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Catrin
05-24-2015, 10:51 AM
I strongly believe in making lemonade when I need to do so rather than to collapse on the couch because I can't do the activities I want to do. The knee MIGHT be improving a bit, time will tell. Yesterday I had my longest hike since my injury - made it an entire 2.34 miles - and it felt pretty good outside of a complaining IT band. Part of me is tempted to try it without my knee brace and see what happens. I've a sneaky suspicion the hinge on my brace puts pressure where my IT and quads connect up to the knee - which may be the root of some oddities. Time will tell, I will have my brace with me regardless. The last time I tried hiking without it...let's just say the brace didn't stay in my backpack very long.

Kettlebells are still working for me :cool: Yesterday I was on my hike with walking stick and backpack while munching on an apple. Got some compliments from a few people in my age group who commented on how prepared I was on such a nice afternoon.

Is anyone else hiking right now? I've looked with some jealousy at the increasing number of cyclists in the lovely weather!

Crankin
05-24-2015, 12:13 PM
I try to do a short local hike once a week. I haven't done this in the past 2 weeks, as I have upped my cycling, to get ready for my trip. I love hiking, but I am not ready to seriously cut down on my cycling, in order to do so. Maybe, when I really retire, I'll dedicate more time to hiking?
I tend to hike when the weather is a bit iffy, or I am really burned out on riding, or when I am on vacation. At one point, we considered doing the AMC Hiking/Backpacking course, but I just couldn't see myself hiking with a heavy pack. So, it's day hikes for now.
I'm not so good with rocky descents, using a pole helps, but here in the rocky/rooty northeast it's hard to avoid. This was what tripped me up mountain biking, too. I had a totally different experience hiking in Arizona and Colorado, where I was practically running down the descents.

Pax
05-24-2015, 02:34 PM
I won't be hiking for a long time, but I got back in the pool and that's been nice.

Catrin
05-24-2015, 02:47 PM
I wish I COULD swim Pax, that is one thing I've never learned. It would help if I had the slightest desire to do so...but I get panicky when my face gets near the water. I've decided I wasn't meant to swim :cool:

Crankin - descending is the main reason I've the hiking stick. My knee gives me more trouble when I am going downhill, and if you factor in steps, roots, whatever then I make good use of it. Part of me is wondering if the brace is actually slowing my recovery. It does help with anterior knee pain, but then I seem to have more IT band numbing/pain and medial knee pain when I use it. Ortho and everyone else says it is specifically designed for my patella arthritis but I do wonder - though it would probably be easier if the patella was anywhere near where it is supposed to be. I am going to try it tomorrow without it - thought about doing that tonight but since I did both kettlebells and a nice hike yesterday I decided to wait for tomorrow morning since I've the day off. Frankly I would far rather trail run than hike - but I don't know when/if that will be an option. Certainly not this year. At least I can get outside!

My backpack doesn't have much in it, my Kindle if I want to stop and read somewhere, my phone, sometimes a snack, and my water bottle. It WOULD be nice to get up to at least a comfortable 6-8 mile hiking distance and do that a couple times a week to go along with my kettlebell training. I am not talking about difficult terrain here - which means my favorite hiking trail in Indiana is ruled out. For now.

Crankin
05-24-2015, 04:19 PM
I think a 6-8 mile hike is quite enough and a good goal to work up to, no matter the terrain. Thinking about going out on my neighborhood trail early tomorrow, definitely taking a day off from riding. No boot camp tomorrow, but I should rest.
It does sound like that brace is helping one thing, but hurting the other.
Yeah, when I meant backback, I mean the kind where you are carrying camping gear, etc., for overnights. No way am I doing that. I would like to work up to longer day hikes, though, on more technical terrain.

Pax
05-24-2015, 04:44 PM
Wish we were neighbors, Catrin, I taught a lot of Adult TOW (terrified of water) classes when I was still teaching/coaching. Never failed to get everyone in the water and comfortable, some went on to swimming for fitness and even masters competitions.

Crankin
05-25-2015, 05:31 AM
I am a terrible swimmer, too. I can swim, and I am not afraid of the water, but I really don't like being in water where i can't touch the bottom or get to the edge of a pool. I've realized that there's some issue with my left shoulder mobility, as I can't really do the front stroke correctly on that side. Also, during the few times I've used swimming as a sub activity when i was injured, I had the problem of swimming with my contacts. I have yet to find a pair of goggles that work for me, as I have a child sized head. When I finally found some that kept the water out, they were too tight. So, I usually end up doing a breast stroke or side stroke, if I swim at all. Putting my face in the water makes me feel claustrophobic, which is a new development!
On that note, I did go out on the trail this morning at about 7:30. I wasn't wearing bug repellent, although I was mostly covered up. I felt really good and managed to run (slowly) about 1.5-2 miles, up the ridge. I did not do the whole trail, which is door to door, about 4 miles, because it was getting hot and I didn't want to take off my sweatshirt. The last time I was on the trail was April 16th and I am in way better shape now, based on my ability to run up the very steep climb (15%?) to the street. I guess that's what cycling up big hills does for you.

Catrin
05-25-2015, 08:20 AM
I CAN backstroke, at least I could the last time I was in a pool - long ago. With my shoulder mobility I am unsure that I would ever be comfortable with it. I can't even dog-paddle!

On Friday's hike I noticed a big change on how the walking felt and and how the brace felt as well. Something like 3 weeks ago I attempted to hike without the brace, only got about .25 mile and I stopped and put the brace on. Today I decided to do another experiment. Made sure my brace was in my backpack (leftover from my college days!) and hit the trail. I kept waiting for my knee to start complaining. Outside of some very minor twinges underneath my patella, and some numbness in my IT band and lateral gastrock, it never reached the point where I felt I needed to put it on :cool: :D I had planned on a 2.5 mile hike, but I got turned around on a new trail and wound up with an even 3 miles. I am not saying that it is back to pre-fall condition just yet - and it was far from normal then - but I am encouraged. Tomorrow night will attempt my kettlebell class sans brace and see what happens!

Lovely trail, pretty gentle with some steep steps - I knew about those and started the trail in the proper direction to go down the stairs. Hit a new (to me) trail section that goes through a bird nature sanctuary. It wasn't signed well, and most of the trail was severely overgrown as it wasn't in the woods. I did get back on the path and am glad I tried the experiment!

OakLeaf
05-25-2015, 08:25 AM
Catrin, glad it seems to be going well - good luck with your kettlebells tomorrow! Pax, glad you're back in the pool!!

Catrin
05-29-2015, 03:14 PM
I am curious if any TE members who hike also have arthritis in their feet? I love wearing my Brooks Cascadias - they are great trail running shoes. I am noticing, however, that when I hike more than 2ish miles (gentle dirt or gravel trails (very small gravel, not loose) trails) that the ball beneath one of my big toes gets cranky. I am quite sure that it is arthritis - given how many OTHER bits of moderate-severe OA that I have. The shoes aren't worn out, and as they were designed for trail running they don't seem an unreasonable moderate hiking shoe.

I am wondering if actual hiking shoes might be a better choice (perhaps better cushioning?), and if anyone with the same problem has noted a difference between using trail running and hiking boots. Hiking boots aren't inexpensive (and I will need to do a 60k tuneup on my car soon), and I don't want to conduct an expensive experiment without good cause. I also wonder if the increased protection/traction of an actual hiking boot might decrease my chances of falling on slippery trail surfaces, I need to ponder that one. As my knee recovers I will be headed back to my favorite MTB trails to hike, they are more technical than my current trails.

Crankin
05-30-2015, 03:35 AM
Ha, I just wrote about this in my injury thread. There is definitely a difference between light hikers and trail runners, and regular hiking shoes. I think you might find more stability and a thicker sole in a pair of light hikers. I have a pair of Merrels; bought them in 2002, so they have certainly held up. THey are not as expensive as regular hiking shoes, either. I wear them for most of my hiking, except when I've been up in NH. The real hiking shoes are mostly used for snow shoeing.

Catrin
05-30-2015, 11:24 AM
I just spent a few hours between a couple of stores trying on a wide range of hikers and hiking boots. I deliberately didn't look at price, and I am not familiar enough with the brands to allow a brand name to influence my preferences. In all three stores I was able to work with a woman with a broad range of hiking experience and there were good discussions over my needs and desires. As it turned out, the footwear that felt the best in all areas turned out to be a true hiking boot - light in weight, a nice wide toe-box with narrow heel, felt great and and provided nice ankle stability. None of the light hikers really felt any different from my trail running shoes. These will suit me for hiking in southern Indiana, and also will be appropriate for terrain in East Tennessee/Kentucky and be cross-seasonal. I guess Salomon has a good name, and they felt better by far than anything else I've been trying on recently. While a bit pricier than what I expected, they are only $30 more than the Vasques I tried on and I think will work much better for me.

Now I just need to wait for some mileage reimbursement from work that will be more than enough to cover the cost - and I think that happens Monday!

Speaking of hiking, I got in another 3 mile hike today before some storms hit the area. It was a couple hours after my usual KB training and my knee was perfectly happy with it - and I never had to put on my brace - though I DID for the kettlebell training. I think it might be time to try a more aggressive trail :cool:

Crankin
05-30-2015, 12:10 PM
That's great, Catrin.
Just got back from a ride and my *knee* got achy at the end. I think i may have been walking funny with my foot injury. I haven't done anything different, and i even modified all of the jumping in boot camp yesterday.
Bodies...

Catrin
05-30-2015, 12:22 PM
That's great, Catrin.
Just got back from a ride and my *knee* got achy at the end. I think i may have been walking funny with my foot injury. I haven't done anything different, and i even modified all of the jumping in boot camp yesterday.
Bodies...

Bodies indeed...people laugh when I mention "broken bits" - especially those in my age group :) I AM breathing a sigh of relief at the apparent signs that I won't need surgery anytime soon after all. It will likely need to happen eventually, but not now!

Catrin
06-05-2015, 09:00 AM
Anyone hiking this weekend by any chance? Tomorrow is National Trails Day and I will finally get my new hiking boots dirty. Am considering heading to one of my old favorite mtb trails from when I could still ride but time will tell. I may choose a more gentle trail to break in my boots as I've never had ANY ankle height footwear, let alone real hiking boots. They feel good, but unsure I want to commit to my first rocky trail since my knee injury for my first hike with them.

Perhaps some here will honor the day with either some trail work or a good mtb or gravel ride?

Pax
06-05-2015, 11:55 PM
Glad you're feeling a bit better, Catrin! Hope those new boots work well, enjoy breaking them in.

OakLeaf
06-06-2015, 03:16 AM
Have fun breaking your boots in, Catrin!

Crankin
06-06-2015, 05:09 AM
Have fun! Make sure you have the right socks.
Maybe I'll go for a short hike today...

Catrin
06-06-2015, 12:45 PM
Had FUN breaking in my new hiking boots :cool: Still in a bit of sticker shock - but they weren't any more expensive than my olympic lifting shoes that I use for my competition KB training - the actual competition stuff is on hold but not training in the actual lifts :)

Seriously, I am glad that I didn't allow the price to cause me to choose another boot. I didn't feel like they actually needed "breaking in", what had to happen was MY becoming accustomed to hiking in boots. I felt far more stable, especially on gravel, and they felt just awesome climbing steep inclines with roots and rock outcroppings. I really felt the latter made them come into their own. I did need to take a brief break or two to rest my knee, but it was fine and didn't even swell. In the end my route that was SUPPOSED to be 3 miles, actually is just under 4 miles. So my longest hike since the injury and in brand new boots. My cranky foot was much better in the boots, which was the entire point. That route has far more gravel and pavement than I like, and I think the tenderness was from that.

Here is a shot from my "Boot Break-in Hike". Sorry for the size, no matter how small I resize it the Forum won't allow me to post it, and I can't figure out how to resize it on the Google Photos page. Pretty much a perfect afternoon, though more sun would have been nice! NEXT time, I think it is time to start hitting my old MTB trails that I love to hike. This wasn't a difficult trail as I didn't want to break the boots in on a trail where I couldn't get back to my car relatively quickly if my knee started complaining.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lIh97HTmo8tVPoJBHiKXCNjvRtFEhpn6dvOerX5pSGQ=w1727-h971-no

Crankin
06-07-2015, 03:32 AM
Looks nice!
Glad the shoes worked out. It sounds like you will have many happy hikes together.

Catrin
06-07-2015, 04:56 AM
Looks nice!
Glad the shoes worked out. It sounds like you will have many happy hikes together.
Yes, am already planning other hikes. The skin on the bottom of my arthritic foot was tender, but didn't notice it until I was in regular shoes again. That was new but none of my usual problem, and of course the boots aren't flexible like my trail running shoes. It just proves to me, again, that it pays to focus on getting the right shoes for fitness activities rather than the cheapest - especially after foot surgery. They should last for years.

Catrin
06-14-2015, 11:22 AM
Second hike in my new Salomon boots today. It was supposed to be a 3.7 mile loop, turned out to be closer to 4.5 miles. I am getting used to incorrect mileage postings. THIS trail is an intermediate mountain bike trail and, unlike last weekend's hike, THIS one has no pavement. Last week the bottom of my bad foot was tender to the touch afterwards, that didn't happen today - and it was almost a half-mile further. I think my boots and pavement don't mix - but that isn't what they were designed for. While the ball of my big toe did finally start bothering me - it took 4 miles to get there rather than the usual .25 mile with my trail running shoes. VERY happy with the new boots and they worked much better for me in the muddy sections. I intend to get as much use out of them as I can before my knee surgery, and hopefully the recovery will be quick so I don't miss most of the season. Of course, they ARE appropriate for cold weather hiking :cool:

Meanwhile, here is a picture from my hike today - it is of an intermediate mountain bike trail that I once helped to build. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1133362163346329&l=42f883442b) I can't seem to get images to either upload to TE or to share that isn't too large - hence my link.

Added: I had forgotten that I have a Vaude 3-liter hydration pack. I had been considering buying an inexpensive daypack, but this is so much better! This design gets the weight off my back allowing air circulation - and it also distributes the weight much better for shoulders and waist to prevent my nagging cervical spine problems from getting aggravated. From what I can tell Vaude no longer has a hydration pack, so I count myself lucky. They DO have a "bike pack" but they don't mention a hydration pack if it has one. This means I can't replace the bladder - but I am sure a Camelbak bladder would work just fine should the need arise. This works far better than my old book backpack from grad school days, and my body likes it much better than my Camelbak hydration pack. Thankful I finally remembered I had to buy it after my MTB injury! Re-using things is much better than having to replace them :cool:

Crankin
06-14-2015, 05:34 PM
Nice pic, Catrin. Glad you are enjoying the shoes. It's nice when the money spent is well worth it.
My foot is still not that great. I avoided heels last week, which helped, but it's really walking and some of the boot camp stuff that is hurting the recovery. It rarely hurts riding, there's no bruising or swelling, and I can't feel any lumps, bumps, etc. It kind of feels like it did when I had a stress fracture. Anyway, I am going to hold off on buying my trail runners and new regular running shoes until I get back from my trip. Skipping boot camp tomorrow/rest and will commute Tuesday, but that's it until I get to France. I will be doing tons of walking before the cycling part, so I hope my foot holds up. I really wanted to hike today, but I rode instead, because the motion just seems to make it all worse.
What surgery will you be having?

Catrin
06-15-2015, 02:05 AM
Sounds painful Crankin, I hope you get relief soon with your foot! Frankly, I should really have my foot looked at but I am pretty sure that all that can be done involves surgical instruments - and it is far from being THAT bad. It isn't Plantar Fasciitis, I think it is probably arthritis in the ball of my big toe on that foot.

Your trip to France sounds like so much fun! I hope your foot holds out and you've an enjoyable trip. When do you arrive?

We are still working out the details on my knee surgery. At the very least they will do an arthroscopic cleaning-out procedure. My patella REALLY needs re-aligned, but I will only allow that to happen if they are at least 90% sure that the patella will stay put once it is realigned. The misaligned patella is due to how my body is built, not from trauma. He is experimenting with a one-time McConnell taping of my knee to see if that provides significant relief - apparently that mimics externally what the surgery does internally and is a good predictor of outcome. Time will tell how and when this works out. I COULD choose to not do anything at all, but I am too young to have my knee rule my life.

Crankin
06-15-2015, 03:50 AM
I agree, you are too young. It sounds like a good plan.
We leave Wednesday night at 11 PM. Will be in Paris until Sunday morning, then we take the train to Avignon and meet the group around 1:00. I am quite nervous about using the electronic shifting on the bike I will be using; I went to the LBS Friday to ask if I could practice on one of their bikes, on the trainer, but it was not working, and no one there could fix it. I am going back Wednesday, when the owner of the bike will be working. It's not like I have any issues shifting normally, but when I went to try it, when I was buying my bike, I did not like it. I generally hate any changes that have to do with mechanics or body movement, and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of the group. So, my foot is the least of my worries. I don't think there's anything really wrong, just a bad bruise, maybe a chipped bone inside? Anyway, nothing but time will fix it.

