The Chronicles of Mountain Dew (Month 1)

[Bug]

Riding a bike is a great calorie burner.

Be careful about those shorty bikes tho. If your knees are too high, or never really straighten out at the bottom of the stroke, you can fry them pretty fast.

Especially at 5x.

[grandpa]

Day 12

10-2-09

 

.... then I realized the book is WAY more detailed then I thought... So, I am going to hold off on Freedom and read the Mt Rainier book first.

 

The main reason is because when I read Freedom I don't want to rush though it and I will probably pull out a highlighter to note important areas....

[/b]

 

 

Dew, I find that reading FoH (and any of the books on a new subject) is best done "topic by topic", not front to back. Pick a topic that holds your current interest, or curiosity, and take it on one item at a time. Even some chapters benefit from this division.

 

What's helped me along this same quest is reading the books, reading various discussion forums, and melding the two before I go out and try it myself. For example, I bought some rope and 'biners from various folks, and just tinker with it all until it starts to mnake sense, and it eventually does.

 

The hell of it is, that I can't see any mountains from here even with a 20,000 power telescope (if there were such a thing)!

 

Dave

[Mountain Dew]

DAY 13

10-03-09

 

 

 

Well yesterday night I finished my "Rainier" book by Mike Gauthier and I just LOVED IT!!! What a great book, felt like I was there climbing Rainier with all of the great discriptions! Great Job Mike and team!

 

Besides reading the books, I wound up going for another walk late in the evening with my Wife (yes she finally came with us) LOL, and my 2 year old. We had walked the falls early as I said and then in the afternoon we went for a short trail walk near my house...then in the evening we went (with mommy) for about a 2 mile walk. Baby was so pooped by the time we turned around at the 1 mile mark that she fell asleep on my shoulders

 

I finished reading the Rainier book before trying to watch a small part of SNL on TV....needless to say I passed out as well and had dreams of climbing last night.

 

This morning My feet still had a couple of Old blisters. My "problem" still hurt. My butt was still slightly sore from the bike ride............BUT........

 

I awoke this morning bound and determined that I would Climb my first "Summit", even if a small one.......

 

 

and I did...........

 

Tell you about it tomorrow.

 

To be cont...

[Mountain Dew]

DAY 14

10-04-09

 

 

 

Well I did it! Along with my 14 yo we climbed our first peak

 

Even though it was not huge, I look at it as one small step that I had to take.

 

We arrived at the Cap Forest and the TH around 10:00 am. We both brought along two bottles of water and a couple of granola bars and some jerky. I am not going to bore you with a step by step discription but I will just tell you it took us 3 hours to stand on top of the peak! The view up there is beautiful and it saddened me a little that I have lived here since 94 and had never taken the time to go up there (considering you can even drive up there). We walked around the peak and my daughter took some pix's with her cell phone and we called her mom to let her know "we did it" and were safe.

 

The trip down was harder then I thought. Very hard to keep from turning your ankle while descending in some spots with all the loose rocks on the trail. About 15 mins into our descent I felt "Fire" on the back of my left calf and yelped! I knew right away I had been "Bit or Stung"; (still not sure which). The red area where I was attacked burned like someone was holding a ciggarette to my skin for a moment or two and it swelled to the size of a dime. We looked in the 1st aid kit and I grabbed some tape; placed it over the reddened area and pulled it off quickly (I figured it there was a stinger I might pull it out). After a moment to do that I figured we should just keep going. The site stung most of the way back but never got anyworse and the swelling never got any bigger. (I have been bit or stung several times in my life and have never been allergic to anything, so I wasn't too worried).

 

It took 2 hours and 20 mins to get back to the TH, so the decent shaved 40mins off our time. We had both ran out of water with about 2 miles to go and I noted to myself to bring "too much" water on our next outting. We were so thirsty that I told my daughter we would stop and get something to drink as soon as we saw a store. We treated ourselves by getting whatever kind of drink we wanted. My daughter got a mountain dew (she never drinks soda), and I rewarded myself with a 24oz can of Coors

 

When we got home I limped inside the house like I was 80 years old LOL

My feet had around 3 blisters on each foot and my knees felt the hike all evening.

 

All in all though, I felt great!!! It was a wonderful feeling to set out to do something and accomplish it! Can't wait for my next one :)

 

 

to be cont....

 

 

[Le Piston]

If you have a library nearby you can often find climbing books or place a hold on climbing books and guidebooks...it's free, if you have the patience. I've gotten to see a lot of books (even DVDs) through the King County Library system.

[AlienSoul]

Great job Mountain Dew. All this activity from an "overweight" guy, makes me feel really lazy. Now I'm going to have to get out and do some climbing to make up for it. :-)

 

I look forward to following your progress. At this rate you will be ready to summit Rainier in no time.

 

Good luck,

 

Josh

[Mountain Dew]

Thanks!

 

I am curious to how "Overweight" I still am... I feel like I am getting a little lighter and my face looks a little less full, but I don't want to check my weight until I have been at it for a month;)

 

Now that we did the Capitol peak what would any of you suggest for my "Next peak"? I don't really feel I have the energy yet to do one much harder then that one... So I am looking for one that will take 3 hours or less to get there....

[Bug]

You keep getting blisters.

I think there is a section in Freedom of the Hills on that.

You can probably fix that with different socks or better fitting boots. Maybe get some good footbeds.

