Teamwork, and Crying in Baseball

Yesterday I joined five fabulous teammates for the 50.8-mile Rainier to Ruston Relay, a fun run benefitting the Foothills Trail Coalition, beginning near the Carbon River entrance to Mt. Rainier NP and ending at the Commencement Bay waterfront in Tacoma. Our team of current and former CHSers was formed in the last six weeks, so we weren't able to train together, but we worked out pre-race logistics by e-mail and Facebook. When we met up yesterday for the drive to the starting line, it was a little like a carpool on a CHS hike -- some of us knew each other from way back when, and others were just meeting for the first time. 

At one point, Shep quoted Tom Hanks' wonderful line in "A League of Their Own" -- "Are you cyring? There's no crying in baseball! THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!" We were presented with some tough running conditions yesterday, with off-and-on rain and a 20-degree temperature swing. It was my longest running distance in a day, and my right ankle was screaming at me. Shep's six-mile first leg was a slog along muddy trail, and his feet were starting to blister. We got Susan through her second leg by promising a donut at the next exchange. Kevin's lungs are probably still full of fumes from his second leg through the Fife-Tacoma industrial area. We had a few driving navigation errors. So we had plenty of reasons to "cry". But we gutted it out as a team, with lots of high-fives and back-slaps and words of encouragement throughout the day. 

As your hikes get longer and the temperatures rise, think about your fellow hikers as being part of a team for the day. Lean on each other for support to get through tough trail and weather conditions, and "cry" to your fellow hikers if you're having a rough time. Sometimes a little commiseration does the trick!

Backcountry Critters

Each year we include the obligatory article about insect encounters.

We are in tick season now, so please remember to be sure and check yourself for ticks after each hike. Check yourself all over. You can't feel them on you until they have already burrowed in. They will wander around (unfelt) on your body until they find a place to dig in and feed. While we don’t have the types of ticks in the Pacific Northwest that can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme’s Disease, it’s still best to be vigilant of these small critters. Click on this link for information on how to remove a tick if you find one: http://dermatology.about.com/cs/miscellaneous/a/tick.htm 

The first person in the hiking group is often dubbed "Web Eater", especially early in the day. If you happen to walk through a spider web, walk clear of the area and have a hiking companion check your head, back and neck for any spiders that may have come along for the ride. If you have trekking poles, you might swipe the path ahead like a swashbuckler!

You will soon be encountering mosquitoes and black flies on some trails. Be sure to carry insect repellent with you or some way of covering up to discourage these pesky critters. While it may be effective, most people find the smell and oiliness of DEET to be repulsive. Experiment with some less potent applications like citronella or eucalyptus-based repellents, or Permethrin-treated fabrics. If you'd prefer to just cover up, plan ahead and wear pants instead of shorts, pack a long-sleeved shirt, lightweight gloves and a head net. 

Finally, bees, yellow jackets, paper wasps and hornets pose a threat in early summer through the first hard frost. Avoid perfumes and scented lotions, and bright or flower-patterned clothing. If you have allergies to bee stings, be sure to discuss it with your doctor and request a prescription for an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen). 

Fun in the Sun

What better topic coming off a hot, sunny weekend than sun protection! Unless you have really bad luck, you'll be spending dozens of hours in the sun on your CHS hikes this summer. Here are a few tips for doing it safely.

• The active ingredients in sunscreen can and do expire. Check your sunscreen for an expiration date, and replace it if it's past due. Apply sunscreen liberally at the trailhead -- even better, at home before you leave for the meet spot -- and at the lunch break, and more frequently if you're fair-skinned. 
• Pack a boonie hat or other cap with a broad bill and perhaps a back flap to keep overhead sun off your face and neck. They're goofy-lookin' as hell, but the trail's not a fashion runway! 
• Sunglasses are a must-bring for every hike. In bright light conditions, they dramatically reduce the glare and give your vision more contrast so you can see obstacles in your path. Plus, you'll find that squinting for long periods of time gives you a real headache. 
• Use a compact umbrella -- preferably white or other reflective color -- to keep direct sunlight away and maintain a cool zone around your upper body. 
• Know the symptoms of heat stress and heat stroke (profuse sweating,  chills, cramps, dizziness, slurred speech, and inability to take on food and water are a few), and watch your fellow hikers for signs. I usually get a low-grade headache and become a great big whiner when I'm dehydrated -- you probably have your own symptoms. Be prepared to turn around and end your day early if someone suffers overheating. It's near impossible to recover on trail, and the best solution is lots of rest in a cool environment.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! On a really hot day, if you wait until you're thirsty, it may already be too late to catch up. If you anticipate extreme heat on an upcoming hike, keep pre-hydrated by limiting your alcohol and coffee intake a day or two before the hike, and by chugging 16-20 oz. of water before you lock up the car.
• Include an electrolyte replacement beverage (Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade, Nuun, EmergenC, diluted citrus juice, etc.) to compensate for the sodium, chloride and potassium you lose as you sweat.
• Observe the color of your urine -- you're looking for clear to straw-colored, and not dark yellow. Obviously, if you haven't had to go in a while, that's a problem too!
• Take every advantage to use a stream, river, waterfall or snowfield for a refreshing cool down. Dunk your hat, soak your bandana, or build a snowman!

If you're having a "bug" kind of day instead of a "windshield" kind of day, these precautions may not save you. Even experienced hike leaders suffer in the heat. But do your best to be prepared, and store all those memories of what it feels like to hike in the heat -- you can call them up when you're taking your vitamin D supplements and trying to get through the cold, wet winter!

--Steve

Pre-hike Planning

On Friday I joined my fellow Hiking Committee members and hike leaders at the Seattle Program Center for our annual Hike Leader Pizza Party. It's a tradition that dates back many years, and a chance for the branch's leadership to get together and plan out their trips for the upcoming hiking season. Poster paper and magic markers have given way to laptops and smartphones, but the commitment remains -- in all, I'd say we added four dozen new regular club hikes to the schedule! 

It wasn't all about the pizza, adult beverages, door prizes and hike schedules, though. Gary Paull, Wilderness and Trails Coordinator for the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, was there to present the latest news and pictures of current trail and road conditions and closures. It was a grim but timely reminder to us all to check and double-check road and trail conditions before leading a hike we haven't been able to scout. 

Following are several resources you might investigate before hiking on your own:

• Each National Forest maintains its own website with the USDA (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/pdx/forests.shtml#washington), and each website has an Alerts & Notices section that has the most current road and trail conditions. You can and should call the Ranger's Station for the district you're visiting. The rangers may not have actually hiked the trail lately, but they should be able to give you the current conditions as reported to them. 
• Each National Park has similar information available through their respective websites at www.nps.gov. 
• Hindered as they are by budgetary constraints, the rangers at Washington State Parks often have the most current trail information because they have actually hiked the trails. A park directory is found here: www.parks.wa.gov
• Oftentimes the most current information is found in trip reports posted by volunteer contributors on the Washington Trails Association website at www.wta.org. Create an account and share your trip reports and photos today! 
• WTA also maintains a directory for each land manager here: http://www.wta.org/hiking-info/ranger-station-info

Check before you hike, and stay safe out there!

--Steve

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.