So I have missed the last two weeks and I will try to encapsulate all three hikes here.
Starting with two weeks ago we did Poo Poo point again after a several week break. I have to say, compared to when we began this adventure, it was a piece of cake. We powered up in record speed and I never once felt like I was going to pass out or vomit. That may not sound like a big deal to most of you out there but for me it was HUGE. Not only did I power up like I knew what I was doing, I wasn't dead last. For the first time I was smack in the middle of the pack, and that was the best feeling so far. We raced up to the usual kinda anti-climactic peak, and since we had time left we went down to the actual Poo Poo Point view point over Issaquah. It was gorgeous, we really should have been going there the whole time.
Last week we decided to do the Golden Gardens stairs again. After the huge success of our previous week I figured we could tackle the stairs easy as pie. Boy I was wrong. We were loaded up with our packs and made a plan for 6 rounds. There is nothing easy about 288 stairs with a full pack on. Johnny counted the stairs and Joe counted in the neighborhood of 560 individual foot falls between the stairs and the flat sections one way. With an average of 5-6 inches it was in the range of 3500 feet of elevation gain and loss. Not only was the height and weight troublesome but stairs are so much harder than a steep trail. A much much harder press on the legs.
Now we come to this week. We decided to go on Friday because John and I were both off and with Easter it just made sense. We had a new addition to our team this time, an old friend of ours Ben tagged along. It was a great to have him along. Not only to spend time with him again after a long hiatus but having a new person in the mix is always nice. We set off from Johns for Tiger Mountain again. The very fact that we made it out the door was a minor miracle. It was pouring rain and the snow level was low enough (1500') so the chances of running into snow was extremely high. The best part of the beginning was as we were reaching the trail head there was a cop in a patrol car who flagged us over to find out what our plan was. We talked briefly and he tried to dissuade us from heading up. He knew it was going to be nasty and really didn't like the idea of us falling off a snowy cliff. As we said our good bye's he said the funniest statement of the whole day, "hey, Search and Rescue needs work too.".
We headed up and the weather really wasn't messing around. Never through our entire day was it not raining, messy messy rain. Like our last Poo Poo Point trip it was a ton easier as we went. We kept in a pretty good pack, no major gaps, well that was until Joe had a boot issue. His new boots were pinching on his heal and the closer we got to the top we eventually had to stop so he could change into his old hiking shoes. After that it was smooth sailing through a flipping blizzard to the top. As we crested it was snowing like a banshee and windy as hell. The original plan was to eat some hot food up there and take a nice break. But the wind blew us right off and we bailed on the food idea and headed down.
As with the ascent we raced down. It felt so good to make such incredible time. The hellish snow and wind helped. At the bottom we rewarded ourselves with big bowls of Beer Cheese soup at the Issaquah brew house. That stuff is like hikers crack.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Faster, Longer, Heavier
When Joe and I traveled to Spain and Portugal a few years back, we met a group of Australians that we spent some time with. One of them talked about a rowing coach he had that would constantly repeat to them "long, hard, deep and often" as his mantra for their rowing. While that doesn't entirely fit with our hike this week, our own mantra might be "Faster, Longer, and Heavier." Or maybe I just wanted a chance to talk about how cool those Australians were.
Anyway, this week we returned to our most consistent trail: Issaquah High School TH to Poo Poo Point. And we went all of the way to Poo Poo point for once. After being away from this trail for 3 weeks it was nice to return. I was amazed by how much a forest can change in that time, as the trees were budding and flowers were starting to come out. The feeling of spring was in the air and it's even more motivating to get into better shape as we get closer to our actual hike.
This week we all strapped on our real packs, with real supplies, and headed out. Joe's pack weighed in at a whopping 39 pounds, possibly heavier than he will want to be on the real trail. John weighed in at 29 pounds of weight, while Sean had to head to work before we purchased the scale to weigh the packs but was most likely near John's weight. With all of this weight added to our backs we would have hoped to only keep our pace from previous excursions up this trail. That would show progress, we are able to get up the 3.5 miles to the top of the mountain in the same time but with more weight. Instead, we blew the previous time out of the water. Cutting 12 minutes off our most recent jaunt up this hill, and doing it with our real packs, made us all feel quite accomplished.
We were also able to make it to the actual Poo Poo point viewpoint for the first time. From this viewpoint, many paragliders take off and glide down the mountain. And now that we have been there we can tell you why. The view is stunning from this high point with a near cliff shooting down for a few hundred feet. From the top we could see downtown Bellevue, Issaquah, and Tacoma. We also could see to Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. Very rewarding end to the climb, and a view we highly recommend (you don't have to hike it, you can drive to the viewpoint).
