|
You could do X amount of miles, or it could be simpler, just get out X number of times a week and do however long you feel comfortable with. Or if you live in a mountainous area, it could be number of peaks reached.
|
# ? Jun 21, 2013 05:29 |
|
|
# ? May 21, 2024 15:37 |
|
I'm pretty sure everyone in this thread still engages in short hikes from time to time. Who doesn't love a 1-2 mile traipse through the woods? ^^^^I'd agree with A Kpro's second suggestion, at least at first, until you get a better feel for what's "a lot" for you and what's not much. Start off with 1-ish mile hikes, just try to do them a couple times a week, and then eventually you'll get bored of those and decide to push yourself to 2-3 miles, etc.
|
# ? Jun 21, 2013 15:37 |
|
Anathema Device posted:Has anyone here posted a fitness log with a hiking toxx? How would I go about formulating a goal? I'm thinking it would be x miles OR x feet of elevation gain, with proof being an identifiable picture from the endpoint of the hike. Does that sound reasonable? Everyone starts somewhere. I don't do especially long hikes, usually ~10-12 miles roundtrip in a day. I usually see between 3-4000 feet in elevation gain and I tend to carry extra weight for conditioning. Find hikes you like and work your way up to more strenuous ones. Hiking a couple times a week will do wonders for your hiking fitness. On days I'm not hiking I try to load up some extra weight and walk 5-6 miles just for conditioning. A note on conditioning hikes: If you make your hiking solely about fitness I think it would be easy to get burnt out. Try to mix it up with stuff that has a good payoff like a vista or lake or waterfall if these things are available. I try not to pick trails that just end up being a death-march to an uninteresting meadow. Also to help you in the winter, you might consider getting into snowshoeing if you can afford a pair. That can be a hell of a workout.
|
# ? Jun 21, 2013 19:20 |
|
Thanks for the replies and encouragement everyone!krispykremessuck posted:Everyone starts somewhere. I don't do especially long hikes, usually ~10-12 miles roundtrip in a day. I usually see between 3-4000 feet in elevation gain and I tend to carry extra weight for conditioning. Find hikes you like and work your way up to more strenuous ones. Hiking a couple times a week will do wonders for your hiking fitness. On days I'm not hiking I try to load up some extra weight and walk 5-6 miles just for conditioning. I pretty much always try to go somewhere pretty to hike. It helps that I absolutely love deep woods. My hiking partner has a nice camera, and we make a game out of finding good things to take pictures of, which also makes built-in rest points. There's three state parks we can reach to hike easily, so we try to mix it up. My mom is really into winter hiking. I snowshoed quite a bit as a kid. Right now it's not just the snowshoes - I'd need decent winter boots, pants, a decent jacket, long underwear, etc. I'm working up to it, and within the next couple years I'll have all the stuff I need, but it's all really expensive. I'm going to try to hike as far into the fall as I can this year before the snow and ice get too dangerous. I do carry my pack with all the essential items in it for my short hikes, with the idea that I'll be used to it when the hikes get longer. It also makes me feel better to have my first aid kit nearby since good hiking trails and cell phone service don't have much overlap here. With the goal thing, I was specifically asking if anyone has posted in The Fitness Log Cabin with a hiking goal, and if so how they set that up. A Kpro posted:You could do X amount of miles, or it could be simpler, just get out X number of times a week and do however long you feel comfortable with. Or if you live in a mountainous area, it could be number of peaks reached. Number of peaks reached seems like a good goal, but I've yet to actually climb to the top of something I'd call a "peak." I did as a child - my parents were into hiking - but since I gained a bunch of weight and got out of shape I've been struggling to get back into it. I'd love to reach the actual top of an actual mountain this summer. I guess that in itself is a goal.
|
# ? Jun 21, 2013 20:14 |
|
Anathema Device posted:Thanks for the replies and encouragement everyone! Make reaching that peak near you a goal. Then do the necessary training to work up to that hike. I have a log and while I haven't set a toxx on a peak goal, I could have last year before I started training for Mt Whitney but I was allowed to go toxxless at that point. I'm curious where you live, it might help inform a toxx.
