that you fire it is. But
keep going. But like, look at what you've accomplished. So
props to you, Kudos to you for what you've accomplished
and the impact that you've had, not just on the
(45:00):
team here at the Cascade, but all the Great Range
Athlete people because they all know who you are now,
because you're you're just you found yourself a community and
you are a perfect representation of what I'm trying to
build here at Great Range Athlete and what I think
everybody is coming here for ultimately is finding that community
and also finding the people of you know, that like
(45:20):
minded group of people who love to be in the
mountains but also want to push themselves to become their
best so that they don't feel like they stumble their
way on toe with summit and then they're dead for
the week following. No, they want to be able to
go up, come down, and go back to work tomorrow
like they didn't do anything. That is That is the difference,
and that's what we're we're you know, we're cultivating here
at Great Range Athlete. So I appreciate you. I appreciate
(45:42):
the watching your journey. It's been exciting.
Speaker 4 (45:45):
Thank you yo.
Speaker 8 (45:46):
Like Andrea said, when she lost her gym, she lost
her community. And I guess that's the one good thing
that you get from cross It.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
I get one is the community.
Speaker 8 (45:56):
But it's just a group, a network of people that
are like minded, and that is exactly what And now
now our teams are all mixing. We've got, you know,
our our Facebook group so everybody can can meet up
and it's an even bigger family than it was before.
I'm trying to meet as many people as I possibly
(46:17):
can from all the different teams.
Speaker 4 (46:19):
Everybody brings something different to the table.
Speaker 8 (46:22):
I think That's why Marco Polo is so valuable, because
you've got the US to bring all of their young energy,
and then you've got the starky older people like me
and Lindsay who can bring our.
Speaker 1 (46:38):
Everyone. He brings a unique quality to the to the mix,
and that's what makes it up such a hodgepodge, which
is awesome.
Speaker 8 (46:44):
But yeah, it's I think the community has really been
the most important thing to any of the success that
I mean, I guess you kind of help a little bit.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
I push, I push the I push that like off
on all of you guys. Don't look I'm a podcaster,
so I I.
Speaker 8 (47:02):
Behomable, impactful in my life. Oh I suppose, But it's
really the community. Having like friends now, like these aren't
just people that I've you know, been forced in a
zoom call at work to talk to these are you know?
Now we have friendships and you know you can trauma
bond on the on the trail and and make lifelong friends.
Speaker 4 (47:24):
So it's it's been pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (47:26):
I met with with Max, Mommy and Daddy in Baltimore
when they came, sorry, when they use to visit, and
just talking to Dave and like talking about the things
that I've accomplished since I started Great Ring Athlete a
year ago. And to me, it doesn't seem like a lot.
It doesn't seem like I've like like done this great thing.
But when I start listing off each little goal that
(47:49):
i've you know, overcame or that I've succeeded in, it
just adds up and I'm like, oh wow, like it's
it's pretty incredible. So I always encourage people to continuously
set those small goals for yourself along the way. You
can make a big goal, but continue making those small
goals along the way, because that's what's going to sustain you,
and that's what's going to put you through.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Absolutely, one foot in front of the other gets you
to the top of the mountain every single time, and
you can't skip that. You have to take one foot
in front of the next to get there. I love it.
That's going to wrap up this episode of the forty
six to forty six podcast. There's nothing else to say.
All of you guys were absolutely it was amazing being
on this team with you, guiding you guys, watching you grow,
(48:31):
watching your community build right before our very eyes. From
like I said, Week one, right week one. It felt
like you guys knew each other for months, so it
was super exciting, super exciting to see. I was going
to ask you guys, what was your favorite and least
favorite workout from the from the Great Range Athlete program,
But I don't want to spoilers for anyone who is
(48:51):
going to join, because I think that's half the fun
of not knowing what's coming and then watching everyone's faces
go oh no, and that's a that's a fun moment.
It's a fun moment. But anyways, thank you all for
being here allowing me the privilege of guiding you to
becoming stronger people both on the trail and in your life.
It's an honor for me every time I get to
run a Great Range Athlete team. So thank you to
(49:13):
all of the Cascade team for being here. I really
appreciate it. Thank you, Yeah, thank you Tom giddy Up,
giddy Up. He was supposed to be here tonight. He
said he was going to be here. He just probably
changed his plans because he is a retired gentleman that
does what he wants when he wants and just probably
just said, you know what, I just don't want to
and man, do I respect it. I respect it, Grandpa Tom.
(49:33):
Shout out to you, sir. But that's going to wrap
up this episode of the forty six of forty six podcast.
The next Great Range Athlete team that is filling up
starts July sixth, Yes, July sixth, So this sounds like
something that would be interesting to you that you want
to join a community, you want to become your very
best physically and mentally on the trail and in your life.
(49:54):
The Great Range Athlete program is a great place to
begin building that. Sign up at Great Range athlete dot com.
We kick off July sixth for six weeks, and yes
we'll go on a group hike at the end for
anyone that can make it up to the Adirondack Park.
But we're going to get you strong and fit and confidence,
so when you show up to the mountains, you show
up as a stronger version of yourself. Head over to
(50:15):
Great rangeathlete dot com to join that team. And thank
you all for listening to the forty six to forty
six podcast. Remember it always leave no trace. Do the
rock walk and if you carry it in, carry it out.
See you on the trails. Everybody
This is the forty six of forty six podcast Summit Sessions,
where we'll talk all things Adirondack back country and beyond.
From high peaks stories and adventures to trail tips and tricks.
We'll dive deep into the heart of these mountains and
the people who passionately climb them. Adirondack maps and spruce
traps to bushwackx and backpacks. It's all here, the forty
(00:22):
six of forty six Summit Sessions. Hello everyone, and welcome
back to the forty six of forty six podcast. I
(00:44):
am joined this week for a Summit Session conversation with
none other than members of the recently graduated Great Range
Athlete Cascade team to talk all about their Great Range
Athlete experience, our recent group hike together, along with their
own recent adventures, and just how preparing yourself physically and
mentally alongside like minded people has improved their own mountain adventures.