With that, we headed back down and completed our 8+ mile hike in just over 3 hours. We are making progress and getting faster, walking longer and carrying heavier packs.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Screw you George Vernon Hudson
Being in theatre always means that Daylight Savings and the Fall-Back falls smack in the middle of a show weekend. So this year I, of course, I had a late show Saturday night and didn't get to bed until late then had to get up crazy early to get to Johnny's by 7:30 (which, of course was 6:30 by my clock). It was by far the hardest morning I had to get going. To add to this morning of crazy schedules I only had a max of 4 hours to spend on the trail. 4 hours of course being the recommended time needed which meant there was no time to slack. Good thing we kicked that trail in the butt.
I'm not going to pretend that it wasn't a challenge, it definitely was. But it was a heck of a lot easier than it would have been four weeks ago. I'm still the slowest of the three of us, and that will probably continue throughout our adventure. I started from the laziest place and are several steps behind catching up. However slow I may be though, I'm still getting to the tops of our hikes. And this one was the best.
As Joe has outlined, the trail was extremely highly populated with a wide range of people. From the dudes in baggy jeans and new shiny stylish shoes to hardcore trekkers with crampons and ice axes. As we approached the top more and more people started turning around due to the ice. I would be a liar if I said I didn't get off on the fact that I was hauling my fat-butt up that mountain and much better equipped people with nicer gear were turning around. I loved it so much that the last mile through the worst of the ice and snow was the easiest for me. I got a second wind and became a hiking machine. So much so that when we crested and were overlooking the valley and I-90 below us it was like I had topped Mt Everest, it was awesome. It was also about this time I realized I was never going to make it to work on time.
We were at the top, 4 miles up and I had to be on the road in less than an hour and a half. It was going to be tough. The down was really where the differences between myself and the boys came out. They were like sprinting mountain goats racing down the mountain. I was more like a wounded farm goat tumbling ass-over-tea kettle. The cascade of day hikers clamoring up as I got closer to the bottom didn't help. It was a constant flow of people starting as we were ending. And Mt. Si may be the most hiked trail in the state but it's still just a mountain trail, only wide enough for one so passing was a challenge. As I predicted, I was late to work and had to rush through my set-up. But that didn't matter, we took an awesome step in our training and next week will be even easier.
Cheers,
Sean
I'm not going to pretend that it wasn't a challenge, it definitely was. But it was a heck of a lot easier than it would have been four weeks ago. I'm still the slowest of the three of us, and that will probably continue throughout our adventure. I started from the laziest place and are several steps behind catching up. However slow I may be though, I'm still getting to the tops of our hikes. And this one was the best.
As Joe has outlined, the trail was extremely highly populated with a wide range of people. From the dudes in baggy jeans and new shiny stylish shoes to hardcore trekkers with crampons and ice axes. As we approached the top more and more people started turning around due to the ice. I would be a liar if I said I didn't get off on the fact that I was hauling my fat-butt up that mountain and much better equipped people with nicer gear were turning around. I loved it so much that the last mile through the worst of the ice and snow was the easiest for me. I got a second wind and became a hiking machine. So much so that when we crested and were overlooking the valley and I-90 below us it was like I had topped Mt Everest, it was awesome. It was also about this time I realized I was never going to make it to work on time.
We were at the top, 4 miles up and I had to be on the road in less than an hour and a half. It was going to be tough. The down was really where the differences between myself and the boys came out. They were like sprinting mountain goats racing down the mountain. I was more like a wounded farm goat tumbling ass-over-tea kettle. The cascade of day hikers clamoring up as I got closer to the bottom didn't help. It was a constant flow of people starting as we were ending. And Mt. Si may be the most hiked trail in the state but it's still just a mountain trail, only wide enough for one so passing was a challenge. As I predicted, I was late to work and had to rush through my set-up. But that didn't matter, we took an awesome step in our training and next week will be even easier.
Cheers,
Sean
Sunday, March 14, 2010
It's Icy At The Top...
I have to give all three of us some accolades for this morning… with daylight savings we very easily could have done an easier hike or something faster. Instead we met up at 7:30am this morning at Johns in Issaquah (which felt like the middle of the night) to attack Mount Si just outside of North bend.