Sky King
06-15-2015, 04:54 AM
Crankin and Catrin,

4 1/2 months out from my neuroma surgery I hear you. I am so much better but of course still quite a bit of numbness. I do have a couple different orthotics that I like - especially the pair from Birkenstock, I am going to get another so I am not constantly changing out shoes - check them out. Good luck!

Catrin
03-17-2016, 04:09 PM
8 months post surgery and I seem to finally be able to get back on the more interesting trails. Granted, with trekking poles, which likely won't change, but whatever works! Now the challenge is to not jump up to very difficult trails too fast for my body, but I WOULD like to do a partial Appalachian trail hike at some point in 2017. Probably just day trips rather than a true backpacking adventure - but it's a nice goal ;-) I think I need to find a partner though, with all my broken "bits" it seems prudent. Thankfully the most rugged Indiana trails aren't SO rugged that I can't hike solo at this point.

OakLeaf
03-17-2016, 05:05 PM
Yay for more interesting trails. :) Keep healing!

emily_in_nc
03-18-2016, 04:01 PM
There's absolutely no shame in using trekking poles -- they are helpful in avoiding falls, injuries, and negotiating challenging terrain. I can't wait to get mine back from my mom's basement. We've done a few hikes lately on our travels back from Florida, and I missed them. That's great that you may do some AT day hikes. It's such a gorgeous trail. We're hoping for a lot more hiking this year as well. The couple of woodland hikes we did in Georgia and SC (upland hilly areas) just whetted my appetite and left me wanting more!

Crankin
03-19-2016, 04:47 AM
I always miss my poles when I don't bring them.

Catrin
03-19-2016, 01:27 PM
I no longer feel strange using them, it's apparent that if I want to continue hiking then I need them. So that settles that, glad I spent the money :cool:

rocknrollgirl
03-20-2016, 06:24 AM
There's absolutely no shame in using trekking poles -- they are helpful in avoiding falls, injuries, and negotiating challenging terrain. I can't wait to get mine back from my mom's basement. We've done a few hikes lately on our travels back from Florida, and I missed them. That's great that you may do some AT day hikes. It's such a gorgeous trail. We're hoping for a lot more hiking this year as well. The couple of woodland hikes we did in Georgia and SC (upland hilly areas) just whetted my appetite and left me wanting more!

We always hike with poles, have for years. I would not leave home without them.

Pax
03-20-2016, 06:53 AM
Don't really hike here in FL, the areas with trails are a bit too "creature filled" for my tastes, but for walking on uneven beach walkovers and long beach walks, they are a lifesaver for me. They really help to compensate for uneven ground and provide me with the confidence to move a little quicker without fear of tripping/falling on my handy dandy new knee implant.

Catrin
04-09-2016, 11:57 AM
Don't really hike here in FL, the areas with trails are a bit too "creature filled" for my tastes, but for walking on uneven beach walkovers and long beach walks, they are a lifesaver for me. They really help to compensate for uneven ground and provide me with the confidence to move a little quicker without fear of tripping/falling on my handy dandy new knee implant.

Hope you can find some trails that are less of a "creature feature"...

I need to find some different hiking shoes for longer-distance urban walking. With my arthritic feet I have to be careful which shoes to use so I don't start limping within a few blocks from pain in the metatarsophalangeal joint. I can't use my Salomon's that I use for trails - they are far too much for paved walking/hiking. Bound and determined to stay as active as possible! I suspect that I will find other Salomon shoes for that purpose - love my trail version as they are light and keep me going without pain as long as there isn't any pavement or gravel in my hiking route. At least I don't need to worry about alligators!

Much to my surprise, my beloved hiking boots are even more expensive now than when I bought them - the exact same model. Guess I got them at a good time - and they weren't cheap then :eek:

Pax
04-10-2016, 05:45 AM
I've switched to Olukai flip flop for almost everything, I ride my bike, take long beach walks, do the shopping, all in my trusty flip flops! But when I lived where it was cold, I was a big fan of Keen Targhee boots, not as rigid as my old hiking boots, but plenty supportive. And they'll accept any insole if you need to switch.

Catrin
04-10-2016, 09:13 AM
Thanks Pax, I will check out the Targhee II, I know REI carries them locally and there are probably other retailers. I've not yet found Keen boots that felt good to my feet but I've certainly not tried ALL of them. Basically I need something that isn't as rigid as my backpacking boots but still very supportive and won't collapse around my feet - and ankle support is also good on pavement. As much as I love my Salomons will also see if they have something appropriate locally. I won't buy anything like this online unless it is a repeat purchase.

Pax
04-10-2016, 09:51 AM
I don't know if you have wide feet, I do so I have to buy the men's version. They were what I wore daily for cool/cold weather for the last eight years. Worked very well with my plantar fascitis.

Catrin
04-10-2016, 11:01 AM
I don't know if you have wide feet, I do so I have to buy the men's version. They were what I wore daily for cool/cold weather for the last eight years. Worked very well with my plantar fascitis.

I've a narrow toe box and wide heel so it can be interesting getting the right fit. I don't intend on using them for the trails as I've that taken care of, just looking to keep my feet as happy as possible for both environments. Good to know they've worked well with your PF - I've that as well (of course). I think the arthritis + changed gait with my knee problem has made it more susceptible to flaring up.

Wish I could still ride...but with the cold weather right now I am thankful that I don't feel obligated to ride in cold temps "just" because it happens to be April :rolleyes:

Pax
04-10-2016, 12:38 PM
I've a narrow toe box and wide heel so it can be interesting getting the right fit. I don't intend on using them for the trails as I've that taken care of, just looking to keep my feet as happy as possible for both environments. Good to know they've worked well with your PF - I've that as well (of course). I think the arthritis + changed gait with my knee problem has made it more susceptible to flaring up.

Wish I could still ride...but with the cold weather right now I am thankful that I don't feel obligated to ride in cold temps "just" because it happens to be April :rolleyes:

It's so annoying how one thing gets hurt and it makes three other things hurt.

Catrin
04-10-2016, 12:42 PM
It's so annoying how one thing gets hurt and it makes three other things hurt.
Yup. I will take it over the alternative, however.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Crankin
04-10-2016, 12:47 PM
I did a 5.1 mile hike today, because I was overridden in choice of activity. My friend and her DH rode yesterday, got cold and suffered. Today was gorgeous and sunny and 51 degrees. The hike was awesome, I am exhausted, but I am yearning for my bike. What is wrong with me? The thing i like about hiking is that you can talk! Had a good climb in the middle of the hike, which was quite strenuous; this is up the backside of an old ski hill. The ponds and streams in this area are very full. The stream crossing was tricky; DH had to help me as I was sure I was going to fall in the rushing water. We have had so much rain recently.

Catrin
04-15-2016, 02:59 PM
Planning on a nice long mtb hike tomorrow - a 5-6 mile test. I think my knee is ready for it :cool:

Today I was at REI (love that premium) and walked out with a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilator hiking shoes (http://www.zappos.com/merrell-moab-ventilator-smoke?zlfid=191&ref=pd_no_res) for my pavement walking sessions during the week. While the weather is nice I want to park 1.5 miles or so from work and walk to-from - and needed something less rigid for that walk as pavement walking tears my feet UP and my hiking boots are just overkill. I really wanted a pair of Salomon hiking shoes they had but, in the end, they were just a tad small and I won't do that to myself.

What this post is about is the range of sizes. For my feet, which probably didn't shrink or grow between shoe changes, the Salomon shoes that fit the best were 8.5. The Merrills were size 10.5. Now to be fair my normal size is usually between 9.5-10, Salomons run large. My Salomon hiking boots are size 9. It's just really interesting to me just how variable shoe sizes are in the same type of shoe across manufacturers and is why I won't buy shoes online unless it's a repeat purchase.

For Chaco lovers I also bought a pair of THESE (http://www.zappos.com/chaco-outcross-evo-1-violet-quartz?ef_id=VB7A7gAABLkJBmUS:20160415225640:s) to have something to change into when I walk to the office. Comfort of sandals without showing my ugly toes in the office, and even enough support for ME which says something. Thankfully I rarely have meetings outside of the office so I can get away with this.

Oh yes, REI was less expensive than Zappos which was a suprise :cool:

Crankin
04-15-2016, 04:05 PM
Sounds like you had a fruitful shopping trip. Enjoy!
I noticed Sunday, that I can't really wear my "lite hikers" and expect ankle support. They are just short of being trail runners, except with thicker soles. Yet, my regular hikers are too beefy and warm for local hikes.
So I have hiking shoes, lite hikers, and trail running shoes, and I find each has a very narrow range of wear.

Catrin
04-15-2016, 04:58 PM
I find the lighter hikers I bought today to be about halfway between my trail runners and boots for support. I would have preferred a higher ankle, but the only ones I found that weren't too rigid for pavement to be far too expensive, so I didn't go there. My trail runners used to be fine for pavement, but my feet now need more support than they once did. I doubt I will ever take the Merrells on an actual trail as they have no ankle support but at least with the more narrow range of wear they should all last longer than otherwise. Trail runners are now relegated to the gym - they are still in great shape. And it isn't like I will ever be able to run again.

Catrin
04-16-2016, 11:44 AM
4.77 miles today - I had intended to hike between 5-6 miles but decided that would increase my distance too fast - my longest hike so far this year has been 4 miles. It went well! I did try to remember to get some salt during, stretched afterwards, and then had a reasonable lunch at the Inn run by the state park. Hopefully no cramping tonight, we will see but I feel pretty good. Will have a small glass of port later to celebrate :cool: If I DO cramp tonight it shouldn't be nutritionally based or for a lack of stretching, so am crossing my fingers. The weather was AWESOME and I even got hot. We had snow flurries last week and today it was >70 in the woods. I saw several woodpeckers doing their thing, and several red winged blackbirds.

Something odd DID happen, though not to me. I prefer to hike mountain bike trails, and I was on one that could be considered intermediate. I saw a young couple start on the trail with a double-wide baby carriage with their twins!!!!!!! It was their first time in that park and they hadn't realized that it was a MTB trail, but the .3 mile they hiked before I saw them should have given them a clue. No harm done though. I don't normally say anything but I had to in this situation - not that they would have gotten that thing much further as they were close to the place where the trail narrows, and rocky/sharp/short drops commence. We talked and I left them with my trail map of the park and ideas of other trails in the park. Sometimes it's hard to know when to say anything but I didn't see where I had a choice in that situation. They DID choose to follow me out and go to one of the other trails I suggested.

emily_in_nc
04-16-2016, 05:18 PM
Sounds like a lovely hike, Catrin. Glad you enjoyed it! Don't blame you a bit for saying something to the couple...I would have too. I can't imagine that they would have been anything but grateful under the circumstances.

Crankin
04-16-2016, 06:33 PM
I wuld have said something, too. Especially with infants involved!

Crankin
05-16-2016, 02:39 AM
Yesterday, we hiked in Estabrook Woods with our friends, but decided to go on some trails on the other side of the main trail. This property backs up to the the Middlesex School (a swanky prep school), which is on a main road. We quickly made our way to the back of the campus, where we found heated/ac bathrooms by the tennis courts :eek:. From there, we went back into the woods, and we kind of got lost. We had a trail map, which is not the clearest, since this area is all land owned by Harvard University, not the town. So, we ended up on a dirt road, name familiar, which we knew came out to the main road. We were parked at the other end of the main trail, since there has been a huge neighborhood controversy about parking at the end we we were nearing, and most parking has been banned. We saw signs for no trespassing, "beware of dogs," and got a bit concerned, but then we came out to a meadow/pond that clearly was a horse property. All of this gave us quite a view of how the 1% lives. This was like in a magazine; it takes a lot to impress me, after a childhood of seeing this stuff, but I have no experience with the "horsey set." I started seeing where we would end up, and shortly after passing 2 people on horseback, we came out onto the main trail, at the other end from where we parked.
This was mostly flat, but weird, and next time we will stick to the trails we know, which are hilly and more challenging, and no threat of being chased by a guard dog. It was probably 5-6miles.

Catrin
05-16-2016, 06:59 AM
Glad there were no dogs! Sadly it's much too wet around here for hiking right now. Crossing my fingers for this weekend.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

emily_in_nc
05-21-2016, 02:36 PM
We have been taking some gorgeous hikes in the national forests in the south (Alabama, Mississippi...). Unfortunately, it seems to be a terrible year for ticks and chiggers. I did a very short blog post today on our hikes:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/lacing-up-our-hiking-boots-and-hitting-the-trails

Longest has been 9 miles, and that was a doozy since it was quite hilly, but gorgeous! Others have been in the 3-7 mile range. It's been fun getting back to hiking, but with the bugs, we probably won't do too much more until fall. It's been quite cool, even for the south, but the heat and humidity are supposed to fire up this week; and I suspect, after this, summer will be here with a vengeance. It's certainly taken it's time arriving!

Catrin
05-21-2016, 04:55 PM
Sounds wonderful Emily! Sadly we've had rain for 16 of the last 19 days. While that may be good for the flowers it isn't good for hiking on dirt trails. Crossing my fingers I can finally hike next weekend! I am finding other opportunities for walking such as parking a mile or 2 from work and walking but it just isn't the same.

My longest dirt hike this year has been 5 miles and I've a goal of 150 miles this year, feet and knee allowing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

emily_in_nc
05-23-2016, 06:36 PM
Bummer, Catrin, that's a lot of rain!

We have been really lucky in the past month we've been traveling (from NC to SC and across GA, AL, MS, and now Arkansas): we seem to be dodging nearly all the rain that's been sweeping across the south here and there. Other than one soggy overnight, we've only had a few isolated showers in the past month that I can recall, and none at all while driving! So that's been nice. I hate hiking when it's muddy out.

We did another beautiful nine-miler today because it's actually been cooler and lower humidity than usual, and this trail was much better for bugs than what we encountered in Alabama and Mississippi; it was more of a mountain-type trail with lots of rocks and roots. No flies! And we got a cooler, gray day with temp only 71 at 1pm, when we got back. Sweet! That just doesn't happen in May in the south.

Looks like we may not be so lucky with the rain later in the week, but we can't complain. Oh -- I have gotten out on the Jamis a couple of times lately, and she's still a blast to ride! Hoping to take her out again on an unpaved forest road we found near our current campground in the next couple of days.

Catrin
05-24-2016, 03:28 PM
Updating my review of the Merrell Moab Ventilator (http://www.zappos.com/merrell-moab-ventilator-smoke?zlfid=191&ref=pd_no_res) hiking shoes I purchased for very light hiking + pavement walking. I am VERY happy that I bought them from REI because they go back as soon as my foot heals.

I've been wearing them for pavement walking - and on my earlier post I mentioned that they were a larger size than usual for me. My normal athletic shoes are 10, these were 10.5. Apparently they are still too small, or at least the heel is too narrow on my larger foot (I've a wide toe-box + narrow heels.) The Salomon's I was considering at the same time was an 8.5 though I might go for a size 9 - but their sizes do run large.

It's really my own fault. I noticed a new callus on the side of my foot last night below my ankle, and without thinking I got my little electric tool and sanded that puppy right off. I then parked about 1.25 miles away from work this morning and walked to work. Now, that area WAS already sore, but I didn't notice anything when removing the callus. Today when I got to the office? HUGE blister right where the callus had been. Could hardly walk around the office and I called UBER to get me to my car after work. I've since tried to pop the blister but don't think I was successful.

So the Moabs go back to REI and I will exchange for something else, probably the Salomon's if they fit properly. I'm never sure if light hikers should have room for some movement in the heel or if they should be snug (low profile), obviously these were TOO snug. I suppose I could try on the size 11.... Anyway, the Moabs felt really good at first so if you do buy a pair do pay close attention to the heel. Either they were just too small for me, which is possible, or their heels are just very narrow. I've quite narrow heels so that says something.

Crankin
05-24-2016, 04:30 PM
I also have a narrow heel and wide toe box, plus tiny feet. My light hikers (Merrells) were purchased in 2002 in Boulder, when my son was going on college visits. They don't fit right, but I can't say what exactly it is. I can't bring myself to wear my big Lowa hiking boots when I am doing the local trails, especially in warmer weather, but I am not inclined to start a search for new light hikers. I know they are 15+ years old, but they have not been worn that often until recently.The trail runners I bought last fall aren't that great, either. They feel tight. Only my regular running shoes and hiking boots feel perfect.
I think that you could make a job out of finding shoes that fit.

Catrin
05-24-2016, 04:46 PM
I also have a narrow heel and wide toe box, plus tiny feet. My light hikers (Merrells) were purchased in 2002 in Boulder, when my son was going on college visits. They don't fit right, but I can't say what exactly it is. I can't bring myself to wear my big Lowa hiking boots when I am doing the local trails, especially in warmer weather, but I am not inclined to start a search for new light hikers. I know they are 15+ years old, but they have not been worn that often until recently.The trail runners I bought last fall aren't that great, either. They feel tight. Only my regular running shoes and hiking boots feel perfect.
I think that you could make a job out of finding shoes that fit.

