It was September 2000 and we had a job in Orange County in Southern California. It was a very warm and muggy day (Some of you can appreciate this
while others may think it was not all that bad). Monsoon clouds were settling over the 6,000 - 10,000 foot mountains to the east. We were dealing with 88%
humidity with temperatures hovering around 95°F (35°C) and no wind blowing. We had been on this property site many times over the years and were very
familiar with the terrain. About 2 hours into our survey the heat of the day along with the humidity got to me and I told my partner that I was worn out and
did not know if I could make it back to the truck. We were about 2 miles away. He decided to stop the survey and we rested for a bit. We slowly made our
way back to the truck. I did make it but had never felt this tired ever. The best analogy would be running 5 marathons with 100 lbs. of equipment and no
water.
When we got back to the truck I crawled into the back seat and he put on the air condition and drove back to San Diego. By the time we got back I felt
much better but we agreed I should contact my doctor. I called the office, explained what happened and the nurse told the doctor. He wanted to see me the
following day. My doctor checked me out and did an Echocardiogram. There was one minor issue from the test so he had me make an appointment with a
cardiologist. He did an Ultrasound and found a ‘minor’ issue with the way my heart was retracting. The Cardiologist saw the left ventricle behaving ‘a little
off’ and proceeded to tell me it does not appear serious. To be safe he also did a tread mill test and my results were amazing because I recovered much
more quickly than a 20 year old. So his conclusion was not to come back until I was 70.
We looking back on that one day I am certain as I breathe today that, that was my body telling me a third time to change my eating habits. Again exercise
was not a problem. As a field biologist I averaged 30-40 miles a week not including steep hills (some with a slope greater the 50%), transecting 400 feet or
more in elevation (120-150 meters). What was still my issue was I stayed with my old eating habits. Go to next page