I haven’t tackled this trail in a couple of years and reading up on it we realized a couple of quick details… one, it’s the most heavily hiked trail in Washington. Two, it’s more or less straight up the mountain. Starting at just over 1000 feet of elevation it tops out over 4000 feet in a steady, well maintained 4 mile hike. And three; Snoqualmie pass is only at 3000 feet of elevation; thus when you’re throwing on your ski boots in the parking lot of Snoqualmie you’re 1000 feet below the top of Mount Si. Knowing that the pass had been receiving steady snow fall over the last few days we wondered if we could even get to the top.
Sean, John, and I arrived in the parking lot just after 8:00am with Duke and started the assent. Even at 8:00am, and with a temperature of 30 degrees, the parking lot was moderately alive with backpackers carrying ice axes and larger bags. The first two miles were good… legs stretched out and we worked the switch backs with three or four other groups… they’d pass us, we’d pass them and so on. We needed to be off this trail by noon so we pushed a pretty good pace.
Just before the 3 mile marker we started seeing our first signs of snow. As we went up, others (who must have left really early) were coming down. Everyone does the ‘Morning’ or ‘how’s everyone doing’ general trail pleasantries. Duke gets a lot of attention as we pass other hikers and sometimes their four legged companions. In many of these exchanges we kept hearing, ‘it’s really icy at the top’. Of course we thought they were weak and obviously didn’t have the hiking skills of three of us.
As mile marker 3 came and went the trail, already very muddy, became more and more snow covered. Quickly we were hiking up the trail on snow and soon ice. Many of the ‘hard core’ hikers that we had been seeing started to turn around. ‘It’s too icy’ they’d say. ‘We don’t have poles’ or ‘we didn’t bring any traction for our boots’. With that said, wind howling, bundled in gloves, hats, and long johns, we slowly crept up the ‘Vancouver Bobsled’ trail eventually hitting the summit at around 10:30am (4 miles, in snow, 2.5 hours). I think the three rookies (I having forgotten Dukes leash, collar, and food; John having forgotten his new trekking poles and Sean having forgotten his gloves) conquered said mountain and felt damn good doing it.
Of course the icy trail was still there for the descent and took a little skill, and a few falls (all of us at least once), and the passing of 1000 new hikers. Back down below the 3 mile marker it seemed like bus loads of bored Seattleites had decided to attack Mount Si and we were amazed by the sheer number of hikers an amazing number of which seemed to be solo women. Duke and I might to make Mount Si a more regular weekend hike. Week 5 and I think we are progressing well and feeling better each hike.
Cheers,
Joe
I haven’t tackled this trail in a couple of years and reading up on it we realized a couple of quick details… one, it’s the most heavily hiked trail in Washington. Two, it’s more or less straight up the mountain. Starting at just over 1000 feet of elevation it tops out over 4000 feet in a steady, well maintained 4 mile hike. And three; Snoqualmie pass is only at 3000 feet of elevation; thus when you’re throwing on your ski boots in the parking lot of Snoqualmie you’re 1000 feet below the top of Mount Si. Knowing that the pass had been receiving steady snow fall over the last few days we wondered if we could even get to the top.
Sean, John, and I arrived in the parking lot just after 8:00am with Duke and started the assent. Even at 8:00am, and with a temperature of 30 degrees, the parking lot was moderately alive with backpackers carrying ice axes and larger bags. The first two miles were good… legs stretched out and we worked the switch backs with three or four other groups… they’d pass us, we’d pass them and so on. We needed to be off this trail by noon so we pushed a pretty good pace.
Just before the 3 mile marker we started seeing our first signs of snow. As we went up, others (who must have left really early) were coming down. Everyone does the ‘Morning’ or ‘how’s everyone doing’ general trail pleasantries. Duke gets a lot of attention as we pass other hikers and sometimes their four legged companions. In many of these exchanges we kept hearing, ‘it’s really icy at the top’. Of course we thought they were weak and obviously didn’t have the hiking skills of three of us.
As mile marker 3 came and went the trail, already very muddy, became more and more snow covered. Quickly we were hiking up the trail on snow and soon ice. Many of the ‘hard core’ hikers that we had been seeing started to turn around. ‘It’s too icy’ they’d say. ‘We don’t have poles’ or ‘we didn’t bring any traction for our boots’. With that said, wind howling, bundled in gloves, hats, and long johns, we slowly crept up the ‘Vancouver Bobsled’ trail eventually hitting the summit at around 10:30am (4 miles, in snow, 2.5 hours). I think the three rookies (I having forgotten Dukes leash, collar, and food; John having forgotten his new trekking poles and Sean having forgotten his gloves) conquered said mountain and felt damn good doing it.