Yep! I just spent close to a month shopping for work/church shoes and only succeeded at the Walking Company. I love my Solomon's backpacking boots for dirt trails, but they are far too much for gravel and pavement and I certainly cannot drive in them. It was a very close call between the Merrills and Solomon's light hikers, so I will give the latter another try. If I think they will work, or something else, at least I will just have to pay the (small) difference. I wear anything from an 8.5-11 depending on who makes the shoe! I had originally kicked myself a bit for paying a little more at REI but I am now very thankful that I did!

With my other broken bits, from my neck on down, I really need a perfect fit for shoes. I'm thankful I can save up for them, can't imagine what it would be like to try and be active without proper fitting tech footwear <shiver>

Catrin
05-28-2016, 03:33 AM
Gotta say I LOVE REI! One of the reasons I originally went with the Merrill Moab shoes was the price, they were $50 less than the Solomon's. REI is having a sale this weekend - so when I took the Merrills back (my foot is recovering from them, thankfully), they were having a very good sale on most of their hiking shoe brands - including Solomon. I only had to pay $5.50 to exchange them - saved almost $50! And, some lucky woman will get a very good price on the barely broken in Merrills at the next REI yard sale. Good all around and the Soloman's feel downright yummy on my feet! They combine features of trail runner and light hiker - and will be just fine on pavement for me.

Crankin
05-28-2016, 05:05 AM
I may have to check those out.

Catrin
05-28-2016, 08:32 AM
I may have to check those out.

These are the shoes (http://www.salomon.com/us/product/x-ultra-2-gtx-w.html). I've the "Peacock Green" version. My local REI has this currently on sale for just a little over $100, normal price = $145. Apparently my feet simply prefers Salomon's foot-bed/lasts over Merrills and certain other brands.

Hiked 4.45 miles this VERY humid morning after no dirt hiking for at least a month due to weather & muddy conditions. There was still mud but we were able to get around most of it. My knee did great, very stable with the 2 sticks, and my foot did better than I expected. A bit of metatarsal pain now but that's almost impossible to avoid - my boots (here - purple/pink version (http://www.salomon.com/us/product/comet-3d-lady-gtx.html?article=376448)) have done almost miracles at making it possible for me to hike as pain-free as I do. I WILL add that my boots, same model, are even more expensive than they were last year, so I'm glad that I pulled the trigger when I did.

I think 4.5 miles in 1 hour 50 minutes is pretty good with all of my 'bits- especially since we were talking pretty much the entire time. We weren't doing it for time, so that's a bit of a surprise. It was so humid that I did take a Saltstick tablet afterwards - I should have probably taken one before I started as well but didn't think about it. I DID use bug spray, especially with all of the rain we've recently had - and yes - bug spray with all of the bad stuff as it's the only thing I've found that works. I always shower as soon as possible afterwards - and while not the main reason getting the bug spray off is one of them.

Crankin
05-28-2016, 12:19 PM
Bug spray with the bad stuff is the only way to protect myself from tics/Lyme Disease, which is a huge problem here. I also appreciate keeping away mosquitos. I tried all of the natural repellants when I first moved here, and nothing else works for me. Glad the hike went well!
Yes, soon hot and humid today. We were going to do a shorter hill ride this morning, but we got outside and changed the plan to a shady loop of 20 miles, with one small climb.

Eden
05-28-2016, 01:29 PM
Catrin - have you tried lemon eucalyptus? It's marketed under a couple of names, I've purchased Repel from REI. For me, it actually works on mosquitos better than anything I've tried. I've been out near dusk around shallow water and not been bitten, which is amazing. I can see them swarming around, but they veer off when they get too near. It's quite incredible to watch. We've usually very few ticks out here, so I can't speak to it's effectiveness against them. It's not effective at all against biting flies and the little gnats that don't bite but are annoying in their determination to get into your eyes and nose. They seem to enjoy the scent… but, it doesn't melt plastic or destroy your clothing and it has a relatively pleasant, if fairly strong odor.

Catrin
05-28-2016, 02:22 PM
Thanks for the recommendation Eden - I will keep it in mind. While we do have a large number of mosquitos, I'm actually more concerned about ticks - and where I hike there are usually quite a lot of ticks for some reason - last time I literally had to rip one off my throat before I gave up and went back to the "bad" stuff. I think they fall out of the trees here :eek:

OakLeaf
05-28-2016, 03:55 PM
Bite Blocker does repel ticks as well as DEET. BuzzAway Extreme (not the regular BuzzAway) uses a similar formula. What they fail at is the Asian tiger mosquitoes. Just like any other insect control, nothing works on all species (and if it does, it probably works on humans too :eek:).

I just got some essential oil of lemon eucalyptus (from PlantTherapy, recommended to me as very high quality essential oils) and added some to the bug spray I bought. We don't really have Asian tiger mosquitoes at home (yet, thank goodness, and may they stay away), but there are a few places we go where there are "pockets" of them. So I'll find out whether it works on them, if not I'll bring my picaridin based, toxic "inert" ingredient laden, repellent as backup.

emily_in_nc
05-28-2016, 05:46 PM
I like the looks of those Salamons, Catrin, especially in the color you got -- my fave sea green. Will put them on my "maybe someday" list. I have older Asics trail runners that are just about shot, and some very heavy-duty hiking boots that are too much for many of the hikes we do, so something like this would be a good "tweener" pair for light to moderate hikes. I've just bought new walking and running shoes so really can't spend any more right now, but maybe in the fall. I also have a narrow heel and need a wider toe box due to hallux limitus and arthritis of my big toe joint, so these might just fit the bill.

Thanks for pointing them out, and hope they work for you for a good long time!

Catrin
05-29-2016, 03:02 AM
Thanks Oakleaf, I will check that out. I've been considering adopting a hat of some kind for hiking as I won't spray my head, but that just sounds so hot!

Emily - I'm one of those who have always been hard to fit. Very high arches, wide toe box, narrow heels. THEN in 2004 had major foot surgery (left ankle ligament repair + heel osteotomy), knee surgery (2015) and what appears to be arthritis (long time now) - or something - in my right metatarsal joint that makes hiking impossible without the right footwear. I refuse to have them "look" at it as almost every time I have them look at something they use the surgery word. If it really is arthritis as I suspect, what else can they do with it? Or anything else? So why bother unless it gets much worse. My one foot surgery was a horrible experience (due to the osteotomy) and I won't easily go there again.

This wasn't my first failed experiment with Merrill's, but I was hopeful this time as they felt good - at first. Each wearing was worse, so lesson learned. The brand just isn't for me. My lovely Salomon Comet 3D Lady GTX hiking boots never did hurt, but yesterday I realized that they were (finally) wonderfully comfortable - indeed felt like they were molded to my feet. Granted, due to knee injury plus surgery I think I only wore them 3-4 times last year and about 10 times this year (many of those were much shorter hikes than yesterday's 4.5 miles). Of course they are the most rigid footwear I've ever had and that took some getting used to. So whether my budget likes them or not, Salomons appear to be my best bet for function and comfort. Well, that's what savings are for - the cost prevents me from impulse purchasing & that's a good thing.

I'm on vacation and driving down to TN in a couple of days - planning on hiking a trail in the Smoky Mountains National Park with my sister on Friday - SHE is picking the trail. My only requirement I gave her was it must be dirt - no gravel or pavement. I've hiked much more than she has so it will be interesting to see what trail she chooses :-)

OakLeaf
05-29-2016, 05:02 AM
I think that you could make a job out of finding shoes that fit.

I was at my chiropractor's the other day talking about my shoe fit issues, and the personal trainer whose studio is across the hall overheard and handed me her daughter's card, who does just that.

Don't know anything else about her business or credentials, but I might contact her just on the off chance she's seen shoes I haven't (doubtful).

Crankin
05-29-2016, 05:02 AM
Have fun, Catrin!
I now see I may be able to get ride f the 15 year old light hikers and the new trail runners that hurt my feet. It's going to have to wait, though.

OakLeaf
05-29-2016, 05:14 AM
Catrin, have fun! The Smokies are so beautiful.

Catrin
05-29-2016, 10:23 AM
Catrin, have fun! The Smokies are so beautiful.

Yes, it's where I'm from :cool:

emily_in_nc
05-29-2016, 05:03 PM
Will be so interested to hear about your hike, Catrin. Love that area! Hope your feet do well and all your other bits too!

Catrin
05-29-2016, 06:16 PM
I hope so as well :)

Catrin
06-03-2016, 11:02 AM
Great Smoky National Park - Tremont. Beautiful! We tried a more aggressive trail but it was too steep for my knee. Climbing wasn't the problem, getting down was a different story so we turned around and went to Tremont. Still pleased with how my knee did :cool:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160603/6ba6925c852072c2b60f9d94277c0ab8.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160603/f68dbc422bbcde4517e4e4fe2d53c7ac.jpg


It may be that steep vertical step-downs will just be my knee "kryptonite" but I was still able to get down without sliding down on my bum. Patella was twinging by the bottom so it's good we turned back when we did. The trail we moved to, and where these shots were taken was fine. Time will tell what we do tomorrow :)

Crankin
06-03-2016, 12:05 PM
Really nice!
Glad you are having fun.

Catrin
06-08-2016, 03:16 PM
FINALLY, after more than a year since my initial fall, and almost a year from my surgery, I finally was able to hike at my favorite state park in southern Indiana. I wouldn't even risk it before this weekend. My choice of trail was questionable - it was the second most advanced mtb trail in the park. There was one section that had me standing there holding my breath and praying before I risked it (more erosion since I've last been there), and both directions was scary as it was an out-and-back but it was the only spot that really felt sketchy. There were a couple rock armored crossings that were weird, but I was able to get around those without a problem. I did think a few times that it probably shouldn't have been my first choice but I completed the 4+ mile out and back in about 2.5 hours. No falling, no tricky knee, love the two trekking poles and there is no way I could have done it without their support.

Odd thing about my phone's hiking/activity tracker. The trail is listed as being 2.1 miles in one direction, and my phone said it was 1.99 miles - but that isn't the strange part. The odd part is that while the start-end time was clearly right at one hour for the out-bound direction - but it only showed 30 minutes duration. Perhaps the twisty-bendy nature of cross-country mtb trails had it confused, especially if it had an iffy GPS connection. The return trip was slower (and I did rest before returning), but that's ok. It isn't for a speed record - best way I know of to wind up needing emergency services to have to search for me and carry me out of the woods - NO THANKS.

I'm bringing a couple women from my church next weekend to hike so I figured I had better come early to really test my knee out first. Glad I did :cool:

Pax
06-08-2016, 03:46 PM
That is great, Catrin, you give me hope!!

And agree on the poles, they make me feel so much more confident.

Catrin
06-08-2016, 04:13 PM
That is great, Catrin, you give me hope!!

And agree on the poles, they make me feel so much more confident.

I think it's more than confidence, though they certainly provide that. Some of the armored crossings I did today really required me to have something to grab onto as support - I don't think that's a good explanation but it's as close as I can get. I DO know they take enough stress off my legs that my knee has yet to perform tricks when using them. I do think my knee/quad is finally starting to strengthen. It may not get all the way back to normal but I will take what improvement I can get :)

emily_in_nc
06-09-2016, 05:58 PM
That's great, Catrin. What a milestone for you!

What are "armored crossings"?

Catrin
06-10-2016, 03:45 AM
That's great, Catrin. What a milestone for you!

What are "armored crossings"?

These are mountain bike trails I'm hiking, and at least around here, they are literally carved out of the side of the hill/ridge, usually by hand. I've helped build them :cool: So think about the trail climbing up/down following the side of the hill or ridge rather than going up and over the hill. Of course there are fall lines and actual stream crossings that intersect the trails, and these areas are lined with rocks to assist draining and to allow the area to dry more quickly. Here is a post on the Hoosier MTB Association page that discusses this and include pictures (http://www.hmba.org/smf/index.php?topic=12702.0) (in Indiana all MTB trails are built and maintained by volunteers). Usually these areas are quite short but sometimes they are longer sections depending upon the landscape. These are sometimes easier to ride than to walk, especially when wet :eek:

I've also figured out the route that I'm leading some friends on a hike next weekend! It won't be the same trail, but that same park has 28 miles of MTB trails and each trail has a different character - though they are all full of switchbacks. Many of those miles are VERY remote, so a good map or knowledge of exactly how the trails interact is very important.

emily_in_nc
06-10-2016, 05:29 PM
Thank you for the info and link, Catrin! We have seen spots like this before on trails but did not know they had a formal name. Good to know!

emily_in_nc
06-10-2016, 05:30 PM
I just put up a blog post on one of the excellent hikes we did recently (actually, three weeks ago now, but my blog is behind the times):

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/hiking-the-charlton-trail

Catrin
06-11-2016, 12:29 PM
Nice, thanks for the link!

Well over 90 today, and it also happened to be the day for the local Pride Parade and Festival (over 100K show up every year). SO THANKFUL for all the lessons I've learned on how to deal with the heat from both riding and hiking. In the end I walked about 6 miles on pavement in the heat - as well as just hanging out in it for hours. Frozen hydration pack, and a huge bottle of Salt Stick Buffered Electrolytes in my hydration pack. I've pretty good endurance for the heat, but was flagging seriously by the time I got back to my car after ~6 hours in the heat. Drank almost 2 liters of water, and shared some of my electrolyte caps with someone I knew who seriously needed it as well as taking some myself. I suspect more people were drinking alcohol in the heat than water, but was thankful I handled it the way I did. I'm not going back outside again today.

To give an idea of how hot I really was, after walking the ~2 miles from the festival back to my car, I stepped into a lovely ice cream place I know across from my parking lot. It didn't feel any cooler inside the store than it did outside. I really wanted ice cream but was afraid it would be too cold, given how hot I was. There is a fancy term for combining ice cream with hot coffee (they cool the coffee off a bit first). Premium coffee from a local roaster over a nice serving of craft Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream was perfect. Not too cold, not too hot, and it breathed new life into my overheated body until I could get home. Pity I can't end my hikes out in the woods in such a wonderful fashion :cool: It also passed for lunch, I figured that was a better choice than festival food in the heat...

emily_in_nc
06-11-2016, 05:56 PM
Mmmm, that coffee + ice cream drink sounded like a perfect ending to your day in the heat, Catrin! Glad you did okay. Too few folks know how to deal with hydration in this kind of heat.

Catrin
06-12-2016, 02:32 AM
Mmmm, that coffee + ice cream drink sounded like a perfect ending to your day in the heat, Catrin! Glad you did okay. Too few folks know how to deal with hydration in this kind of heat.

I only know from my long bike rides on country roads in 90+ degree temps :-)

The drink is called affogato and looks like this. Well mine was in plastic and the coffee poured from a plastic cup after they brewed/cooled it and it wasn't mint chocolate chip ice cream but you get the idea. Coffee was very strong. Wonderfully refreshing - far more than either ingredient would have been solo. Sorry for the size of the image, as it is from a link I can't change the size.

http://www.createcraftlove.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Mint-Chocolate-Affogato.png

Pax
06-12-2016, 04:45 AM
That looks delicious!!

Glad you stayed well hydrated. I've seen many young people at pride chugging beer all day in high heat, always wonder how they manage that, I can't drink enough water let alone drink beer!

Catrin
06-12-2016, 05:33 AM
That looks delicious!!

Glad you stayed well hydrated. I've seen many young people at pride chugging beer all day in high heat, always wonder how they manage that, I can't drink enough water let alone drink beer!

Yes, I saw many young, and not so young, doing that. There were quite a few ambulances close at hand just in case, and there is always shade in that park where the festival is held.

It WAS delicious, so much in fact that I might have to either make it at home OR make a "rule" that I can only have it at that location. It's really hard for me to get to them when they are open so that might be safer :o

Crankin
06-12-2016, 07:04 AM
That looks really good.

Catrin
06-12-2016, 07:54 AM
The trick is getting the coffee the right temperature so it isn't cold, but isn't hot enough to immediately melt all of the ice cream. Don't know how often I would get this - but it was PERFECT after 6 hours in 90+ degree heat + humidity.

I'm also staying inside today for the most part (just got home from church and brunch) - it's already blazing hot and it seems prudent to allow my body enough rest from the heat before returning to my usual schedule tomorrow. Resisting the temptation to make this drink/treat right now - I DO have the perfect ingredients...just not two days in a row. Pretty sure I need to make that rule to never make it at home unless it is with guests :cool:

emily_in_nc
06-12-2016, 05:26 PM
That looks so delicious, Catrin. I want it right now! :D

Catrin
06-18-2016, 03:45 PM
5 mile hike today on one of my favorite mountain bike trails - and as it turned out - I led 4 friends from my church on the hike. They hadn't been there before and it was a great day to introduce 4 women to the trails in question. Only one of them had hiked mountain bike trails before and all seemed to have a really good time. I seem to have started a monthly event

Body was fine, knees/hips were fine, and my new sock solution really took care of some nagging foot problems (hot spots) I've been experiencing, I had been using medium-weight smartwool hiking socks with no liner. So after talking with the good folks at REI I used sock liners today with light-weight (not ultra-light) hiking socks and I felt like I could have hiked several more miles without difficulty. VERY positive results from my hike today, all things considered. I've now hiked, or had long pavement walks, a total of 24 miles this month. Not bad for a broken-down stubborn broad :cool:

emily_in_nc
06-18-2016, 04:47 PM
Good job, Catrin! Sounds like you've found some excellent working solutions for your hiking goals.

