A Day in the Life By TED MAST
|
Healthy ■ From Page A2
|
|||||||
Fairway Estates resident tells his tales of adventure When you tell Fairway Estates resident Nick Garrow to “ go take a hike ,” buckle your fanny pack and come along for the ride . There ’ s gonna be a story to tell . Awhile back , when Nick was approaching 60 , he started planning his birthday celebration . Most of us in this generation would mark that one with a golf outing at our favorite course or possibly a weekend at the beach , maybe even a trip to Hawaii to do both of the above .
Nick set his sights a little higher , 19,341 feet higher to be exact . He flew half-way around the globe to Tanzania , Africa to climb Mt Kilimanjaro , the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world . Free-standing being not part of a mountain range .
Let ’ s back up for a moment to where that idea germinated . Nick ’ s brother-in-law founded Open Arms International and was living in Kenya . Open Arms is an organization devoted to helping some of the more than 1.5 million children in Kenya that are living without a family . Nick had made several trips to Kenya to help out , including one where he took his wife Kerry and her 85 year old mother . It was the trip closest to his 60th birthday that he decided to make the climb .
Mt Kilimanjaro is not considered a technical climb , meaning you can do it without an ice axe , ropes or harnesses . But it is still 6-plus long days of uphill walking . 65 % of those who attempt this trek do not make
|
Nick Garrow with his family in England . |
it to the summit . 50 % of all climbers suffer high altitude sickness . You can count Nick in this last group . Above 15,000 feet he began to feel like an elephant was sitting on his chest when he tried to breathe . Anything that he ate or drank came right back out , literally from both ends . This went on for two full days and nights . Finally , it was time to summit . That climb began at 11 p . m . with headlamps on , in order to be standing on top of the mountain for sunrise .
Nick was torn between getting out of his sleeping bag and attempting one final hike or just staying in his tent and waiting for the group to come back down . One advantage to being up more than 3 ½ miles in the air is that your prayers tend to get answered a lot quicker and he was able to summon the fortitude to finish the climb . Many who have made it to the top say “ Kilimanjaro is the hardest thing I ’ ve ever done , especially the summit night .”
Fast forward 10 years and Mr . Garrow is turning 70 . Let ’ s stay a little closer to sea level this time and walk the entire 84-mile length of Hadrian ’ s Wall in Northern England . Loosely referred to as running along the Anglo-Scottish border , this 1900-year-old wall is the largest Roman archaeological feature in Britain , built to
|
A view of Mt . Kilimanjaro .
COURTESY PHOTO
keep barbarians from the north from coming in to steal animals , treasure or slaves .
This time it is truly a family affair . Nick was traveling with two of his sons and a daughter , and , at times , with a whole lot of sheep . With enough advance planning , you can arrange stays at wonderful bed and breakfast inns along the way . Your gear is transported from one pre-selected stop to the next so all you need each morning is your daypack . It is still a grind . Due to the kid ’ s vacation schedule they chose to finish in one week , so they trekked about 15 miles per day . But that still left time to visit some of the many forts and castles and museums along the route . And each night you got to tip a pint in a British pub with supper before retiring to your charming B & B . The last couple of mornings may have started with applying moleskin and blister cream to your feet before the boots went on , but that is a small price to pay for sharing such a memorable experience with family .
Nick is already setting his sights way out there for number 80 . He is counting on the city of Wilsonville to do the right thing with walking paths on French Prairie . He laughs when he says he is planning on leading his entire family on not just one , but two complete loops around French Prairie Road .
|
Jan . 4 , at 12:30 p . m .
Nutrition expert Christina Lucy will reveal how misleading food labels contribute to poor health and obesity . Attendees will learn secrets and enlightening tips for smarter shopping and healthier eating habits .
Event details
■ Location : Charbonneau Country Club ’ s Activity Center ( Kalapuya Room )
■ Cost : Free ( registration required )
■ How to register : Call or text Christina at 971-409-4659
Your healthier future starts here
Pairing regular exercise with nutritious eating is a proven way to improve overall well-being . Charbonneau Country Club ’ s fitness classes and educational events provide the perfect opportunity to make positive changes .
Kickstart your journey to better health today by exploring all that Charbonneau Country Club has to offer !
|