Running tab...First Rainier for 2017

Morning on the trail up Little Si

July 19, 2017

Rattlesnake Ledge with Mary Vesper. Mary made it two-thirds of the way. I went on ahead and returned. Next time I plan to wear a 20-pound weight vest plus my backpack.
After hike activity:  XXX Root Beer in Issaquah with Shirley Ganse and Mary.
Distance: 4 miles = 6.4 km
Elevation gain: 1,160 feet
Time: 90 minutes up; one hour down
Load: 15 pounds, approximately.
Stamina: Varied; hot flashes enroute. Cool beeze at the top helped. Shared a trekking pole with Mary on way down.

July 20, 2017

Pike Place Market  (Lowell's restaurant) with Jamie Marsden. Viewed infinity exhibit at SAM; buffet at Dawat grill.
Distance: 2.8 miles, 4.48 km
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Load: Negligible
Stamina: Good, but a little tired going back up hill

July 23, 2017

Ivar's Acres of Clams and Cal Anderson Park area, distributing sack lunches
Distance: 3.6 miles, 5.76 km
Elevation gain: 300 feet
Load: Negligible
Stamina: Improved stamina coming up hill

July 26 hiking companions Mary Vesper and Jamie Marsden

July 26, 2017

Little Si, Christ Our Hope Catholic Church. Companions were Mary Vester and Jamie Marsden. Trail was dusty; light was mottled, and we were tired, making hike a little dangerous at times. Mary fell, while descending some rocks, but was uninjured. Warm day.
Distance: 6.6 miles, 10.56 km
Elevation gain: 1,500 feet
Load: 14 pounds for Little Si portion
Time: Little Si, 4.5 hours
Stamina: Hiked slow; several hot flashes. stamina fair aside from hot flashes

States for year to date:
Distance: 245.86 km
Elevation Gain: 14,670 feet

The First Rainier.

Several conditioning hikes; Map My Hike fails.

Today, the tenuous credibility the Map My Hike software might have had with me vanished. I hiked Rattlesnake Ledge. Map My hike said it was 2.43 miles to the summit, but only 2.07 miles coming down. At the trailhead, the distance to the top is listed at 1.9 miles. Although Map My Hike's descent was close on the descent, it was 20 percent off on the ascent. The altitudes were also surprisingly inaccurate. Washington Trails Association (WTA) lists the sumit at 2,078 feet.

Map My Hike's elevation figures for Rattlesnake Ledge

Map My Hike's elevation chart shows a gain of only 984 feet, compared to WTA's 1,160 feet. It's maximum elevation of 1,941 feet is not only less than WTA's 2,078 -- it also shows the maximum elevation (c. 1939) occurring prior to the summit.

Despite my repeated disappointment with the Map My Hike software, today's hike went well. I began sluggish and sat for a moment at the trailhead until a moment of fatigue passed. When I started hiking, my legs felt sluggish. But that diminished, although I found myself breathing heavily. But that came and went as well. Halfway through the hike I had reached a new speed limit since my medical treatments: 132 heartbeats per minute. I ascended Rattlesnake in 90 minutes, despite breaks along the way. When it came time to descend, it took me only 70 minutes. I noticed on the descent a weakness early in that portion of the hike, but that was immediately followed sweating, and I knew I was just having another "silent" hot flash.

One section of the Rattlesnake Ledge trail

Counting the distance from the car to the trailhead, and using the park's distance from trailhead to summit, I'm going to claim 4.5 miles of hiking. So here are the statistics for today:
Gain: 1,160 feet
Distance: 4.5 miles, 7.2 km
Load: 14 pounds
Stamina: Varied, but overall my timing was good.

July 12, 2017

Twin Falls Again
Statistics:
Distance: 3 miles, 4.8 km
Gain: 400 feet
Load: 13-pound pack
Stamina: Started strong, grew weary toward end of hike. Big nap afterward.

