Hiking

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.

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 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 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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

I wuld have said something, too. Especially with infants involved!

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.

Glad there were no dogs! Sadly it's much too wet around here for hiking right now. Crossing my fingers for this weekend.

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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/t...ing-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!

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.

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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.

Updating my review of the Merrell Moab Ventilator 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.

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.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

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.

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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>

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.

I may have to check those out.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I may have to check those out.

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These are the shoes. 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) 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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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!

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 :-)

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I think that you could make a job out of finding shoes that fit.

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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).

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.

Catrin, have fun! The Smokies are so beautiful.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Catrin, have fun! The Smokies are so beautiful.

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

Will be so interested to hear about your hike, Catrin. Love that area! Hope your feet do well and all your other bits too!

I hope so as well :)

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/2016...94277c0ab8.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...fe2d53c7ac.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 :)

Really nice!
Glad you are having fun.

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:

That is great, Catrin, you give me hope!!

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

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Originally Posted by Pax

That is great, Catrin, you give me hope!!

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

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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 :)

That's great, Catrin. What a milestone for you!

What are "armored crossings"?

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

That's great, Catrin. What a milestone for you!

What are "armored crossings"?

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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 (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.

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!

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/t...charlton-trail

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...