|
# ? Jun 21, 2013 21:33 |
|
alnilam posted:Has anyone ever backpacked Acadia national park? Is it good backpackin'? Crowded? Any recommendations for a 2-4 day hike? I just got back from Acadia this afternoon! The park is so small backcountry camping isn't allowed: http://www.nps.gov/acad/faqs.htm#CP_JUMP_83266. If you don't mind basing out of one of the campgrounds you can get in some excellent day hikes. The alpine zone starts as low as 900' or 1000' in some locations so there are a lot of great views across to other peaks, down into the ponds, or out to the ocean. The trails are also pretty demanding and steep. There are a number of the eastern side of the park that require rungs or ladders to get past the steepest sections. It's not peak season and I was out in the middle of the week but the trails were not crowded at all. Thursday morning I spent nearly the first six miles of the trip pulling spider webs off my face. There is a road to the top of Cadillac so that was totally mobbed and any of the flat trails, especially around Jordan Pond, had quite a few tourists out for a walk.
|
# ? Jun 22, 2013 01:02 |
|
Southern Colorado is still on fire. IMG_2981 by WestslopeBruin, on Flickr Neat lighting effects, but man I was a little wheezy after even just a little scramble. That's Kineo Mountain near Colorado Springs. Hoping to peak it sometime this summer.
|
# ? Jun 22, 2013 15:10 |
|
If you want something with an end point to aim for, there might be a challenge route near you. For example, near me in Yorkshire, UK there are three fairly big hills close together that people do as "The Three Peaks", which is about a 28 mile round trip. This summer I did a non-stop 100km hike called Oxfam Trailtrekker that was great fun. I was in the same boat as you weight wise last year, and having something massive to aim at like walking for 30 hours really was a great incentive. Especially as its a charity thing and you tell everyone you are doing it and that makes it harder to back out. Doing all the training was awesome - I think you have to go in knowing that you do actually enjoy walking a long way. Over the last year I went from size XXL to medium, and lost 50kg, so it was definitely a great motivator for me. I have a TFLC log here
|
# ? Jun 22, 2013 18:28 |
|
Marshmallow Mayhem posted:Make reaching that peak near you a goal. Then do the necessary training to work up to that hike. I have a log and while I haven't set a toxx on a peak goal, I could have last year before I started training for Mt Whitney but I was allowed to go toxxless at that point. I'm curious where you live, it might help inform a toxx. I'm not really comfortable saying where I live or broadcasting my future hiking plans for various reasons. On top of that, I bounce back and forth between where I go to school and the area I grew up in, and I don't know where I'll be around the middle of august when I intend to set my first goal. langurmonkey posted:If you want something with an end point to aim for, there might be a challenge route near you. For example, near me in Yorkshire, UK there are three fairly big hills close together that people do as "The Three Peaks", which is about a 28 mile round trip. This summer I did a non-stop 100km hike called Oxfam Trailtrekker that was great fun. Thanks for linking to your thread, that's very inspirational. Hiking last summer was the first time in my life I've ever actually enjoyed exercise. It was really empowering realizing that I could do something the hard way (by walking there instead of driving) and enjoy it. What I'm doing is looking up the hikes I did last summer. As training hike we did (several times a week) a hill nearby that was a 2.2 mi round trip with a 400' elevation gain. I think I could do that today if I pushed myself really, really hard. We tried and failed several times at trail that's a 5 mile round trip with a 1400' elevation gain. I'd really like to beat that one. Since I don't know if I'll be in the same state as the mountain, though, I'm thinking of using the stats as my toxx goal. (As in, hike 5 miles or gain 1400' in elevation in one hike.) I'm just wondering if that increase (more than doubling the distance) is going to be too hard for a two-month goal. How do you guys decide when you're ready to try a new or challenging hike? I see you planning multiple day backpacking trips or doing big peaks. How do you know where your limits are? What do you do if you get partway in and find that you can't do as much as you thought? If you're bringing less experienced people along, how do you judge when it's safe?