Of course the icy trail was still there for the descent and took a little skill, and a few falls (all of us at least once), and the passing of 1000 new hikers. Back down below the 3 mile marker it seemed like bus loads of bored Seattleites had decided to attack Mount Si and we were amazed by the sheer number of hikers an amazing number of which seemed to be solo women. Duke and I might to make Mount Si a more regular weekend hike. Week 5 and I think we are progressing well and feeling better each hike.
Cheers,
Joe
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
It's just some stairs, what's the worst that could happen?
Once again, this was going to be an easy week. John was going to come to Seattle, Joe and I were going to have the shorter drive for the first time and we would have an easy morning. You'd think that after the previous weeks I would know better than to assume anything of the sort.
I picked Joe up and he had his pack loaded with 50 pounds of weight and a plan to do six trips up and down the steps at Golden Gardens 2 walking, 2 running, and 2 with the uber-pack. On paper this doesn't seem too bad, what's so hard about some stairs after the hikes we've done? As we discovered, everything. There are over 250 steps with two sections at almost a 45degree angle.
I ran first and failed. My legs weren't warmed up enough and working till midnight the night before didn't help. Running just wasn't going to happen. On the second round I carried the big bag. 50lbs is nothing to sniff at and combining it with a bunch of stairs is a tough, tough haul. Just like the first week, without Joe pumping me up the whole way I wouldn't have made it. I had to go one step at a time, it was the only way my legs would agree to this obscene task. The third trip was, as expected, the easiest. Walking after the "run" and the bag was a piece of cake.
Towards the end we were running short on time so I got one more "run" in, this time much easier, and a bag trip. Johnny got off easy since he was the third with the bag he missed his last one. I had to get to work so we cut the day short.
Without contest this was the hardest single piece of our training so far. The big hike from last week had flat parts and food. This was nothing but up with weight and pain.
Till next week
Cheers,
Sean
I picked Joe up and he had his pack loaded with 50 pounds of weight and a plan to do six trips up and down the steps at Golden Gardens 2 walking, 2 running, and 2 with the uber-pack. On paper this doesn't seem too bad, what's so hard about some stairs after the hikes we've done? As we discovered, everything. There are over 250 steps with two sections at almost a 45degree angle.
I ran first and failed. My legs weren't warmed up enough and working till midnight the night before didn't help. Running just wasn't going to happen. On the second round I carried the big bag. 50lbs is nothing to sniff at and combining it with a bunch of stairs is a tough, tough haul. Just like the first week, without Joe pumping me up the whole way I wouldn't have made it. I had to go one step at a time, it was the only way my legs would agree to this obscene task. The third trip was, as expected, the easiest. Walking after the "run" and the bag was a piece of cake.
Towards the end we were running short on time so I got one more "run" in, this time much easier, and a bag trip. Johnny got off easy since he was the third with the bag he missed his last one. I had to get to work so we cut the day short.
Without contest this was the hardest single piece of our training so far. The big hike from last week had flat parts and food. This was nothing but up with weight and pain.
Till next week
Cheers,
Sean
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
So much for "less elevation, more weight"
Last week after my second trip up Poo Poo Point and Johnny and Joe's third while we were discussing what our next hike would be (pre-IHOP) I left the conversation understanding that we would be concentrating less on elevation and more on adding weight. Little did I know, Johnny and Joe were conspiring behind my back.
Joe picked me up as usual and I had a pack with a light lunch (store bought pre-packed chicken caesar), spare socks and shoes, water, and my wifes 2 ten pound dumbells for weight. When we got to Johnny's Joe talked me out of one of the weights and gave me a couple cans of soup instead. All in all, the pack weighed about 20 pounds total. When we were having a quick pre-hike coffee in John's kitchen, I got my first hint that the goal of the day's hike may have changed.
The plan was approximately 8.4 miles not counting the walk from the house to the trail head. It was strait up right away. We climbed a rapid set of switch-backs that ascended quickly from the road. After about a mile we hit the main Tiger Mountain trail head. And up we went. Up and up. Things began to go off the rails when, about two thirds of the way up the mountain we took an old rail line trail that wraps around the mountain.
It seemed harmless enough. Flat, no douche hikers in jeans, and no trail runners (I hate those guys, crazy in shape bastards). Then it started raining, Duke fell off a small log bridge (Joe is still recovering from that), and we met the big up. The last .6 miles had an elevation gain of 600' and was a muddy narrow mess. It was at this time that I really knew that John and Joe had conspired against me. My new hiking shoes, the weight, the rain, the mud, 100 feet per .1 mile, it was brutal. We got to the top of Tiger 3 (the big antenna tower you can see from Issaquah) and I collapsed hard. As I sat looking out over the town my two comrades decide it was time to tell me they knew it was going to be like that and chose not to tell me so I wouldn't freak out. These are my friends.
