What's Your Next Challenge?

So we've gotten through two weekends of graduation hikes. Congratulations to those who have completed their hike (and their day of trail work) and have graduated from CHS! For some of you, this will be the first time that you've completed the course; for others, this may be another of many graduations--either way, accomplishing a goal always feels sweet and rewarding. Graduation from CHS requires time spent on the trail--there are no Clliffs Notes to ease your completion of the task. Some of those miles were great, some not so great, but all were equally important in helping you to accomplish your goal. 

So now that you've accomplished (or are about to accomplish) this goal, have you put any thought into what your next goal might be? I know, I know--I can hear you saying: "Hey Kelly, lay off--let me enjoy having achieved this goal for a little while before you start harping on me about my next goal!" And I would reply that you should take time to celebrate and enjoy having achieved this goal, but at the same time, be thinking about what your next goal might be. Otherwise you might end up looking like this throughout the winter: 

I urge you to think about your next goal now because you're fit and ready for another physical challenge now. If you spend too much time sitting around enjoying the fruit's of this summer's hiking labors, you will end up out of shape again. I speak from experience! Each year, I would end my hiking summer in dang good hiking shape, then figuring I'd earned a rest, I'd sit around all winter watching football and losing all of my hard-gained fitness. I'd get out maybe twice a month in the winter with some friends for a winter hike, but they wouldn't be very hard or long and wouldn't really help me keep in shape in any significant way. Then March would arrive and I'd need to do a lot of hard work to get ready to hike for the summer again.  

The main reason I began running was to stop this cycle. Sure I still sit on my butt and watch a bunch of football (Go Ducks! Go Hawks!) in the winter, but only after I've put in my run for the day. I manage to keep running because I sign up for races held throughout the fall, winter and spring. The goal of being able to complete the race with a decent (for me) time, keeps me motivated to get out and pound the pavement when I'd rather be hibernating on the couch. Now when spring hiking comes around all I have to do is to work on hiking up hills again at a good pace with a 15 lb. pack, but my cardio is already in good shape from running so I don't have to regain that fitness as well.  

So all I'm saying is that while you're celebrating your graduation from CHS, spend a little time thinking about what you might set as your next goal to keep you motivated and in shape during the winter. Maybe you'll do some snowshoeing or cross-country skiing and there's a challenging trail you want to be able to finish by seasons' end.  Maybe you like to hike in winter and there's a goal you could set for yourself to be able to accomplish there (hike Mt Si twice back to back?). Maybe you want to get ready to run or walk a 5K, 10k, or Half Marathon road race or trail run? The Seattle area is rife with opportunities like this. Find one that appeals to you and work on getting ready for it! 

As for myself, I've upped my game this winter and I'll be getting ready to run the Yakima Canyon Marathon in April. This will be my first marathon and four other hiking and running friends have committed to this goal as well, so I'll have plenty of company over the winter to run with. This is incredibly motivating to me and I'm excited to put in the time over the winter to get ready for this. Plus when I'm done, I'll be able to pick right back up with hiking! I hope you'll be right there with me on the trail! 

Congratulations and I hope to see you on the trail (or the Centennial Trail) soon!

Kelly Cleman 

Hail to Hike Leaders!

I've been busy the past few weekends doing things I love. Last weekend in August, me and my running partner, Kim, completed the Cutthroat Classic--a fabulous trail run race sponsored by the awesome organization, MVSTA (Methow Valley Ski Trails Association) and held on the trails of the PCT (Rainy Pass to Cutthroat Pass) and then down the Cutthroat Lake trail to the trailhead. It was the first trail run race I'd done and I really enjoyed it--I even managed to significantly beat my anticipated run time.  

I spent this last weekend on a great backpack trip with friends up to Snowgrass Flats/PCT/Old Snowy. We didn't manage to run into the CHS graduation hike being led there this weekend, but we did see a lot of great scenery and ran into several PCT thru-hikers only a few weeks from being done. If you've never thought of backpacking before, I highly recommend it as a great way to stick around and enjoy the scenery you work so hard to get to. 