|
# ? Jun 22, 2013 21:30 |
|
Anathema Device posted:I'm not really comfortable saying where I live or broadcasting my future hiking plans for various reasons. On top of that, I bounce back and forth between where I go to school and the area I grew up in, and I don't know where I'll be around the middle of august when I intend to set my first goal. Doing something like that, any hike based on those statistics, should work for a toxx goal. You can do it easily if you keep training, especially if you're not setting a time goal - just go slower and take rests and you can do anything in less than a day... Yes, just do some sort of cardio weekly and you can increase your hiking ability. For my friends/newbs to hiking I was taking them first on a 3 mile 1500 foot elevation gain hike, then a 6 mile, 2200 foot gain hike, etc. You turn around if someone is feeling bad and starts to feel worse. You tell them what to expect and what things to look out for. Safe is a relative term, but generally you're not going to get heat exhaustion or hypothermia or run out of food water on a day hike if you planned even remotely well and you know the warning signs watch for weather turning, etc. Always tell someone staying at home what trail you are planning to go on so they know if you aren't back that night to phone rescue. If you're not out too far in the wilderness you may have cell reception the entire time.
|
# ? Jun 22, 2013 22:17 |
|
Anathema Device posted:Right now it's not just the snowshoes - I'd need decent winter boots, pants, a decent jacket, long underwear, etc.... Anathema Device posted:How do you guys decide when you're ready to try a new or challenging hike? I see you planning multiple day backpacking trips or doing big peaks. How do you know where your limits are? What do you do if you get partway in and find that you can't do as much as you thought? If you're bringing less experienced people along, how do you judge when it's safe? I divide my hikes into two categories: Distance or Elevation. Expect additional distance to take a bit more than an equivalent increase in time. That is, if you do the same elevation gain as a past hike but double the distance, it's probably going to take a bit more than double the time. Double the elevation for an equivalent distance... could be impossible depending on the starting numbers. :] Most people tend to work into "total ascent" or "ascent rate" over time. 1000ft/mi used to be my pain marker. These days, I know how long a 500m ascent is going to take (assuming it's not straight up), so it's pretty easy to get an estimate and then tack on extra time for distance, elevation, expected conditions, or known trail issues. Bleh, I really need to finish that GPS App so you can all become members and make your customized hiker's nomograms.
|
# ? Jun 23, 2013 02:31 |
|
Anathema Device posted:How do you guys decide when you're ready to try a new or challenging hike? I see you planning multiple day backpacking trips or doing big peaks. How do you know where your limits are? What do you do if you get partway in and find that you can't do as much as you thought? If you're bringing less experienced people along, how do you judge when it's safe? I'm in good enough shape and have conditioned enough now that anything short of high altitude (>10k feet) probably is worth a try. I know my own limit which, right now, is some kinds of ice climbing. If the group I hike with gets in partway and -any- of us isn't up to continuing, we all turn back. I know what kind of energy I need to get to the top usually and if I don't have it, I'll turn back. Hiking and specifically climbing a lot of the time comes down to judgment calls about stuff like that. Climbing is never going to be safe, and more strenuous and complicated hikes can be dangerous. It's all about exercising good judgment and being prepared to deal with whatever may arise on the trip. Carry the ten essentials, don't go hiking in lovely weather, dress appropriately, and stay hydrated. Hope for the best. Goal-setting wise: I will, or have already climbed every peak in this frame. There are a couple behind clouds. I climb up somewhere, spot something or many things I'd like to climb. Goal set.
|
# ? Jun 23, 2013 02:40 |
|
Well, Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country have effectively been destroyed this past couple of days. There's been massive flooding in the valleys, as well as watersheds east of the mountains that is still ongoing. The city of Calgary had serious floods in the downtown region and many low-lying neighbourhoods. Right now the two major towns in the mountains, Canmore and Banff, are having major water supply issues or power outages. The trails and campgrounds throughout the mountain valleys appear to all have been washed away, and it looks like a lot of scrambling access routes are gone. It's only been a couple of days, so damage assessments are just starting to come in as the water begins to recede. When I finally get home from New Zealand, which has been having it's own weather problems, it looks like I won't be doing much in terms of hiking this summer! I may find a way to volunteer on clean-up and rebuilding if they still need help.
