Your 30 some year old friend has come back from the beach & has told you that this was the first year his wife made some fun about the little paunch hanging over his bathing suit & those ample love handles.
He knows you hike a lot & appear in good shape. Being the Type A personality that he is, he wants to climb Mt. Washington, this year (it's 7/31/01 today) and is willing to do whatever you tell him about getting in shape & going on three to six warm up hikes. He can only hike every over weekend, one day, jog 3x a week & is cutting Oreo's from his diet. (5'10" 215 or so about 175-180 would be normal, not a running physique but shoulders aren't Arnold's either. Recent physical was unremarkable for heart condition but cholesterol was 220 & MD thought he should consider some dietary & excerise changes, softball & bowling is not enough by themselves or dog walking around the block)
The more warm up hikes you go on, the later it gets in the year obviously. My thought is a mid-Sept to 11/4 deadline on your planned ascent as your friend while willing to trust you & buy some gear is not looking at crampons, snowshoes, sorels or Plastic boots, face mask & goggles as being required or even advisable.
What gear do you have him get? (he has day-hiking boots Asolo 357's he wears in winter around town in good shape & wool socks for waiting for the bus.)
Where in the Northeast do you go for warm up hikes? Same hill or gradual build up. He is a good friend & will listen to you but will do Washington with or without you so in his best interest & your friendships interest you agree to go but you set the rules, nothing dictator like just your standard day hiking routine.
The reason I ask, is that I was checking the accident reports on AMC's website yesterday & while I thought the non-winter 2000 season was unremarkable, there were six fatalities due to heart attacks (or very similar) with four victims between 35-50, all males. (Lonesome Lake, Ossipees, Cardigan, Monadnock & two other locations I forget)
He knows you hike a lot & appear in good shape. Being the Type A personality that he is, he wants to climb Mt. Washington, this year (it's 7/31/01 today) and is willing to do whatever you tell him about getting in shape & going on three to six warm up hikes. He can only hike every over weekend, one day, jog 3x a week & is cutting Oreo's from his diet. (5'10" 215 or so about 175-180 would be normal, not a running physique but shoulders aren't Arnold's either. Recent physical was unremarkable for heart condition but cholesterol was 220 & MD thought he should consider some dietary & excerise changes, softball & bowling is not enough by themselves or dog walking around the block)
The more warm up hikes you go on, the later it gets in the year obviously. My thought is a mid-Sept to 11/4 deadline on your planned ascent as your friend while willing to trust you & buy some gear is not looking at crampons, snowshoes, sorels or Plastic boots, face mask & goggles as being required or even advisable.
What gear do you have him get? (he has day-hiking boots Asolo 357's he wears in winter around town in good shape & wool socks for waiting for the bus.)
Where in the Northeast do you go for warm up hikes? Same hill or gradual build up. He is a good friend & will listen to you but will do Washington with or without you so in his best interest & your friendships interest you agree to go but you set the rules, nothing dictator like just your standard day hiking routine.
The reason I ask, is that I was checking the accident reports on AMC's website yesterday & while I thought the non-winter 2000 season was unremarkable, there were six fatalities due to heart attacks (or very similar) with four victims between 35-50, all males. (Lonesome Lake, Ossipees, Cardigan, Monadnock & two other locations I forget)