Hi Ullr24,
I understand the challenge of being a mountain enthusiast who lives in the flatlands. All is not lost.
Ditto what Steve said about acclimatization!
For your physical training, there's always the gym.
Or, get on a mountain bike and hit the Buffalo Bayou trail from Beltway 8 out to Highway 6, and connect up with the trails along Addicks Dam to the north or the trails to the west of Highway 6. When I lived there that was all dirt and gravel, but I think some is paved now. You can go for hours.
Better yet, put on your hiking boots, your backpack with some weight in it, and your ipod and head to the nearest high school football field to do some laps on the stadium steps – up and down from one end to the other, over and over. If you have access to a high rise office building, you can use the stairway there when it gets hot out. The nice thing about this is your legs get training for up and down, whereas on a Stairmaster at the gym you only get the up part.
Glenn
