Hiking

[Skierchickie2]

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]

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]

Yay for more hiking

[emily_in_nc]

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?!

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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! 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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 . 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.