(01:10):
The CASTA team was comprised of men and women across
the country from Vermont all the way to Alaska and
everywhere in between. So without further ado, I would like
to welcome all of you to the forty six of
forty six podcast Caska team. What is up tonight? How
are you guys doing freaking awesome? All right, that's what
I like to hear. Everyone are We got Lindsey Mack, Devin, Annie, Gary, Karina, Andrea.
(01:35):
We got people from all over the country right now
here on the team tonight. So we're just going to
have a little conversation chat about your experience. How did
it go, what went well? How'd the group height go.
I'm going to start with Gary from Vermont, the legendary
Gary from Vermont. Gary, talk to me about your great
range athlete experience. Why did you come here? Tell us
(01:55):
a little bit of background about yourself. Obviously you like
to recreate here in the ADK. Give us a little
update on yourself. How did it go, how'd the training go?
And then how did you feel that you performed when
we did go on the Cascade hike.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Sure, so, after forty some odd years of being behind
a desk and kind of neglecting my fitness, I had
an epiphany back around Christmas in January that I was
wicked out of shape and if I didn't do something,
you know, the rest of my days were going to
(02:28):
be less than they could be. And I want more.
I got retirement coming up, so started looking around for
what could I do to change course and do something different.
And I had been following great range athletes and so
last ball when I heard about it and decided it
was time to make the leap and do it. And
(02:50):
it was interesting because you at first, I didn't know
if I could. You know, week one, by the end
of it, I was starting to question my decisions because
I had a lot of aches and pains and breathing heavy.
Uh you know, week two got easier. By week three,
I'm like, I can do this, and uh, you know,
just plowed my way through, showed up every day, did
(03:12):
the work, and got the reward at the end. On
that group hike, you know, that sent up Cascade Porter
was a lot better than it had been in a
long time. You know, I was struggling going uphills and
frankly struggling coming downhills, and I didn't experience it with
that hike. You know, I had knees at the bottom
(03:34):
that weren't hurting. I felt in control. So overall, you know,
good improvements in fitness and yeah, really you know, mental demeanor, everything,
you know, great impact on my life.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Glad to hear brother, glad to hear it. So you
would say that your your body held up a lot
better on that hike than previous hikes. So I'll talk
to me a little bit about what you said. How
week one you were you were questioning your decisions. Let's
let's let's let look let that go unnoticed, So let's
go back that a little bit. Talk to me a
little bit more about that. Uh, you know what made
you feel that way during week one?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
So a little overwhelmed by some of the initial workouts.
You know, I really hadn't done any structured training before.
You know, I would sweat on the treadmill to no end,
but I wasn't working towards a purpose going through you know,
the fitness routines that you threw at us. You know,
it was some new movements I hadn't done before, and
(04:32):
you know rep counts. I wasn't even thinking of sure,
So I was, you know, ending the workouts literally sitting
on the chair, you know, sweating, breathing heavy.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah, I remember, I.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Forget whether it was day two or day three, Waking
up at the top of the stairs, getting ready to
go down for breakfast and wondering do I really need
to go downstairs today because I don't know if my
legs do you carry me down?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Anyone else feel that way at some point, just raise
your hand if anyone else felt that way. At different
points throughout the program, everyone's raising their hand and laughing
and shaking their head. Yeah, that's what we do here
a great range athlete. We make you question your decisions
in week one, but week two you're still here. And
then week three, you said, is when things started to change.
(05:20):
So talk to me a little bit about mentally physically.
What was it about week three that had you kind
of saying I can do this?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So I think a lot of it was, you know, mental,
I was getting into a routine of the workouts. You know,
I saw the flow of how the week went, so
it wasn't surprising anymore. Was seeing a lot of the
same movements over and over again, realizing, oh, I've done
this before, I can do it again, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So it was becoming the new norm.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
But frankly, it was actually starting to get easier as
my body started getting used to the movements. I wasn't
having to think about form. I was able to think
about you'll plowing through, so, you know, bit by bit,
it just kept getting better for me.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, I love it. I love it. And Gary remind me,
how old are you, sir? Sixty years young? Sixty years young?
So how many burpies had you done in your life
prior to Great Range Athlete compared to how many you
did during Great Range Athlete?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Oh? I think I had wrapped up maybe like three
quarters of one in your first sixty years. Uh huh okay,
And I've kind of lost count of how many I've
done in the past whatever twelve weeks. Yeah, they're still
not smooth, but you know what, I go through them.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
But you're doing it. That's the thing that is, that's
the special sauce. You are showing up and you are
doing it. And then you had the adventure to you know,
the your your work paid off when we got to cascades.
So talk me about You mentioned your knees. Your knees
normally an issue for you, but you didn't find them
to be an issue. So talk to me. So talk
to us a little bit about how that felt different
(06:57):
compared to previous hikes.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yes, previous hikes, you know, uh, previous times I was
up with the high peaks, you know, going uphill It
was mainly a cardio exercise. You know, my legs wouldn't
give out, but my lungs would. I just didn't have, uh,
you know, the respiratory capacity to do it. That was
improved on the way up. Now on the way down
(07:19):
was where I would have issues though, because you know,
by then my legs were spent, they'd get wobbly. They
just didn't have, you know, that control on descent. I
didn't feel that this last time. You know, I felt
I was taking controlled steps. I wasn't just falling down
the mountain.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Awesome. No one wants to fall down the mountain. We
do not recommend falling down the mountain. Here at great
range athlete and forty six hours exert say that again.
Faster it is faster. It is a more efficient way
to get down the mountain. I cannot take that from you.
I cannot tell you. Well, Gary Gray, it was great
having you do. You were a fantastic member of the team,
a very core member. You were always always active on
(08:01):
the Marco Polo and uh, we always loved hearing from you.
I said, let me ask you that, how did the
Marco Polo do for you at the beginning? Were you
into it or you not into it. Obviously you eventually
got into it.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
But like I'd say, I was into it really in
that first week. Well, I you know, wasn't shy about
jumping in and sharing my experiences, you know, the winds
and the struggles. Sure, I wasn't preparing week one for
how powerful Marco Polos were though in carrying us through,
(08:34):
you know, that was really just key in creating that
team environment.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, herey, you need to give us your sign on though,
because that's what I look forward to every day.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Good day, Casskadians Gary in Vermont. Here, that's it, Katty.
