Once I met superman

Having been a fitness freak myself for most of my life, as far as fitness was concerned, I thought I had seen it all. But I was wrong. It was neither in the military Special Forces nor in the fighting arena that I finally realized what superhuman fitness really meant. It was in a remote location of the Himalayas, inaccessible to any type of transportation other than the human body.

In villages that have not seen a car, motorcycle or even a bicycle; places so high that for lack of oxygen every few steps you must stop to take a rest; places so steep, that even bulls or yaks cannot pass, the mountain porters ascend to the highest picks carrying more than twice their body weight, occasionally up to 270 pounds (120 kg).

The building of entire villages is relying on their endurance: from nails to heaters from hummers to generators, all is carried on their backs. No terrain or harsh weather will stop them from carrying their loads, for weeks, from the tropical heat of the valleys to the highest snowy mountain-passes that only with ropes can be crossed.

They are neither big nor muscly; just the opposite. Most of them are quite short and no heavier than 140 (60 or 65 kg.) That is, while chatting, smoking and always smiling, they carry twice their body weight along the steepest slopes of the globe.

They hold the records for fastest climbing to the top of the Everest – and many other summits. They hold the record to the highest-altitude marathon, the Everest marathon. Nothing seems impossible for them, nothing seems beyond their abilities. And yet, with all their abilities, there is no hint of arrogance in their manners – just the way a true super human should be.