Brown Nettles vs. Leatherbacks

A strong NW pacific swell has pushed huge stinging brown nettle jellyfish into San Francisco bay. These are quite rare. One swimmer in our group got stung a couple weeks back. He is fine, but it seemed pretty painful.

The only real danger the jellies present, aside from a painful sting, is the potential of an allergic reaction. Unfortunately, you don't know if you are allergic until you are stung. Somewhere in the middle of the bay this morning, I weighed the risk of drowning from experiencing a severe allergic reaction while swimming against voluntarily subjecting myself to a sting to see what happens. By the end of the swim, I was searching the beach for a jelly to see where I stand.

Luckily, there were no jellies to be found.

Seems like a pretty dumb idea now.

Anyway, it seems nature is taking care of the problem. Apparently, these jellyfish are the favorite treats of leatherback turtles. Also stranger to San Francisco bay, the leatherbacks have been coming into the bay to feast on the jellies.

How cool is that?

Michael Kobold Summits Mt. Everest

Michael Kobold Summits Mt. Everest - Press Release

May 20th, 2009
Kathmandu – The watchmaker Michael Kobold reached the summit of Mt. Everest here early this morning. Mr. Kobold placed a telephone call from the summit in which he said “this has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and without the SEALs’ help I sure would not have made it to the top.” Mr. Kobold and his team raised a flag depicting the Navy SEAL trident atop the summit in honor of wounded and fallen SEALs. Kobold, who is leading the 2009 Everest Challenge Expedition in support of fallen and injured U.S. Navy SEALs, was trained for approximately two months on the SEAL base in Coronado, California ahead of his adventure in Nepal. 

The expedition’s other team members include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, whom the Guinness Book of World Records describes as the world’s greatest living explorer, Kenton Cool, the British mountain guide who has summitted Everest a record seven times, and Will Cross, the first diabetic American to reach the summit.

Michael Kobold asked his teammates to join him in support of his mission to raise $250,000 for the Navy SEAL Warrior Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization that provides financial aid for the families of SEALs who are wounded or have fallen in action. The U.S. Navy SEALs are arguably the most well-trained fighting force in the U.S. Armed Forces. Each Navy SEAL must complete a grueling 7-month-long program that tests his mental and physical toughness and endurance. A group of Navy SEALs volunteered to train Mr. Kobold when they learned of his ambition to raise money for the Navy SEAL Warrior Fund.

Mike Kobold vs. Everest

Tonight my friend and fellow adventurer Mike Kobold will make his final push for the summit of Mt. Everest.

Good luck Mike! You are an inspiration to us all!

Below is a link to his blog.

http://www.everest-challenge.com/blog/

If you are interested, please donate to his cause - The Navy SEAL Warrior Fund.

The Bay in May

The bay in May is a very different place than the winter months of Polar Bear season. The water tempurature is up around 55 degrees. Quite nice compared to the high 40's of winter. If I'm honest, it is still brutal getting in though.

It used to look like this at 6:00 a.m.



Now, it looks like this at 5:50 a.m.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

I've decided who I want to be when I grow up. . .



My sentiments exactly!

Thank You Iron-April Athletes!

Congratulations to all that participated in Iron-April 2009. I think we were all inspired by your courage, dedication, and initiative. As host, I had the privilege of reading each and every post this month. I watched many struggle to finish by April 30, but was even more inspired by the pledge, made by some who ran out of time, to continue pursuing the distance into May.

I'm very thankful to all who participated and I look forward to 'seeing' you all next year at Iron-April 2010.

Be safe and keep training!

Kev.