I don't think we'll be doing much more hiking during the peak of the summer. For one thing, it's HOT (most places we go), and for another, the ticks are atrocious. We've had some wonderful hikes this spring, but I suspect summer will be more about cycling. We definitely plan for more hiking in the fall, however.

Crankin
06-19-2016, 03:28 AM
That sounds lovely, Catrin. As with Emily, I think my hiking is over until the fall, unless we are on vacation. Too many tics and too many people i know with re-occuring Lyme Disease.
I am sure I will miss being in the woods before fall, though, and just spray myself with Deet and hike at least once!

Catrin
06-19-2016, 03:40 AM
That sounds lovely, Catrin. As with Emily, I think my hiking is over until the fall, unless we are on vacation. Too many tics and too many people i know with re-occuring Lyme Disease.
I am sure I will miss being in the woods before fall, though, and just spray myself with Deet and hike at least once!

I don't really have any other options outside of kettlebells, and I prefer woods to pavement when I can do it. I do try to get in a couple longer walks during the week by parking roughly a mile and a half from work and walking both ways but I don't much like the hot pavement/sun combination. So I have a large can of DEET bug spray and shower as soon as I can afterwards - hate to use it but I would hate Lyme worse I suspect. Hopefully I can try out a free TaiChi class soon - I've hopes it will work for me since it's all standing, unlike yoga.

No repercussions from yesterday's hike at all, so I will likely do some kind of metabolic workout with kettlebells tonight. Tomorrow will be too hot to walk the long way from work back to my car (mid-high 90's). I will do that in the woods, perhaps, but not in downtown Indy where there is no shade. To me, especially in the VERY large state park we hiked yesterday, it's always cooler deep in the woods and there is always a slight breeze, regardless. I also seem to tolerate the heat better than some might, which is a blessing.

Crankin
06-19-2016, 04:32 AM
Yes, it sucks to be walking or running on pavement, with no shade, when it's hot. Some hotter weather is approaching here, as well as humidity, so I even alter my riding to either early AM or very shady routes, which thankfully, are not hard to find here. I am just thankful that here in New England those hot, humid days usually come in short spurts of 2-4 days and are not for 2 months. You are right, it is always cooler in the woods!

emily_in_nc
06-19-2016, 01:24 PM
It's not only ticks, though, for me. On the last couple of hikes we've done, the spiderwebs have started to be much more noticeable than in the spring. If you are the first hikers on a particular trail for that day, you can get a faceful of spiderwebs. I just really hate that sensation. And flies. Lots of flies following and plaguing us relentlessly (deer flies, house flies, etc). We've used DEET, and some trails/forests have been worse than others for insects, but coupled with heat, it's just not that pleasant to hike unless you get lucky with the early morning temps and can get out at a decent time. I do agree that the woods are cooler, and I love them, but....

I'm hoping we still get to some places we can hike this summer without some of these issues. The farther west we get, the more likelihood of that there is, I suspect.

Catrin
06-19-2016, 02:03 PM
Interesting Emily! I've never seen spiderwebs crossing the path or flies on trails in Indiana and I've been to a lot of them. Ticks, gnats, and a few other flying insects when close to water. I DO try to not think about rattlesnakes, but that's avoidable and while I know they are around, I've yet to actually SEE, or hear, one. What state are you currently in? I'm just curious. Hopefully Shelob isn't lurking back in your woods... ;)

emily_in_nc
06-19-2016, 05:50 PM
We are in Missouri at present, but we dealt with spiderwebs on hiking trails in NC all the time. It's mostly a hot summer phenomenon. If you are on trails that get a lot of use, it's much less common since the first hikers of the day will clear them all out just by walking through them. We encountered them on a hike we did in Hot Springs, Arkansas recently, but only on the first few miles, where we were on a trail early in the morning, and no one else had hiked it that day, obviously. It was pretty overgrown and full of webs. Whoever is in front bears the brunt of those. We had flies mostly on southern hikes, even back in the spring. Alabama was particularly bad for flies, as I recall, and we've had some deer flies and house flies here in MO. Could be that the further north you get, the less these problems occur, or maybe it's a matter of how urban you are. We have been in some very rural areas, lots of farms around, etc.

Rattle snakes I never worry about except out west, as that is the only place I've ever heard or seen one. But there are copperheads in the south, and water snakes as well, if hiking near a river. I always watch where I step! I've seen a couple of black snakes on the trail this spring, but they get moving pretty fast if they sense you approaching!

Catrin
06-19-2016, 07:27 PM
Very interesting. Where I prefer to hike is inside a very large, remote state park in southern Indiana with at least 50 miles of trails (both hiking & mtb) that are physically connected with external (mtb) trail systems in surrounding national forests. There are also horse trails but they are separate systems.

There is a lot of old growth forest, and while there is undergrowth of course, it isn't very tall - which I think differs from down south which may explain the lack of flies and webbing. I've heard terrible stories about black flies in Michigan during certain months so they must favor certain conditions that we don't have. Some trails are heavily used by hikers and mountain bikers, some may only see a couple a day or less - especially the double black diamond trail - I used to be crazy enough to hike that one solo :eek: There is a part of THAT trail that is actually more dangerous to walk than to ride and it's dangerous to ride. Beautiful trail though, but I can no longer risk it.

Rattlesnakes are protected in this state park and campers are warned about them when they check in. Park staff will remove them from a campsite when reported but the rattler is released back to the same location when the camper checks out. As much as I've been there I've yet to see any snake outside of periodic rescued snakes in the nature center - usually a rattler or two. I make a lot of noise if I leave the trail for any reason, just in case. Someone lost a pet in the campground a couple years ago because they decided the rules didn't apply to them and didn't leash their little dog. They tried to sue but couldn't get it off the ground as the rules are quite clear - and everyone is told why.

emily_in_nc
06-20-2016, 11:56 AM
Yikes, Catrin, did not know there were rattlesnakes in Indiana! :eek:

I think you're probably right about the height and density of vegetation having something to do with the spiderwebs. Also, the width of a trail plays into it. The wider the trail, the fewer spiders can spin a web across it!

I just published a blog post about our last, longest hike in Hot Springs NP if you are interested. This is the one where we ran into a lot of spider webs in the first few miles, which were a part of the trail that gets little use and had definitely not been used that day. Once we passed Jack's Pond, we got to more well-used and wider parts of the trail and didn't have any more issues with webs. No flies that day either. This hike was on June 5, and it was quite hot, but a beautiful hike.

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/hiking-the-sunset-trail-in-hot-springs-national-park

I don't think we've hiked since then, actually, though we've done plenty of walking. :)

Catrin
06-20-2016, 03:24 PM
Interesting link, thanks! I do suspect that walking trails may sometimes be more narrow than mountain bike trails - and that's what I usually hike. Around here, even in my favorite park, it tends to be the opposite - hiking trails are quite often wider and rarely more narrow but I'm sure that isn't a general rule everywhere.

Aromig
06-21-2016, 06:22 AM
As much as I've been there I've yet to see any snake outside of periodic rescued snakes in the nature center - usually a rattler or two. I make a lot of noise if I leave the trail for any reason, just in case.

That's exactly what I do -- I make lots of noise and trust that they don't want to see me anymore than I want to see them :-) I've yet to see a rattlesnake in Brown County State Park. My husband, however, came very close to a rattlesnake on the Nebo Ridge Trail in the Hoosier National Forest while geocaching two years ago, and I've had friends see them in Morgan-Monroe State Forest for about the past six or seven years. Although endangered, the Timber Rattlesnake population has certainly grown a lot in the past few years in Indiana and I'm hearing about more and more sightings (although my herpetologist friend who desperately wants to see one in Indiana has failed to find one yet although he's been actively looking!)

Catrin
06-21-2016, 08:11 AM
I've not yet been to the Nebo Ridge trail. Is it too isolated for solo hiking? While some of the trails in BCSP aren't that heavily traveled during the week, there is at least some chance someone will come along if something should happen.

Hope your friend finally sees one .

Catrin
06-25-2016, 09:38 AM
Whooohooo - 6 mile trail hike today and it feels like I could have gone further with no issues. One of my hiking friends has invited me to hike a certain 10 mile trail this fall in southern Indiana (it's in a national forest) and I don't think it's an unreasonable goal. If I can hike 6 miles on trails in 1:58 without even trying I think that 10 miles on a hillier trail in 4 months will be fine.

emily_in_nc
06-25-2016, 01:10 PM
You can definitely do that, Catrin! We went from nothing but flat "hiking" in Mexico and Florida to that crazy 15-mile hilly hike in Hot Springs in just a matter of a couple of months (with several moderate-length hilly hikes before that, of course). Ten miles is very doable, especially if you take your time and go at your own comfortable pace!

Pax
06-25-2016, 01:26 PM
I know it's not real hiking but gotta chime in... I walked miles today at the ALA convention and while my new knee swelled a little, it still worked and I did great. Yay me! :D

Catrin
06-25-2016, 01:34 PM
Pax - that sounds like hiking to me! I don't know about you, but MY knee is far more cranky on pavement so I think you did great.

I think my recent vacation really helped in that I was so active that my knee/leg HAD to strengthen. Perhaps due to my age it took far longer to regain my strength no matter what I did. Is it perfect? Far from it, but it's improved and I know my current limitations. There was a little pain today on the medial side - but I expect SOMETHING, I know when to stop. It's always swollen, but it's been like that for a very long time, even before the injury last year. I'm unsure with all of my cartilage loss (unrelated to the injury/surgery) that even a replacement would fix things. DOES knee replacement address missing cartilage? I've not been able to find definitive information on that - not that I am anywhere close to considering a replacement.

I will need to do some research to make certain that trail my hiking partner has in mind isn't the kind I need to avoid (vertical step-downs), but it sounds more like mountain bike trails which I can do!

Pax
06-26-2016, 08:41 AM
My legs are tired from three days of walking, but they definitely feel stronger.

Knee replacement surgery definitely addresses cartilage loss because they actually remove the bone heads where your cartilage used to be. You end up with the metal inserts in place of where your cartilage used to wrap over the top of your bones, they also insert a plastic spacer that takes the place of your meniscus so it's all replaced in there, everything is new except your muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Catrin
06-26-2016, 09:14 AM
My legs are tired from three days of walking, but they definitely feel stronger.

Knee replacement surgery definitely addresses cartilage loss because they actually remove the bone heads where your cartilage used to be. You end up with the metal inserts in place of where your cartilage used to wrap over the top of your bones, they also insert a plastic spacer that takes the place of your meniscus so it's all replaced in there, everything is new except your muscles, ligaments and tendons.

The more active the better! I think my slowness in gaining strength was due to my job - lots of sitting. I mitigate that as much as I can but I have to work. Hopefully I can prevent it from weakening now I'm back in the office. I know there is permanent impairment but I'm a lot better off than many.

As far as what the replacement entails - wow :eek: Hopefully I won't ever need to go there but your description provided what I wanted to learn. It's good to know that if it ever does reach that point there are things that can be done. Thankfully I am decidedly not a candidate and hopefully can avoid that. VERY glad to hear that YOUR improvement continues!

Pax
06-27-2016, 04:40 AM
So glad you're not there, knee replacement is, by far, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I'm glad I could walk the convention center now, but if I could still go back and undo the surgery I would.

emily_in_nc
06-27-2016, 04:52 AM
So glad you're not there, knee replacement is, by far, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I'm glad I could walk the convention center now, but if I could still go back and undo the surgery I would.

Damn...that's a shame, Pax. :( I remember discussing on here how difficult it was for my step-father, particularly in his second knee, which was a more difficult surgery, for whatever reason. But I figured that was because he was slacker than he should have been about rehab and older as well. I hate that you have also had regrets and a bad result.

Pax
06-27-2016, 05:02 AM
Damn...that's a shame, Pax. :( I remember discussing on here how difficult it was for my step-father, particularly in his second knee, which was a more difficult surgery, for whatever reason. But I figured that was because he was slacker than he should have been about rehab and older as well. I hate that you have also had regrets and a bad result.

For me it's the issue with scar tissue. My surgeon should have listened and looked back into my chart more to see the issues I have with scarring before we proceeded. He should have been able to give me a better idea of what to expect. I've had adhesion's and excessive scarring after every surgery I've had (ten of them) so there was ample information available to him. I'm glad I can walk better and farther now, but the cost is more than I would have willingly paid.

Catrin
06-27-2016, 02:11 PM
Ugh, so sorry Pax.

As far as my own knee surgery is concerned, it wasn't near as profound as yours but it certainly didn't bring me back to what I was before. I am trying to find peace over all of this a year later, and I am happy that I can do what I can. It IS better than before the surgery, the fall did a real number on that knee, there was no doubt that it needed to be tried.

Pax
06-28-2016, 06:26 AM
It is odd to have visceral evidence of the fact we are aging. Gotta say, not a fan. But I guess it's better than the alternative. ;)

rocknrollgirl
06-30-2016, 02:36 AM
Catrin,
These pics are for you! From yesterday's hike. Lots of scrambling and shoots and ladders. The is me on the lft going up a steep section and my husband on the right.

emily_in_nc
06-30-2016, 05:30 AM
That looks like a beautiful and fun hike, RnR!

We took a hike on the around-lake trail here at the state park yesterday. It is pretty much just a mowed strip of grass, not strenuous at all other than in length. Gorgeous views all around of prairie flowers and grasses and the lake. Lots of birds and a few Monarch butterflies!

We got about 3/4 of the way around the lake when suddenly the trail just ENDED. They had just stopped mowing, and the native grasses were taller than me, so no way to cut through. Ugh. So, we had to backtrack to get back to the campground the only way to get there. We could see it across the lake, but it was a long hike to get back. Not a big deal except that there was a t-storm approaching with ominous dark clouds coming our way, so we were hauling butt to beat it back. It had been sunny when we left the motorhome, and we'd left some things outside we didn't want to get wet, plus most of the windows open.

We did make it back in time at a record "hiking" pace for us. Ended up with 6 miles overall. Here are a few shots from the hike:

18076 18077 18078

Catrin
06-30-2016, 03:29 PM
RnR and Emily - those are all great pictures! RnR - that is exactly the type of hiking I really want to do (but knee can't handle) so I really appreciate the pictures. Thankfully I CAN handle most of the terrain found on a midwest mountain bike trail (outside of a double black diamond trail) which is why I seek those out. It looks like a lot of fun! Indiana has several state parks close to me that has that kind of terrain on their trails which I am carefully avoiding because I know me and my ego :o

Emily, I especially love your picture with the butterfly. Glad you got back in time!

Thinking of a trail long enough Saturday morning to have another coffee/ice cream "drink" when I get home :cool:

Crankin
06-30-2016, 03:50 PM
Wow, R and R, that looks like "climbing," not hiking to me! I would freak out, but I guess I could try... rock scrambling kind of ruins it for me.
Emily, that sounds like quite an adventure.

emily_in_nc
06-30-2016, 05:34 PM
We did some rock scrambling in Canyonlands National Park and I loved it. A little scary but challenging and fun. I much prefer going up than coming back down, though!

Crankin
07-01-2016, 03:26 AM
Ugh, can't even think about the down on terrain like that. A hint that I don't care for descending in any sport!
Except cross country skiing and snow shoeing. Weird, I feel empowered when I descend on snow. Maybe because the falling will be cushioned? I actually can run down hills on snowshoes and I have surprised myself descending on those skinny skis. I am not fast, but I go.

rocknrollgirl
07-01-2016, 04:04 AM
Wow, R and R, that looks like "climbing," not hiking to me! I would freak out, but I guess I could try... rock scrambling kind of ruins it for me.


I used to be a climber, and we have spent a lot of time on stuff like that. While my mom was still alive we used to go out to CO and bang out 14er's every summer. When that got old we started doing knife edge ridges. i love it. We both do. The more scramably the better! We are planning a fast assault on Huntington Ravine later this summer.

Now perspective. I can do that up and down all day long, but if I have to drive in the city I will cry and if I have to cycle on a road with no shoulder I FREAK out. It is not pretty!

rocknrollgirl
07-01-2016, 04:11 AM
Here is a good one from last summer. We had just come down off that cirque.

Crankin
07-01-2016, 04:39 AM
Ha, I do not drive in the city, either. I moved away, to places that are laid out on grids, 2 months before I got my permit. Moving back, at age 36, I knew there would be no driving in Boston for me. It was bad enough learning to drive in the snow at that age! I always say, the closer you get to the city, the higher the level of azzhole driving.
However, I can ride on roads with no shoulder.

