March 28, Monday, 20# pack on Tiger 3 Trail

Distance: 9.6 km round trip 

Weight: 20#+ day pack.

Temperature: 8 C = 46.4 F *

Barometric pressure: 1023 hPa *

Longitude: 47.51 / Latitude: 121.99*

Elevation gain: 2,000 feet,from 500 to 2,522.

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 20,394 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 164.49 km
Food consumed during hike: 4 mini candy bars

Note: Hiking companion Arlene Levy and her poodle. Energy level not high; it has been three days since Mt. Si hike. This was mostly the same route I took on my night hike with Mountaineers.

* From new altitude app, "Accurate Altimeter." It proved to be fairly close to figures at trail head and summit. Downloaded from Play Station.

March 25, Friday, 40# up Mount Si

Distance: 9.6 km round trip 

Weight: 40+ with day pack and  weight vest; total hiking weight over nude weight: 55 pounds.

Elevation gain: Likely 2,300 feet (3/4 of 3,150 (WTA figure)

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 18,394 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 154.89 km
Food consumed: 8 mini candy bars, 1.5 hard-boiled eggs. 

Note:

• Averaged 1 mile per hour to 3-mile point
• 8:37 a.m. started hike
• 9:45 at the snack bar
• 10:20 1.7 mile mark
• 11:00 Hitchin' rack
• 11:28, Three-mile mark
• 11:45, Hitchin rack (on way down)
• 12:19, 1.7 mile mark down

There was a mother bear and her cub reported on the trail on Snag Flats.

I didn't use trekking poles coming down. However, I had injuries to three toes on my right foot; they were sore at dance Friday night and the foot remained sore through Saturday.

Light dusting of snow on the trail and reported bad visibility at Mt. Si ledge at the top.

Mt. Si view from North Bend Dairy Freeze

March 24, Thursday, Yoga Class

Distance: 4..6 km in round trip to 24 hour fitness

Weight: 20 pound weight vest

Elevation gain: 200 feet based on conservative reading of figures for Map My Hike.

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 16,094 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 145.29
Food consumed: 500 calories from cookies provided by 14-hour fitness.

Note: Forgot mat, so just walked back home.

March 23, Cougar Mountain with SVTC

Distance: 13.6 km in two parts

Weight: 18# backpack (forgot water)

Elevation gain: 800 feet based on conservative reading of figures for Map My Hike.

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 15.894 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 141.13 km
Food consumed: 1 Pink Lady Apple; 4 mini candy bars some cheese.
Notes: This was a Snoqualmie Valley Trails Club sanctioned hike. As I geared up, realized I had left my platypus cooling in the fridge. Harumi, the guide, gave me a water bottle. When our group reached Coal Creek Falls, I wanted to shoot a photo and discovered I had left my phone on my car dashboard and failed to lock car. I excused myself from the group, retraced my steps to the  car and called hike leader Harumi (at her request) to tell her my phone hadn't been filched. Then I went off on my own, misreading the sign below:

I thought the arrow for Sky Country Trail applied to Cave Hole Trail.

Coal Creek Falls

My misreading of the sign left me hiking Military Road Trail westward (kinda) until I came out to a highway, Golf Club Road, which I crossed to reach the Red Town Trail. I backtracked, found Cave Hole Trail, and followed it, taking a side jaunt to the Red Town Dam site, then, later, another side trip back to Coal Creek Falls before returning to my car. I misread the map several times, trying to figure out where I was, and didn't even notice the Coal Creek Falls Trail, which I thought had been left off the map.

I used Map My Hike to sort out what I had done and comparing that application's map to the map I printed prior to the hike.

March 22, Tuesday, Rattlesnake Ledge

Round trip = 6.88 km from car to ledge

Weight: 20# backpack and 20# weight vest.

Elevation gain: 1,160 feet*

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 15.094 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 127.53km
Food consumed: 1 Pink Lady Apple; 2 mini candy bars (360 calories) one hard boiled egg.
Note: Climb to the top took one hour and 35 minutes. I was hiking with Tammi Hermann. She was not prepared for rain, so I provided the plastic pullover rain coat and it kept her dry. Surprisingly, although we did not hurry, the hike only took 20 minutes longer than yesterday. I did my first yoga class this morning at 24-hour fitness, and while it was strenuous, it did not appear to affect this hike.