It was a little eyebrow raised there too. I try
to be very uh.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
You know, determined about getting that in there. I'm glad
that you enjoyed the Marco Polo and I'm glad that
you found very early on that it was a it's
a powerful tool. And you know, I was telling you
guys before we started. No team took to Marco Polo
as quickly as the Cascade team took. I found, you know,
Annie and I talked about this week one. It was
(09:20):
like you guys had known each other for months already.
Literally the first week it was it was quite fun
to watch, quite frankly from my perspective. But Gary, glad
to have you there, my friend. All Right, we're gonna
move on to Karina from Geneva. Talk about another sign on.
Karina from Geneva. Karina showed up at the trail and
she wasn't able to do the hike with us up Cascade.
(09:42):
She had an event she had to go learn wilderness
first DAID at the Adirondack Mountain Club. But she showed
up to say hello and to take our team picture.
So Karina, thank you for that. But Karina from Geneva,
talk to us. What made you join Great Range Athlete?
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Had the training
program go for you? What's your background with the high peaks?
(10:02):
Obviously you uh, you know you wanted to learn wilderness
first AID, so your love for the outdoors runs deep.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Yeah, definitely, so does start.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
With the Koreina from Geneva here is that Jens.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Koreina from Geneva here. I had kind of, like Gary,
been following the Greatly Great Range Athlete program and all
the different group hikes and adventures since you started it.
I've been listening to the podcast for a really long time,
and I just kind of finally decided to go for it.
I was like, if I'm going to go for it,
I want to do it before summer hiking gets here,
(10:38):
also before my summer job starts, because my summer job
is one hundred percent outside and so I just I
decided to go for it. And it was a ton
of fun. I was thirteen years a gymnast, seven or
eight of them competitive, I you know, lost track at
this point. So I I've had that physical training before,
(10:59):
but I dropped off for the past six or seven
years because of injuries. And so coming back, I like you.
And I had the zoom call before I signed up
of just like, okay this I'm coming to you. I
don't have any gym equipment, I don't have access to
a gym, and I've got a couple injuries. What is
(11:20):
this program potentially going to look like? So we were
able to talk through that. I did the bodyweight protocol
for the whole thing, and I still like Gary. Like
the third day in I remember standing up on the
bus because we were chaperoning a field trip and I
had to turn around and something was going on in
the seats behind me, and I remember my legs just burning,
(11:43):
and then I had to sit back down and I
was like, oh, they'd better not make me get up again.
But I went through the program and I I had
a really great time. I'm so sorry my computer is
spritzing out on me trying to do an update. But
(12:03):
I was able to just kind of week by week,
take it one work out of time, switch them around
to make it work with my schedule. And the program
did what I wanted it to do, which was make
me more confident that I could go out into the
mountains and just I could hike and I could be
okay and not die at the end of it.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So, now, what makes you feel that way? So what
about the program brought that out of you?
Speaker 4 (12:32):
I like I feel. I don't know, maybe this is
just me, but when I'm in good physical shape, I
feel very solid, Like my muscles feel solid. I feel
very in control of all of my movements all day long,
walking around and going up and down and doing all
the things. So I just I feel very solid and
sued myself and sured my body, and just this past weekend,
(12:56):
I went on a four and a half mile hike
and then I went and I was out. I had
to clean my kayak and then I took it out
on the water for multiple hours, and you know, I
did bring it back in and I felt completely fine
at the end of the day. And that was a long,
hard day outside. So just being able to go and
do those things that's not just hiking, but also just
being outside. Yeah, I just feel like I can go
(13:20):
on and do what I need to do.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I love it. I love it. Quick round of applause
for Karina for coming to the trail head of five
forty five in the morning just to say hello and
to just take a picture for all of us in
the rain. No less, Karina, you are a super star.
I appreciate you being there, but great.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Couldn't miss the best team.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
That's it. You had to be there. You were just
up the street. Why not. How was the Wilderness first
Aid weekend though before you? Did it go? Well?
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (13:48):
It did.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Yeah, it was a lot of fun. And I'm going
to be with you are I'm certified. I'm gonna be
able to be our head medic.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Of a source. Absolutely. I love it. Glad to hear,
glad to hear it. Was a well awesome, very good.
All right, let's move on. Let's see Gunda to doun done.
Who am I going to call on? Next? Andrea from
the Cat Skills. You are on my screen. Next, Andrea
from the Cat Skills, tell us a little bit about yourself.
You are so Andrea is already super fit, super in shape.
(14:18):
She's the CrossFit person. Why did you join Great Range Athlete?
Talk to us about your story, because yours is like
everyone else is, everyone's got a unique reason for joining this.
This wild world of Great Range Athlete that has this
has grown into here. So talk tell us your story.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
So I had seen some of your content and stuff
on Instagram and it looked interesting and I was intrigued
and just wanted to try like a different type of
fitness program. So yeah, CrossFit has been my main jam
for a long time. But you know, the gym I
attended closed, so I lost I lost that like team
caaraderie part. So I wasn't really expecting to find that
(14:59):
through this app or through this program, I should say.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
But the Marco Polo app was pretty.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Cool and making friends and talking to everybody, and it
was nice to have that community again, and especially because
I don't have many friends that are really into hiking
or fitness, and it's really great to have those type
of people around me and those type of people to
talk to.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Yeah, so what else? What else do you want to
building that community? In having that community, you don't realize that,
like it's easy to take for granted, having like a
social circle of people who enjoy the things you do,
let alone hiking, and then merging training all in one
one place, everyone doing hard things together. It's amazing how quickly,
how quickly bonds are formed. So and you were probably
(15:47):
the most active person on the Marco Polo probably anyone
else think anyone else was more active than Andrea. I
think probably not a lot of headshakes right now, which
we love. She's also wearing a great range Athlete hoodie
right now for people listening who are not watching. But yeah,
it was it was great having you and having you
know again, like different people from totally different levels of fitness.
We have people on the couch who have never done
(16:08):
a workout a day in their life. We have people
like yourself who are super fit and super in shape,
and everywhere in between. It just shows that, like when
you're training and you're training for the mountains. There is
always a next level, there's always a new place to
get to to. You know, you lift more weights than
this person. Great, you both do that. You put the
same effort into get to the next level for whatever
that looks like for you, and you were a prime
(16:29):
example of that. So would you say you got what
you came for with Great Range Athlete, given that you
came more for the training and kind of left with
a community as well.
