Getting on in Years

Thanks all, for your continued patience with me as I try to find a balance between work, home, hiking, photography and blogging. I'm starting to find my rhythm now, and hopefully won't need too many more byes throughout the course. I have also enlisted the aid of several volunteer guest bloggers. I can't think of a more appropriate first guest than Bill Shecket, who has a long-time affiliation with CHS. In this article, Bill discusses a leader's perspective on hiking with "persons of advanced wisdom". Enjoy, and please post your comments!

--Steve

Thoughts about Aging Trip Participants

By Bill Shecket

So how can an aging outdoorsman, a hiker and backpacker with 600-plus nights out (he keeps a log), juxtapose his sense of self with his inevitable aging? Can we as trip leaders help?

What does the older participant say as he struggles to keep up with the rest of the group while they stride seemingly effortlessly up a stretch of hill? He needs to stop and catch his breath every few minutes. The group waits for him at the saddle above, talking, telling stories, pacing, and regularly sneaking short stares down slope. And soon they hear the panting and see the sweating and when he does arrive, the water gets gulped from the Nalgene bottle! It’s truly painful to watch, but is he suffering? Can we as trip leaders help?

Stanford psychologist Leon Festinger spent his career studying how we make sense of conflicting attitudes and behaviors. We are so uncomfortable, he said, with our states of dissonance that we will change our beliefs (some powerful and long “held dear”) to reframe the person we think we are. Most of us will craft a story; so it’s no surprise our aging participant talks about the bad weather: “It was wet and windy so I had to be adjusting my gear.” Another comment might be, “I feel a little off this morning; maybe I’m getting a cold.” Or he might quip “People are in such a hurry now. They push for the summit and don’t stop to look at the view or even take a picture.” But the saddest statements of all aren’t rationalizations of the moment, the hike, or the group’s behavior. They are self-revisions, incomplete and probably untrue: “I never was any good going uphill.” and “I’ve always been uncomfortable on loose rock and scree.” and “Most of my trips have been on good trails and old logging roads.” What about your Alaska backpacking adventures? How sad!

We as leaders need to understand that our aging trip participant has trouble accepting his changes. He is now 71 years old and so he must go slower! He can be a great hiker/climber but he needs to carefully negotiate rough trails and he must give himself more time. He has to come to grips with who he is now, not who he wishes he still was!

This senior participant could be a delightful companion for us on properly selected trips. He has lots of wisdom and much to “show and tell.” This man’s stories would be a joy to share and he would be an outstanding partner for those in his company, an esteemed member of the group and not a problem person, a liability, or a drain on everyone – if he could catch his breath long enough to talk!

Our aging trip member has climbed innumerable peaks, braved ice-melt swollen streams, seen wolves and grizzlies, and hauled 60-pound packs across the tundra on week-long adventures. Why can’t accepting and changing himself be as significant a challenge?

Can facing these personal summits be the adventure now? How can we as trip leaders help him move away from denial and find self-acceptance, move from feelings of dissonance to feelings of consonance? How can we help him find a comfortable place in the outings community?

11th Essentials

There will be times in your hiking "careers" when you'll see a piece of gear or a way of doing things that just makes so much sense, you'll wonder how come you never thought of it before. In CHS, you'll have lots of those "aha" moments! We hike in all weather conditions, and rarely turn back early from our destination. So it helps to be flexible and pack some extra gear -- so-called "11th Essentials" -- to keep yourself comfortable and safe. If the conditions look benign at the trailhead, you may be able to leave some items in the car, but if you don't bring 'em in the first place, you can't use 'em on trail! Here are a few extras that Kelly and I have found useful:

