Easter Weekend & MSR Sucks

On Friday morning we emerged from the train tunnel under the Gotthard Pass to the sounds of oohs and aahs as fellow passengers took notice of the perfect Ticino weather. Just ten minutes earlier on the northern side of the pass were grey clouds and pessimism, but that quicky changed as we entered Tessin.

Airolo was the starting point for our four days of hiking, cycling, and camping. We camped one night near Biasca and two nights near Locarno. On Saturday we got drenched while biking from Biasca to Locarno, but on Monday we had a cool and pleasant ride to Lugano for a weekend total of 195km. On Sunday we visited and hiked in the Verzasca Valley just outside of Locarno. For years I've wanted to see more of Tessin and this was exactly how I wanted to do it. (photos)

The weekend also gave me a chance to try out the tent that I had bought on eBay. I also purchased a new matching groundsheet, but was unpleasantly surprised that it didn't fit the dimensions of my tent. I contacted MSR and learned that the groundsheet was made for a newer edition of the tent. This isn't indicated anywhere on the tent, groundsheet, or MSR website. My conclusion? MSR sucks. That's the last MSR product I buy.

Easter Weekend Planning & Cycling

Last night I met with friends to discuss plans for Easter. In Switzerland we have Friday and Monday off giving us a four-day weekend. The plan is to go hiking and cycling in Tessin (southern Switzerland) where the climate is typically better. I'm excited about the trip since I haven't seen much of Tessin except for Lugano. We're camping and this will let me try out my new gear before the upcoming June bike tour.

On Friday we will likely cycle the Lukmanier Pass that will take us to our campsite near Biasca. On Saturday we may cycle to the next campsite near Locarno and then go hiking on Sunday. It seems like a good plan. Let's hope for good weather. [Update: Forget the pass. It's April and still full of snow.]

Yesterday was perfect weather for a bike ride. I was joined by a new cycling buddy for an enjoyable 94km ride around St. Gallen and Thurgau (google earth). The ride shattered me and last night I slept like a rock.

Weight Loss - One Year Later

"My God you've gained weight!" was my brother's reaction in December 1993, just months after starting university. I was never fat or obese, but I was also never happy with my weight. Last year I peaked at 87kg and was disgusted by the baggage that came with it. Coming off a recent breakup, I decided to focus my thoughts and energy on a serious lifestyle change.

In the past I had failed with ad-hoc healthy lifestyles because I didn't know what I was doing. I searched for direction, and a Google query brought me to the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) program. It was perfect: The book provided guidance on the four essentials areas of goal setting, nutrition, cardio, and weight training. I applied what I learned and immediately saw results. This motivated me to work harder and after time the techniques became second nature. It's now one-year later and the results have been overwhelming: I'm 72kg, have replaced most of my clothes, and can cycle much harder than ever before. Most important is that I feel great.

Below is my weight chart for the last year. One thing that BFFM teaches is not to use weight as the primary metric for weight loss - fat loss is the real goal. Unfortunately I don't have a body-fat percentage chart because I get inconsistent results when measuring it. I know it's down, but I just don't know by how much. I highly recommend BFFM to anyone who wants to make a permanent lifestyle change to improve their health. I couldn't be happier.

Konzil-Radweg

I just got back from a beautiful 40km bike ride along the Konzil-Radweg that goes from St. Gallen to Konstanz. It's a great route that parallels the Lake of Constance about 1km inland from the shore. I managed to get to Kreuzlingen five minutes before the returning train departed. Yay!

I'm impressed with what St. Gallen and Thurgau have done with their regional bike routes. Unless I was oblivious to it before, a number of new routes have been marked and mapped over the past few years. It's a wonderful compliment to the nine national routes of Switzerland. Kudos to the Thurgau Tourist Office for providing a free book with information about the Thurgau routes. I hope to find a similar book for St. Gallen.