Steve's email from earlier today promoting becoming a hike leader, got me thinking about how much this program has benefitted from the generosity of a big bunch of volunteers. When I first offered this course several years ago, it was just me, Karen Sykes, and a few other folks leading hikes here and there, getting the course off the ground. Ever since that first year, many participants have come back, offering their services leading hikes and doing a bunch of other tasks for the course, culminating in Steve's Payne (a 2nd year CHSer!) taking over as course administrator a few years ago.  

Some hike leaders fill in here and there on the schedule as needed; others faithfully offer one or more hikes each month. All of them allow us to accommodate a large number of participants each year--many of which are repeats to the course. All of them are spending their free time providing an experience for participants of the course.  

Hike leadership is not for everyone. Some folks enjoy prefer volunteering in the background, offering their services performing the multiple tasks that a course requires to run effectively. But if you think you might enjoy planning and taking others along your favorite trails, then I encourage you to take the hike leader course and lead the required mentored hike. You may find you don't enjoy it, but if you do, then The Mountaineers would really appreciate your willingness to lead a few hikes here and there.  

And who knows, maybe the next CHS administrator is among you!

A Sermon on Hiker Separation

I've taken a couple of weeks off from blogging, travelling to Oregon to Wallowa Lake State Park for an annual camping vacation with family and spending time getting ready for my first trail race which is taking place next weekend. I now feel prepared to run the Cutthroat Classic and put in a fairly respectable time. Even better though, my feet are prepared. A new pair of trail runners have eliminated my blister issues and I haven't had to tape my feet for several weeks. Life is good. And my CHS1 trip to Kendall Katwalk on Sunday was spectacular with a great group of folks who did an awesome job on a challenging hike! 

This week I'd like to discuss a safety issue that you might encounter while hiking either with CHS, The Mountaineers, or even with a private hiking group. This involves the voluntary separation of a hiker from the rest of the party. There are two situations I want to talk about. 

In the first situation, a member of a hiking party may feel unable or unwilling to make it to the final destination on a hike. This is not unexpected by hike leaders and we attempt to make plans to deal with these types of occurrences. If the weather is fine, then a hike leader might ask a participant to choose a nice place to sit and wait for the rest of the group to return, giving them an approximate time that they will return to that spot. If the weather is poor or the participant is moving slowly for some reason that day, then the hike leader might allow them to start moving back down the trail if there are no tricky junctions or dangerous trail sections. 

In the second situation, there is a hiker who wants to deviate a bit from the established plan and separate from the group for a short period of time but meet up at a later part in the trail. This can happen when a hiker wants to start off earlier from a rest or lunch break to either do a party separation or wants a little more time to move over a challenging section of terrain. Hike leaders anticipate that this will come up occasionally and are usually willing to accommodate the request if it is reasonable. In this instance, it is particularly important that the hiker communicate their plan directly with the hike leader and not with another member of the group before they head out. That way, the hike leader knows what the hiker's plan is and is not left guessing what it might be based on the other hiker's recollection of the plan should things not quite work out as expected.   

The important part for both situations described above is that once an agreement is made between the hike leader and participant on what will happen, then it is important to stick to the agreed-upon plan. The hike leader must be clear on what the participant will do (sit and wait at a particular spot, head down the trail slowly, or whatever), and the participant must adhere to that plan. Making changes to the plan such as waiting at a different point than the agreed upon one or starting to head back down the trail without telling the hike leader that you were going to do this causes a great deal of concern for the both the hike leader and the other participants. It can also lead to a great deal of unneeded effort to find the participant if they’re not where they said they were going to be. 

So if you find yourself in this type of situation, please have a clear conversation with your hike leader on what you you will do, and then be sure to stick to that plan once agreed upon. 

Hike Leaders: When needed, be sure to give clear instructions on what the hiker will do, so there is no misunderstanding. 

End of today's safety sermon! Stop looking at your computer and get out there and enjoy this awesome weather!