Speaker 5 (16:41):
Yeah, I think I got what I came for. I
was intrigued and interested. I tried some new and different
styles of workouts. It was definitely a leg heavy, which
was good. So I think I got everything that I
came forth through the program. I mean that's why I'm
moved up and leveled up to the Laque team.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, I know, I love it. I'm glad to have
you there. So talk to me about like like like
you live in that you live in the cat Skills,
but like you're like, what, like you probably prefer the
Adirondacks more than the cat Skills, Right, come on, just
like like level with me, be honest with me, tell
me the truth here.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Uh, I mean the cat Skills is home, but as
an earth science teacher, the Adirondacks is way more geologically
interesting than our dissected plateau that I live on down here.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
That's it. So on the on the way down Cascade,
Andrea gave us a little a little lecture about the
mountains and about why the mountains are the rocks and
all the things. You said, you're an earth science teacher, right,
that's what you said. Yeah, So we got a little
lesson on the Adirondack Mountains and why they're so unique
on the way down. I'm gonna I'm going to put
(17:49):
you on the spot right now, give us a quick
two minute lecture. What that you told us on the trail,
Like what makes the Adirondack Mountains themselves so unique? Like
what you told us on the trail.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
Well, they had like their own unique like dome uplift.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Most of the rock material there is like a billion
years old or something like that. Everything is like a
granite nice mix. So you have your nice white speckli
granites mixed in with stuff that got metamorphosed like miles
beneath Earth's crust and started turning into the nice rock
which is a metamorphic rock. And it's spelled g N
(18:28):
E I S S. So it's not the word nice.
Everyone in my class calls it guinness, which is yes,
but it uplifted on its own thing. It is not
part of the Appalachian Mountain chain. A lot of people,
you know, think that along the way. I'm trying to think,
and that's why a lot of the rocks that there
are so hard and they're unique, and we have those
(18:49):
nice rounded tops from when the glaciers moded over multiple
times and carved some nice valleys for us to have
to trudge up the mountains instead.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Very good. Just like just some nerd talks. I just
like rock talk. You should start the rock Talk podcast,
Andrea would be that would be a fantastic conversation all
about rocks, just rocks all day long. But anyways, very
great having you on the Great Orange Athlete team. I
appreciate you being there. I appreciate you coming up and
joining the trail the trip up Caskating Porter. Had you
been up Caskating Porter before? Yes?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
Yeah, we're twenty nine of forty six and Porter was
my first and then we hit Cascade on the way back.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
All right, very good, very good, nice rainy day on
Cascade and Porter for those of you who weren't here,
so great. We're gonna move on now to the fastest
person on the Great Range Athlete Team Hike Up Cascade.
Mister Matt Collins from Connecticut. Mac was a repeat of
Great Range Athlete. He came back for more fun. He
was a part of the Gothics team and then he
joined us for the Cascade team. Mac, talk to us,
(19:51):
what brought you back to the Great Range Athlete Team?
Speaker 6 (19:54):
So yeah, this time around, So, I've been dealing with
job loss and I let my job really to find
who I was, So it was really hard for me.
I kind of fell out of touch with athletics and
working out there and also a little bit and I,
you know, my dad wanted to join the group. He
couldn't make the call, but I really want to do
it with them as well.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
A little bit of.
Speaker 6 (20:16):
Why I joined the Geo Gothics team as well, which
is I had a pretty gnarly ski accident two years ago.
I broke my legs scapula and I still have a
little bit of muscle atrophy and you know, I'm balanced
in my leg and my left arm, so yet doing
this program I built strength back up, and I feel
(20:37):
a little bit more even now.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
I was able to, you know, get.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
Back into it, like I felt like I would use
my right leg on I'm driving up the ye step
ups and else.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Not only did you do some step ups, but you
did some step ups. There was a workout where we
had I don't want to spoil it for anyone that
might join the cast or the Great Range Athlete program,
but let's just say Mac there was a day where
there's step ups where Mac did over six hundred of them,
which was, let's I'm just gonna tell you a lot
(21:14):
more than what we're what we're programmed. So Mac just
decided to just obliterate the whole workout and just set
some set some records there, so amazing stuff. So you're
you know, you're moving yourself in the right direction. I
love that, love that you were there. Yep.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Yeah, So I got really I really got back into it,
and I you know, I let myself not be defined
by what I work I do, but luso this you
know what I can to do physically now, So I
feel like I feel more accomplished.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I love it and you you doing the workouts and
I joining with your father. Shout out to Dave who's
not here on the call tonight, but you you you
guys like always posting together like you were doing the
workouts together. Man, that was just so awesome. That was
just so awesome to see. It was very inspiring. It
was fun to watch, you know, you guys make having
this bonding time. Were the workouts you're doing together? It
was it was super awesome. Shout out to Shout out
(22:04):
to Dave, and shout out to Jenny who was going
to listen to this, who is part of the Great
Range Athlete Wolfjaw team that kicks off in three days,
three days, four days from us recording this right now.
So it's a family affair here at Great Range Athlete
for the Collins family. Glad to have you, dude. And
for those of you who may have listened to my
podcast episode about Whiteface Mountain last year, White Face and
(22:26):
Esther where we walked down the toll road, it was
this gentleman Matt Collins who who was the inspiration to
walk down the toll road. So Mac, I appreciate you
giving me that adventure that day. It was it's still
like one of my highlights of my one of my
favorite days in the high Peaks, which is walking down
the Toll Road. And it is since since we did that,
it has become like a thing. People will message me
(22:48):
saying I listened to your podcast and now like we
walked down the toll Road after climbing White Face and
it was such a fun experience. So we started something
that day, Mac, and that was because of you. So
I shape that. Good stuff, dude. Glad to have you
on the Great Range Athlete team. Glad to see that
you came back for more fun and you're here again
for even more fun here on the Elite team. So
(23:09):
good stuff, my brother. Good stuff. All right, we're gonna
move on to let's see who's on my list here. Devin, Devin,
you are up next. Your your straw has been drawn. Devin,
talk to us about yourself. You're not from too far
away from here to give us your why'd you join
Grey Range ath They give us a little background about yourself,
about your hiking the outdoors, and a little bit about yourself.