Skierchickie2
07-01-2016, 08:34 AM
I'm such a weenie on steep stuff (especially coming back down, so I get myself into trouble - try to be tough about it and push myself through my fear going up, and then find myself paralyzed with terror coming down).

I'm laid up at the moment, due to my running-related knee injury. It's getting better, but I'm just off the crutches. But I'm ecstatic that yesterday the doctor said he didn't expect the slightest problem with my backpacking trip to Isle Royale in August! Of course, right now I can't be training for that, or anything else. I've been a couch potato for 12 days.

Nor can I be trying on my new hiking boots and deciding which pair to return. I got new ones last summer, which were wonderful until my 16-day backpacking trip. First, blisters on the toes, then blisters on my heels, then blisters everywhere. It took a few months for my feet to stop feeling like they had nerve damage. So for our anniversary (3 days before my injury) DH got me the boots I almost bought last year on our big boot-shopping trip, when I tried on everything I could find. Ordered 2 sizes, so I need to figure out which ones are best. They're still sitting in the box. Maybe this weekend, since I can put my own socks on now. I plan to try going for some walks this weekend, and gently test the knee, so if I get the boots figured out maybe I can start adjusting to those, as well.

Crankin
07-01-2016, 12:51 PM
OK, in order to challenge myself, we just signed up for a 3 day AMC hiking trip in Acadia National Park, in October. The level is moderate and the leader told us almost everyone will be over 60! There are some rocky trails and it may be wet (rainy), but I will deal. It's not backpacking/camping, we are staying at a Hampton Inn. I am excited to go back there, as we had a fabulous and relaxing vacation there in 1998, just about a year before DS and DH began cycling. It's closer to the end of October, so all the tourists/leaf peepers will be gone.
Guess I'd better do some more hiking this summer.

Catrin
07-01-2016, 02:47 PM
Yay for more hiking :cool:

emily_in_nc
07-01-2016, 05:12 PM
That sounds like great fun, Crankin! I have never been to Acadia NP, but it's on the list. My DH went there on his honeymoon with his first wife, so we've kind of avoided it for that reason, but since he and I have been married for over 31 years now, and they were only married for four, we should get over that, right?! :D

I look forward to hearing about your trip when the time comes, and I like the idea of staying at the Hampton Inn instead of a tent. :-)

Crankin
07-02-2016, 02:35 AM
Ha, ha, Emily. Yeah, it's time to get over that! I was married to someone else for a year before I married DH, but since we didn't do much of the things I do now, I haven't experienced that. However, the first time I went to the Prudential Center with DH (a big shopping area in Boston), I realized I had been there with both the first husband (during my brief one semester in college in Boston) and my first boyfriend, the one who died last year. That was weird, as the different parts of my life are very distinct.

rocknrollgirl
07-02-2016, 06:04 AM
OMG, I love Acadia. We go every summer. LOVE it. This is the first year we are not going in a long time, and I will miss it. You will have a great time hiking there. October will be beautiful. Are you actually staying in Bar Harbor?

Crankin
07-02-2016, 07:15 AM
Yes, nothing fancy, though. After all, it's an AMC trip. Last time we went, we rented a house in Southwest Harbor. Probably the quietest, most relaxing vacation I've ever had, despite being with 2 teenagers.

Catrin
07-02-2016, 12:08 PM
Yes, nothing fancy, though. After all, it's an AMC trip. Last time we went, we rented a house in Southwest Harbor. Probably the quietest, most relaxing vacation I've ever had, despite being with 2 teenagers.

Sounds like fun - I had to look up AMC to see what kind of hiking trip you were referring to. Hadn't heard of them before but the way my life has gone I've lived in the Midwest for most of it since my mid-30's even though I'm from eastern Tennessee. Sadly my home state will need to change some elements of it's political climate before I would return but that's an entirely different topic. Enjoy your trip!

Today I hiked 4.5 miles in a local mountain bike trail system in 90 minutes. It's as aggressive as it gets for Central Indiana, I need to go to Southern Indiana to find more aggressive trails and my schedule didn't allow that today. It went well, and I had wanted to back off a bit today anyway. The last two Saturday's I broke my post-surgery hiking distance records and it seemed wise to draw back a bit today. Lovely temps for July, it was 58 when I started at 8:30 am! A bit of a break in the heat wave we've been having (though I've been really enjoying that), and it returns later this week they say.

Crankin
07-03-2016, 01:30 PM
OK, you all would proud of me. We hiked up Mt. Wachusett today. The shortest and steepest trail up, which was hard and scary (rocky), but nothing compared to the rocky stuff we had on one of the trails coming back. Part of that was ok, like what I expected, both up and down, but then we turned to go along the ridge that would bring us back. Not a long distance, and we could hear the road, so even though it looked like wilderness, it's not. There was some serious rock scrambling, where I had to put my poles down and crawl. Seriously praying our trip to Acadia is not this bad. I can do it, but I am so slow, as I don't have the greatest balance. It's much improved since I started riding, but I look at these people in sandals just flying over this terrain and I am wondering what is wrong with me!
We will be going back for more torture.

emily_in_nc
07-03-2016, 02:00 PM
Teehee, nothing is wrong with you, Crankin, but I suspect most of those folks scrambling in sandals are 1) 20-30 years younger and 2) Been doing it for a lot longer than you. Give yourself a break -- you're out there doing your best, and that's way better than most people sitting on their couch eating potato chips! :D So, congratulations! Sounds like you did a difficult hike and made it! Yay you!

We actually did another hike today. There has been unseasonably cool weather here in western Iowa for the holiday weekend; otherwise, we would not have been hiking. In fact, I thought our hiking was through for the summer, as I mentioned in a couple posts back. Yesterday was raining with a high of 61, so we did nothing at all, but today it was overcast and slowly rose from upper 50s to low 70s but with quite a bit of breeze, so we decided to postpone our planned bike ride 'til tomorrow, which is going to be warmer and sunnier, and hike instead. Just a short one of a little over 4 miles, but very pretty, and nice to be on a trail in the state park where we only saw two other people vs. in the very busy campground section where we're staying, with kids everywhere, biking up and down the road in front of us, walking, scootering, etc. A good break, and very pretty to see all the prairie wildflowers and many birds. We saw a Baltimore Oriole, a couple of Dickcissels singing madly, a hawk being chased by a posse of Red-Winged Blackbirds, lots of Canada Geese on the pond, a Great Blue Heron, and a deer. Lovely!

Crankin
07-03-2016, 02:10 PM
Thanks, Emily. Yes, a lot of them were young, but not all. What got me were the little kids doing this. And, the woman carrying a very tiny baby in a front pack, coming down the steep steps we were ascending to the summit. One guy my age said he wished he had not left *his* poles at home.
Going for a hilly 50 mile ride tomorrow and i hope I can move when I get up...

Catrin
07-03-2016, 02:28 PM
Great job Crankin, I'm impressed! I KNOW my knee wouldn't allow that sort of thing - which is a pity as it sounds like a great, and fun, challenge. I don't know about having a small baby along but perhaps she's been using that trail/climb for so long that she felt comfortable enough to do that.

I am very glad I did my 4.5 mile hike yesterday morning as it's been raining constantly since last night and is supposed to continue until sometime tomorrow. Certainly is putting a damper on local celebrations that involve fireworks and other outdoor activities.

Emily, it sounds like you had a beautiful and peaceful hike! Glad you were able to find the "trail less traveled".

emily_in_nc
07-03-2016, 05:07 PM
Sorry, I wrote "Catrin" in my post above but meant "Crankin" -- have changed it. Your screen names are just too similar. ;-)

Crankin (I got it right this time!), good luck with your ride tomorrow. That sounds tough!

Crankin
07-04-2016, 05:05 AM
About to leave on the ride. Emily, this is the one I described that last year was 95 degrees when we led a group on it. Well, it's going to be 90 today. Thankfully, just the "practice" ride for us. Good thing I used the foam roller on my quads last night. That, and sleeping with my knee compression thing, I am about as good as I'll be after that hike. My knee was a bit off before the hike, so I know that I just should wear that thing when I feel the aching. It's a result of a fracture which occurred over 40 years ago.

Skierchickie2
07-04-2016, 03:57 PM
I can't really call what I've been doing "hiking", exactly, but the last few days I've started testing my knee. A 2-1/2 mile walk on gravel roads and 2-tracks on Friday, then more activity and the same walk on Saturday (putting one lavender plant in the ground tested it as much as anything) - that evening it was hurting quite a bit. But Sunday it felt a lot better, and I added more 2-track to my route, for a total of 4 miles. Today DH came with me, and we walked one of our normal run routes. I felt pretty good, so we added to that, for 6-1/2, mostly on 2-tracks and overgrown atv trails. Lots of deer flies driving us nuts. And one stop to raid a nice patch of wild strawberries :D. Now I'm icing, and it hurts a bit, but it is definitely coming along. I have to be careful on rough ground, and really slow and careful on downhills, as that seems to be the worst part. I haven't tried anything steep yet, but uphills don't feel too bad. So I'm encouraged. After almost 2 weeks of inactivity, it's nice to be out and about.

Oh, and have only found one tick crawling on me since we got home.

I'm sorta jealous of your hike, Crankin! That sounds like a pretty neat one.

Catrin
07-04-2016, 05:07 PM
Sounds like you're doing just fine Skierchickie2! I'm coming back from a knee surgery from last summer myself - it's been a long road but am finally improving a bit. I've certainly found that downhills are harder on a bad knee than uphills. Take care and have fun!

Skierchickie2
07-04-2016, 05:35 PM
Thank you Catrin. It sounds to me like you're getting out there regularly, and working on it. Do you find biking helps? I know it really helped me recover from sprains (one of the things I did while away from this forum was 2 years of roller derby - all I ever seemed to accomplish there was 3 knee tweaks / sprains, which was why I gave it up a year ago). Knees are cranky things, or so I'm finding these days.

My injury is nothing compared to those of you who have had surgery and knee replacements. I did really think I'd done some major damage inside, but the last few days it has improved drastically. I'm hoping to try biking easy in a couple days, and see how that goes.

Catrin
07-05-2016, 02:14 AM
I can't ride any longer, at all, due to previous neck and knee injuries. One thing to consider with your knee and recovering is to not force things. Swelling and pain afterwards is a sign that you may have pushed things too far - take it from someone who knows about that - pushing through swelling and pain is in part responsible for several of my permanent injuries. Just some food for thought.

Pax
07-05-2016, 02:26 AM
Catrin - exactly. I did the same in my quest to "play though the pain" and have done permanent damage as well. Took me some time to give myself permission to treat myself more gently, and it's working far better.

Catrin
07-05-2016, 03:21 AM
Catrin - exactly. I did the same in my quest to "play though the pain" and have done permanent damage as well. Took me some time to give myself permission to treat myself more gently, and it's working far better.
Yep - that is why I can now only hike and do kettlebell swings and kb deadlifts or kb sumo squats. If I'm not careful I will lose those activities as well. It's never too soon to start listening to our bodies and seeing signs for what they are. Don't be like me :o

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VeganBikeChick
07-06-2016, 06:22 PM
I went hiking last week with the guy I'm dating. It was only our second date, and I thought I would try to match his physical fitness by suggesting a "moderate" hike, 3 miles total out and back. I'd never done the hike before but it was suggested by one of my coworkers and he said it was "fine". So we start out and it's just climbing and climbing and climbing and more climbing, which he is breezing through. I felt like I was on the stair stepper to he**. I tired quickly and had to throw in the towel. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't complete the hike, but he was such a good sport. I just wanted a couple of flat areas to catch my breath, but none to be found. Note to self: don't trust coworkers :rolleyes:

Catrin
07-07-2016, 09:59 AM
I was smiling and groaning for you at the same time VBC. There are so many definitions of what constitutes hiking out there (that sounded like climbing to me) & difficulty is sometimes relative. Glad he was a good sport - may the next hike be more enjoyable :)

As my knee has improved I seem to have developed a small women's hiking group! For me it is quite different being out there with people rather than solo, and I find I'm enjoying that aspect, especially with one of the women. I still make time to get out in the woods solo, but leading a small group of 4-5 women is also fun.

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Crankin
07-08-2016, 04:27 AM
Yes, I am a bit confused, too Catrin. The trails we were on Saturday were labeled moderate. Perhaps in elevation, but not in technical difficulty. Eventually, I learned how to see through descriptions of rides, and I guess I can do the same with hiking. I know that what most describe as a rolling ride, is more like kind of hilly to me. It means small hills, ups and downs. Not flat. I guess I would like more description of terrain for hiking. To me, trails like the one I did Sunday are not trails, they are just jagged rocks, which to me look like the trail stopped and I am lost! I picture trails as dirt, maybe punctuated with lots of rocks in the ground and roots, and even steep. But not just rocks.

Crankin
07-08-2016, 03:35 PM
Did 4 miles in Estabrook Woods today, including hiking up the old ski slope, which had a tiny swath of dirt going up the wildflower and grass covered slope. Looks like some crazy azz mountain bikers had been there. Felt good and this is probably the most challenging local (in my town) hike I can do.
Then, being who we are, we decided to walk into town around 5 and participate in a farm to table restaurant's one year anniversary celebration, which featured their new brewery made beers. So, we walked the 1.8 miles, had a flight of their 4 brews (not too much), shared a soft pretzel and a burrata with bread. Then, we proceeded to the local ice cream place and had a cone. Another 1.8 miles home, where we went a slightly different way out of the village, and then for less on Main St, where, although there's a sidewalk, is a bit noisy. Took the dirt road that leads to the neighborhood next to our condo, where we had 2 small hills to go up, before getting to the path the goes right to our street.
My feet hurt, but I will sleep well tonight.

Catrin
07-14-2016, 12:52 PM
Sounds like it was fun Crankin! I had a nice 5.5 mile hike this past weekend, and am planning another this coming weekend in another location. It certainly does help sleep come@

Crankin
07-14-2016, 03:55 PM
I am going on a hike very early tomorrow, with a former colleague from when I was teaching. It's a 4 mile hike, with a good up in the beginning, and a view of a chasm in the middle. Very strange in the middle of a town of 20,000 people.

Catrin
07-14-2016, 04:30 PM
I am going on a hike very early tomorrow, with a former colleague from when I was teaching. It's a 4 mile hike, with a good up in the beginning, and a view of a chasm in the middle. Very strange in the middle of a town of 20,000 people.

Sounds wonderful! The chasm sounds quite interesting, any chance for a picture or two?

emily_in_nc
07-15-2016, 06:18 AM
That sounds like a nice hike, Crankin. Hope it wasn't too hot. Been seeing some awful high heat indices for the east of late, and here in Minnesota we had to turn our heat on this am. It was 51 degrees!

Crankin
07-15-2016, 06:36 AM
So, my hike this morning was timed appropriately, as we are under a poor air quality alert starting in 30 minutes, for the rest of the day. It's got to be 90% humidity, going up to 90 degrees later.
Unfortunately, that meant slippery roots and rocks... I was talking away with my friend when my foot hit a rock and I felt a little "that hurt." Not my ankle, on the metatarsi. It felt sore, but is fine now. Then, like 2 minutes later, I took a flyer on something slippery. Thankfully, wearing my hiking capris, so no damage, except dirt stains! But my friend asked me if my balance is off! Of course, I explained that it's always been off, and is actually better now. I really was not paying attention to the ground like I usually do. We still had a good hike and sat atop a rock/viewpoint for awhile, near the end. I don't have pictures of the chasm, I do have some of the view, but I cannot figure out how to get it from my phone to TE. Let me work on that!
I think it was about 4 miles. We had a great time, and so glad I did this, instead of the sweaty 12 mile ride my DH did. Just a little worried about my ability to do the hiking in Acadia in the fall, when it may be raining, but I can't worry for the next 4 months.

Catrin
07-16-2016, 03:40 PM
Decent hike today with a new hiking partner, I keep finding more women who like to head out into the woods. We decided to call it trekking instead of hiking. I was checking out my knee on a trail I've not done since long before my knee injury and it did fine. So well that when I bring my little hiking group back in 2 weeks I will make it a 6-mile route rather than the 4-miles from today. Was actually unsure how far it was until we were done so that was nice.

Saw LOTS of a wide variety of very brightly colored mushrooms of different sizes and shapes. Interestingly enough, they all appeared to be on the uphill side of the trail and never on both sides outside of one location that was on a hill top. Some were bright and fuzzy, like something from a Disney movie, others were bright and hairy, colors ranged from blue to red to yellow to white. I know that bright colored mushrooms are always to be avoided, but I've never seen so many! Will look them up to see if I can find out more about some of them.

edited: many of the mushrooms appear to have been a combination of amanita and fly agaric (another kind of amanita) - both posionious - and their colors were quite bright and vibrant. I may not be able to figure out what the bright red and orange fuzzy/plush ones were - they looked like they would be warm and fuzzy to the touch. We didn't touch them :-) Pity I didn't get any pictures. We saw many different things today that I've never noticed in that park before, interesting!

