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.
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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 :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
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-co...e-Affogato.png
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
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
That looks really good.
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:
That looks so delicious, Catrin. I want it right now! :D
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:
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
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.
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!
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.
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... ;)
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!
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.
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/t...-national-park
I don't think we've hiked since then, actually, though we've done plenty of walking. :)
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.
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!)Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
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 .
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.
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!
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
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!
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
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!
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
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.
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. ;)
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.
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:
Attachment 18076 Attachment 18077 Attachment 18078
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:
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.
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!
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
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!
Here is a good one from last summer. We had just come down off that cirque.
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.