(23:30):
My friend.
Speaker 7 (23:31):
Yeah, yeah, So I'm from the southern tier of New York,
so it's about four hour drive. I've been coming up
to the at Arondecks now for fifteen years, but I
didn't really start hitting the mountains until a few years ago.
My first ad Aroneck mountain hiking experience was Mount van Hoovenburg,
and I will admit it here on the podcast. I
(23:51):
was up there for a work conference. I was out
of shape, I was wearing jeans, I was coming down
from a sinus infection, and I was walking up that
mountain and about halfway through us like now I got
to turn around, like I can't do it. So it's
out there in the world. I've admitted it, and all
of my teammates are laughing at me.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Happens to all of us. In fact, I wouldn't be here.
Ad I not turned around on the mountains at one point,
So here we are happens.
Speaker 7 (24:13):
Yeah, And looking back now, even though that was a
big failure for me, I was bit like I was
bit by that bug. I'm like, you know what, I
want to do this again. I want to I want
to get at it. So that was right after my
daughter was born and I was just kind of thinking like, Okay,
it's time to make some changes in my life. It's
time to get in better shape. So I've been following
(24:34):
the podcast for a while, and it struck me as
the perfect opportunity to mix my love of being outdoors
and my love of the mountains with the desire to
get in better shape. So it allowed me to kind
of get a physical goal.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Tied to something I love to doing. So it wound
up being a no brainer.
Speaker 7 (24:56):
And actually I'd made the decision to join the team
after listening to one of the podcast episodes with another team,
you know, you had like just dropped it as the
Cascade roster was opening up. So if there's anyone out
there listening right now and you're just waiting for the sign,
this is your sign, Like sign.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Up, I'm very very glad I did. I'm glad to
hear that. I appreciate that. I'm glad it was so
impactful for you. Now when you have you gone hiking
since we since we I know you weren't able to
make the Castgade team. Have you been out there since
the program has ended, not on mountains but around like
local trails. What I One of the things that I've
(25:32):
noticed a big difference in is my running. Actually, so
I've always enjoyed running, and I've always focused on.
Speaker 7 (25:39):
Cardio cardio cardio, and what you got me clued into
was strength training. And if anyone can see my skinny
little arms, you'll know, like I do not do strength training,
but you know, your program was so focused on building strength.
And even though there was only one day in the
program of that steady state cardio, this last weekend I
(26:00):
went out and ran the best five k of my life, like,
hands down my legs for killing it, and I was
feeling great. So it's that real life like strength building,
that I can just do things now better than I
could before. So I'm looking forward to hitting the trail,
but just knowing that, you know, I can run a
five k in my fastest time yet after doing nothing
(26:21):
but strain training for the past twelve weeks, that's that's
amazing to me.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
I love it. Who would have thought, get your body
stronger and you can go further? Man, That's uh, that's
pretty much like what my entire life is about, quite frankly,
and now you are. You have just showcased that once
again that when you get your body strong, you can
go further, you can go farther, you can go faster,
you can do more things. So I love to see
that that impact, that you're running to Also, congrats on
(26:45):
that that fast, that fast time. That's exciting stuff. That's
exciting stuff. So you you joined the Great Range Athlete team.
Have you been? How far into the forty six are
you at? Let me ask you that first, I am
four out of four? Four out of forty six? What
are we talking? Probably cast game, porter, I bet caass
game and quarter were the first and then helps and
take it with up. All right, cool? So have you
(27:07):
gone back to Mount van Hovenburg yet, that's where I have? Okay, okay,
I mashed it. Oh my god, of course I'll do
am amazing. But now I almost feel like I could
trail run up the dark thing. You most certainly could.
The reason I was asking because Mount van Hobenburg is
my number one favorite summit in the Aduran Deck Park
in terms of the US perfect in terms of the view.
(27:28):
So if you hadn't been back up for you know,
your redemption, I was going to suggest that you make
sure you come up and hit up Mount van Hobenberg.
But glad to have you, Devin. You are another person
very active on Marco Polo. Hit me with that, like,
did you from the community aspect of it? How how
did that hit you in the program?
Speaker 7 (27:45):
Yeah, So when I first learned about Marco Polo, which
is like a video messaging walkie talkie app, I was like,
oh god, I I don't know if I want to
do this. What have I signed up for? But being
in this community of all of you as a smiling
faces motivated me to get out there every single day.
You know, yeah, yeah, Annie, I see you doing a
(28:07):
little smile there, but no, like truly you know, as
we're out there sharing our successes in our wings, winds
and cursing over how or our legs are like that,
camaraderie helped push us all forward.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
So I mean that was.
Speaker 7 (28:20):
That was a game changing aspect of.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
The program for me.
Speaker 7 (28:23):
On that team building that really helped kick me into gear.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Awesome. Having that extra source of motivation, accountability, camaraderie, all
those things makes it a lot easier to show up
on the days where you don't really quite feel like it.
But then you wake up in the morning and there's
already we've already seen three different people post on Marco Polo. Hey,
workout's done, Mount Strength Day's done. And you just woke
up and you're like, oh, man, I feel behind. Now,
all right, I'm going to show up to That was Andrea.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Yes, Andrew is always a five or man Alaska sir, Yeah, yeah,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Yeah, shout out to Ryan from Alaska. He would, you know,
with the time change, he would typically at night, so
we'd all wake up to Marco Polo's from Ryan from
Alaska every morning. It was awesome. It was good stuff.
But Devin, glad to have you on the Glad to
have you on the team. And speaking of redemption, I'm
moving on to Lindsay. Lindsay is about to do a
redemption hike up Mount Joe very soon. But Lindsay talked
(29:18):
to me about why you came to the Great Range
Athlete World. Tell us your story.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
So Mount Joe definitely almost a year ago. Uh, it
beat me up pretty good. I remembered climbing it as
a kid. Had no problem getting up it. Figured I
was in town for a conference. Through a little day
pack on my back with some snacks and water. Kind
of my husband to go for a hike and we're like, god,
Mount Joe, it's easy. Sure it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
It's not easy. You know, everyone always says, no Mount Joe,
go at Mount Joe. Mount Joe still climbs like a
high peak for at least a quarter of a mile,
so it's it is deceiving that little Mount Joe.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Yeah, so it really humble me.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
And when I got back down, that fire was lit
and I got mad at myself and I said, not happening.