Dealing with Heat on a Hike

I recently spent a week in my hometown of Bend, Oregon. Temperatures soared into the 90s and 100s. It was hard to get out and run or hike as I'm not used to it being that hot. We made the most of it by walking more slowly and taking frequent rest breaks. But I'll admit that it sapped me for the most part. It’s very hard to hike uphill in the heat and our summer this year has been pretty warm so far. 

As we come to the later months of summer you will notice that our hike meet times are getting earlier. Many hike leaders like to do all of their gain in the cool of the morning and I am certainly one of them. It’s not uncommon to meet at 5:00 and 6:00 AM in August just so we can start hiking around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning. On one hike I led a couple of years ago, the meet time was 4:30 so we could get on the trail by 7:00. Hiking uphill requires a lot of energy and having to counteract the heat as well can really tax your body. So while crawling out of bed in the wee hours of the morning may seem really yukky at the time, you’ll appreciate it later in the day. 

You’ll also find that your need for water really amps up on a hot day. It’s not uncommon to bring at least 4 liters of water on these hikes, along with the ability to purify more water if needed. I carry iodine tablets with me at all times as well as a 1 liter bottle so I can purify water without having to put the iodine tablets in my water bladder. You will want to be sure that you bring some sort of purification method with you as well. You never know when you’ll run out of water and need to use it. 

Be sure that you have some sort of plan for replacing electrolytes. Most people bring along an extra liter of Gatorade or some other sports drink with them. I usually find that most people who end up feeling really bad on a hot day have neglected to consume something like this during the day. I personally use Emergen-C or Nuun which I find not be as sweet as Gatorade and other sports drinks. So if you’re drinking lots of water and eating well but still feeling bad, then try drinking some sort of sports drink. As with water consumption, this is best done in frequent, but smaller amounts. Don’t guzzle a whole liter of sports drink at once or you’ll waste its benefits by inundating your body with more than it can use at once.  

Also be sure to use plenty of sunscreen and wear sunglasses. I often have to reapply sunscreen several times during a hike—especially to my face. Sometimes the best remedy against the sun is to cover up exposed skin, either with lightweight clothing or by wearing a hat to shield your face. I have been known to use my umbrella on really hot sunny days to shield myself from the heat and rays. 

Finally, bring a bandanna or towel along to dip in streams as you pass along them. I like to put a wet bandana around my neck on a hot day. It really helps cool me down. I also like to put my feet in water whenever possible. This really helps them deal with miles by reducing swelling.  

If you’ve got any other ideas, be sure to post them either in the comments of this blog or on the Facebook page. I’d love to know how others deal with heat.   

In Praise of the Foam Roller

It's Sunday and I'm feeling pleasantly tired after a weekend of big activity. On Saturday I led a CHS1 hike to Navaho Pass. The weather was awesome and it became a bit hot as the afternoon approached. But the folks I was with brought plenty of water and were good at accessing their needs and taking it slow so as to not overwork themselves in the heat. What a great group! 

Today I got up early and met with my running partner, Kim, and we did a trial run for the Cutthroat Classic (we're running it in late August) up Rattlesnake Ridge. We ended up doing a little over 11 miles and almost 3000 feet of gain on our run, coming in well under our desired 3 hour time point--even with a bit of loafing around and picture-taking. My walk/run strategy worked well for keeping us mostly down in the aerobic zone when going up the hills and running down the hills on the return trip was absolutely exhilarating. A celebration breakfast afterwards was very welcome! 

After all of that activity, you might wonder how I deal with tired and sore muscles. Besides the stretching I do before and after most exercise, I also use a tool called a foam roller to alleviate tightness and soreness in the myfascia covering my muscles.  

If you've never heard of the foam roller, allow me to introduce you to it. I've you've heard of them but haven't though they were worth the investment, let me change your mind. I bought my first one a little over a year ago, when I got into running and have found it to be an excellent tool to ease post work-out tightness in my muscles from both hiking and running.  