The top was great though, totally worth it. Joe fired up the stove, I stirred up the salad, and Johnny prepared the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. We ate like backwoods kings. Even Duke, he got treats-a-plenty.
Then came the down. Johnny has covered the gory details of our "unmaintained trail" all I can add is that after the brutal up, it was the hardest thing I have ever done for recreation. My legs have never felt so much like overcooked spaghetti.
And at the end, that beer was so so good.
Till next week,
Sean
Joe picked me up as usual and I had a pack with a light lunch (store bought pre-packed chicken caesar), spare socks and shoes, water, and my wifes 2 ten pound dumbells for weight. When we got to Johnny's Joe talked me out of one of the weights and gave me a couple cans of soup instead. All in all, the pack weighed about 20 pounds total. When we were having a quick pre-hike coffee in John's kitchen, I got my first hint that the goal of the day's hike may have changed.
The plan was approximately 8.4 miles not counting the walk from the house to the trail head. It was strait up right away. We climbed a rapid set of switch-backs that ascended quickly from the road. After about a mile we hit the main Tiger Mountain trail head. And up we went. Up and up. Things began to go off the rails when, about two thirds of the way up the mountain we took an old rail line trail that wraps around the mountain.
It seemed harmless enough. Flat, no douche hikers in jeans, and no trail runners (I hate those guys, crazy in shape bastards). Then it started raining, Duke fell off a small log bridge (Joe is still recovering from that), and we met the big up. The last .6 miles had an elevation gain of 600' and was a muddy narrow mess. It was at this time that I really knew that John and Joe had conspired against me. My new hiking shoes, the weight, the rain, the mud, 100 feet per .1 mile, it was brutal. We got to the top of Tiger 3 (the big antenna tower you can see from Issaquah) and I collapsed hard. As I sat looking out over the town my two comrades decide it was time to tell me they knew it was going to be like that and chose not to tell me so I wouldn't freak out. These are my friends.
The top was great though, totally worth it. Joe fired up the stove, I stirred up the salad, and Johnny prepared the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. We ate like backwoods kings. Even Duke, he got treats-a-plenty.
Then came the down. Johnny has covered the gory details of our "unmaintained trail" all I can add is that after the brutal up, it was the hardest thing I have ever done for recreation. My legs have never felt so much like overcooked spaghetti.
And at the end, that beer was so so good.
Till next week,
Sean
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Joe said “Let’s do an epic hike”
And with that set of instructions, I took out the map and began plotting our path for this past Saturday. Aiming for 10 miles, and some good elevation, I came up with a trail from my house (approximate 200 feet of elevation) to the top of Tiger Mountain Peak #3 (2500 feet). Joe and Sean decided that wasn't enough, so we added in Peak #2 (2700 feet) as well.
The highlight of our day was clearly the descent. Going up is never fun; it is simply a hard push up. We found a path up that had a few nice long flat sections, circling the mountain so that we came up the back side of the peak away from the crowds. And then we started down. For this, while plotting the path, I had noticed a dotted trail on my map that went straight down the peak. Perfect, that the innocent hiker. A quick, efficient way down that gets us back to the house in the shortest way possible. Who cares if that means dropping 1000 feet in about a mile. Or if it means we would be taking a trail that is "unmaintained." It's the quickest way down the mountain.
This unmaintained trail was steep. Not in the "this should be a ski run" way, but in the "we really should be roped up and rock-climbing way." At this point in the day, it was raining pretty steadily. And while the three of us were all prepared for it and had our jackets on, the trail was truly muddy. When it wasn't rocky or simply tree roots. And the whole unmaintained thing, that was definitely true. It was unmaintained mainly because it would be impossible to maintain it, and no one would be stupid enough to try and go down it.
All in all, I am happy to have crested two mountains. We had our first hot meal on the trail (Jamaican BBQ Chicken from Backpackers Pantry, yum). We added just over 9 miles and 5000 feet of elevation loss/gain to our totals for the month. A great month of February to start our preparations is now in the books and there is just 5 more months to get ready for the big one.
John
Monday, February 22, 2010
3 Hikes in 3 Weekends
To start off my post for the week, I will echo Sean's sentiments from below. No more IHOP. Tonight is the best my legs have felt in the evening of one of our hikes. It is also the worst that the rest of my body has felt, as my head has been throbbing and I haven't wanted to get off the couch much this afternoon. So, apparently after hiking 6 miles and 1200 feet of vertical gain, a brunch of fat cooked in fat doesn't sit well with us. Luckily, there are no bad breakfast places on the Wonderland Trail.