• Snow traction devices (such as Yaktraks, MicroSpikes or Stablicers) make walking on snow a little easier. They’re so light that it’s not a hassle to bring them along on every hike. And yes, you are likely to encounter snow right up through your graduation hikes.
• Hiking poles or a staff help steady you on uneven and snowy trail, and take some of the stress off your knees on the descent. I resisted poles for years, until my knees convinced me that I was being silly.
• Gaiters help to keep water, mud, sand and snow out of your boots and protect the cuffs of your hiking pants. Also, consider waterproofing your boots each spring to help keep your feet nice and dry.
• A compact travel umbrella keeps rain off you and supplements your rain gear so you don’t have to wear a full rainsuit while you’re hiking uphill. Most people end up drenching themselves in their own sweat when they wear full rain gear, and this robs them of body heat when they stop for breaks.
• Hand warmers ("Little Hotties" are one popular brand) slip into your gloves or socks to help keep your hands toasty and dry.
• Hats and caps appropriate for cold and heat, rain and sun will help regulate your body temperature.
• A small thermos of hot soup, coffee, tea or hot chocolate will warm up your insides on breaks or at lunchtime.
• A dry shirt to change into at the turn around point can make you feel like a new hiker for the descent. You'll be warmer, dryer and possible less stinky! You can tie the wet one to the outside of your pack for the return.

And for the drive home:

• A tote bag with a towel, socks, shirt and shoes to change into back at the trailhead will make you much more comfortable and presentable if you go out for a group meal.
• A boot brush removes mud and dirt from your boots and gets them ready for the next hike. Cleaning the soles of your boots thoroughly also reduces the risk of transporting invasive species across the state.
• A plastic garbage bag to contain your wet or muddy boots keeps your carpool driver's trunk clean.

Remember, you are responsible for your own wellbeing on a hike. You need to bring the Ten Essential Systems (yes, all ten on every hike) and other gear that will keep you comfortable, found, fed and hydrated. Your hike leaders will alert you if a particular piece of gear is suggested, but they are not responsible for checking your gear or clothing. So take a look through your pack and think of what extra items you might want to bring to make your next trip—regardless of weather—a safe and happy one. Cheers!

Group Hiking 101

Since some of you may be new to the Mountaineers and/or hiking in groups, this is a good point in the course to have a quick review of some of the etiquette and rules that exist to help ease the way for larger groups on the trail.

Be sure that when the trail is only narrow enough for one person, you yield the right of way to the uphill hiker. Hiking uphill comfortably requires that the hiker be able to set a comfortable pace. When you have to stop in order to accommodate a downhill hiker, it can be a struggle to pick up the pace again right away, whereas the downhill hiker doesn’t have pacing issues to worry about. So let the uphill hiker have the trail when you are going downhill, and don’t wait until the last minute to get out of the way. If an uphill hiker makes it obvious that they need the break and are yielding to you as the downhill hiker, then thank them graciously and scoot by as quickly as possible.

It is permissible to pass other hikers if they are hiking more slowly than you are—even if they are part of the CHS group you are in. Unless the leader has specifically said that they want to stay in front, you can pass them and any other hikers if you prefer to hike at a faster pace. However, if the hike leader has not mentioned a specific stop time/place, check with them on when/where they would like you to stop and wait for the rest of the group. And always wait at trail junctions, even if you know the way. The few safety incidents we've had in CHS usually involved missing hikers. Make sure that you and the hike leader are on the same page so that the trip isn't interrupted by a mini search mission.

Be aware of your distance from the hiker in front of you. No one likes to have another person right on their heels, so if you find yourself doing this, just ask the hiker in front if you can “please pass.” We also like to try and avoid being a conga line of 12 hikers all in a row marching up (or down) a trail. And, of course, you run the risk of becoming hiker shish kabob if the person in front of you is using trekking poles! Spread out a little bit so you can enjoy the scenery in front of you.

Several of the trails we hike are open to multiple users, including trail runners, horses, pack animals, mountain bikes, and even motorbikes. If you find yourself in the "sweep" position (at the rear of the group) and you hear or see someone attempting to pass, yell ahead something descriptive like "runner behind!" or "bike back!" so you and the group can step just off the trail to let the others pass. If you find yourself at the front and encounter a horse party, try to step off the trail on the downhill side, lower your voice so as not to spook the horse, and listen to any instructions the rider may give. The lead mountain bike or motorbike rider will usually let you know how many are in their group so you can count how many should pass before it's safe to get back onto the trail.