I came to you also through the podcast and actually
started with you with a seek to do more program
and did my initial ninety days through you. Actually probably more,
I think, yeah. And one of the things you always
(30:21):
tell us is don't let your foot off.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
The gas because you're going to roll backwards.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
And I had a hike coming up with my brother
and coach Annie in here was saying, hey, you know,
if you joined the Cascade team, you'll be perfectly ready
to go for your hike that you're doing down in Pennsylvania.
I'm like, all right, let's game on. I remember doing this.
It's been you know, a couple months since I've been
in a group. Let's do the Great Range Athlete And
(30:48):
oh my gosh, am I so glad I did because
this team was fantastic and I absolutely enjoyed getting back
into Marco Polos, getting that CAMARADERI starting everything back up again,
and it felt like a brand new adventure that I
was going on after the Seek to Do More. Another
thing was is during my Seek to Do More time,
(31:11):
I was going through rehab on my knee, and this
was a time where I'm like, I can start building
strength back into my knee now that I've been cleared.
And I took every single one of your workouts and
I did them no matter how slow I was because
my lower body was not fit at all. I was
not getting into it. And I did every single workout
(31:32):
and I had to modify a ton of it to
get my knees back in and get my.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Core back in shape and everything.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And then I started doing challenges, and challenge number one,
I think was about a week into our group, and
I did a five mile ruck, thirty mile ruck, and
I said, let's see what we can do. And I
cleared it at five miles doing a straight fifteen minute mile.
And never thought I would ever compete period and do that.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
And then at.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
Seven weeks into this program, you finally cleaned everything.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
I couldn't go on the hike with you guys.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
I was so bummed, but I got to do a
four day, thirty mile hike, four thousand foot elevation game
with my brother at Loyal Sock and the Link Trail
Loop in Pennsylvania, which hiked like a crazy thing. I
had not been backpacking since when we worked it out
(32:31):
nineteen ninety eight.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Wow, and let's jump.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Into it on the four being alive, Karina, were you alive?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Korea from Geneva? Not even close.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
I'm this century baby, hilarious.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
There was a there was a moment on the Marco
Polo where Koreina from Geneva was just roasting all of
us for being for being old. It was it was
a good day. It was a funny day. It was
a funny day. Anyways, continue Lindsay can talk tell us
about that hike the back.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
I love the aderon Decks. Grew up Aderondecks, did nothing
outside of the aderon Deck Park. So this was my
first adventure south of New York State and going into Pa.
And I got to tell you, if you guys are
looking for a backpack trip, it's a loop and it
is very intense. It was a lot harder than I
thought it was going to be. And we did break
(33:22):
it up into you know, five to nine mile days,
which was great for me because I overpacked like a
crazy person and was carrying a forty pound pack during
this event.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
All right, Yeah, all that rocking though that you'd been doing,
you preparing, you've been rocking for You've been rocking since
before we started working. You got it before we met,
like six months ago. Yeah, And rocking is a fantastic,
fantastic exercise and movement that's like low impact but like
you can really improve your cardiovascular capacity. Obviously it translates
(33:53):
to hiking like as good as anything. So it worked
out for you. So how did that feel? Though? The
fact that you were able to wear the forty pound
pack and you did it?
Speaker 4 (34:03):
It was amazing.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
And I got to tell you because I really put
effort into your program with the Great Range Athlete and
worked very hard on my legs and as I said,
I've had a lot of need troubles and gone through therapy.
Are do you know I came off of that entire
event with no swollen knees and no knee pain for
all four days. And there was one section of the
(34:25):
hike where it's sixteen hundred feet half a mile straight
up seventy two percent grade rock root climb just like
a regular you know, wash out scrambling you would have
in the Adirondacks and came when up that came down
that no trouble whatsoever, and would not.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Have been able to do that unless I went through
this program.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Awesome, So glad to hear that it went well. I'm also, like,
you know, a from a personal standpoint, glad to hear
because your backpacking trip was a result of you in
the Seat to Do More program, and part of that
is to like strengthen relationships that you have with people
who you care about. You kind of like rekindled your
relationship with your brother because of that program and built
(35:06):
and planned this backpacking trip. It was like, I remember
when you came and told me, guess what I'm going
to be doing in May. You know, this was six
months ago at this point, So now that it actually
it happened, like it gives me chills and it makes
me so excited to see like the power that things
like hiking and backpacking the outdoors, like what it can
and fitness right, like what it can all do to
(35:28):
just improve your quality of life beyond just the adventure.
You know, like you rekindled again, a relationship with your
sibling over this common experience of backpacking. How freaking awesome
is that you're seek to do a more.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Program really helped me out with you know, unpacking that
relationship and finding the common crown which I did not
expect to be hiking, and I went from not really
talking to him at all to two or three times
a day now, which is amazing.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
So I get my brother back too, which is really.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Cool, unbelievable what I I that is because the mountains
they give, they give, they give you get, you know,
like the great outdoors man. It is great for a reason.
Super awesome to hear lindsay, it's been great to reconnect
with you too on this in this program. I miss
I miss having all I miss hearing your laugh and
your your smiles and all the calls that we had.
(36:19):
You have a podcast. I want you to plug your
podcast right now.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Oh that's awesome. I am just rucking it. So, as
I said, I absolutely love rucking. So we talk about
all the things to get you started, you know, everything
from weight to packs, to what you should be doing today,
just setting goals to adventures.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
That you can have bringing up the group.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
So uh, actually you'll get to hear about more about
the adventure that I had with my brother here coming
up very very soon.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Glad to hear it. Just rocking it very good. Just
just rucking it or rock it, just rock it, ruck
just rock it. Okay, just rock it, give it, give
it a listen. Lindsay's from Rochester. Half the podcast listeners
are from Western New York, so you guys have a
lot in common there. Well, Lindsay, was awesome having you
on the Great Range Athlete team. Hope you had a
great time. Glad to hear again that the backpacking trip
(37:08):
with your brother was a smashing success. It warms my
heart to hear that good stuff. Moving on to Annie
Coach Annie, Great Range Athletes original team member now turned
coach Annie, talk to me about Great Range Athlete. Tell
us your story. Welcome to the forty six to forty
six podcast.