For a touch more about how I feel. I am definitely feeling better on the trail. No longer do long stretches of switchbacks frighten me, and today I was able to power up the last bit of our hike without really stopping. Over the next few weeks it will be nice to try some new trails and stretch the legs out a little more, with weight and speed.
I also want to say a little about why I am doing this, as Sean and Joe have both put out some of their reasons. So, the first reason is that I simply am unsure where my 20's went. It's not that I am unhappy with where things have gone, as I am actually shockingly surprised at how well things have turned out for me considering the strange paths that my post college years took me. But I find myself staring down a much more consistent life than I am used to.
Between 20-29 I graduated from WSU and Seattle Pacific, moved to Seattle, travelled to Spain, somehow found a teaching job in Kirkland while tasting Port in Portugal, met my now wife, and eventually found myself teaching in the suburbs of Seattle. Not to mention years working in a seafood restaurant and time spent working as a graduate assistant.
Now, with a stable job and income, a wife and a cat, and a new home purchase, I can reasonably see some aspects of my future. And I can also see how easily I could find myself working, grading, watching sports, and working on my house. Time passes quickly this way.
This is a step to make sure that as life picks up speed, I continue to do things I enjoy with people that make it all fun. Of course, ten or eleven days of walking with anyone might make me rethink that whole concept of people I enjoy. But if I am going to do this with anyone, I can think of no better partners than these two fine gentlemen.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Easier this time but next time skip IHOP
So my second hike in ten years was definitely easier than the first. However, I did learn some important lessons.
First, I need new boots like Robin Williams needs a new shtick. The loaner pair Joe lent me are fine for the up but are murder on the down. They are half a size too small and my toes are getting rocked. My fancy new hiking socks got all nice and bloody, not enjoyable to feel or look at. All around a bad time (I french fried when I should have pizzaed).
Second, skip the double daily vitamin with energy and go with one. Centrum has great multi-vitamins that are "Energy" enhanced. All that means is that they have caffeine and other Red Bull-esque additives. On a regular one-a-day regimen they're not all that bad but at 7am on an empty stomach dosing yourself with two and a large coffee then hitting the trail is a terrible, terrible idea. Again"pizaaaaaaaaaaa....crash"
Thirdly and most important. No matter how early we start and end, NO MORE IHOP. We decided, being that it was Sunday in Issaquah and most good breakfast places would be packed, to dine at the cathedral to pancakes. Nothing could have been a worse plan. Now I feel like I have a monster College level hang-over without the benefit of having gotten drunk the night before. Everything about our plan was bad from the beginning. We ate at Ihop, got the cheapest breakfasts, then to top it all off, had a pancake refill. If I vomit later I deserve it.
All in all, much better experience than last week and I'm looking forward to next. Right now we're planning a "less elevation, more weight" hike. But who knows our plans change faster than IHOP moves through the digestive tract.
Cheers,
Sean
First, I need new boots like Robin Williams needs a new shtick. The loaner pair Joe lent me are fine for the up but are murder on the down. They are half a size too small and my toes are getting rocked. My fancy new hiking socks got all nice and bloody, not enjoyable to feel or look at. All around a bad time (I french fried when I should have pizzaed).
Second, skip the double daily vitamin with energy and go with one. Centrum has great multi-vitamins that are "Energy" enhanced. All that means is that they have caffeine and other Red Bull-esque additives. On a regular one-a-day regimen they're not all that bad but at 7am on an empty stomach dosing yourself with two and a large coffee then hitting the trail is a terrible, terrible idea. Again"pizaaaaaaaaaaa....crash"
Thirdly and most important. No matter how early we start and end, NO MORE IHOP. We decided, being that it was Sunday in Issaquah and most good breakfast places would be packed, to dine at the cathedral to pancakes. Nothing could have been a worse plan. Now I feel like I have a monster College level hang-over without the benefit of having gotten drunk the night before. Everything about our plan was bad from the beginning. We ate at Ihop, got the cheapest breakfasts, then to top it all off, had a pancake refill. If I vomit later I deserve it.
All in all, much better experience than last week and I'm looking forward to next. Right now we're planning a "less elevation, more weight" hike. But who knows our plans change faster than IHOP moves through the digestive tract.
Cheers,
Sean
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
My first hike in ten years
After fighting my way up that first hike I have officially decided that my next adventure will be to create a time machine to go back ten years and tell myself not to stop walking and drive everywhere. Really, early thirties Sean just wants to tell early twenties Sean to stop being such a dumbass and abusing himself with bad habits.
