Our departure date is approaching fast. Jo Inge and Wendy leave home on November 1st and are busy packing. It’s obviously also a busy time at work, preparing for a three-week absence. Our training has been going well, with a good balance between running, biking and kayaking … thanks to our Sportsmaster paddling machine, which enables us to enjoy indoor paddling on dark autumn evenings! We’ve also managed to find some time for a bit of climbing, to be better prepared for rope activities… whatever they might be! On Saturday we participated in our last competition before departure: the annual Cadaver Race – a 25km orienteering run. Jo Inge finished in a respectable 8th position. Wendy was further down the result-list, but also had a great day in the woods and enjoyed the sun after all the rain we’ve had lately.
Here in Ås it’s hard to prepare fully for what is to come. The course profile has been published and emphasizes what we knew: it’s going to be high and steep! Jo Inge and Wendy have a plan for one week of acclimatization near Quito. Chris and Karl arrive in Quito on November 6th and just have to hope that things will go well. We all have some previous experience at altitudes of around 4500m, but are still somewhat nervous about competing so high. Indeed, there are plenty of unknowns to wonder about now and we have that nervous, anxious, excited tingling in the stomach… just the way it is supposed to feel before a real adventure is about to begin!
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