*Washington Trails Assn.

March 21, Monday, Rattlesnake Ledge

Round trip = 6.88 km from car to ledge

Weight: 20# backpack and 20# weight vest.

Elevation gain: 1,160 feet*

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 13,934 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 120.65 km
Food consumed: 1 Pink Lady Apple; 1/2 cut tuna salad; three mini candy bars (560 calories).
Note: Climb to the top took one hour and 15 minutes.

*Washington Trails Assn.

March 20, Sunday, Madison Park

Round trip = 8.57 km

Weight: 23# backpack with 2 5-pound weights; 20# weight vest; 3# in sweated clothing, jacket and fly fishing jacket. So: packing 45 pounds.

Elevation gain: 500 feet*

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 12.774 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 113.77 km
Note: Wore rain slacks with large binder clips to keep the pants in place. Worked well. Recorded with Gaia, which promptly discarded the information because I didn't mail it to myself right away.

* Elevation gains are estimated; May My Hike highly variable and unreliable for elevations, so I made conservative estimates based on how I followed the lay of the land.

March 19, Saturday, Metropolitan Market, Center Theater

Round trip = 8 km

Weight: 12# backpack with 2 5-pound weights

Elevation gain: 200 feet*

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 12.274 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 105.19 km
Note: Stuffed mountain jacket and rain slacks inside small backpack with small dumbells and hiked through Seattle Center to Metropolitan Market to meet BJ for dinner at market and for Shaw's play, Mrs. Warren's Profession, at Center Theater. Walked BJ to her car afterward and then walked home. Light workout, but 5 miles. Back before midnight.

March 18, Friday, 24-hour Fitness

Round trip = 4 km

Weight: 20# day pack 2-# weight vest

Elevation gain: 200 feet*

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 12.074 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 97.19 km
Note:Re-registered. Yoga mats cost $20; will return Tuesday for yoga class.
*Map My Hike is useless as teats on a boar hog. The elevation information is ridiculous. This gain is a very conservative estimate. I checked the distance against Google maps and took into consideration that I took a longer route than Google would have provided.

March 16, Wednesday, Budd & Co.

Round trip = 4.16 km

Weight: 20# day pack 2-# weight vest

Elevation gain: 100 feet

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 11.874 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 93.19 km
Note: Left Honda at garage and walked home; then walked back to pick it up.

March 17, Thursday, 3.5 miles up Si

Round trip = 11.2 km

Weight: 20# day pack

Elevation gain: 2,600 feet (estimate)

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 14,474 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 104.39 km

Notes:
Limited gain: I don't seem to have improved my timing over the hike on the 15th, although my stamina was good. I have to pay attention to my knees, which felt a little twinge on the descent. Ate 6-7 mini candy bars on the way up, and didn't eat solid food until I had turned around. Took salt sticks and drank lot of Platypus water. Got tired on way back. Stopped at North Bend Dairy Freeze for a burger and blueberry shake. Got home and showed myself down 5 pounds -- probably some of that is water.
The final 1.6 km of hiking was on snow with microspikes. I had left my ice axe (Ol' Betsy) behind, and realized as I ascended that I preferred it to trekking poles for walking on a icy-snow covered trail.
Here's a breakdown of the hike:
9:16 a.m. start from parking lot
9:33 a.m. first cataract
9:38 a.m. second cataract
9:43 a.m. Talus Loop Trail
9:51 a.m. one mile mark
10:04 a.m. snack bar
10:25 a.m. 1.7 miles
10.29 a.m. Snag Flats--same as hike on 15th
11:01 a.m. Hitchin' rack
11:21 a.m. Three-mile mark -- A little slower than last time
12:03 p.m. 3.5 mile marker
12:06 p.m. Turning around; too much snow; I didn't bring Ol Betsy; Have trekking poles
1:33 p.m.  Crossroads 1.7 miles from trail head and one entry for Talus Loop Trail
1:45 p.m   Snack bar
2:11 p.m.  Talus Loop Trail's lower entry, near trailhead
2:34 p.m.  Back at the car.
Total time: 5 1/4 hours, roughly

March 15, Tuesday, Snow on Mount Si

Round trip = 9.6 km

Weight: 30# day pack

Elevation gain: 2,600 feet (estimate)

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 11.774 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 89.03 km

Notes: 

Set out at 10 a.m. Snag flats in 70 minutes; Hitchin' Rack at 100 minutes; 120 minutes to 3-mile marker; Back at car at 240 minutes, roughly.