|
# ? Jun 23, 2013 07:23 |
|
I have an odd question about Everest. If you theoretically had unlimited normal oxygen, are you still on a "timer" once you hit the death zone because of other effects of the altitude, or are your only hazards things that would kill you anywhere else (cold, food, etc)?
|
# ? Jun 23, 2013 20:20 |
|
PRADA SLUT posted:I have an odd question about Everest. I think it does weird stuff to all of your body, like your brain, lungs, liquids like even your eyeballs can freeze.
|
# ? Jun 23, 2013 20:29 |
|
Picnic Princess posted:Well, Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country have effectively been destroyed this past couple of days. There's been massive flooding in the valleys, as well as watersheds east of the mountains that is still ongoing. The city of Calgary had serious floods in the downtown region and many low-lying neighbourhoods. Dang, I lived in Calgary for a short time and went up to Banff and Kananaskis a couple of times, and all this poo poo is crazy, the flooding is nuts
|
# ? Jun 23, 2013 21:27 |
|
PRADA SLUT posted:I have an odd question about Everest. Bottled oxygen won't make you immune to HACE/HAPE and other wonderful side effects that accompany high-altitude climbing.
|
# ? Jun 23, 2013 21:48 |
|
Whelp, my best-laid plans to cut out after work for a three-day backpacking trip have fallen victim to Japan's "rainy season." Plenty of trail food in the house, though.
|
# ? Jun 26, 2013 07:10 |
|
I've heard of a trail running through Ecola Park to Seaside, in Oregon, like a 30-mile trail. Does anyone know anything about this? I can't seem to find information other than the existence of the Ecola state park and a few random 2-8 mile trails. Where's the trailhead even?
|
# ? Jun 26, 2013 17:01 |
|
PRADA SLUT posted:I've heard of a trail running through Ecola Park to Seaside, in Oregon, like a 30-mile trail. Does anyone know anything about this? I can't seem to find information other than the existence of the Ecola state park and a few random 2-8 mile trails. Where's the trailhead even? I don't know much about Oregon trails, but I know up here in Washington a lot of weird routes are named, but really are just a route across several different trails. Does this 30 mile trail have a name?
|
# ? Jun 26, 2013 19:39 |
|
Not that I'm aware of. I think it's a combination of different trails. I know it's a pass-through.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 06:45 |
|
I'll be hiking in 110+ weather this weekend for the first time and I've read/seen some conflicting discussion about what to wear. I have a wide brimmed hat, loose shorts/pants, breathable trail shoes, hiking socks, & a cooling bandana. For my torso, I have this base layer and this shirt. Do I layer up and wear both? Or should I just stick with one? Also, I bought this bandana - do you guys think a kool tie would be worth it? I don't have the bandana yet but it appears to just be a sun protection/moisture wicking bandana while the kool tie is an actively cooling product...which would be nice
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 09:03 |
|
Dr. Video Games 0089 posted:I'll be hiking in 110+ weather this weekend for the first time and I've read/seen some conflicting discussion about what to wear. I think any cooling effect is probably going to be imagined in those kind of temps. Make sure what you wear is light coloured such as the Columbia shirt as this will shed heat better than anything dark. You wont need to wear a Polartec at 110+. Make sure you have ready access to water and salts as this is what will probably make you go down with heat stress. 110 is the range where your organs will start to cook so be careful
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 11:46 |
|
FYAD KNIGHT posted:I think any cooling effect is probably going to be imagined in those kind of temps. Make sure what you wear is light coloured such as the Columbia shirt as this will shed heat better than anything dark. You wont need to wear a Polartec at 110+. Yeah, strongly strongly recommend wearing light colored clothing (white if possible), assuming that strong sun is going to be part of the reason for the high temps. Your hat should also be white. If it's a dark colored hat, doesn't matter if its wide brimmed or ventilated or whatever, ditch it now and get a white one or your head will loving cook. I am completely serious about this it makes a huge difference. Try to get up early and hike in the morning before it gets really hot. Take a break near a water source and some shade for the hot part of the day, hike again in the evening as it gets cooler if you haven't reached your destination. Don't push it, at those temps it's deadly if you're trying to do too much and get caught in a bad spot, and heat exhaustion/sun stroke can cause you to make bad and stupid decisions you wouldn't normally make.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 14:26 |