Catrin
07-23-2016, 12:39 PM
Had a quite nice 6 mile hike/trek this morning at 7am. We are under this "heat dome" they keep talking about and it seemed a good idea to go early. By 7:30 am it was so hot and humid that my breath would fog up my glasses - I've not seen that here before outside of the winter. Thankfully as the sun rose higher the humidity appeared to go down a bit, but sweat was certainly rolling down the first hour of our hike, then it became more like normal. I don't normally sweat a lot so it's saying something when I do. I had my Salt Stick capsules and used them! At one point my foot became trapped in roots and I fell - but it was a slow-motion fall and I could choose which knee hit the ground - whew!

More heat tomorrow but I will exercise at home after I get home from church with my kettlebells. Next Saturday is the women's group hike I lead and am looking forward to that.

Catrin
07-30-2016, 02:26 AM
Somehow I've become the leader of a small women's hiking group from my church. There are currently 6 of us, and I'm unsure I really want it to get larger as it adds complexity considering we go on road trips for hiking. Today will be the first time that all 6 of us have made it at the same time, and if I get more cool pictures will share them. Hopefully we will see the camels again, hopefully from their front ends this time ;)

I've planned a 6 mile trek today - and I'm coming to like the term 'trekking' over hiking as I think the European term really describes better what we do. More and more I hear the term "hiking" used for much more technical hiking - but I tend to perhaps pay more attention to words than I should. Trekking is a great word though so will stick with it.

The best thing about the group is the range of women who have joined us. The youngest are two young women who were just married in our church a couple months past - the first lesbian couple to have a church wedding in our parish since it became legal to do more than a less official blessing (the first gay male couple were married a couple of weeks later), the oldest is a 70 year old woman who joins us when she and her husband isn't traveling. This group wasn't started intentionally, it was born when I was earlier in my knee injury/surgery recovery when it wasn't wise for me to hike solo no matter how easy the trail and I didn't want to fall into the habit of always asking the same person/people to go with me.

Crankin
07-30-2016, 03:15 AM
That is so awesome, Catrin. I like the trekking term, too.
I need to get back to hiking, with that trip looming in the future. I am pretty sure I have (had) a stress fracture in my metatarsal from when I kind of kicked and tripped on a root a couple of weeks ago. It's fine cycling, but walking in certain shoes hurts a little. More of an ache, and I know only time helps, so I am going to wait another week or two.

Pax
07-30-2016, 04:03 AM
Catrin, I LOVE that you're doing this, taking the lead and showing other women the ropes. How very cool that it fell into place so well, it was meant to be.

Catrin
07-30-2016, 01:42 PM
Youch Crankin, hope that heals quickly! My metatarsal (ball of the foot) joint is where I've so much arthritis so I know what you are going through even if it's a different cause.

VERY nice 6 miles today, and there were only 3 of us - one was ill and the other two got tied up but they had their own hike later so that's all good. IT WAS HUMID, and while I took several Salt Stick capsules during the hike by the time I got home (after lunch and a 90 minute drive), both feet were cramping pretty badly plus one calf. Just took another one to be safe. I drank almost a liter of water during the hike which may not have been quite enough, but I feel fine now. More stretching tonight.

Thanks Pax! I don't know how noticeable it is online but I'm not the most socially comfortable woman around, so it's kind of amazing and comforting at the same time to have this little group come together. Now if my feet will jut continue to cooperate (crossing fingers and toes on this one).

emily_in_nc
07-30-2016, 04:59 PM
Good going, Catrin! I think it's great that you're doing this. If I lived in Indy, I would join you for sure. :)

Catrin
08-07-2016, 12:01 PM
No formal hiking this weekend - however as I DID walk over 6 miles on pavement yesterday I think that counts. About half of that was to walk from my car to GenCon 2016, the rest was walking around in the exhibition hall for about 6 hours. It was HUGE - and a lot of fun. Very little standing around - glad I went!

Pax
08-07-2016, 02:00 PM
How fun! All I did was pack, very not fun.

Catrin
08-08-2016, 02:00 AM
No...but you will SO much enjoy being back in the Midwest :D

Pax
08-08-2016, 05:28 AM
I really will!!

Catrin
08-09-2016, 07:54 AM
After trying, and exchanging, increasingly more expensive light hiking shoes to find something that I can use for long pavement walks without pain during or later, I finally found a winner. I really liked a couple that I returned - but they all provided to be either too narrow for my toes or too wide in my heels. They ALL felt great at first but until I finally found the paragon of light hikers for me, they all felt worse (and in some cases MUCH worse) at each wearing. For one of them actually had to take time off work as I couldn't walk the next day :eek:

Much to my surprise the paragon of light hikers turned out to be the Keen Voyageur. (https://www.rei.com/product/763736/keen-voyageur-hiking-shoes-womens?CAWELAID=120217890000829859&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=15997813240&CATCI=aud-87986356584:pla-70847337160&cm_mmc=PLA_Google|404_7417|7637360008|00d07bc6-70a5-4094-b97e-9033cca12ba0|aud-87986356584:pla-70847337160&lsft=cm_mmc:PLA_Google_LIA|404_7417|7637360008|00d07bc6-70a5-4094-b97e-9033cca12ba0|aud-87986356584:pla-70847337160&gclid=Cj0KEQjw_qW9BRCcv-Xc5Jn-26gBEiQAM-iJhQ91c2ff6vyA2xfegjkmtoIfJNUsAOUaogT4OxS3Nw4aAlhO8P8HAQ) Their sandals haven't worked out for me in the past so I never considered them until they were my only option left at REI before I would have to start searching elsewhere...which I wanted to avoid as MOST places won't allow you to return or exchange shoes. They are far from sexy, but hey, all I care about is to be able to do what I can do with as little pain as possible :cool:

Are they perfect? No...but they aren't far from it & I think once I get my custom orthotics (very soon) they will be as close to perfect as is possible for me. Thinking about getting another pair to set aside just in case Keen redesigns them.

Pax
08-09-2016, 08:34 AM
That is pretty cool, I like Keens and need some light hikers, I'll give them a look. (I normally wear Keen Targhees)

Catrin
08-09-2016, 12:54 PM
That is pretty cool, I like Keens and need some light hikers, I'll give them a look. (I normally wear Keen Targhees)

From what I've read Pax, the Voyageur are quite close to the Targhees - but the Targhees are waterproof, the Voyageurs aren't. My feet overheat very easily, though I seem to only notice that on pavement. My Solomon Comet GTX 3D hiking boots (dirt only) are technically waterproof but as long as I've 2 pairs of socks on I don't have a problem with over-heating or hot spots. MY idea of a "light hiker" may well be more robust than those who don't have bad feet/knees :rolleyes:

Pax
08-09-2016, 02:48 PM
Excellent, the Targhees are great as a winter boot, but run very hot the rest of the time.

Blueberry
08-09-2016, 03:56 PM
Excellent, the Targhees are great as a winter boot, but run very hot the rest of the time.

The Targhee's are currently on my $hit list. I have the men's - because I have really wide toes. They blistered the snot out of my little toe (bottom) on the second day we were in Ireland. I ended up hiking the rest of the trip in barefoot sandals.

Just goes to show how different we all are - I'm glad they work for someone!!

Pax
08-10-2016, 06:20 AM
I got my hiking poles out yesterday and cleaned and readjusted them. Was kinda disappointed to find all the hardware corroded and rusty. I guess using them at the beach those first few months made a mess of the connectors... I may have to go pole shopping now!

Skierchickie2
08-13-2016, 05:08 PM
Rainy today, so it was a rest day, but spent most of it getting gear and food ready for our backpacking trip to Isle Royale in a week. Can't wait! My knee is much better, and I think with my poles and a knee brace I'll do okay. One of my concerns is the heel blister I keep getting with my new boots (but my old ones chewed my feet all over). Anyone ever used Trail Toes? I got some, but not sure if it will save me. I read good stuff about it.

I cannot believe how much prep time it takes to get ready. Just divvying up the food and gear, figuring out meals, quadruple-checking lists to be sure we have everything. Glad I kept good notes last year, but there's still a bit of fuzzy math in determining how much food and TP for 11 days.

I'm pretty excited to use my new gear - hubby got me a new down quilt for my 50th last fall - 1 lb 0.5 oz for a 900 fill Downtek 30° quilt. And a Thermarest Xtherm sleeping pad for Christmas, as well as a new pillow and new poles since last summer. Overall, I've shaved 30 oz off my gear since last summer (and about 12 lbs off myself).

Now - if I could just find my Smartwool long underwear bottoms I haven't seen since ski season.........

Pax
08-14-2016, 05:42 AM
Any chance you could to the trip in trail runners or light hikers? Something I learned over the course of six knee surgeries is properly fitted hiking boots are SUPPOSED to transfer some of the impact energy from your feet and ankles up the leg to your knees and thighs. I stopped wearing them and it helped my knee quite a bit.

Skierchickie2
08-14-2016, 09:43 AM
That's a good suggestion, but probably not on Isle Royale (very rocky, very tough footing in places) with a 40+ lb pack. I did wear trail runners there one time, on a shorter trip with about 30 lb, and blistered pretty badly. I think the brace I wore there last year, a couple months after a knee sprain, will be fine. What I need most seems to be protection from wrenching & instability more than anything.

Wow - 6 knee surgeries - yikes!

Pax
08-14-2016, 11:06 AM
...Wow - 6 knee surgeries - yikes!
Yeah, when I was young I thought firefighting, softball, rock climbing, rappelling, and rugby would be a fun way to spend my time, it was but I paid for it. :D

Catrin
08-17-2016, 02:14 AM
Have fun Skierchickie! It sounds like you've a great trip lined up. FOR ME I've found that I can't go any less than full backpacking boots on dirt trails but that's more due to my arthritic feet rather than my bad knees. I think my light hikers would be fine for trails around here if it weren't for my feet.

Pax, somehow I missed that you've had that many knee surgeries - yikes! My one last year was bad enough...

Speaking of which, all of a sudden there has been some improvement in my bad knee. They said it could take up to a full year to see the complete benefit from my surgery and they seemed to have been right. Is it perfect? Far from it, but better than it was. Hopefully the new orthotics will persuade my feet to get back in line.

Pax
08-17-2016, 05:24 AM
Catrin, that is great! So glad you turned a corner. Isn't it funny how that happens, it just gets somewhat better, like magic!

The first five surgeries are what led up to the replacement, all on my right knee... I protect my unblemished left knee like a mama bear and her cub. :D

Skierchickie2
08-17-2016, 05:07 PM
Thanks Catrin! I am so ready. My pack is all loaded and just sitting there. It's to the point that I'd better go soon, because I keep sneaking little odds & ends into it (the "what if" stuff). It's 37.5 lbs now, without any water, and without my poles (since they won't be in the pack). So I'm looking at about 43 lbs. About 11 is food. I was really hoping to keep it under 40 total. i just cannot pack light, no matter how hard I try.

Glad your knee is improving! That has to be encouraging!

I'm sitting here working cocoa butter into the nice scar on my knee

Sky King
08-18-2016, 08:48 AM
I actually use chafing cream on my feet when I backpack, the same cream I use for bike touring :). Seems to help.

Thanks Catrin! I am so ready. My pack is all loaded and just sitting there. It's to the point that I'd better go soon, because I keep sneaking little odds & ends into it (the "what if" stuff). It's 37.5 lbs now, without any water, and without my poles (since they won't be in the pack). So I'm looking at about 43 lbs. About 11 is food. I was really hoping to keep it under 40 total. i just cannot pack light, no matter how hard I try.

Glad your knee is improving! That has to be encouraging!

I'm sitting here working cocoa butter into the nice scar on my knee

salsabike
08-18-2016, 10:13 AM
I actually use chafing cream on my feet when I backpack, the same cream I use for bike touring :). Seems to help.

Thanks for mentioning that. We just did a three-day hiking weekend at Glacier Park and as usual I have epic heel blisters, in spite of careful choosing of hiking boots, preventive bandaids, etc. Maybe I should try using either chafing cream or vaseline or SOMETHING.

Catrin
08-19-2016, 12:03 PM
Salsa bike - I assume you're wearing sock liners under your hiking socks? I found it hard to believe that 2 pairs were better than one but it's proved to be true.

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Crankin
08-19-2016, 02:04 PM
I cannot do liners, they squeeze my feet terribly. But, I always use Body Glide on my feet before hiking, snow shoeing, and sometimes, cross country skiing.

salsabike
08-19-2016, 10:00 PM
Salsa bike - I assume you're wearing sock liners under your hiking socks? I found it hard to believe that 2 pairs were better than one but it's proved to be true.

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I tried the liners under the socks! It was the day I got the epic blisters. I think it's some form of original sin of my feet. Drives me NUTS. I spent a ton of time choosing the boots a couple of years ago, and doing the liners, and and and. Agh. I am going to try to remember the Body Glide thing. Maybe if I put some in my backpack now, so it lives there. I have a pile of it somewhere from triathlon times. If Chris hadn't done a splendiferous bandaging job, we wouldn't have been able to do the rest of the hikes we'd planned, 22 miles over three days and moderate elevation gains. For those of you who are Glacier Park lovers: Iceberg Lake, Swiftcurrent Valley, and Hidden Lake. Wildflowers, snowfields, mountain goats.

I am pondering custom made hiking boots. Hate to do it but I may.

Blueberry
08-20-2016, 06:12 AM
I am pondering custom made hiking boots. Hate to do it but I may.

I have "barefoot" hiking boots on order from Vivobarefoot - we'll see how that goes. I think my toe spread is too wide for any standard boots now (I've been doing barefoot style shoes for a while) - even my men's Keen boots (so super wide toe box) are causing toe issues now.

Catrin
08-20-2016, 02:21 PM
Yikes Salsa and Blueberry - hope both of you can find a solution. Sadly - due to LOTS of rain this month, my hiking boots haven't touched dirt since the last weekend of July. I'm in withdrawal...parking 1.5 miles from work and walking on pavement in downtown Indianapolis just isn't the same.

Crankin
08-21-2016, 02:53 PM
Today we drove out to Northfield Mt, in western MA, to hike. This is a corss country ski/snow shoe/hiking area that is managed by a utility company that produces hydroelectric power nearby. I have only been there in the winter... last time in snowmageddon, February 2015. It was soooo quiet; only about 5 cars in the lot.
We hiked up the snow shoe trail to the summit, at 1,100 feet. There's a lookout/picnic area, where we ate lunch and then decided to hike down some of the ski trails. We got a bit turned a round, and it ended up being longer than we thought it would take. I have no idea how many miles, probably 5-6?
Then we headed over to see our friends who moved, who revived us with beer and cheese/crackers. After a nice visit, we headed home.
It made me want snow... this place is a gem and only an hour and 15 minutes away. And, I need to hike more before my trip in October.

rocknrollgirl
08-25-2016, 03:58 AM
Hi All,
I have been off the grid a bit this summer. It seemed silly to post the same thing after every run..it was hot, it was humid, it was awful, so I have been running, just not posting. We did however just get back from some great hiking in the Whites. I wanted to share some pictures with you.

We ended up doing two hikes up Mt Washington. I had been planning for months to do Huntington Ravine Trail which is the hardest way up and involves some really exposed class 3 scrambling before you reach the top of the head wall. We hiked about 2.5 hours up to where the hard stuff started, an exposed slab climb and the slab was running water. Once you proceed past that point you cannot down climb so after some deliberation, we ended up better safe than sorry and turned around. It was a bit of a bummer, because the hike up to that point is really tough and it will take some intestinal fortitude to make myself to it again.


Toward the end of our stay after hiking other peaks and fly fishing until my arm was about to fall off, we got a really clear day ( rare for the summit) and went up Tuckerman's Ravine. No scrambling, just a long rocky trudge. The first picture is in Huntington Ravine, at the top of the boulder field called The Fan. Behind me is where the scrambling starts. The second picture is me and the hubs at the top of the head wall on Tuck's, and the last picture is of the cairns ( trail markers) above tree line.

Catrin
08-25-2016, 04:18 PM
Crankin - that sounds like fun! I wish I were closer.

RnR Girl, I am in awe. I LOVE that landscape and would love to draw it. I don't think my knee could handle it though, sadly. I dearly love open rocky landscapes like that in your pictures. I like how you called it scrambling - to me that is exactly what it looks like.

The rain has kept me from any good hiking/trekking for the entire month of August. This Saturday I'm planning on a 6-7 mile hike if the trails survived this weeks torrential downpours and just a horrendous series of tornadoes last night. I'm more concerned about trees being down in the woods than I am really muddy trails.