Speaker 8 (37:28):
Right, thank you so, way way way long long ago.
In May of last year. Well, I've been I've been
backpacking with my kids. I'd been hiking a lot, but
I knew that, like, I could do better, I could
(37:49):
go farther. Like I started hiking, and I'm like, well,
I want to go farther so I started backpacking. I
was like, well, if I was faster, if I was
strong like I, you know, I wouldn't have to take
as many days off or I wouldn't you know, it
wouldn't take me so much time to recover Afterwards. I
had found out I usually go up to Vermont because
Vermont's wonderful. But I was listening to a podcast and
(38:13):
you are a guest, so I was like, fine, we
usually nipped the corner of the Adirondacks when we're going
in anyway, So I decided to listen. And then I
was like, damn it, now I have something new to
be obsessed with. I'd been working on the Appalachian Trail,
but I was like, ugh, now I gotta be obsessed
with the Adirondacks now. So then you came out with
the Great Range Athlete program, and I was like, I
(38:33):
just hadn't. I worked at a gym, so it's not
like I never worked out or anything, but I wanted
something that was specific to hiking.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
And there you were. There.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
I was right into my lap.
Speaker 8 (38:43):
It was amazing, and I was like just unhappy and sweaty,
as just a big sweaty mess. So the Marco Pola
thing did not appeal to me at all because I'm
already so sweaty. I don't want to be talking to
strangers while I'm sweaty. But and and thank you you
(39:04):
shared my one of my first check ins with everybody
from way back then from Jukra Black Deer, when my
hair was a lot shorter and I was a lot
rounder and sweatier. But I immediately found a family. I
was doing workouts that were super challenging each week. Even
(39:26):
though the workouts were similar, I was able to continue
to challenge myself.
Speaker 4 (39:30):
I was getting stronger.
Speaker 8 (39:32):
And then I decided the last minute to make the
nine hour, five hundred mile trip up to the Addron
Necks for the Marcie Team hike, and.
Speaker 4 (39:45):
I was shot. I for sure thought I was the
only woman that went on the hike.
Speaker 8 (39:48):
So I was a little nervous not hiking with all men.
But I was nervous that I was going to sell
everybody up. And I didn't, and so that was awesome.
And then I kind of asked everybody if they wanted
to do Rocky Peak Ridge because I had already started.
I had already joined seek to do more, and I
was like, if I don't do Rocky Peak Ridge, They're
(40:10):
not going to want to be my friend. They're going
to think a bruiser. So we had to do Rocky
Peak Ridge. And then Jeff asked, He's like, hey, do
you want to do Cascade and Porter tomorrow?
Speaker 4 (40:19):
And I'm like, I just.
Speaker 8 (40:20):
Did this my first high peaks, Like, there's no way
I'm going to be able to do that. And then
the next morning we got up at five am and
we did Cascade and Porter and no problem. We had
a great time, and then I drove home and then
went to work the way next day. So it hasn't
just helped on my adventures, because since then being on
(40:42):
three day, three hundred and four, seek to do more.
So it hasn't just helped with all these ridiculous adventures
that I keep setting up for myself. But it's helped
that I can do my ridiculousness and then I can
go to work Monday and buildungs difference.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
You can do it well and be not broken for
the next week of your life, not broken when you
get back to the trail. Like any Joe Schmoe can
stumble their way to the top of a mountain, mount
Marcy's filthy with them all summer. But can you get up, Marcy,
get back home and be ready to just do it again.
That is the difference. That is what we are working towards.
(41:21):
And you've proven that that was your story, which is awesome.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
I mean I have to travel so far to get
up there, so I try to pack in as much
as I can. October I did Street and I and
then I did a half, my first half marathon.
Speaker 4 (41:34):
With a whole bunch of people. Lindsay was there with
donuts at the finish line to I remember Great Meade.
That was the greatest thing ever.
Speaker 8 (41:42):
And then I did Cold in a Marshall the next day,
which like and then I got home and went to work.
Speaker 4 (41:50):
I was able to do.
Speaker 8 (41:52):
For my forty third birthday, I did forty three miles
on the Appalachian Trail in forty three hours.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
But then I was like that that's not enough.
Speaker 8 (41:59):
So during this session I did it in twenty one hours.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
Just a little loson eating, no big deal.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
Yeah, I remember when you did that. During that was
during the Marsie team. The forty three hours, it was.
Speaker 8 (42:12):
Forty three hours, was at the end of the right
at the end of the Marsie team. And then the
twenty one hours was during cascade. Yeah I know that,
I remember, so that was crazy. But I finished at
noon on Sunday. I hobbled home from Harper's Ferry, took
a nap, My husband got me a big steak for dinner,
(42:33):
and I woke up on Monday and I went to work.
And I have a really physical job, so the next
day was bending and lifting and squatting and all kinds
of stuff. I woke up and I did my mountd
strength workout, I did my squatting, and then I went
to work and I was fine.
Speaker 4 (42:50):
And like none of.
Speaker 8 (42:51):
Us are elite athletes, Like nobody's paying us to climb
mountains or to raise races or to do any of
this stuff. We're doing it because we love it, because
it's fun. But it's not fun if you then have
to take extra time to you know, lick your wounds.
So it's it's been pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
I love it. Your story is a Your story is
a perfect example of what happened. So Lindsey, you were
just talking about how I constantly tell you guys to
not take your foot off the gas pedal because the
second you take your foot off the gas pedal. Your
car starts rolling backwards. Slowly, it starts rolling, but then
(43:32):
it picks up speed, and then it picks up speed,
and then before you know what, the car rolls beyond
the bottom of the hill. You are a perfect example, Annie,
of what happens when you just keep going. You accomplish
one thing, and then you set your sights on the
next mountain, and you climb that mountain. Then you set
your sights on the next mountain, and you know a
year has gone by. You went from the woman on
the couch who was struggling to do the very first workouts.