|
if I recall correctly from wilderness first aid class, dousing yourself with cool water is a legitimate way to avoid heat illness. Makes sense physically too. Probably should review the heat illness chapter of a good wilderness medicine book. edit: with cool water FROM A SOURCE, not your drinking water alnilam fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Jun 27, 2013 |
# ? Jun 27, 2013 14:31 |
|
Drink water. Drink when you're thirsty. Drink when you're not thirsty. Drink water. You can splice in some of the electrolyte stuff if you want (I usually do a half-strength Gatorade bottle that accompanies my main water bag) but food is an even better option. Salty snacks are also useful and delicious at the same time. Watch out for signs of dehydration - Dark urine, nausea, head ache, or a lack of sweat. Sweat is good. Sweat is your body cooling itself off. When you stop sweating, that's bad. Drink more water than you think you need. Any idea what the humidity will be like? Also watch out for signs of hyponatremia. That's a lack of salt in you ("electrolyes"). It looks a lot like dehydration, but you'll also feel exhausted as all hell and you'll have been drinking poo poo tons of water and peeing clear. Make sure you have a hat and sunscreen, plenty of sunscreen. A day of hiking in the sun is a lot of exposure. I'd skip the base layer - you won't want Polartec. The general idea is to wear loose clothing that gives your air circulation while shielding you as much as possible from the sun - hence the light colors being ideal. Seconding timing. Try to rest during the really hot parts of the day - find a patch of shade, take a break, wait for things to cool off. Don't get yourself stuck someplace baking. Most of all, have fun! Where are you headed off in such temperatures? (Drink water.)
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 14:53 |
|
Don't leave air conditioning when it's over 90.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 14:59 |
|
Thanks guys! We're going to Joshua Tree. My entire wardrobe is either beige, light blue, or white (white hat!) except for my black bag. I'll be bringing up to 5L of water in bladder form and a handful of salt pills. Unfortunately there are no water sources but fortunately we won't be far from our camping spot during the whole ordeal.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 15:54 |
|
110 and no water sources? You're going to die.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 16:02 |
|
Dr. Video Games 0089 posted:My entire wardrobe is either beige, light blue, or white (white hat!) except for my black bag. I'll be bringing up to 5L of water in bladder form and a handful of salt pills. I've spent a lot of time scrambling around the SW desert (Joshua Tree is beautiful, BTW), but I'm also a sweaty, goony motherfucker so take this with some grains of salt. Depending how long you're planning on hiking, 5L may not be enough. Always better to have more water than less. Fill up your bladder and toss another quart or two in your bag. For a 4-5 hour hike, I would generally fill my bladder (I think it's a gallon), and then carry a large bottled water too (one of those 64 ounce monsters). I didn't mind having a few extra pounds in my bag if it meant I wasn't going to die if I got lost. On clothes, I did most of my hiking in a white long sleeve quarter zip shirt made out of some wicking material or another, and a nice light pair of convertable pants. For extra dorkatude, I usually wore a USGI boonie hat (a lighter OD color). Was never not comfortable. Be smart about it and do your hiking early in the AM or late in the day, take extra water and food, and you'll be fine. edit: I don't know where you're from, but if you're from a swampy place where heat and humidity are always coupled (like where I grew up), pay really close attention to yourself out there. 90 degrees and humid feels way hotter than 110 and no humidity in the desert, largely because you won't be dripping sweat. "It's dry heat" is not bullshit. So just because you're not sweaty and wilting doesn't mean your body's not hot as hell. stealie72 fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jun 27, 2013 |
# ? Jun 27, 2013 16:28 |
|
I took a day hike in Canyonlands last year and it was up around 105-110 by the middle if the day. The total round trip was maybe 12 miles. I drank 8L of water over that period and probably could have used more. However I'm overweight so what you need might be a bit different. What was useful though was to have a couple of 1.5L nalgenes that were packed with ice and then topped up with water. I placed them on either side of my 3L bladder and it kept the water nice and cool for a good portion of the day. I would highly recommend getting on the trail as early as possible, including before dawn.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 16:34 |