If you've never seen a foam roller before, it's a cylindrical tube made of foam that you use to massage the myofascia covering your muscles. Laying the tight/sore area on top of the roller, use your body weight and arms to roll the affected area back and forth over the roller, mashing the muscle against the roller. Use it on all of the tight muscles in your body including calves, quads, hamstrings, gluts, and your back muscles. It's also really effective on a tight IT band--the connector tendon that runs from the outside of your hip down the outside of your knee. Both hikers and runners will find that all of these places get tight on them after activity.  

You can cut down on the amount of tightness and soreness you feel if you use the roller shortly after the workout or at least before you go to bed. I usually use my roller every night, regardless of my level of activity during the day. I must admit to having a love-hate relationship with my foam roller. As hiking and running are so leg intensive, rolling out your quads, calves, and IT band after a long hike can be exquisitely painful because those muscles get so much use, but it's so incredibly effective in getting the fascia and muscle to relax that the pain is worth it. I grit my teeth when using it on these parts, but I find that using it on my glutes or back muscles actually feels really good and is very relaxing.  

The best way to learn about foam roller uses is to buy one (they cost around $20+) and to check out different ways you can use it--most of them come with a little instruction booklet. Here's a quick video on YouTube which talks about the myofacia and using the foam roller to address two key spots on the body that hikers will appreciate: the IT band and quads:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvUZJxO-RCk 

I bought a short foam roller that I can take with me on trips. It fits into my book bag that I take on the plane, allowing me to my rolling even when I'm away from home.  

Check it out--I hope you develop a love/hate relationship with a foam roller soon!

Trail Running and Lessons for Hiking

One of my purposes in writing this blog is to talk about my outdoor adventures in hopes that readers will learn something from the mistakes that I make. If all I wrote about are my successes, what good would that hold for you and your outdoor education? So, if you're looking for the writings of someone who does everything perfectly, then I'm sure there are other blogs out there for you to follow. If you're looking to read about someone who has a pretty decent background of outdoor experience, but still has some challenges to deal with, you've come to the right place. 

My latest adventure involves a trail run I did in Stehekin with my friend and running partner, Kim. We're both training to do the Cutthroat Classic in August. While we are both avid and strong runners, hikers, and backpackers, trail running is a new endeavor for us.  As the title implies, it involves running (instead of walking) on trails. You need to have good reaction times and flexibility to react to and deal with trail hazards at a much faster pace than hiking. You also need to have the good sense to know when to walk instead of run. You have to learn a whole new way of pacing yourself that's different from hiking and different from running. 

Another thing that's different about trail running is that you can't carry a whole lot of stuff because you can't carry a day pack on your back comfortably while you're running. Most trail runners will bring a small Camelback-type pack mostly for holding water, a few snacks, and maybe a lightweight jacket to put on. Others just carry water bottles in their hands and snacks in their pockets or wear little hip belts that will hold these items. Forget about carrying the Ten Essentials. It means that you have to be willing to take a higher level of risk when on the trail and you have to be smart about planning your route so that you're not tackling too many miles or too difficult terrain for your ability. 

So here's a quick recap of our trail run:  We set off planning to run on the PCT from High Bridge to Bridge Creek campground and back--about 8 miles round trip with not a whole lot of gain or loss. We got to Bridge Creek and wanderlust took over and we decided to do an additional mile up the PCT. It got brushy and boring so we turned around, headed back to Bridge Creek and then decided to take an alternate route down on the old abandoned road which we were told the previous day was still passable if we could bushwack around a washout. The road ended back at the High Bridge trailhead and was not too much longer than the taking the trail. We discovered a few miles down the trail, that part of the old road was impassable due to high water. We had to turnaround and retrace our steps. Our 8 mile trail run turned into 14 miles. 