(43:55):
I remember you were the first person to really throw
some venom at me in the mars A team thread,
which I love. And now look at your coaching great
range athlete teams. What you've done. You've done half marathons,
you are crushing big high peaks, you're crushing huge days
on the Appalachian Trail. You've done a powerlifting me, oh,
I forgot about that. You're yeah, but and you're like
inspiring other people and helping other people do like It's
(44:17):
just a prime example of what happens with fitness when
you just keep going. So all of you guys on
the team on the call right now, all anyone listening
to the podcast, that is that is what waits for
you when you just keep showing up day after day
and don't stop. You don't look at it as I'm
doing this, you know, six week program and then when
it's done, I go back to being who I was before. No, No,
(44:39):
that's you. That's your sling shot moment to shoot you further.
You know, you guys heard me say that. That analogy
a lot. You pull the sling shot back. You either
fire that marble or you drop it, and it's your
call and the way that you fire it is. But
keep going. But like, look at what you've accomplished. So
props to you, Kudos to you for what you've accomplished
and the impact that you've had, not just on the
(45:00):
team here at the Cascade, but all the Great Range
Athlete people because they all know who you are now,
because you're you're just you found yourself a community and
you are a perfect representation of what I'm trying to
build here at Great Range Athlete and what I think
everybody is coming here for ultimately is finding that community
and also finding the people of you know, that like
(45:20):
minded group of people who love to be in the
mountains but also want to push themselves to become their
best so that they don't feel like they stumble their
way on toe with summit and then they're dead for
the week following. No, they want to be able to
go up, come down, and go back to work tomorrow
like they didn't do anything. That is That is the difference,
and that's what we're we're you know, we're cultivating here
at Great Range Athlete. So I appreciate you. I appreciate
(45:42):
the watching your journey. It's been exciting.
Speaker 4 (45:45):
Thank you yo.
Speaker 8 (45:46):
Like Andrea said, when she lost her gym, she lost
her community. And I guess that's the one good thing
that you get from cross It.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
I get one is the community.
Speaker 8 (45:56):
But it's just a group, a network of people that
are like minded, and that is exactly what And now
now our teams are all mixing. We've got, you know,
our our Facebook group so everybody can can meet up
and it's an even bigger family than it was before.
I'm trying to meet as many people as I possibly
(46:17):
can from all the different teams.
Speaker 4 (46:19):
Everybody brings something different to the table.
Speaker 8 (46:22):
I think That's why Marco Polo is so valuable, because
you've got the US to bring all of their young energy,
and then you've got the starky older people like me
and Lindsay who can bring our.
Speaker 1 (46:38):
Everyone. He brings a unique quality to the to the mix,
and that's what makes it up such a hodgepodge, which
is awesome.
Speaker 8 (46:44):
But yeah, it's I think the community has really been
the most important thing to any of the success that
I mean, I guess you kind of help a little bit.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
I push, I push the I push that like off
on all of you guys. Don't look I'm a podcaster,
so I I.
Speaker 8 (47:02):
Behomable, impactful in my life. Oh I suppose, But it's
really the community. Having like friends now, like these aren't
just people that I've you know, been forced in a
zoom call at work to talk to these are you know?
Now we have friendships and you know you can trauma
bond on the on the trail and and make lifelong friends.
Speaker 4 (47:24):
So it's it's been pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (47:26):
I met with with Max, Mommy and Daddy in Baltimore
when they came, sorry, when they use to visit, and
just talking to Dave and like talking about the things
that I've accomplished since I started Great Ring Athlete a
year ago. And to me, it doesn't seem like a lot.
It doesn't seem like I've like like done this great thing.
But when I start listing off each little goal that
(47:49):
i've you know, overcame or that I've succeeded in, it
just adds up and I'm like, oh wow, like it's
it's pretty incredible. So I always encourage people to continuously
set those small goals for yourself along the way. You
can make a big goal, but continue making those small
goals along the way, because that's what's going to sustain you,
and that's what's going to put you through.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Absolutely, one foot in front of the other gets you
to the top of the mountain every single time, and
you can't skip that. You have to take one foot
in front of the next to get there. I love it.
That's going to wrap up this episode of the forty
six to forty six podcast. There's nothing else to say.
All of you guys were absolutely it was amazing being
on this team with you, guiding you guys, watching you grow,
(48:31):
watching your community build right before our very eyes. From
like I said, Week one, right week one. It felt
like you guys knew each other for months, so it
was super exciting, super exciting to see. I was going
to ask you guys, what was your favorite and least
favorite workout from the from the Great Range Athlete program,
But I don't want to spoilers for anyone who is
(48:51):
going to join, because I think that's half the fun
of not knowing what's coming and then watching everyone's faces
go oh no, and that's a that's a fun moment.
It's a fun moment. But anyways, thank you all for
being here allowing me the privilege of guiding you to
becoming stronger people both on the trail and in your life.
It's an honor for me every time I get to
run a Great Range Athlete team. So thank you to
(49:13):
all of the Cascade team for being here. I really
appreciate it. Thank you, Yeah, thank you Tom giddy Up,
giddy Up. He was supposed to be here tonight. He
said he was going to be here. He just probably
changed his plans because he is a retired gentleman that
does what he wants when he wants and just probably
just said, you know what, I just don't want to
and man, do I respect it. I respect it, Grandpa Tom.
(49:33):
Shout out to you, sir. But that's going to wrap
up this episode of the forty six of forty six podcast.
The next Great Range Athlete team that is filling up
starts July sixth, Yes, July sixth, So this sounds like
something that would be interesting to you that you want
to join a community, you want to become your very
best physically and mentally on the trail and in your life.
(49:54):
The Great Range Athlete program is a great place to
begin building that. Sign up at Great Range athlete dot com.
We kick off July sixth for six weeks, and yes
we'll go on a group hike at the end for
anyone that can make it up to the Adirondack Park.
But we're going to get you strong and fit and confidence,
so when you show up to the mountains, you show
up as a stronger version of yourself. Head over to
(50:15):
Great rangeathlete dot com to join that team. And thank
you all for listening to the forty six to forty
six podcast. Remember it always leave no trace. Do the
rock walk and if you carry it in, carry it out.
See you on the trails. Everybody
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