Monday, November 1, 2021

 The Challenge Returns . . . 


Three times has it defeated me -- or did I simply fail? Mount Adams. Roger Matthews, my hiking consort, dreams again of summiting the mountain that defeated him on his last two tries. Now, we two, like Tenneyson's Ulysses, once again contemplate pushing off and striking the sounding furrows. Or the equivalent, anyway.

And so my objective is to average an ascent of 4,000 feet per week over the next 20 weeks to steel myself for the adventure once more. Not optimistic, but determined. I will limit my objectives, and I will obtain them: To take off 15 pounds and to make a mere 2,000 foot ascent almost effortless with 40 pounds of weights. And maybe, just maybe, I will actually make it to the top. That will be an extra.

The journey begins today.

Mt. Adams Training Hikes 2021-2022

Date

Location

Gain

Distance

Comment

 11/1/2021

 Capitol Hill  

 300'

 RT: 3.7miles

 No Weight

 11/3/2021

 Rattlesnake

1,200' 

4.4 miles 

 Weight: 18#

11/7/2-21 

 TMT/cable/T3

 1,400'    

 5+miles

Wet/cold/Helped/18#

 11/8/2021    

 Bank, Metzker, Ivars

 300'    

 5.5 miles

$4 energy coke

 11/11/2021 Vet's Day        

 Rattlesnake

 1,200

 4.5 m in light rain

Good gloves; 100min+ to top

 11/16/2021

 Mt Constittion, Orcas

 1,050

 4 miles+

 Mt. Lake -Little Summit

 11/17/2021

 Cascade Lake, Orcas 

 Negligible

2.7 miles

 Finished in dark

 11-21-2021

Tiger 3 

 1,600 feet min    

 5.7 mi

 No pack. 1.65-2.9 mph !

 11-24-2021`

Whole Foods / Tiger 31 

 2,000 feet      Σ = 7,700

 1m + 6m Σ= 38.8

 21#; salt tablets; cramps

 11-28-2021

 TMT,K-3, Tiger 3; crossed high point creek.    WET!

 1,600

 6m    

 Rain > lt snow; 4-5 hours; torch last 2 mi. Not cold.

 12/8/2021        

 Des Moines beach park   

 

 3 miles with Larisa

Walked healing toe

 12/9/2021

 Des Moines beach park

 

 3 miles with Larisa

 Walked fast, healing toe

 12-14-2021

 Tiger 3

 750 feet

 2.5 miles in about 1 hour

Snow/rain; tested old boots. 

 12/17

Downtown & Alma's 

 400

 8 miles    

 Helped find Real Change

 01-01-2022

 To, through Arboretum

 200

 4.4 miles

 With Shira's Family. Snow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 alt 228 = Σ


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

11/7/2021: Cold rain, Cable Line exhausted me; gloves failed; legs tired. Runner, Kyle, passed, I asked for help, with pack and gloves. Water and gorp revived me. We walked back together. 




Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Resuming this blog 

 A pandemic and then a dislocated shoulder had gone a long way toward cooling my interest in this hiking blog, but now I'm back at it, because I'm hiking again, and shooting photos -- and it's the photos that give this blog life, so now there will be more again. 

 My right arm is sufficient healed for me to hike and camp, although I still need to be cautious. My arm is not healed enough to encourage another fall. While I have been hiking, the hikes of the near future will be about challenge and conditioning, and my arm is cautously up to the task. 

 Today's hike mainly involve the Nook Trail on Tiger Mountain from Tradition Plateau to the caves where it intersects with the Talus Rock trail.

View from a foot bridge over a creek gulch.

Path like the Wizard of Oz's yellow brick road.

More of the path.

A cave at the junction of Nook and Talus Rock trails.

The Talus Rock Trail squeezed between boulders.



Shelf fungus on a downed tree.

Mushrooms on a dead tree over the trail.

The route from parking lot to caves.

Summary: 2.6 mile hike and 600+ foot elevation gain.ADDENDUM:Oct 29, returned, took Tiger 3 past 1.1 mile marker: 18#, 2.8 miles, 700+ elevation gain.Summary to date: 5.4 miles, 1,300-foot elevation gain.


Friday, February 7, 2020

Fungi on a dead tree adjacent to the trail

This hike was intended to improve my stamina. I wore my weight vest and carried an 18-pound pack. Speed was a little more than 1 mph uphill. I got as far as the 2.2 mile hike, starting from the lower parking lot. Had to rest a lot. Toward the end got a twinge of a leg cramp. Did a few yoga walks when I returned to the Fit.

Conditions: overcast, cool, light drizzle.
Load: 38 pounds--backpack and weight vest
Elevation gain: 1,100 feet, at least
Distance: 5.5 miles at least

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 11 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Tiger Mountain: recovering stamina


Water descending Tiger 3 jets under a road and descends down a bank.

I haven't done any serious hiking for a few months. That, and insufficient sleep last night taxed my energy today. I hiked to the 2.2 mil mark on Tiger 3 in about two hours and descended back to the car in a little over an hour. Lacking a Discover pass, I camped outside the park. My resolution is to do more hiking.

Conditions: overcast, cool.
Load: 17 pounds
Elevation gain: 1,100 feet, at least
Distance: 5.5 miles at least

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 5.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,100 feet



Thursday, January 30, 2020

Hiking a mountain bike trail

This slop starts with a dip, then a sharp curve that is more than semi-circular, then another drop.

I've been sitting, and it's been raining, but today I decided to chance the weather and go hiking with Roger Matthews in Covington on property owned by Real Life Church along Summit Ridge. This was ground the church provided for mountain bikers to shape to their desires.

Names of the trails; they vary in difficulty.

Symbols at trail heads to indicate difficulty.

The Sobriety trail's two diamonds indicates extreme challenge.

A steep descent leads to the jump in the middle of the picture.
The landing zone is the pile at the right. There is a large rock between the two.

It was an easy hike. I didn't bother to register elevation gain or load.








Monday, December 9, 2019

Return to Poo Poo Point

In some places the steep trail seems like a staircase, due to the stepping stones.

It was an overcast Monday with fog on the low hills leading up the Chiroco trail to Poo Point, the launch zone for parasailing. This was a SVTC hike, a four mile hike up a rather steep trail for a 1,700-foot elevation gain that resulted in a visit to the launch pad for hang gliders.

The hikers left me behind part way through. I had been awakened at 5 a.m. with a call from Malawi, Africa, and I think the loss of sleep slowed me down. I had to rest a bit and then catch up. This was my first hike at Poo Poo point for a few years, I believe--long enough ago that I didn't remember parts of the trail and they seemed new.

Trailhead figure


Distance for the day:   4 miles
Conditions: Low ceiling, cool, some fog
Load: 16 pounds 
Elevation gain: 1,700

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 264.7 miles 
Elevation Gain: 79,078 feet. 9,088 to 6th Rainier















Monday, December 2, 2019

Light hike on Tiger Mountain

The highest point I reached this day.





From 2.2 mile point to car.

I missed the SVTC group today because I went to the wrong location, so I moved a couple miles down I-90 to Exit 20, High Point Trail, and made a light hike to the 2.2 mile marker on Tiger 3.
Distance for the day:  At least 4.5 miles
Conditions: Clear skies, cool.
Load: 16 pounds pounds 
Elevation gain: 1,400  feet, at least

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 260.7 miles 
Elevation Gain: 77,378 feet