As Joe has alluded to, finishing the first hike was a big step for me. I have had no significant aerobic exercise in over a decade and was seriously considering giving up about a mile in. But I cannot take all the credit for my minor success, John and Joe really pushed me and made sure I didn't quit. You couldn't ask for a better pair of pals for this adventure.
Probably my biggest frustration with how fantastically out of shape I am is that I used to hike quite a bit. The summer of 1995 through around 2000 my brother Mike and I did annual hikes of the Cascades and Olympic mountains. We even had fancy new packs and Thermarests. But around the time I graduated college in June of 2000, it all stopped. I moved to Ireland and began a decade of beer consumption that would have killed a smaller man. But that ends now (not the beer all together, it is delicious after all).
So here we go, I will attempt to post after every hike we make from here until the grand departure and let all you out there in the interwebs how it's going.
Cheers,
Sean
As Joe has alluded to, finishing the first hike was a big step for me. I have had no significant aerobic exercise in over a decade and was seriously considering giving up about a mile in. But I cannot take all the credit for my minor success, John and Joe really pushed me and made sure I didn't quit. You couldn't ask for a better pair of pals for this adventure.
Probably my biggest frustration with how fantastically out of shape I am is that I used to hike quite a bit. The summer of 1995 through around 2000 my brother Mike and I did annual hikes of the Cascades and Olympic mountains. We even had fancy new packs and Thermarests. But around the time I graduated college in June of 2000, it all stopped. I moved to Ireland and began a decade of beer consumption that would have killed a smaller man. But that ends now (not the beer all together, it is delicious after all).
So here we go, I will attempt to post after every hike we make from here until the grand departure and let all you out there in the interwebs how it's going.
Cheers,
Sean
Sunday, February 14, 2010
2 Hikes In...
Mileage Total as of Feb 13th, 2010
John - 14.1 over two hikes (approx 4000 ft elevation)
Joe - 14.1 over two hikes (approx 4000 ft elevation)
Sean - 7 in one hike (approx 2100 ft of elevation)
Duke - 15, one hike, he covers twice the distance but is great to have around
I have to say my quads and calves are pretty sore today. Good hike yesterday but a couple of things I learned. One, bring more food. I totally bonked at the peak and my blood sugar and electrolytes crashed. Thank god it was all down hill from there... gravity and hunger pretty much pushed me home. Two, I love the fact that we man'd up and hiked in the rain. I was pleased with our early speed and I think the hike was a real confidence booster for Sean. Duke (super lab) was a stud as well. He'll be a main stay in our weekly hikes and is a real charmer with other hikers on the trail. Three; I'm also happy that without really talking about it we managed to ebb and flow together and apart as we hiked. Giveing each other a little space when necessary and staying together when it felt right. That will be important for our 100 mile journey.
We ran to REI and picked up maps of Tiger and Cougar Mountains for our training. I feel optimistic we can get in a shape conducive to 100 miles over 10 days. Especially since our winter has been so mild and it's only the middle of February.
Next big challenge will be putting Tristan on my back for some of these hikes. Time to add some weight and I can't think of better weight to add.
Look for more pics from John and some video entries from the trail as we progress.
Cheers,
J
John - 14.1 over two hikes (approx 4000 ft elevation)
Joe - 14.1 over two hikes (approx 4000 ft elevation)
Sean - 7 in one hike (approx 2100 ft of elevation)
Duke - 15, one hike, he covers twice the distance but is great to have around
I have to say my quads and calves are pretty sore today. Good hike yesterday but a couple of things I learned. One, bring more food. I totally bonked at the peak and my blood sugar and electrolytes crashed. Thank god it was all down hill from there... gravity and hunger pretty much pushed me home. Two, I love the fact that we man'd up and hiked in the rain. I was pleased with our early speed and I think the hike was a real confidence booster for Sean. Duke (super lab) was a stud as well. He'll be a main stay in our weekly hikes and is a real charmer with other hikers on the trail. Three; I'm also happy that without really talking about it we managed to ebb and flow together and apart as we hiked. Giveing each other a little space when necessary and staying together when it felt right. That will be important for our 100 mile journey.
We ran to REI and picked up maps of Tiger and Cougar Mountains for our training. I feel optimistic we can get in a shape conducive to 100 miles over 10 days. Especially since our winter has been so mild and it's only the middle of February.
Next big challenge will be putting Tristan on my back for some of these hikes. Time to add some weight and I can't think of better weight to add.
