My Chugach regime consisted of doing the appropriate 5BX level (you move up in both activity and level as you progress) followed by either a hike with the pack, or a run. With the pack, I gradually increased both pack weight and distance; with the run, it was distance and time. I did one or the other every second day, warm or cold, rain or shine (or snow or sleet) from January through to departure in August.
By the way, I also cut out alcohol completely, along with donuts, brownies, ice cream, salt and vinegar potato chips, and microwave popcorn. As for the rest of my diet, nothing special—just less.
On January 7, 1990, I weighed 190 pounds, and carried a 50-pound pack four miles in 64 minutes. By July, I was up to six miles with a 70-pound pack, and that same month completed an 18-mile run in 135 minutes. My last run before leaving in August was six miles in 44 minutes, level #5 D+ on the 5BX chart, and down to 167 pounds.
As mentioned, I had no one to advise me on this aside from a few (very few!) articles on fitness from old hunting magazines and, frankly, they were little real help.
For those who have read this far, and are interested in undertaking some fitness training before hunting season, here’s a hot tip: Professional advice is available, and it’s easily accessible, affordable, and personalized to your particular requirements. All you need is an internet connection to log on to www.stayfittohunt.com. Ask for Jeremy. Tell him I sent you.
Jeremy Koerber is the proprietor and head trainer, a Missouri native (and hunter) who is disgustingly fit. I ran into him at my gym a few months ago, where he saw me on a treadmill with a backpack and stopped to ask what mountain I was climbing.
We got talking and he told me about his program. I’ll be going into more detail about specifics, such as training for turkey hunting, or getting ready for elk in the mountains, in later missives. For now, suffice to say he has different levels of programs you can follow on your own, there are YouTube videos to show you how, and Jeremy makes a point of being available to any new subscriber who wants to ask questions.
In answer to a few obvious ones: Yes, even as little as a month’s preparation can make a difference, and no, it’s not necessarily all about losing weight, and yes, even as old as you are, it can help a lot, and no, you won’t spend a fortune on equipment.
But don’t take my word for it. Ask Jeremy. You have his number.
Terry Wieland is shooting editor of Gray’s Sporting Journal. His ambition for an epitaph: “He was in great shape when he died.”