I think some of my hiking partners are getting bored with the types of trails I can safely hike, and I understand that. Mountain bike trails, by their very nature, are a bit more sedate around here than dedicated foot hiking trails. Outside of the single double black-diamond mtb trail in driving distance the topography is fairly consistent - after all - mountain bikes have 2 wheels :-) My knee HAS improved a bit so am hoping for a successful little experiment soon with one of the more challenging foot hiking trails. It's the steep vertical step-downs and descents that my knee gets cranky about, so we will see how it goes.

rocknrollgirl
08-27-2016, 05:25 AM
I have healthy knees and they still get cranky about steep descents. I hear ya.

During the winter, our mt biking and trail running are limited to the same 3 or 4 parks that we can reach in an hour or less. So boredom could be an issue. I figure if I were on a dreadmill or in a gym, or on the trainer it would be WAY, WAY more boring than being outside anywhere.

I hope you experiment to branch out goes well. Slow and steady.

Catrin
08-28-2016, 01:51 PM
I think I've found someone to go with me next weekend. Personally I'm fine with the MTB trails, but it would be good to know if my knee can finally handle more traditional hiking trails. It's my fellow hiking friends I don't want to get bored.

Something seen on the local canal tow path today - about the only place dry enough! I didn't think what 5 miles worth of no shade + high humidity would be like - but 2 ounces of salted caramel & sage ice cream following + hot shower revived me :cool:

I did NOT expect to see THIS bird in Indianapolis!

18131

Crankin
08-28-2016, 02:30 PM
Another hiking adventure today. We drove up to Mt. Watatic, which is on the border of MA (NW of here a bit) and NH. It is somewhat close to our favorite x country ski area; the Mid State Trail connects the 2 areas, that is if you want to hike 20 miles. This is a well used area, as it's close enough to several urban areas, but it was not too crowded today. We actually got a spot in the lot, as someone pulled out when we pulled in, and we didn't have to park on the road. We decided to do a 3.5 mile loop. with a steep 1.2 mile ascent to the summit. Steep it was... I could handle it without my poles, although I did feel like scrambling a bit at one point, maybe where it was a 20% grade? I am just super slow, as I have a high level of fear of falling. The summit was bare and you could see the Boston skyline, 50 miles away, but it was hazy in the distance. So, DH paid for a premium membership to All Trails, so we could get essentially downloadable maps for the phone to use. It was only 20.00, so worth it. Except, he didn't really look to see how the app worked. At the summit, we knew we had to turn right, but it was unclear and we headed down an access road. A very rocky road, and I knew we were headed the wrong way. After some yelling, we turned off on a trail, obviously one of the ski trails of the former ski area that used to be here. DH kept saying it would connect to the loop, but finally, I said we needed to turn around... more yelling. We hiked back up this trail (not technical, but steep) and the access road trail (more steep) and found the loop trail. Finally, back in the shade. It was perfect. Some ledges and rocks, plenty of roots, but not too steep. Mostly down, with a bit of ascent. Only saw 3 other groups and one guy who asked directions to the summit, as he had done 20 miles already!
We headed home a slightly different way, and when we saw a "Dairy Bar," we stopped and had soft serve ice cream, with chocolate dip. I used to take classes at a collegge near here, when I was teaching, and always wanted to stop here. Got home and changed into bathing suits and drove to a pond where we have discovered you don't need to be a resident to use, as it's on a bike trail. A perfect day.

Catrin
08-28-2016, 03:55 PM
Lovely terrain! I would certainly be taking my time on that as well - but I love those old winding roots!

emily_in_nc
09-02-2016, 06:01 AM
Beautiful hiking photos, Crankin and RnR. I would love to try any of those trails!

We haven't been hiking much. I was too scared to hike in Yellowstone because of all the warnings and signs about bears (and not willing to pay $45 for bear spray; I know, stupid). We have mostly been cycling, though we did take a couple of short hikes in northeastern Wyoming. One was just a couple of easy miles in Bighorn Canyon Nat'l Recreation Area, and it was so windy that day we had trouble walking as we approached the canyon! Gorgeous, though, and not technical.

18139 18140 18141

Hope we'll get more hikes in this fall.

Catrin
09-03-2016, 05:17 PM
I had a great 6.7 mile hike today in a new state park I hadn't visited before in southern Indiana. There is a lot of Karst topography in that area due to the limestone and it was beautiful. My knee, I think, is as good as it will be and short of steep vertical stepdowns, ladders, large numbers of stairs or crawling I can handle more trail variety now if I take my time. There are some parks in the area that would be a waste of my time due to the above restrictions but not all. The photos come from two parks we visited today.



http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/99434756a149456537c52774b89aa3be.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/5f8bd159867a2e548adaafa90679c610.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/2a5c30b3d568b29eb715cf932b43471d.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/770428d74354de422bd3fb7271ff13c9.jpg

salsabike
09-03-2016, 11:08 PM
Wow! Gorgeous, Catrin.

Crankin
09-04-2016, 03:14 AM
Awesome pictures, Catrin.

Catrin
09-04-2016, 04:33 AM
Thanks! As much as I enjoy hiking mtb trails am thankful to be able to take on more variety. I will do more trekking tomorrow, but more local.

emily_in_nc
09-04-2016, 07:06 AM
Very nice, Catrin! I love environments like that -- so long as they aren't too buggy.

Catrin
09-04-2016, 11:51 AM
Very nice, Catrin! I love environments like that -- so long as they aren't too buggy.

It was perfect - cool, low humidity, and no bugs :D

Crankin
09-04-2016, 04:10 PM
Today was gorgeous, 73 degrees and dry. We lazed around all morning and went out around noon to walk to the one conservation land trail on this side of town. We didn't want to do an out and back, so we did a loop where we take the main trail from a dirt road, through a busy road to a neighborhood of houses that make my former 3k sq ft house look minuscule. From here, we can access the other end of the dirt road. Then, back home. We can do the whole thing on trails, dirt roads, and some neighborhood streets. Ended up 6 miles, more of a walk in the woods, but a good one.

Catrin
09-11-2016, 03:28 PM
Sounds delightful Crankin!

Today the trails were much too wet as our monsoons don't seem to want to go away...so I decided to do some hill walking in preparation for a 10 mile hilly hike I'm planning for my 57th birthday weekend next month. My feet really don't much care for pavement for more than 2 miles at a time, and today I walked >4. Feet and ankles are paying for that now... It was, however, a beautiful afternoon.

I just find it interesting how different my experience is on dirt over pavement - if I had moved to dirt my feet would have responded in about 5 minutes...but the trails were too muddy AND too flat for what I needed to do today. So no more 4+ mile pavement walks at a time, which is a bit frustrating knowing that I can trek on dirt for more than double that distance with no consequences. Oh well, but it was a beautiful cool afternoon with sunshine!

emily_in_nc
09-11-2016, 05:10 PM
Sounds pretty nice, Catrin!

I took a short hike this morning in gorgeous Dinosaur National Monument. DH was cranky and didn't feel like getting ready, so I took off on my own. The trail was supposedly easy to moderate, but I'd classify it as moderate in terrain anyway; I think the "easy" was because of the distance -- just two miles out and back. But there was climbing and descending, quite a few rocks as well. Fortunately, it was absolutely gorgeous, so I had to stop quite a few times for photos! Only saw one other person on the hike -- another lone female with her dog.

Given the rating of this trail, I didn't wear hiking boots nor take my hiking poles. I didn't miss the boots but wished I had had my poles for the descents. I have a blister on my heel now, which I guess is a result of wearing trail running shoes instead of my hiking boots, but it was totally worth it!

emily_in_nc
09-17-2016, 07:03 PM
Yesterday we did the most amazing hike right from our campground in Colorado in the Proutt National Forest east of Steamboat Springs (and 3000' higher). The info online on the campground about the trail just said "Rabbit Ear Trail - 2 miles". We had no idea that the trail was a summit hike, very, very popular and well known in these parts. Nor that it would have us climbing from 9500' in altitude to over 10,600'! And they got the mileage wrong too -- it was more like 2.75 miles one way, so round trip from our campground was 6.2 miles -- a nice 10K.

This trail was classified as "easy" on alltrails.com, but I beg to differ. With over 1000' of climbing and lots of rocky areas, I would call it moderate. We had thought it was "easy" so didn't take water or our hiking poles. Dumb! Fortunately, we'd just eaten a big breakfast and had plenty of coffee, and it was cool out, so we were actually fine -- other than needing to pee badly for about half the hike since there were no vault toilets and just a few too many other hikers to squat. :rolleyes: Would have liked to have had the hiking poles, especially coming downhill. The last 1/4 mile to the summit was killer steep and very slick on the way down.

It was a gorgeous hike with amazing views on the way up and down and at the top of Rabbit Ears Peak!

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Catrin
09-18-2016, 03:46 AM
Incredible location Emily! I am going to...ummmm...borrow a couple of those shots for my devices background. They made me smile and are just beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

I've a question about these trails - I get that there were steep inclines/declines. That's clear. Were there steep vertical step-downs? My knee can't handle those, and I'm looking for a good road trip destination for next year where I can get a relatively inexpensive hotel room and go for day hikes and drawing. I think the Arches Nation Park might be a good destination - but I can't handle that one particular trail feature. With the right boots, my poles, and patience I think I can handle most "normal" descents.

wnyrider
09-18-2016, 06:22 AM
Scenery looks very inviting. Would love to hike this area too. Been a while since I hiked. Think I'll head out this afternoon down the Niagara Gorge. Not too soon to practice.

emily_in_nc
09-18-2016, 06:56 AM
Incredible location Emily! I am going to...ummmm...borrow a couple of those shots for my devices background. They made me smile and are just beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

I've a question about these trails - I get that there were steep inclines/declines. That's clear. Were there steep vertical step-downs? My knee can't handle those, and I'm looking for a good road trip destination for next year where I can get a relatively inexpensive hotel room and go for day hikes and drawing. I think the Arches Nation Park might be a good destination - but I can't handle that one particular trail feature. With the right boots, my poles, and patience I think I can handle most "normal" descents.

Glad you liked the photos, Catrin! I haven't even had a chance to look at the ones my DH took yet. Of course it looks even better in person.

On your question, I am not sure I know what a steep vertical "step down" is as opposed to a steep incline/decline. Could you elaborate? The trail definitely had some steep sections but nothing that tough until the very end. The last 1/4 miles was very steep, with loose rocks and sandy soil. It was not rock scrambling, though, more like a gravel road on steroids. I think my DH got a photo of it, so I will look and post back here if so.

One place you might consider is Bryce Canyon NP. We found the hiking trails there very manageable compared to some of the other places we hiked in the southwest. We also found Arches to be not bad. Canyonlands and Zion were both tougher, and of course the grandaddy of them all, the Grand Canyon -- definitely not for those with knee problems.

emily_in_nc
09-18-2016, 07:02 AM
Okay, I found the shot he took of the steep section up to the summit. Of course with the way cameras tend to flatten things out, it looks like barely an incline, but trust me, it was seriously steep -- I could never have pedaled up it, fer instance. It was mostly just dirt so slippery. I had to side step it to get down to avoid slipping. I really could have used my poles!

Of course, the trail is lovely even if you skip the last 1/4 mile and don't reach the rocky summit, but that would be disappointing.

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wnyrider
09-18-2016, 01:31 PM
Was lucky enough to complete the trail before the rain started up again. Lots of side stepping here too, but mostly due to the wetness.
Newer rock fall blocking the path that I hadn't seen before. If you look closely in the one white waters shot you can see people across the river in Canada. Need to go more often, felt good.

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Aromig
09-19-2016, 06:33 AM
Incredible location Emily! I am going to...ummmm...borrow a couple of those shots for my devices background. They made me smile and are just beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

I've a question about these trails - I get that there were steep inclines/declines. That's clear. Were there steep vertical step-downs? My knee can't handle those, and I'm looking for a good road trip destination for next year where I can get a relatively inexpensive hotel room and go for day hikes and drawing. I think the Arches Nation Park might be a good destination - but I can't handle that one particular trail feature. With the right boots, my poles, and patience I think I can handle most "normal" descents.

I think I know what you mean by vertical step downs -- where I'm standing on a rock or something and I need to step or jump down 3 feet or so. I can't do those, and I'll admit, I often sit on my butt and then slide down. I see those in non-park areas around Moab (mainly because we're out in BLM land and not following a trail). Arches National Park has some pretty good trails where they've worked around those kind of features.

emily_in_nc
09-19-2016, 05:38 PM
I think I know what you mean by vertical step downs -- where I'm standing on a rock or something and I need to step or jump down 3 feet or so.

Three feet?!? :eek: Don't think I've been on many of those. ;) The trail we hiked today in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, the Green River Trail, rated as moderate, had a lot of stone steps, some of which were a pretty long step down, but nothing crazy like 3'!

Aromig
09-20-2016, 06:18 AM
Yeah, 3 feet is more like scrambling. These aren't trails. You'll find yourself suddenly on a ledge and you need to get down (which is always better than finding yourself on a ledge too high to get down so you have to backtrack.) The guys with good knees I'm often with jump. I sit down and slide. Yup, pride went a long time ago in favor of my bad knees.

ny biker
09-20-2016, 11:00 AM
Three feet?!? :eek: Don't think I've been on many of those. ;) The trail we hiked today in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, the Green River Trail, rated as moderate, had a lot of stone steps, some of which were a pretty long step down, but nothing crazy like 3'!

My sister used to have a house next to Rocky Mountain National Park. I loved to visit. We never did any real hiking, but I liked walking the trails near the visitors centers on the main road. I did notice the thinner air up there -- I would have to go slowly and sometimes stop to rest and catch my breath.

Closer to home, I once tried a scrambling trail at Great Falls Park in Maryland and had to turn back after a while. I just didn't feel confident that I would not hurt myself, even with good knees.

Catrin
09-21-2016, 02:50 PM
I tried hiking a moderate trail in the Great Smokey National Park with my sister earlier this summer. We only got in about 1/4 mile before we turned around. Going UP wasn't a problem but the nature of the trail told me it would be a problem getting back down. I've not yet figured out if it's the angle of the step-down or the distance. That trail we were on certainly didn't have 3 ft step downs, but they were longer than the average step.

Glad to hear that the Arches may not be a bad choice for me - if I can keep my knees, feet, and shoulders in one piece!

Crankin
09-21-2016, 03:56 PM
Spent part of today hiking on Mt. Baldy, in eastern LA county. My son lives about 15 minutes and 3 climate zones from the entrance to where we started and also not far from the ski area. I laughed when I saw large highway signs telling people "Do not throw snowballs at other vehicles or you will be fined." I guess a lot of people who have never seen snow come up here. Anyway, we did 4 miles out and back and this was fun. Varied terrain, dirt, rocks, a teeny bit of mud, and a few steps. All carved out well and just when I would get sick of the rocks, they stopped. We started at 5k feet and probably got up to 6,500 or 7. I am struggling with a viral thing, but I tried to put it out of my mind. I could feel the altitude in my legs, more than anything; a heaviness I have experienced before. We went slowly, it wasn't super steep, and DH complemented me on the speed of my descent.
We will probably go back. Had a nice lunch at a lodge on the mountain road before coming back. Pictures will follow when I get home.

Catrin
09-21-2016, 04:23 PM
Sounds lovely Crankin, looking forward to the pictures!

This weekend I did a 4.25 mile mountain bike trail. I had been afraid it would be too muddy, but that trail drains well and outside of a couple sloppy places it was fine. It was also the first time I tried my new orthotics in my hiking boots and the jury is still out on that as had more problem with my feet than I normally do with those boots. It was a beautiful hike though.

BikeDutchess
09-21-2016, 05:27 PM
I went on my first ever backpacking trip last weekend! OK, it was only 1 night, and we only hiked 2 miles each day, but for me it was a great adventure. Our 2 (young adult) kids have been trying to persuade us to try this for a while now, and as promised, organized everything and carried the heavy backpacks. Quite a role reversal! I really did enjoy it, other than not really being able to sleep well. We camped at about 10,840 feet, and the trailhead was probably just under 10,000 feet (we live at 4,700 feet), so I was gasping for air and had to take it really slow. I was very glad I had borrowed a trekking pole - keeping my balance on the rocks was a bit tricky. But the views were so worth it! I kept saying wow after just about every turn! The only sad part was seeing how decimated the evergreens looked - some kind of bark beetle infestation.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8137/29154742913_f88f294a78_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/LqiFkg)
2016.09.18-262-P1040779-UintahsBackpacking (https://flic.kr/p/LqiFkg) by DutchRosie (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48330200@N04/), on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8413/29487981880_129769607c_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/LVKBEG)
2016.09.18-262-P1040786-UintahsBackpacking (https://flic.kr/p/LVKBEG) by DutchRosie (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48330200@N04/), on Flickr

wnyrider
09-21-2016, 06:00 PM
That looks wonderful. Viewing the photos kind of puts things in perspective of how small we really are. Great shots.

