| Home | ||||||||
Peak fitness
Heather leads treks in Nepal
Detroit Free Press
October 27, 2007
BY PATRICIA CHARGOT
A gym is about the last place you'll find Heather O'Neal, 41. The Ann Arbor native has never done yoga or lifted weights, and only recently started jogging. Yet she's in good enough shape to lead annual expeditions to the base camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal. Heather credits her fitness to trekking, which is different than power walking -- and a lot more fun. And her lifestyle is a form of exercise in itself: She does 10 things to make money, including running Of Global Interest Adventure Travel LLC and the Eighth St. Trekker's Lodge out of her home.
What is trekking?
Advertisement
It's a long, arduous journey -- several miles, several days, more than a walk around the block. I like to do what I call treks around Ann Arbor where we do 8, 10, 15 miles.
What's the three-week Nepal trek like?
You have a mission, a goal. We're going from this village to this village, and the next day we're going even further. It's like "The Wizard of Oz." You're stuck with these different people, and you all have different reasons for being there, and you just go for days and days. And you really think, "Why am I doing this?" It's a lesson in living in the present. It's just you and Mother Nature and these incredible mountains and you're just walking. And it's not hard.
How fit do you need to be?
You should be able to run for an hour without stopping at whatever speed. Or walk for 5-6 hours in a day with rests. A lot of people, they see me and think, "If she can do it, I can do it."
How can a local trek compare to that?
It's an event, too. It's not like, "Man, I can't wait until my exercise hour is over." Like these long dinner treks, we stop and have appetizers and then we have dinner and then dessert. And you feel so good afterwards. Like "Oh my God, I can't believe we walked 15 miles."
What do you do regularly?
I don't do a lot. I should do more. ... Lately, I started jogging because a friend inspired me. I jog really slowly for 30 minutes. Before, I would often take long walks, and I still sometimes do that. But jogging is faster.
Anything else?
I never drive. I just try to walk whenever I can. ... I'm always hurrying, rushing. I love to clean! I have two houses I clean once a week. It takes me five hours, and I get a really good workout.
How else do you support yourself?
I sell things from Nepal. I give talks at schools. I inn-sit at a couple of other bed and breakfasts. I sell my drawings. I've been cutting hair. I play the bells at the Kerrytown bell tower. And I drive people to and from the airport.
How did you become so fearless?
I joined the Peace Corps after college and went to Hungary. It was such an empowering travel experience! You're out there in your village by yourself and it's up to you what happens. You get very strong and confident. After that, you can do pretty much anything.
Patricia is a Free Press staff writer. You can talk to her at 313.223.4788 or pchargot@freepress.com.
Take the first step
The best treks promote friendship as well as fitness. Here's how to get started.
• Visit Heather's Web site at www.ofglobalinterest.com for trek information, including her New Year's Eve trek from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti. Heather also will help you organize your own trekking party.
• The Sierra Club offers treks ranging from a few hours to a week. The Michigan chapter's Web site is www.michigan.sierraclub.org.
• Strike out on your own! A good place to start is the Huron-Clinton Metroparks system, which offers miles of trails.
Heather leads treks in Nepal
Detroit Free Press
October 27, 2007
BY PATRICIA CHARGOT
A gym is about the last place you'll find Heather O'Neal, 41. The Ann Arbor native has never done yoga or lifted weights, and only recently started jogging. Yet she's in good enough shape to lead annual expeditions to the base camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal. Heather credits her fitness to trekking, which is different than power walking -- and a lot more fun. And her lifestyle is a form of exercise in itself: She does 10 things to make money, including running Of Global Interest Adventure Travel LLC and the Eighth St. Trekker's Lodge out of her home.
What is trekking?
Advertisement
It's a long, arduous journey -- several miles, several days, more than a walk around the block. I like to do what I call treks around Ann Arbor where we do 8, 10, 15 miles.
What's the three-week Nepal trek like?
You have a mission, a goal. We're going from this village to this village, and the next day we're going even further. It's like "The Wizard of Oz." You're stuck with these different people, and you all have different reasons for being there, and you just go for days and days. And you really think, "Why am I doing this?" It's a lesson in living in the present. It's just you and Mother Nature and these incredible mountains and you're just walking. And it's not hard.
How fit do you need to be?
You should be able to run for an hour without stopping at whatever speed. Or walk for 5-6 hours in a day with rests. A lot of people, they see me and think, "If she can do it, I can do it."
How can a local trek compare to that?
It's an event, too. It's not like, "Man, I can't wait until my exercise hour is over." Like these long dinner treks, we stop and have appetizers and then we have dinner and then dessert. And you feel so good afterwards. Like "Oh my God, I can't believe we walked 15 miles."
What do you do regularly?
I don't do a lot. I should do more. ... Lately, I started jogging because a friend inspired me. I jog really slowly for 30 minutes. Before, I would often take long walks, and I still sometimes do that. But jogging is faster.
Anything else?
I never drive. I just try to walk whenever I can. ... I'm always hurrying, rushing. I love to clean! I have two houses I clean once a week. It takes me five hours, and I get a really good workout.
How else do you support yourself?
I sell things from Nepal. I give talks at schools. I inn-sit at a couple of other bed and breakfasts. I sell my drawings. I've been cutting hair. I play the bells at the Kerrytown bell tower. And I drive people to and from the airport.
How did you become so fearless?
I joined the Peace Corps after college and went to Hungary. It was such an empowering travel experience! You're out there in your village by yourself and it's up to you what happens. You get very strong and confident. After that, you can do pretty much anything.
Patricia is a Free Press staff writer. You can talk to her at 313.223.4788 or pchargot@freepress.com.
Take the first step
The best treks promote friendship as well as fitness. Here's how to get started.
• Visit Heather's Web site at www.ofglobalinterest.com for trek information, including her New Year's Eve trek from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti. Heather also will help you organize your own trekking party.
• The Sierra Club offers treks ranging from a few hours to a week. The Michigan chapter's Web site is www.michigan.sierraclub.org.
• Strike out on your own! A good place to start is the Huron-Clinton Metroparks system, which offers miles of trails.
|
||||