|
PRADA SLUT posted:Not that I'm aware of. I think it's a combination of different trails. I know it's a pass-through. The Ecola to Seaside portion is called the Tillamook Head trail... that particular portion isn't terribly long, not sure where you'd go from Ecola though if you were hiking South. I was at Ecola State Park just a few weekends ago, it's one of the best viewpoints along the coast, looks down on Cannon Beach. http://web.oregon.com/hiking/tillamook_head.cfm
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 17:04 |
|
You should carry a light trekking umbrella.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 17:11 |
|
quote:Joshua Tree Take off in the early morning for short couple-hour hikes or late afternoon. There's a lot of twilight after the sun starts to dip below the mountains. I would just try to chill (lol) between the hours of like 10am and 4pm. Eat lunch, climb some rocks or something. Either way have fun using our beautiful state's resources. PS, you're gonna die. If it cools off there's prob a monsoon and you're gonna drown in a flash flood. Case in point; never leave your house.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 17:24 |
|
stealie72 posted:I've spent a lot of time scrambling around the SW desert (Joshua Tree is beautiful, BTW), but I'm also a sweaty, goony motherfucker so take this with some grains of salt. Depending how long you're planning on hiking, 5L may not be enough. Always better to have more water than less. Fill up your bladder and toss another quart or two in your bag. For a 4-5 hour hike, I would generally fill my bladder (I think it's a gallon), and then carry a large bottled water too (one of those 64 ounce monsters). I didn't mind having a few extra pounds in my bag if it meant I wasn't going to die if I got lost. Thanks, I have a bunch of water bladders from a Sawyer water filter I bought so I'll probably fill it up with water and stuff it in my bag as well...then I have about 2-3 refillable bottles I'll stuff in as well. Here is to hoping I don't die of a heatstroke! megazord posted:Take off in the early morning for short couple-hour hikes or late afternoon. There's a lot of twilight after the sun starts to dip below the mountains. That's actually the plan: walk around in the sun in the morning, climb rocks around noon, and then hike a bit more later.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 17:30 |
|
megazord posted:PS, you're gonna die. If it cools off there's prob a monsoon and you're gonna drown in a flash flood. Case in point; never leave your house. That or an undiagnosed heart condition will drop you in your tracks. I helped carry this guy a mile and half down a rocky trail on Sunday: http://www.ledgertranscript.com/home/7145262-95/hiker-dies-descending-mount-monadnock Never leave home.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 17:36 |
|
Dr. Video Games 0089 posted:That's actually the plan: walk around in the sun in the morning, climb rocks around noon, and then hike a bit more later. Wait so your plan is to go rock climbing in the middle of the heat of the day after you've already been hiking for hours through already dangerously hot temperatures? Are you used to this kind of heat and feel comfortable doing that? Because if not I would just stick to hiking, heat stress creeps up on you and can really impair your judgement and reflexes.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 18:10 |
|
You gon' die. Stay out of the desert this weekend. I'm going to San Gorgonio and a friend is going to Mt Abbot. ETA: I'm being hyperbolic of course but please be careful, and if you can delay your trip with friends please do it on a less insanely hot weekend.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 18:30 |
|
Anyone 'round NYC looking to split on gas and go somewhere cool? I'm here for work for the next couple months and don't know the area at all, so it would be fun to go with a more seasoned vet of the East.
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 19:11 |
|
|
# ? May 21, 2024 15:37 |
|
LogisticEarth posted:Wait so your plan is to go rock climbing in the middle of the heat of the day after you've already been hiking for hours through already dangerously hot temperatures? Are you used to this kind of heat and feel comfortable doing that? Because if not I would just stick to hiking, heat stress creeps up on you and can really impair your judgement and reflexes. Well, not full on strapping gear and climbing rocks. More like casually standing on top of small boulders and hiding in the shade to take pictures. We've been in 110 weather before (Coachella, Salton Sea) and I wouldn't say we're used to it but we didn't die the last time we did it at least
|
# ? Jun 27, 2013 19:21 |