They went on a hike in the alps four days into a no food fast? That seems to be incredibly dangerous to me. I know I feel faint if I don't put a good meal in me early on in the day before exercising. I can't imagine I wouldn't keel over if I was in their position.
I actually dot think it is as dangerous as it sounds. In high school I was on the wrestling team and learned to fast for about 3 or 4 days of the week depending on my target weight. We would have practice every day after school (anyone that has wrestled can tell you how hard it is) and felt completely fine. So I guess, for me at least, fasting want anything special. Its was something I needed to learn how to do. I guess that's the reason why I don't like this post - a week of fasting doesn't give the body enough time to acclimate to the situation. What I find weird about the whole fasting thing is how it sticks with you later on in life. Maybe this is just me and one of the reasons why I am weird, but I catch myself not eating for a day or two at a time. I don't force myself not to eat, I'm just not hungry I guess. I have always thought that it was because I had learned how to fast properly and had become used to not eating, but I'm not really sure. Does anyone else find themselves 'forgetting' to eat, or does anyone have an experience that is similar to mine?