Learning: Didn't take microspikes because I didn't think there would be snow. There was.Practiced walking with ice axe due to slickness of trail--walked a bit past three mile mark and realized folly of that. No leg cramps; took only maybe four salt pills, including those I took before leaving. Better at putting on gaiters. Wore wool sweater and fly-less shorts. Glasses tend to fog up. May try a different pair to see if they work better. Consumed small butterfinger bars along the way, fished from my flyfishing vest.

The Hitchin' Post

Early snow dusting, before it became heavier

Heavier accumulation before microspikes required

When the snow became too slick for my Asolo's, I employed Ol' Betsy to descend to safer ground.

March 12, Saturday, Tiger Mountain Trail 1

Round trip = 11.2 km

Weight: 20# day pack

Elevation gain: 2,450 feet

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 9174 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 79.43 km

Note: Honda had vibration problem due to left front wheel falling in a hole the night before. 

This hike was billed as moderate, but I found it strenuous and again, I was the last in line. I'm sure my heart rate at times was well over 140. But this time there were no leg cramps, possibly because of the salt sticks I was consuming (8, counting two I took before I left home).  However, my urine was slightly yellow. My gear was good, but my stamina needs to improve, as well as my flexibility. Things learned: 

• Have 2 pair of gloves; 
• keep hankies in convenient place; 
• use a large plastic bag inside my pack to keep things dry; 
• practice with my harness until I can put it on more easily;
•  learn how to strap my ice axe so it doesn't flop around and endanger others; 
• keep candy bars handy for quick snacks. 
• figure out a way to keep my glasses dry -- perhaps a cap with a bill under my hood; 
• pack my helmet inside my pack. Get more sleep the night before. 
• Work on navigation skills. 
• Work on flexibility exercises.
• Possibly purchase a rainproof cap for my head to keep warm.

I also learned that doing Adams is a really long shot, without a scramble patch -- which I may not get unless I can pass a rock scramble in May.

March 11, Friday, REI, Waterfront

Round trip = 6.88 km

Weight: 20# day pack; 20# weight vest

Elevation gain: 350 feet

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 6724 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 68.23 km

Note: Walked to REI to purchase compass and sit pad; then to waterfront; then up staircase to tea shop by SAM; then home mostly via Madison. This was a light hike to warm up for Saturday hike on Tiger Mountain.

March 9, Wednesday, Ivar's

Round trip = 4.5 km

Weight: 20# day pack; 20# weight vest

Elevation gain: 350 feet

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 6,374 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 61.35 km

March 2, Wednesday, Tiger Mountain

West Tiger Mountain No. 3

Mountaineer Scramble with 9 people. Started at 5:30 p.m. and hiked in the dark, with headlamp. Windy, rainy. Speed of hike was moderate-plus. I trailed the group, felt twinges in my quads which I massaged. Tried to force water, but still developed charlie horses when I re-entered my car after the hike. Eventually fell behind, but was able to follow the trail. Didn't make it to the top. Had to pause on way down because of exhaustion and needing to massage quads. Roj carried my pack for a while until trail mix kicked in. Learned about salt tablets sold by REI. Wore rain pants which worked fairly well once I learned how to keep them up around my hips; wore new gloves that kept my hands comfortable. Headlamp very effective.

Earlier in the day hiked to REI to exchange gloves, and while there purchased head lamp. Packed 40#.

REI round trip = 3.8 km

Tiger Mountain Round Trip - 9.6 km

Distance for the day:  13.4 km

Weight: 20# day pack.

Elevation gain: 2,000 + 200

Accumulation elevation gain for 2016: 6,024 feet.

Accumulated distance hiked: 56.87 kilometers

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