Hiking

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!

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.

I won't be hiking for a long time, but I got back in the pool and that's been nice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Catrin, glad it seems to be going well - good luck with your kettlebells tomorrow! Pax, glad you're back in the pool!!

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.

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.

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:

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...

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Originally Posted by Crankin

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...

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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!

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?

Glad you're feeling a bit better, Catrin! Hope those new boots work well, enjoy breaking them in.

Have fun breaking your boots in, Catrin!

Have fun! Make sure you have the right socks.
Maybe I'll go for a short hike today...

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/lI...=w1727-h971-no

Looks nice!
Glad the shoes worked out. It sounds like you will have many happy hikes together.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Looks nice!
Glad the shoes worked out. It sounds like you will have many happy hikes together.

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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.

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. 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:

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

Yay for more interesting trails. :) Keep healing!

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!

I always miss my poles when I don't bring them.

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:

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

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!

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

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.

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Originally Posted by Pax

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.

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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:

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.

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by Pax

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.

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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:

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Originally Posted by Catrin

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:

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

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Originally Posted by Pax

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

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Yup. I will take it over the alternative, however.

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