Finally, Mountaineers hikes are not forced marches. If you need to stop and adjust your clothing or gear, drink some water, or eat some food, or heed the call of nature, then feel free to stop and take care of yourself—even it it’s not an established rest stop. Be sure that you’ve stopped at a place on the trail wide enough so that others can safely go around you on the trail. If you need to take a party separation (Mountaineers' euphemism for potty break), then let the hikers around you know and leave your pack on the trail on the side you're traveling. Terms like "party separation", "potty break" and the like all convey the meaning adequately—no need to go into great detail about what you’re doing. As we discussed at orientation, please do not leave toilet paper in the wilderness. Either forgo toilet paper and use a bandana instead, or pack out your toilet paper in a ziplock baggy.

I look forward to hiking with each of you soon. Have a great week, and please contact me if you have any questions.

The "Conditioning" Part of the Conditioning Hiking Series

On Saturday, I met my workout buddy, Darlene, for a group spin class at the Federal Way Community Center. Darlene is also a two-time participant in their Biggest Loser program; we met during the first one. I don't think we'd had a conversation longer than two sentences until the halfway point of the competition, when we figured out we were #1 and #2 in the standings for percentage weight lost. From then on, we had our competitive streaks going full steam, so we kept pushing each other, letting the other know our latest weights and making time for additional workouts. There was also a bit of lighthearted trash talk going on! The two days before and even the morning of the last weigh-in, we spent ridiculous amounts of time working out and trying to shed water weight in the sauna. In the end, Darlene finished first and I finished second, but we both won -- we gained a workout buddy to keep up a weekly workout plan and stay on the path. I wish each of you a good friend or relative to hold you "accountable" in staying fit and healthy -- it makes all the difference.

Because of the cumulative nature of the hikes offered in CHS for both pacing groups, it’s very important that all participants (and hike leaders), regardless of initial conditioning, find activities during the week and on the off-hiking weekends to build and/or keep their fitness level up. Although some naturally hardy folks can keep up with these hikes without doing any outside conditioning, they are the exception and not the rule. Most people who do long-distance dayhikes find that they must additionally condition themselves during their non-hiking periods in order to keep up their hiking stamina. What’s a hiker to do to keep in shape?

Of course the best exercise for hiking is … hiking. So even on weekends when you’re not hiking with your CHS pals, you should try to get out with friends and family and get a few miles in. If hiking is not possible, then you need to find other ways to keep up cardiovascular endurance and strength. Many hikers enjoy doing pack walks on local streets and trails. This involves stuffing a bunch of weight into your pack (usually in the form of water bottles or sand bags) and walking several miles wearing this weight. You can start out with about 15 pounds and work your way up from there. Walk at a comfortable, sustainable pace for most of the time, but also speed up a bit every now and then to simulate an exercise interval, moving your activity level from aerobic to anaerobic to build strength and cardiovascular endurance. If you're pressed for time and have access to a treadmill, try adding a bit of incline to your walking. 30 minutes at 2.5 mph and 5 degrees of incline with a 15-lb. pack would be a great starting point.

Another good cardio activity that works well for building hiking strength is climbing stairs. You can do this with or without weight. The key is to perform the activity for a period of time (anywhere from 15-30 minutes) without stopping to rest. In order to do this, you must maintain a sustainable pace as you climb. It’s also a good way to practice the rest step (click here to view an article on setting a pace and using the rest step as a way to maintain movement while resting leg muscles).

You can also do other types of exercises and weight training to build your endurance and muscle strength, but these are the two most-hiking specific activities we can recommend when you can’t get out to do an actual hike. Cross-training (doing other activities that use muscle groups different from those involved in hiking) is always a good idea and can lessen muscle strain and injury caused by repetitive activity. Swimming, bicycling and running are some other activities you may enjoy.

For an expert’s advice on conditioning for hiking, including information on interval and cross training, take a look at local trainer and Mountaineers member Courtenay Schurman’s web site (http://www.bodyresults.com/hiking-training.asp). She provides detailed information and links to articles, exercises, and sample programs that might help you out. Courtenay also provides more hands-on assistance if you feel that would be beneficial to you. Kelly used her advice earlier in her hiking career to increase her hiking pace and stamina and highly recommends her. An additional resource is "Conditioning for Outdoors Fitness" from the Mountaineers bookstore -- put your 20% member's discount to work!

So find a workout buddy and work on keeping up your fitness! You’ll enjoy yourself a lot more on the trail, feel better before, during, and after your hikes, and avoid muscle injury.

I hope to see you all on the trail soon!