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Dear <<First Name>>,
Thank you for reading Dr. Jon's March Adventure Newsletter! Sorry for the delayed release of the March newsletter; life has been so busy since I returned from K2; a lot of people and things to catch up with.
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The Dash
We all have a birth year, and we all will have a year we died. In between there's a dash that summarizes our lives. How are you living that Dash?
High altitude mountaineering is a game of risk management, attention to detail, and learning how to make the best decisions while learning from your mistakes. Everyday life often involves the same. Every day we are faced with choices, such as who we spend time with, the attitude with which we approach each day, and how we pursue happiness.
The major difference between the choices we make in the mountains and the ones we make daily in life is that most of our daily choices in life don't have the risk of death. Check out this photo.
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High on K2 (Esteban Topo Photo)
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If you could teleport to this spot on K2, would you choose to continue toward the summit or descend back to the safety of Base Camp?
I'm still processing all that happened on K2 in January and February and what it means for me in the future. I've now been back from K2 for almost a month and it's a new chapter in life for me in so many ways.
It's very possible that something happened to my friends JP Mohr, Ali Sadparra, and John Snorri in this area of K2 above 8100m (called the Traverse). We may never know. When I see this photo, I actually think of home. I think of the life I've built and of the potential I still have to learn how to unlock in my personal relationships on my journey to being a good person and maybe even find my life partner and raise a family.
I'm grateful for the opportunity and experience I had in Pakistan and on K2 the last couple months, but also still saddened by the drama of the aftermath for some. I'm a very honest, straightforward, and at times vulnerable person, but I'm not always good at showing empathy or sadness for others going through a tough time.
I try to express my challenges to others I'm around with an open mind and heart, but I know sometimes those thoughts don't come through in my actions. Through it all, I want to express my daily gratitude for each day on this planet and I strive to be better for those around me every day, and you should too. We only get one Dash, right?
My healing process continues this month, but I have learned a lot and am ready for the best that is yet to come in my Dash. The best summits are gained by a patience and attention to detail, with a steady dose of confidence that if conditions aren't right, we can turn around, go home, and try again another time when conditions are better.
Now get out there, keep learning from your mistakes, set the bar higher and higher each day, and live your Dash to the fullest!
Dr. Jon
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Sunset over the Karakoram and my K2 expedition.
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K2 Recap
K2 Raffle / Fundraiser:
We held the raffle drawing on February 25, live on IG live from my car. Overall we raised $14,000 for the porters and Sherpas who help with our treks! I was able to deliver about 1/2 the funds at K2 before I left to some Sherpas and our kitchen staff. The remainder I will hand out in Nepal when I'm there next month on my next expedition.
These support staff were paid for their time and work on this expedition; the money your donations provided was given in addition to their pay to make up for lost income from 2020. They were all very appreciative of your kindness and generosity that you would help out them and their families even though you've never met.
I've added a video on the web page for my foundation, The N.O.D. Everest Foundation, showing Dawa Sherpa giving Lhakpa Dendi Sherpa $1000 on my behalf. Check it out here!
K2 Winter Climb Summary:
For an update on how the expedition ended, please check out my blog at www.jonkedrowski.com/blog.
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Hanging out with Sona And Pasang who had a successful trip to K2. I'm looking forward to hanging out with my friends on Everest again this spring!
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Training Corner: Specificity
It's an exciting spring here at N.O.D. Enterprises as several of our athletes are either embarking on their big goal adventure, or they are in the peak phase of training. It's been fun working with individuals of such varying goals: climbing to the top of the world, getting faster at duathlons, and many cool adventures in between.
With athletes nearing their big adventure goal, the topic of specificity comes up. When you first begin training, your workouts should be more general and then as you get closer to the big event, the workouts become more specific. It's like building a house. You can't install the cabinets or flooring (specific) until you've poured the foundation and built the frame (general).
In training for endurance adventures, in the early stages of training we focus on building general strength, aerobic endurance, and flexibility. For mountain climbers, you can build that aerobic endurance many ways: running, cycling, swimming, skiing, hiking, etc.