What I learned on this trip that's applicable to hiking: 

• Tell someone who is responsible where you're going and stick to that plan: It's a good idea to write down trail, destination, and estimated return time and leave it with someone who is knowledgeable enough to do something about it if you don't show up. You can also let them know any possible detours on other trails you might make. Kim and I didn't do that. We told our friends we were running on the PCT, but didn't give a destination or turnaround time. If something bad had happened, it would've been hard to find us. 
• Bring the proper nutrition for your planned mileage and then bring a little extra: One of the Ten Essentials involves carrying extra food and water. Even trail runners need to do this. I only brought enough water and snacks for an 8 mile run. I ended up having to take untreated water from a creek. Not the end of the world, but I was taking a chance on getting a waterbourne illness. Fortunately I also had additional water and food in my backpack which I'd hidden at the High Bridge trailhead 
• If you decide to do extra miles, make sure that you can physically do extra mileage beyond  the planned mileage in case you need to backtrack: As I mentioned, Kim and I are already strong hikers and runners and are able to both hike and run 14 miles. However, if we were only used to doing up to 10 miles, and then discovered that we had to backtrack several miles, we would've been pretty tired doing those additional miles and tired people make stupid mistakes and don't always have the best footing.  
• If you're the adventurous type, own your decisions, and choose your hiking partners carefully: If you like to go out and push the envelope from time to time, make sure that the people you bring along with you are also into doing that. Both Kim and I have a curious nature to us and like to explore new areas. We're both generally positive and are able to handle some adversity without turning cranky towards others. We also take responsibility for our actions and don't look for reasons to blame others when the going gets tough. While neither of us was pleased that we had to backtrack, we talked about what food and water we had to share, and we both remained calm and upbeat. While we were both tired when we got back to the trailhead, we both saw our outing as an adventure and a pretty fun time.  

Hope this gives you some food for thought for your next outdoor adventures. Hope to see you on the trail soon! 

Hiking Nutrition, Revisted

I had a glorious hike up to Pollalie Ridge near Salmon La Sac today with hiking friends. It was a hot day and we got a bit of a later start than I would like, but the views were incredible and we didn't see any other people on the Tired Creek trail--amazing! Hope you've been able to get out and enjoy this weather on a trail this weekend. 

I promised in an earlier blog to follow up on the hiking nutrition discussion that an earlier posting sparked. The discussion centered around several points, but one of the main discussion points was the main nutrition components (carbohydrate, fat, protein) and the suggested levels that they should appear in your diet when hiking.  

My initial assertion was one that I had learned several years ago when I was just learning about hiking and that was a 60/20/20 mix or 60% carbohydrate, 20% fat, 20% protein consumed during hiking. As much has been written recently on the proper levels of nutritional components to consume, I thought it would be a good idea to find more recent literature on the subject.  

I chose to see what Mountaineer member and personal trainer, Courtenay Schurman, had to say on the subject in her recent book, The Outdoor Athlete. Turns out the 60/20/20 ratio consumed while engaging in a sustained physical activity (such as hiking) is still fairly valid. However, Schurman does suggest that athletes should experiment with the level of nutrient components to see what they actually feel better with. Some folks may feel very energetic with the 60/20/20 levels, but others may find that their body responds better to raising fat and protein levels 5-10% and decreasing carbohydrate levels correspondingly.  

Some people's bodies convert nutrients to energy very quickly and thus would do better with a higher level of protein and fat in their hiking diet; others are slower and would benefit from the higher level of carbohydrates as they are converted in glucose more quickly than protein and fats. The only way you can tell is to see how you feel after consuming higher protein/fat meals and then see whether you feel energized after doing so. If so, then it would be a good idea to consume a higher percentage of protein/fat (25%/25% or so) in your hiking diet as well and see how your body responds. Others may find that consuming a higher protein/fat level makes them feel sluggish after eating and thus they would be better off consuming a higher level of carbohydrate (towards the 60% level). 

