Mountain Goat Course, Part II

In the last post I began to describe the Mountain Goat Course. Randy Wears' training grounds and lucky for me, mine as well. Here we go to the next part of the course.

After the horizontal ladder from the previous post (please check it out if you haven't) we take off down a small hill and as you begin up the other side you deviate off course to a fallen tree. This tree is an easy jump now although it started as a four foot high obstacle to get over. As mother nature would have it, and quite possibly the power of Randy, the tree fell to the ground in defeat. So it is a small hop and on up the hill to the rope climb on the rock. Its a small 50 yards or so from the ladder to this rope but you do pass the mile mark here.

At the rock we climb up a 15 ft rock face with a rope tied to a tree about 6 ft over the top edge. You climb up, touch the tree, then climb back down. This is done six times before heading to the next obstacle. This is a good workout for your biceps and back. It will also help with your balance and dexterity. So far I haven't fallen off or anything. Remember what this looks like as we will hit it again on the way back.

After the rock face we head out a few yards and turn up a brutal incline to the picnic table where the free hanging rope is. The incline is very steep and will test your mental grit as a few times you think you are close to the top only to look up and realize you have a ways to go.

Once at the top you need to get a few deep breaths before attempting to climb a free hanging rope. I'm not sure how Randy got it up that high but its close to 20 ft where it is tied to the tree branch. We head up and down that a few times. The rope works, arm strength, your back, your core and something most people don't think about, your grip. It is a 1 in rope and to pull yourself up you will need a strong grip. Afterward I can feel how hard my forearms worked.

From here we head up a slight incline, across some trail and down a hill to a sunny spot that looks perfect for push ups. We stop and do sets of T push ups. this is a push up where at the top you turn to your side raising one arm straight up so one hand is on the ground, both arms are fully extended and your feet are to the side on the ground. You go back down and come up to do the other side. Its a good chest and core workout. 

After sets of T push ups we run "around the horn." This is a trail around the top of a ridge, it rolls with some steep, small hills that have some soft dirt adding to the training. Its about 3/4 of a mile so its a good place to stretch your legs out. We just passed mile 2 and are ready for a couple big hills. But we will save that for next time.

For now, get out and GET SOME!