Once that foundation is laid (over a period of months), then we transition to more specific training. This means focusing on the specific muscles, movement patterns, gear, nutrition, and conditions you'll be using and experiencing during your goal adventure. We do more training sessions that are simulations of the big event (just not the same duration or intensity).
For example, let's focus on an Everest climber. If you are not an experienced endurance athlete, it can take a year or more to build the aerobic engine and metabolic efficiency you'll need to increase your chances of a successful summit. In the first few months, we focus on aerobic workouts that fit your lifestyle and time, every day chiseling a little more away at your endurance sculpture.
Over time, workouts get longer and you may do some that are longer (in distance and elevation gain) than you'd experience on Everest on any particular day. Because these training climbs are done at a much lower elevation, they are not as taxing as they would be on Everest, but they give you the endurance boost you need to cover the distance and elevation gain.
As you get into the last few months before heading to Nepal, the training gets much more specific. In this peak phase of training, for those who can it's good to go international and climb a 20,000'+ peak to get experience at altitude, test your gear, and experience international climbing.
Even if you cannot do this, you can do Everest simulation training where you are. Plan for days where you climb the same elevation as you do on Everest on any particular day (you never climb from Base Camp to the summit in one day), such as climbing from Base Camp to Camp 2. Wear your down suit and 8000m boots so you can practice venting to avoid overheating. Practice going slow to avoid overheating. Work on your rest step, which you'll need at high altitude. Wear your crampons more frequently and practice taking them off and putting them on in cold conditions. Do some early morning or late night hikes to get accustomed to moving efficiently in the dark.
There are so many ways you can make your training specific, and the more you do this in the last few weeks before your event, the more prepared and confident you will be.
It's like the well-known saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin:
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Interested in learning more on how to train for big adventures? Contact us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
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The concept of specificity: train in the gear you'll be climbing in during your big event once in awhile, so you know how it will perform. With the case of downsuits like in the picture, training in them helps you understand how to vent, where all the zippers and pockets are, and how your body moves with the extra warmth, bulk, and weight.
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Upcoming Schedule
5th Annual Everest Base Camp Trek
I have a busy schedule the next few weeks before leaving at the end of the month for Nepal, where I will first be guiding my 5th annual trek to Everest Base Camp. We have a fun team of 9 joining myself and my friend Lhakpa Sherpa. Stay tuned in the month of April for blog updates and IG posts detailing our trek and the Nepalese culture.
In addition, I'll soon be announcing a new fundraising website. I'd like to continue raising money for the Sherpa community who lost so much of the income they depend on due to tourism and mountain climbing being cancelled in 2020.
Although I cannot add any more members to the trek this year, if you are interested in joining us in the spring of 2022, contact me at dr.jonked@gmail.com and my business partner Aaron Jenniges at JennigesAaronJ@gmail.com and one of us will get back to you promptly with more information.
Everest Summit Climb
I am looking forward to being back on Everest for my 5th expedition, returning to the south side (Nepal) route for the first time since 2015. In 2018 and 2019, I climbed Everest from the north (Tibet) side. I'm really excited to guide a client 1-on-1 again this year.
Keynote Speaking
Once I return from Everest in late May, I'll be available again to deliver my inspiring keynote address to your organization. Lately I've been speaking about Weathering Storms and Staying Prepared, sharing lessons and motivational stories from my climbing adventures. Since returning from K2, I've been working on adding some new material on risk management and leadership to the keynote. More on that to come soon!
With spring and then summer coming up, I can always pair a keynote event with a morning after follow-up hike or other mini-adventure.
Adventure Training & Consulting
Even though I'll be gone in April and May, we have decent connectivity in Nepal so I'm still available to help you with your adventure goals. You can read more about how I can help you through services such as phone adventure consultation, monthly training plans, or 1-day mountain training sessions.
Contact me at dr.jonked@gmail.com and my business partner Aaron Jenniges at JennigesAaronJ@gmail.com and one of us will get back to you promptly.
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Training with friends and family makes those cold days that much better. Have fun out there and take advantage of the snow while it’s still here!
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