Hiking the Swiss Alps Days 6-7 of 7: Ramslauenen t... Dave eating a typical breakfast Day 6 of 7: July 22, 2008 After eating a typical breakfast of muesli with yogurt, coffee with steamed milk, rolls, croissants, cheeses and meats, we began our last day of real hiking. The morning was damp with dense fog. We had two options: around the side of the mountain or over the mountain. On the advice of our host from the Berghaus Ramslauenen, we chose to go around the mountain,...

Hiking the Swiss Alps Day 5 of 7: Alpiglen to Rams... View of the valley from the Eiger TrailDay 5 of 7: July 21, 2008 My first good night’s sleep was at Alpiglen! My stomach FINALLY seems to be settling down after four days of nausea and frequent bowel movements. After a typical breakfast of rolls with butter / jam / honey, coffee with steamed milk, meats and cheeses, Dave and I leave the Berghaus to hike along the Eiger Trail along the base of the Eiger mountain. We...

Hiking the Swiss Alps Day 4 of 7: Gspaltenhornhüt... Dave crossing a snowfield Day 4 of 7: July 20, 2008 After another sleepless night with multiple trips in the dark, cold, windy night to the toilet on the side of the mountain, I climbed out of my bunk around 0630. The early morning risers had already eaten breakfast and left to summit the mountain. Dave and I left the hut around 0730 in anticipation of afternoon showers, which we hoped to avoid while on the mountain....

Hiking the Swiss Alps Day 3 of 7: Kandersteg to Gs... Above the Oeschinensee Day 3 of 7: July 19, 2008 When Dave had asked the girl at the visitors center in Kandersteg about our planned hiked from Kandersteg (where we were) to Gspaltenhornhütte (another Swiss Alpine Club mountain hut), she laughed and stated that it was not possible to make the hike in one day. We did the make the hike in one day - 8.5 hours of mostly climbing. We checked out of Hotel Ericka before breakfast...

Hiking the Swiss Alps Days 1-2 of 7: Zermatt and t... View of the Matterhorn from Zermatt Days 1 of 7: July 17, 2008 My friend, Dave Tipler, and I spent a week traipsing through the Swiss Alps in July. Dave was in Darmstadt, Germany for business, and I was in Roth, Germany for the Quelle Challenge. The timing worked out perfectly! On Wednesday, July 16, I took the train from Roth (near Nurembourg) to meet Dave in Darmstatdt (near Frankfurt) and we drove down to Randa...

SOF Academy: Regret or Glory - Which Do You Want B... “There are 2 aspects in life that will haunt you for the rest of your life that will last forever: Regret and Glory…which one do you want burned into the memories of your soul - Regret or Glory?” - Special Operations Force Academy Instructor Jono Photo: Team “Slit Throat” dressed up for our late night Field Training Exercise (I’m in lower right hand corner) The following is a copy...

SOF Academy: I Earn My Nickname “Monkey Butt... This was one of the lighter moments during my week long adventure at the Special Operations Force Academy in Virginia Beach, VA. After a morning of SCUBA training in the pool in Virginia Beach, we drove to Lake Rawlings on Tuesday afternoon to practice our open water SCUBA diving. On Wednesday around noon, while we were packing up our gear (personal gear, air tanks, BCD’s, wetsuits, etc) in order to head back...

Special Operations Force Academy: Was It Worth It?... Photo: Special Operations Force Academy Participants + Instructors (me on far left) When I completed 7 days of the Special Operations Force Academy and SEAL Adventure Challenge yesterday, I cried. This week was arguably the longest week of my life and I walked away learning more about myself than I expected. This week also brought me full circle on on a number of significant life events that have been haunting me for...

A New Challenge: Special Operations Force Academy ... “The only easy day was yesterday.” - Navy SEALs motto Image: SEAL Training Adventures logo Ok, I admit, I should be taking it easy for a few more weeks, but I can’t pass up this opportunity as a writer on assignment for Tri-DC Magazine to participate in the week long Special Operations Force Academy starting April 27 and run by SEAL Training Adventures. Navy SEALs are the “best of the best,” and I want...

My South Carolina Work Week: From a TriathleteR... Steve Smith in Salem, SCImagine working a 40-hour per week job, but instead of putting on khaki’s and a Polo shirt then driving to work, you either put on a wetsuit then jump in a lake or put on bike shorts/top that hop on your bike. This was my training week in SC. Exercise was my “job” for the week. Total training hours for this week: 37 hr 35 min Here’s what my friend, Steve, and I did: Saturday,...