Go Ruthie!

Ruthie in the Tu/Th 8am Relentless Boot Camp at Barton Hills Elementary climbed the highest point in TX--8,749 feet.

Ruthie writes, "It was a practice hike to test our gear for the Kili climb. We camped near the Guadalupe Peak summit in 14 degree weather to make sure our gear could well, keep us alive and warm through the night. Everything went well, obviously. Except all our water was frozen solid in the mornings! We spent our days hiking around the range to get used to the physical strain.

Now, in Africa we won't have to carry all our gear around like on this trip, but it will be higher with less oxygen. This trip was to a Texas desert and we had to carry gallons and gallons of water, our tent and sleeping gear with us everywhere we went. It was 40lbs on each of our backs the entire time. In Africa they carry your gear for you so it will hopefully be easier in that regard. And there are fresh water springs on Kilimanjaro. So we won't have to carry ALL our water around. Also no open fires allowed in Texas National Parks so no camp fire to warm up around. It was an experience!

I'm not gonna lie and say it was a cake walk. It was a struggle sometimes, but we learned a lot, our gear worked well and it really was a great experience to help prepare for the big climb. I don't know if I could have done it before the hundreds of squats and lunges during CrossFit. Thanks!! Hope your thanksgiving was wonderful and inspiring as well!!"

Ruthie and her husband are climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in March in celebration of their wedding anniversary. What did you do over Thanksgiving to stay active?

I ran the Thanksgiving 5K Fun Run with CrossFit Central and did a family workout with my sisters on Friday in my garage gym---lots of burpees!