BikeDutchess
09-21-2016, 08:58 PM
Thanks, wnyrider, I was hoping that would come across in the photos!

rebeccaC
09-21-2016, 10:50 PM
thanks for sharing two great viewpoints!!!!


the trailhead was probably just under 10,000 feet (we live at 4,700 feet), so I was gasping for air and had to take it really slow.
deeper breathing/more forceful exhales and slowing the pace to slow the breathing rate to a level that will allow continuing with consistency works in bicycle climbing at altitude too :)

and yeah....we have some beetle infestations in the Sierra Nevada’s here too….thankfully not much in the coastal ranges yet. Adding the effects of climate change to this cycle of infestation really lessens a tree's ability to fight back against it. Unfortunately more damage to beautiful forests and views to come. The work in landscape genomics could give a possible better management solution and regrowth cycle though.

BikeDutchess
09-22-2016, 11:57 AM
deeper breathing/more forceful exhales and slowing the pace

yep! I find I have to catch myself sometimes and make a conscious decision to change my breathing pattern.

emily_in_nc
09-22-2016, 06:05 PM
Lovely photos, BikeDutchess. Where did you do the trip? We also saw so much beetle devastation in Rocky Mtn Natl Park this past week; it was so sad to see. We stayed on the west side of the park, near Grand Lake.

We did a 15.4 mile hike while in RMNP -- it was killer (to me). We did the Green Mountain Trail to Granite Falls, if anyone has done it; lots of climbing. To get to the trailhead, we hiked the River Trail along the Colorado River; that one was much easier, and the trailhead was just outside our RV Park (Winding River), but it was just too long a hike, and we both suffered during and after. This was several days ago now, and my calves and shins are just now getting back to normal. I found the climbing tough from the altitude, but it was indeed a gorgeous hike!

BikeDutchess
09-23-2016, 07:58 AM
15.4 miles, and at that altitude, wow! I am impressed!

We were in the high Uintas, off the beautiful Mirror Lake Highway.

Crankin
09-23-2016, 03:56 PM
Today we drove up past where we hiked on Wednesday. However, we couldn't find the trail my son described, so we headed back to a nicer elevation and did a very interesting 5 mile hike in the foothills, that was actually in the Claremont city limits. It was called Potato Mountain and is actually a fire road that goes up to a water storage thing. So not technical, but at least one mile of the 2.6 up was 20-30% grade. Geez... The scenery was awesome, surrounded by small mountains, desert plants, and a view that was amazing. The last part up was tough. And going down, well, we will see how my legs feel tomorrow!
Yesterday we walked about 3-4 miles around Claremont and also on the campus of my son's school.
My granddaughter had her first visit to a brew pub last night, too.

Catrin
09-23-2016, 04:56 PM
Beautiful pictures! Also glad to read the different hiking stories.

A couple of us are going hiking in the morning - assuming my knee feels better than tonight. Sometimes it just gets cranky and I hope it's better in the morning. With everyone's schedules this fall it may be the last group hike. The state park we're going to has several lovely falls and is in a beautiful part of the state. I love karst topography and southern Indiana has a lot of it.

Catrin
09-24-2016, 03:19 PM
Had a nice little hike today - just over 4 miles but my hiking partner had a schedule to keep. It was a fun hike that featured a steep descent over large rocks and roots, as well as several beautiful overlooks. I've two great shots, but right now the forum isn't liking the file extension - I suspect I need to clean space from my account before I can post more shots.

Catrin
09-24-2016, 03:56 PM
Let's try this again!

This first picture shows one of the scenic overlooks from the trail. It's a nice view of McCormack's Creek - which became the name of the park.

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THIS was an interesting descent. I had meant us to take the trail the proper direction to go up rather than down - but it went better than expected. Of course it helped knowing I had already come down this hill once before with no knee instability.

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Last week I used my new orthotics in my hiking boots with less than optimal consequences. THIS time I didn't, and my feet were quite happy. So, for whatever reason, my orthotics work quite well with me light hikers and other shoes but most assuredly NOT with my full hiking boots (http://www.salomon.com/us/product/comet-3d-lady-gtx.html). I love these boots and they are finally broken in. It's interesting that they are even more expensive now than they were a year ago when I bought mine - so glad I pulled the trigger then!

Crankin
09-24-2016, 05:15 PM
Nice pictures, Catrin. Funny how different shoes work differently. My Lowas are pretty well broken in, after a year and a half. My bunion is the only thing that bothers me, but it's much better than with my old shoes. I've had my Merrill light hikers for about 15 years; they are fine, but I really need ankle support of full hikers for anything more than flat trail walking. My new trail runners, on the other hand are just not working out. They are kind of tight.
No hiking today. My day consisted of going out to breakfast, playing with my granddaughter, and going out for ice cream. Surprisingly, after some initial stiffness, my legs are fine today. I think tomorrow we will get up early and do another in town hike. It's going to be 102 degrees here, so we need to be done by 9 or 10 am.

Catrin
09-24-2016, 06:22 PM
102?!? We can't complain with our 90ish...they say that things will cool down next week.

It really surprised me to find my orthotics just don't work in my full hikers but they do in all of my other shoes that aren't totally broken down. I have to wonder if the more rigid backpacking shoes just change the dynamics of how the custom inserts interact with my feet. Well, the Salomans feel fantastic as long as I don't wear them on pavement and I can use the orthotics in all my other shoes - outside of my winter UGGS.

The custom inserts have been quite the surprise. I was rather surprised to find that they are NOT expensive arch supports - indeed they aren't arch supports at all but somehow work by adjusting how my hind foot hits the ground. However they work, the cranky foot with the bone spurs in my metatarsal joint is calming down nicely and my OTHER foot is feeling better as well. My podiatrist supplies 2 orthotics- which to me makes far more sense than just providing one insert. To my mind having two different inserts creates another kind of imbalance & he doesn't charge any more than those who just get one.

I did enjoy the hike today, though I must admit it was a little disconcerting to see a family walk down that lengthy descent like it was nothing - and it took me some time to negotiate it with my trekking poles. No matter, I got down it, that's all that counts. AND neither knee was snarky about it.

Crankin
09-25-2016, 02:45 PM
Everyone descends faster than I do, which is not much different than riding...
So, we never thought that the red flag warnings for fire danger/heat/dust storms would close the Claremont Loop Trail. We got there at 6:35, the sun was not quite up, when we saw signs and gates in the road. DH and I parked, walked to the entrance, which was also shut. So, luckily there was a bike trail/path that started near the parking, so we did an out and back of about 4.5 miles on that. Thankfully, I had opted to wear my regular running shoes and running gear, because my full hikers would have been torture on pavement. So, we were disappointed, but we had mountains on one side of the trail and lovely homes and parks on the other. It was really busy with walkers and runners, only saw 3-4 cyclists.
We got back to my son's house, ate, and then headed down to Seal Beach for fish tacos and a walk on the beach. Now to relax.

Catrin
09-27-2016, 03:46 AM
Sounds like a lovely walk Crankin - and good to hear you had something other than your full hikers with you. Your beach walk sounds fun as well.

We were 87 on Sunday, but will be in the high 60s until next Sunday - a bit cool for this time of the year. I'm not complaining. As I'm taking off work on Friday I'm hoping there isn't much rain so I can do some solo hiking.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Crankin
09-29-2016, 05:59 PM
Pictures from hikes at Mt. Baldy and Claremont. First 2 are Claremont; I tried to show the steepness of this fire road. Pics 3 and 4 are from the Ice House trail at Mt. Baldy.

Catrin
09-30-2016, 06:23 AM
Looks lovely Crankin! Beautiful and you get some cardiovascular benefits as well :cool:

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Pax
09-30-2016, 09:06 AM
Ordered new hiking poles, got some better quality, lighter ones, with angled grips. Really looking forward to giving them a go... and my wife will try my old ones and see if she likes trekking with them, can't wait to get out there again.

Catrin, if you're mobile next summer, maybe we'll come over so I can hobble some of your trails... wanna play trial guide??

Catrin
09-30-2016, 02:13 PM
Ordered new hiking poles, got some better quality, lighter ones, with angled grips. Really looking forward to giving them a go... and my wife will try my old ones and see if she likes trekking with them, can't wait to get out there again.

Catrin, if you're mobile next summer, maybe we'll come over so I can hobble some of your trails... wanna play trial guide??

I would love to do that, let's plan on it!

Pax
10-01-2016, 01:59 AM
Deal!

Catrin
10-01-2016, 01:42 PM
Today was a bit of a post-knee-surgery milestone. Back in the spring I chose a hiking goal of 150 miles for the year. I just pulled it out of the air and hoped it wasn't too much as my knee was still recovering from the surgery. Initially I wasn't going to count pavement walking as that isn't 'hiking' to me but it's been so wet all summer that there were a couple of times that I had as much as a 4-week break between trail hikes as things were just too wet. So, as of today, I've actually hiked/trekked/walked 183 miles and the year isn't over yet!

It's been quite the journey. The knee is as good as it is going to be and I will take that. That knee is still shot, but I'm a long way off from being a replacement candidate and as long as I have my boots, sticks, and avoid most technical trails I can go all-day long. I don't do too badly for a broken down old woman :-)

Now I just need to work out how to continue hiking in winter - assuming it's a relatively dry one. Thankfully I still have my PI Amfib tights and can work the rest out. Hiking in cold temps is much easier for me than riding in 28 degrees...

emily_in_nc
10-01-2016, 05:36 PM
That is awesome, Catrin, congrats on meeting -- and exceeding -- your goal! And I am totally with you on cold-weather hiking vs. cycling. Just be very careful if there's ice, of course.

Pax
10-02-2016, 01:22 AM
Way to go Catrin!! I'm big time impressed.

Crankin
10-02-2016, 06:36 AM
Very impressive, Catrin.

Pax
10-02-2016, 02:38 PM
We went to the nearby park today so I could try my new poles, it was awesome!! I felt so mobile, I walked up a little hill, down the other side, walked on uneven surfaces, through some branches and leaves... I did good!!

Pax
10-03-2016, 11:10 AM
Got my new low hikers today, can't wait to try them outside! Even the little walk I did off pavement yesterday showed me I need more support than tennis shoes, so I'm trying to pay attention to my body and wear more supportive footwear.

I've worn Keens forever but the recent reviews on them (mostly from long term wearers) were abysmal. So I'm trying Merrell Moabs.

wnyrider
10-03-2016, 03:07 PM
Got my new low hikers today, can't wait to try them outside! ...So I'm trying Merrell Moabs.
Another coincidence... do your Moabs look like the ones I just got this week-end?! They are very comfy : )

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Pax
10-03-2016, 04:15 PM
Another coincidence... do your Moabs look like the ones I just got this week-end?! They are very comfy : )

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That's them, mine are a dark gray. Good to hear they're comfy!

Catrin
10-03-2016, 04:37 PM
Pax!!! Congratulations on having fun with the new poles! It is SUCH a good feeling to get off pavement, isn't it?

I'm also glad to read the Merrills worked for you. They just aren't for me, thankfully my two pair of Keene Voyageurs are great. I have also read reviews, it seems like there has been some quality control problems this year but thankfully my two pair fit great. Figured I better get 2 pair before they change them. Of course I can't wear light hikers for actual trail hiking, not with MY feet, but they are great for pavement and flat trails with no personality. My Solamons come out for everything else :cool:

Pax
10-04-2016, 03:51 AM
It does feel great, Catrin!!

I wore (and still own) Keen Targhee boots, I guess the new ones leak (they're supposed to be goretex). Not a problem with those breathable Voyagers though. Hoping the Moabs work well for me, now I just need to get to a real trail and get some dirt on them!!

emily_in_nc
10-04-2016, 04:22 PM
I finally posted the full report from our Rabbit Ears Peak hike two weeks ago, for any who are interested!

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/rocky-mountain-hike-colorado-rabbit-ears-peak

Crankin
10-05-2016, 04:09 AM
Great pictures, Emily! I am not sure if I could have gone up to 10K feet. When we hiked at Mt. Baldy, we started at 5K and ended up at 7. It made me feel very slow. Two days later, we drove just north of that trail to find another hike my son had described. Right after we passed the turn off for where we hiked the first day, I started getting the high altitude headache. We couldn't find the trailhead, and I was actually kind of happy. We ended up doing a hike that looks very similar to Rabbit Ears; fire road, some loose dirt, and very steep as we progressed, despite being within the city limits.
The colors are gorgeous. We are just starting are foliage season, so it makes me look forward to the next 2 weeks.

Catrin
10-05-2016, 12:44 PM
Just beautiful! It would be difficult to find a more beautiful place to hike in the fall, I'm sure. Pity you didn't have your poles but you still did it!

emily_in_nc
10-05-2016, 04:45 PM
Crankin, I am sure I would have suffered more had we not already been at elevation for weeks before -- in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, among other areas. We had a good long time to acclimate. So really, the elevation was not that big a deal. I noticed it more during bike rides, since those really get your heart pounding and respiration going! I am quite sure I would have suffered mightily if we had flown there. I have never gotten a headache from high elevation, but I definitely pant more than in the lowlands on any sort of climbs, even minor ones.

emily_in_nc
10-05-2016, 04:46 PM
One more from a couple of weeks ago:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/rocky-mountain-national-park-hike-green-mountain-trail

Crankin
10-10-2016, 04:06 PM
It was beautiful today, but wind gusting to 35, so no riding here. I had the day off, so we did a 3 mile hike in Spring Hill conservation land in Acton, which is the first time in 10 years we have done it, without our friend leading. The one time we did, we ended up up getting lost, it was getting dark, and we ended up walking almost 7 miles out, through housing developments, and on busy roads, with no lights, to get back to where our car was at the trailhead! It is quite confusing, and most of the time we are there snowshoeing, and it just looks different with no leaves on the trees. But, we now have an All Trails subscription, so we downloaded the basic route. We did about 3 miles, not the usual 5, we have done, but it was fine. No fall color in there, at all. Then, we came home, showered, and went into Harvard/Porter Square and walked another 3 miles, which included a stop for wine and cheese.

Crankin
10-14-2016, 01:43 PM
So, I work on Friday mornings, now; still leaves plenty of time to hike or ride. When I got home, DH was there, and I suggested a hike in Estabrook Woods, including the big climb. He was thinking more of a walk into town. It was cool out, but gorgeous, a bit windy. I relented, kind of being grumpy. I just put my sneakers on, with my regulaar clothes. When we got to the village, there was some commotion, with 3 fire trucks, police, so we stood around for a bit, but never figured out what. Then, we headed back. We always do a loop of the center, and head back to Main St. a different way. We cut through a playground, and then as we were heading up that street, we saw a trail! One we have never seen. There was a trail map, and it did end up in the direction we needed to go, albeit, in a longer way. Off we went. There was a fork in the trail (we knew it was coming) and we took the fork that the map had shown with lots of elevation markings. So, I got my climb in, and actually felt like I exercised. The trail was pristine, with no roots or rocks, and the climb was good. And I walked down a street that I have only ridden or driven on.
I guess we walked about 5 miles, more than I had planned on.

Pax
10-14-2016, 01:52 PM
That sounds so fun, Crankin!

Emily, I can't wait to get back out West again, so much gorgeous scenery just waiting to be discovered.

Catrin, we are getting our new truck all set up to get back to camping!! Having a topper put on in the next month and I'm going to try to fab a couple of hangers to hold our poles along the sides... so we're ready to go, wherever we are.

Catrin
10-15-2016, 05:44 PM
Crankin, that sounds like fun, glad you enjoyed!

Pax, that sounds like fun as well. I love that you're able to set your truck up like that, it makes life much easier that way - looking forward to seeing what it looks like next year!

Catrin
10-15-2016, 05:58 PM
Today was my birthday hike, and I....may have, ahem, over done things a bit :rolleyes: :cool:

I've never been in Morgan Monroe State Forest before, and a friend and I had decided some time ago to do one of the 10-mile "loops". Loops SHOULD end where they stop, shouldn't they" Otherwise we should call them....I don't know...Horseshoe trails? Almost-loop trails?

First of all, the trails were great! Wide variety of terrain, LOTS of "up and down", many switchbacks, and thankfully very little of that one trail feature that I can't do. The ONE place where that existed required some creativity from me but I made it. I've pictures that I will post tomorrow, I am just too tired to play with the photos tonight.

11.3 miles in total with over 37K steps. The trails were beautiful, but the maps were awful, the trail-head initially hard to find and while we were never actually lost, we were sweating the possibility of losing the daylight in the woods. None of the signs had the actual trail names, and we had no connection to online mapping services. I will go back, but I will have some other mapping system on my phone or some other device.

Beautiful day for a hike! Afterwards, I started getting terrible ramps in feet, shins, and even thighs. After my hiking partner dropped me back at my car I spent an agonizing 30 minute drive home in my manual transmission car with terrible feet/shin cramps. I've seen this before, but never on the way home. I'm sure it will wake me up tonight - when I normally experience it. I was taking salt-stick capsules throughout the hike, drank over a liter, munched on my favorite trail mix during, and had a good dinner. It could be dehydration, or just plain over-doing things. I've never done THAT before...

Pictures tomorrow, I've a couple beautiful ones!