Regardless of the  percentage level of carbohydrate you choose to eat, try to choose those that are complex in nature such as those found in starchy or fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and so on. They require more digestion time and will leave you feeling satisfied longer. Simple carbohydrates (such as my cherished Cheetos), provide very short-term energy and empty calories without useful nutrients (they sure taste good though!).  I would suggest carrying a few simple sugar items to quickly eat in case you start experiencing low blood sugar. Items such as Smarties and workout gels/chews that contain quite a bit of sugar are very quickly converted to glycogen by your body and thus can avert that "bonking" feeling you get when you don't pay attention to eating enough while you hike. 

So my takeaway for you here is to not to take my word (or anyone else's) as gospel on what you should eat, rather you should experiment with different levels of nutrients and see what your body responds to. That was a point that a few commenters to my original blog stressed and that was obviously a very useful suggestion in light of recent research.  

So once again, I would ask that folks who are experimenting with their hiking diet let us know how it goes for them. I myself have been incorporating more protein into my hiking fare including an incredibly tasty nut/fruit mixture that I enjoy as a snack while I hike. I still sneak in some tasty junk at lunchtime (Cheetos or Cheese-its are my favorites), but I just have a few bites of them and pay more attention to my sandwich components (protein and fat included). Egg salad is my current favorite with a healthy does of crunch vegetables to go along with it. Had one on the hike today and it really hit the spot!  

Bad News Blisters

I hope you haven't missed my pithy commentary too much over the past few weeks. Family and other obligations have kept me pretty busy during the times I usually write the blog. My goal is to always put up one entry every week, but I won't always succeed at that.  

Today I want to talk about that dreaded malady of hikers and runners everywhere: blisters. As you may remember from an earlier post, I developed a blister on my right heel during my trip to Utah with friends. Up until that point, I hadn't had a blister in several years. During the trip I wore a relatively new pair of trail runners, which up to that point, had not caused me any blister problems. But a powerful combination of sand and water combined to weaken my skin in that area and plague me with the dreaded affliction.  

Fast forward to now and I'm still suffering from a recurring blister in that same  spot. It usually shows up during when I'm hiking, but it also has more recently been popping up when I do some of my running--particularly during trail runs when running uphill forces more contact between my heel and the shoe. It's mostly showing up with those same trail runners, but now I also have to careful in my running shoes due to fact that the area is just not very tough since I seem to keep aggravating it.   

I've tried taping the area before hiking or trail-running to limited success. Sometimes it works, more often lately it doesn't. I've had to stop using my trail runners to run and I will probably need to figure out something to do for hiking--or at least stop hiking for awhile if I want to give the skin a chance to heal fully. Since I’m training to run the Cutthroat Classic in August, it's difficult to stop running for a few weeks as it will interrupt my training regimen, and besides it's not really the running shoes that's causing the problem. If this keeps up, I may end up hiking and doing my trail runs in my road running shoes!  

Hopefully you have not been dealing with blisters as you've been increasing your hiking this season, but if you have, here's a link to a good article on the Internet about dealing with blisters both proactively and retroactively. One thing I would add is to work with some lacing techniques if your heel is slipping (see this YouTube video for a really great demo of the technique). You can also use your laces to in a similar fashion to tighten or loosen other areas if you find they are rubbing in bad ways. If you need more help, go to an outdoor store and get an experienced staff member to help you with some different techniques.  

One thing I don't like about my trail runners is that they don't have conventional laces; rather they come with a "quicklace" system which while making it easy to tighten the laces and keep them tight, doesn't allow for customizing the lace fit in different areas of the foot. If I tighten the laces enough to keep my heel stabilized, I also tighten them equally around the sides of my feet--which is too tight for my comfort. So I may be in the market for a new pair of trail runners--this one with good old fashioned laces! 

Of course, this advice comes with the admonition that you must deal with the hotspots that are the telltale signs of blisters-in-the-making as soon as you start feeling them. Blisters don't get better if you ignore them--they get worse. And you're not slowing the group down by dealing with them in their infancy--you're taking care of yourself so that you can continue to enjoy the trip and not injure yourself. Happy feet make for happy hikers! 

Hope to see you on the trail soon--without blisters, of course!