Bill Powell, West Virginia, joined Fit Father Project in 2020 at age 60. Bill has since lost 50 pounds and even joined us at a Fit Father Project Wellness Retreat in Sedona, AZ. Bill has also recently received his license as a certified personal trainer! Retired now, this lawyer and former prosecutor decided to take the journey of a lifetime. Hiking 500 miles across Colorado SOLO at age 64! That is some tough, tough terrain with some rough weather. Bill shares the story of his Colorado adventure. Let his words inspire you to think big!
Bill says…
I woke up this morning and my legs were still sore. The soreness is not from a heavy squat day. It is the remnants of my 500-mile backpacking trip on the Colorado Trail—which I just concluded earlier in September. The soreness becomes immediately understandable when you consider that I am 64 years old and accept what hiking 12-20 miles a day for six weeks over some of the most rugged and remote terrain in this country does to a body. (continue below)
“During this adventure …I thought often of my FFP journey. From my first Apex 10 as an obese and frustrated man… to a lifetime member who finally understood what it would take to be the ‘best version of myself.'”
Bill Powell at the beginning and end of his Colorado trek
It was during this adventure when I thought often of my FFP journey. From my first Apex 10 as an obese and frustrated man who had tried every conceivable “diet” and exercise program, to a lifetime member who finally understood what it would take to be the “best version of myself.” I eventually learned that the hardest part of my body to train was the space between my ears. I could continue to engage in negative thoughts and talk about my past efforts and how I looked, or I could finally change my thinking to the positive and decide there was nothing I could not accomplish. I chose the latter.
I am a goal-oriented person. Set a goal. Accomplish the goal. It worked in my professional life, and even sometimes worked in my fitness life. But, until my FFP journey I did not truly understand the changes I would need to make, and how my mindset needed to change. So, after completing all the FFP phases, I set the goal to hike the Colorado Trail. I was an experienced backpacker, but never tackled a goal like what I was about to take on. It took months of planning and training. The training helped, but I soon learned that I would have to dig deeper than ever—both physically and mentally—to complete the trail.
My backpack weighed, depending on food and water needs, between 30 and 40 pounds. The weather could be hot, cold, rainy, and/or windy. Hail and thunderstorms that shook me to the core tested my resolve more frequently than I expected. Lightning storms on high mountain passes, when you are tallest thing in the area, reveals one’s true spiritual status. Legs burned on climbs and on the steepest parts I frequently needed to stop every 50-100 feet to catch my breath at altitudes ranging between 11,000 and 13,000 feet. It sometimes took an hour to go a mile when the incline was at a 16% grade. The fact that I have a pacemaker did not help matters. Downhills provided different challenges, including loose rockslides and trails that put my ankles and knees to their limits. (more after photos)
Did negative thoughts enter my mind? Hell, yes! In the first two weeks I fought the demons of negativity. Thoughts of my easier life at home and questions about why I was doing this surfaced frequently. But, just like those early thoughts during Apex 10, Double Trouble etc., I pushed them out of my mind. I was not going to stop. “BE RELENTLESS” is what I wrote in the front of my journal, which I referenced every night. I received encouragement from FFP brothers and others, which helped immensely. However, the mental strength and positivity that I had developed during FFP is really what got me through the most physically and mentally demanding challenge I had ever faced. Fortunately, I suffered no serious injuries. I certainly lost significant weight—including some muscle—and my new goal is to get that muscle back without gaining back the fat. Just another goal—without the complications of altitude!
Setting goals and overcoming the negative thinking is what led to my successful completion of the trail. I have FFP to thank for helping me get there.
Bill Powell
Thank you Bill. We are very proud to have been a part of your transformation and this special journey!
Adventures can be a big part of a Fit Father Project transformation. Have an adventure you've tackled? Write to me, [email protected] to share yours!
Written by Craig Taylor, FFP Staff.
