Day 2 - Learning to leave it behind

The morning started early with rising at 6:30 to prepare for a day of backcountry ski touring. Normally, I'd bust open the carton of eggs, scramble some up with cheese and possibly veggies, toss into a tortilla and chow down. On Day 2, I kept it simple with a bowl of muesli and soy milk and black coffee. En route to Herman Gulch (east of the Eisenhower tunnel), Chris and I stopped at Blue Moon Bakery so he could get a breakfast bagel sandwich complete with sausage, egg and cheese. I filled up with more coffee.

Our ski tour had us gain some 2,000 feet or more of elevation. We hiked into Herman Gulch with our skis on our packs. Hunger pangs started to hit early, so I tore into half the peanut butter and banana sandwich I made for lunch. But, that didn't quite stick. Within the hour I consumed the vegan brownie I brought, then had half a Lara bar.

As we gained Pettingell Peak for a sweet line down the center of a south-east facing gully, my stamina was definitely taxed. Not sure if I was tired from lack of sleep or because I was bonking, but my spirits were lifted by the fortunate siting of three mountain goats that came bounding down a snowy ridge due west. They marched single file across the upper third of a broad couloir before jumping with outstanding ease to perch on a series of craggy ledges that formed the east facing wall of Pettingell's southern ridge. Fantastic stuff. After that, we took off our skis and swooshed downhill.

After our ski, we returned oddly enough to Blue Moon for a bagel with hummus (my order) and a chocolate eclair (Chris' order). Dinner consisted of left over burrito makings. Dessert was sliced strawberries and half a kiwi.

I woke at 4:30 am completely famished. I'm thinking the lunch was rather insubstantial given the caloric output for the day. Safe bet, eh? I didn't get back to sleep until well after 5.

Time to assess my overall level of activity in relation to incoming calories. That and consider my protein intake. All in all though, I'm feeling great and learning to leave behind the dairy - albeit slowly.