July 13

Alaskan Way via Madison
Statistics:
Distance: 3 miles, 4.8 km
Gain: at least 400 feet, given ups and downs.
Load: 10 pound pack -- carrying two water-filled half-gallon bottles
Stamina: Strong going downhill; weary going up.

July 15

To Alaskan Way and to Umpqua Bank to distribute meals
Statistics:
Distance 4.8 miles, 7.68 km
Elevation gain: 300 feet (using topo map that shows condo at 325 feet;
no elevation gain on Umpqua Bank portion of hiking.
Load: None
Stamina: Good; no hot flashes on uphill portion, but winded once.

Stats for all four hikes:
Distance: 24.48 km
Gain: 2,700 feet

States for year to date:
Distance: 218.66 km
Elevation Gain: 11,510 feet

Higher up McDonald Mountail

Map My Hike software redeemed itself a little bit July 7, when Roger Matthews, I and Roger's dog, Tucker, took another run at Mt, McDonald yesterday. The map at the left shows where we set out, with my Honda Fit parked on Kent-Kangley road, just south of Kangley.

We started on the usual path, then took a detour when we spotted an alternate route that mountain bikers use extensively. On our return, we stuck to the trail. Outward bound, Map My Hike showed 3.38 miles hiked; the return route showed 3.18. The hike took us 4.5 hours and resulted in an elevation gain of about 1,650 feet.

The route out, and back, and a portion of bike trail

The three images at the left show the outward bound route (starting with green box);  the return route (ending in the red box); and a section of the mountain bike trail that descends to a small foot bridge along the trail. In the maps, the white line shows the trail as indicated by a map overlay, and the red lines shows where we actually walked. The mountain bike portion included some sections that were quite steep and required use of our trekking poles to ascend.

Forest dwelling

Not following the beaten path can yield some special rewards: We discovered a small shelter alongside the mountain bike path where someone had excavated beneath a tree, and reinforced the walls of the dirt "cellar" with wooden beams.

Someone had carved out a cozy home beheath a tree.

A flat, easy portion of the mountain  bike trail.

A little more adventurous portion of the mountain bike trail

A sharp curve on the mountain bike trail

Returning to the regular trail afforded us daylight and some colorful foxgloves.

Latest stats:

Distance: 6.4 miles (10.5 km)
Elevation gain: 1,650

Load: 12 pounds
Total distance for the year: 194.18 km
Total elevation gain for the year: still 8,810 feet

To the bank

I set out this morning to Umpqua bank, hauling a backpack of bananas from the Algona Pacific Food Bank with me. Encountered a man at 12th and Union who said he wanted food, but he also wanted a bathroom. He seemed a bit buzzy. I pulled out some bananas and he walked off. I think he was on drugs.

Found one man sleeping in the doorway, another on the grass at Seattle Central, and the usual panhandler at the Walgreens at Pine and Broadway. Made it almost to Dick's Hamburgers when I realized I had forgotten the title to the Fit, which I was going to put in the safety deposit box at the bank. Returned home. Saw a man sitting on a bench where I had seen him earlier. Offered him bananas, but he turned them down as spoiled (he opened one and it was a bit bruised. I had more to offer, but thought better of it.)

Returned home for the title and decided to stay there because of a Scrabble date with a friend on 17th. Used to the time to cull the bananas, putting most in the freezer for future smoothies. Then went on date, picking up a jug of milk along the way, so I was packing a load that included the milk, apple pie, pastries, and several pounds of bananas. Got back home about 4 p.m. and walked to the bank again, arriving just after it closed. I thought it stayed open late, but it closed at five.

Returned home by way of Dick's Hamburgers, where I bought a woman in a wheelchair a cheeseburger, fries and a coke. She said she had been on the street for four years and was injured a few months ago. Gave me an idea for the Web site: What to do if you are injured.

Today's stats:

Distance: 4 miles (6.4 km)
Elevation gain: Not counted

Load: not counted
Total distance for the year: 183.68 km
Total elevation gain for the year: still 7,160 feet