Look for more pics from John and some video entries from the trail as we progress.
Cheers,
J
A little more information...
I wanted to add a little bit more about us and why I think we want to accomplish this 100 mile (in our worlds epic) hike...
First; I'd say in different parts of my life I've been active but I've never participated in an outdoor adventure such as this. I've never climbed a mountain or spent more than a couple days backpacking. I feel, as I think John and Sean do as well, that this is an attainable goal that will take more than a couple training hikes to prepare for. The preperation will be great but the payoff will be as well.
Second; I've always stated that I'm a big fan of being outdoors, playing outdoors, hiking, and camping but I too easily let life take over and spend more time on the couch, working, and sitting through my week to week. This is a good opportunity to put our money where our mouth is and get outside. I'd honestly like to think we can remain in a shape throughout the year that will allow for more serious trips each summer.
Third; we aren't getting any younger and if we don't start making some active attempts at getting in shape we won't get any thinner either. I don't like my activity level over the last year (i have some good excuses) and I know Sean and John have similar goals to get in shape and drop some LB's. Say goodbye to 'junior'!
Look - you're dealing with a teacher, a theater tech, and a mortgage banker... all in our early 30's... who might be having a third life crises... we're three average guys who want to show or friends, family, and ourselves that if we put our minds to something we can attain it....
Wish us luck,
J
First; I'd say in different parts of my life I've been active but I've never participated in an outdoor adventure such as this. I've never climbed a mountain or spent more than a couple days backpacking. I feel, as I think John and Sean do as well, that this is an attainable goal that will take more than a couple training hikes to prepare for. The preperation will be great but the payoff will be as well.
Second; I've always stated that I'm a big fan of being outdoors, playing outdoors, hiking, and camping but I too easily let life take over and spend more time on the couch, working, and sitting through my week to week. This is a good opportunity to put our money where our mouth is and get outside. I'd honestly like to think we can remain in a shape throughout the year that will allow for more serious trips each summer.
Third; we aren't getting any younger and if we don't start making some active attempts at getting in shape we won't get any thinner either. I don't like my activity level over the last year (i have some good excuses) and I know Sean and John have similar goals to get in shape and drop some LB's. Say goodbye to 'junior'!
Look - you're dealing with a teacher, a theater tech, and a mortgage banker... all in our early 30's... who might be having a third life crises... we're three average guys who want to show or friends, family, and ourselves that if we put our minds to something we can attain it....
Wish us luck,
J
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Who and What are the 3 fat guys
Joe, Sean and John have known each other for quite some time. John and Joe met in high school at some point in the 1990's, and Sean joined the group sometime in the early 2000's.
In the spring of 2008 Joe and John got a crazy idea in their heads. They were going to hike the Wonderland Trail. For those who do not know, the Wonderland Trail is a 93 mile hike around Mount Rainier. Joe and John planned well, going to the extremes of actually attempting a practice backpacking trip. At which point they hit snow, understood that they were over their heads, and packed it in. The late snow pack that year kept them from attempting the hike, as did being slightly out of shape and having other things to do that summer. Sean was not apart of the initial plans to hike the trail. He would join later.
The next summer (2009), John got married. Joe had a child. Sean got married. Hiking did not happen. Enough said.
We are older, we are wiser, and we are fatter. This blog is dedicated to our attempt to get ourselves into shape to hike all the way around Mt. Rainier. We are starting by hiking once a week or so around the Issaquah Alps. Sometime in August we will attempt the Wonderland Trail. We hope to lose weight and gain a better appreciation for where we live. We hope you enjoy reading about our experiences.
John, Sean, and Joe
In the spring of 2008 Joe and John got a crazy idea in their heads. They were going to hike the Wonderland Trail. For those who do not know, the Wonderland Trail is a 93 mile hike around Mount Rainier. Joe and John planned well, going to the extremes of actually attempting a practice backpacking trip. At which point they hit snow, understood that they were over their heads, and packed it in. The late snow pack that year kept them from attempting the hike, as did being slightly out of shape and having other things to do that summer. Sean was not apart of the initial plans to hike the trail. He would join later.
The next summer (2009), John got married. Joe had a child. Sean got married. Hiking did not happen. Enough said.
We are older, we are wiser, and we are fatter. This blog is dedicated to our attempt to get ourselves into shape to hike all the way around Mt. Rainier. We are starting by hiking once a week or so around the Issaquah Alps. Sometime in August we will attempt the Wonderland Trail. We hope to lose weight and gain a better appreciation for where we live. We hope you enjoy reading about our experiences.
John, Sean, and Joe
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