Physical Fitness and Outdoorsmanship

I'd like to talk a bit more about this subject.

Does physical fitness play a role in outdoorsmanship? Can a fat person do as much or enjoy as much as a thinner person? Can an old person get as much out of a trip outdoors as a young person?

A year ago at Practice What You Preach (PWYP) I climbed to the top of Chestnut Mountain and, due to fatigue and lack of fitness, I suffered the whole way up. When I got there I vowed to lose some weight, get in better shape, and ascend again the following year.

Scheduling difficulties got in the way and I didn't make it back this year. I didn't manage to lose any of the weight or get in better shape either.

I often joke about the extra weight I carry but I wonder just how that has impacted my time in the woods. I have to get the extra strong hammock because the ultralight jobs often list maximum weight as just slightly more than my "out of the shower" weight.

This lack of fitness came in to play again in Denver where the altitude, combined with the level of activity, has left me totally smashed. I'm still trying desperately to get enough sleep to feel like a normal human being again. (Yes, as normal as I could ever be...)

Survival situations call for controlled exertion (sweating can lead to dehydration and/or hypothermia depending upon the environment.) A more fit person can do more with less effort and could, hypothetically, have an easier time because of the ability to do more work preparing for the night, weather, etc. before stopping.

It seems hard to believe that losing 15 pounds wouldn't benefit my time in the woods.

Thanks for reading,

B