Get your feet taken care of or they will not take care of you.

 

Keep it coming!

Great stuff.

[Mountain Dew]

You keep getting blisters.

I think there is a section in Freedom of the Hills on that.

You can probably fix that with different socks or better fitting boots. Maybe get some good footbeds.

Get your feet taken care of or they will not take care of you.

 

Keep it coming!

Great stuff.

 

I will look that up tonight. (it might just have to do with never really walking for the last 10 yrs or so LOL)

[hippie]

I have had problems w/ blisters over the years and have found several workable solutions. My problems usually are on the back of the heel. Moleskin or molefoam pads cut to fit over the problem area works,with some athletic tape cut long (instep to instep) to hold it from moving. This is a pain to reapply on a multiday trip but it does work.

Better is a thin nylon or polyester liner sock under your heavy boot sock.Be sure to bring along plenty of spare socks or dry them overnight, wet socks softens your skin and makes blistering hard to avoid.

I have seen tincture of benzoin suggested in a number of places and tried it recently. T of B is a brown liquid used to cover canker sores in the mouth.

 

 

[hippie]

Chapter 2(I ran out of room)When applied to the problem area it forms a coat similar to the liquid bandage products. It also stays a little tacky, something of an adhesive. When I tried it this weekend on a long approach I noticed that my sock was lightly stuck to my foot when I changed to climbing shoes. No movement, no friction. It worked perfectly.

A few other tips: no cotton socks, avoid Gore-tex, etc. if not needed (they both leave your feet wet) and wear your boots often enough to keep your feet broke in.To avoid toe problems leave room in the toes and tighten the laces over the instep.

 

[Mountain Dew]

Thanks Hippie, I will try a few of those suggestions

 

Back in the day (1986ish), I used to walk as fast as I could 10 miles a day with around 50lbs on my back and wearing Jungle Boots (was training for Special Forces selection at the time) and I remember my feet were bad then... of course back then we would get a 21 gauge needle and syringe from our Medic friends and shoot T of B into our blisters!! It worked to toughen up my feet, but the bottom of my feet were dark brown for months LOL

 

 

 

DAY 15

10-05-09

 

 

Did pretty good today. Added a couple of more things to my 'diet'. Found a can of Choplets at Fred Myer:

 

 

Used to eat them as a kid when at a relatives house. They are Veggie and people either love them or hate them.... I love them! I ate a couple of pieces for lunch and also had some with rice at home for dinner.

 

On the ETOH subject, I might not be as strong as I thought... I knew on the way home I had Zero to drink in the house...it really weighed on my thoughts... I could not help but stop and pick up a bottle of Madarin Vodka. (I mix a shot with around 6oz of RedBull...called a tic tac). I took my 2yo for an hour walk before making dinner and carried her half the way...(she is a big help with not owning a back pack). I felt guilty the whole walk about buy the booze, but still had a tic tac while making my families dinner and had one with my dinner as well.... Oh well, I guess it is still better then 6 beers

 

 

After dinner I read some more of Freedom (which I will comment about on the other post)

 

Still feeling like I wanted to do something I pulled out my 2yo's "potty step-up" from the bathroom. It is a small step used for kids to reach the toilet (around 8 inchs high), and while I was watching TV I "Stair Stepped" for 30 minutes straight (keep up a good 120 beat pace), now That pooped me out more then walking!! LOL I think I will keep that up!

 

 

Well, getting ready to have a small bowl of Oatmeal for breakfast and start my work day. Hope you all have a great one!!!

 

 

to be cont.......

[grandpa]

...I felt guilty the whole walk about buy the booze, ....

 

Quit worrying about the booze....as long as it's a LITTLE bit, then it's ok for ya (according to my doctor). A lot though, really undoes in a hurry the good that a little does for you.

 

My opinion on that....

 

Dave

[Water]

good job mnt dew!!! doing that exercise while in front of the boob tube is something I need to do..that is a great!

 

seriously dont feel guilty about having some alcohol, not worth it.

[Mountain Dew]

DAY 16

10-6-09

 

Well thanks for the input... I guess the reason I felt bad about the ETOH is because I had told myself, my Inner self, that I could go cold turkey if I wanted... but I am not there yet. It is ok, I accept that now

 

 

Yesterday typical work day, ate a couple of my Choplets with some cottege cheese.

 

Got home a little late; Ate my last Choplet in my can around 6pm (along with a tic tac) then had to drive 40 miles to watch my Daughter play in her HS soccer game. They won! (one of their few wins), and she scored 2 goals so she was very happy.

 

The rest of the evening was spent just driving home... I was pretty depressed along with my friend:

 

 

 

Our poor Tigers got knocked out in the last game

 

 

After buying the family some post-game McDonalds (I didn't get anything), and getting home it was around 10pm already. Didn't feel like eating anything and didn't even get a chance to walk yesterday, so I plopped down my babies Pooper stool and did my stair stepping for 30 mins. Not so exhausted as the night prior, I think I will try to do that at least 3 times a week along with my walking/hiking!

 

Have a great "Hump Day"!!!! It's almost Friday baby!

 

 

 

to be cont....

[Bug]

Once you get used to that stairstepping thing, grab a couple of 10 lb barbells and lift them from a full hang to a full up position as you step up.

Start with one at a time.

Great calorie burner.

[Pete_H]

Re: the blisters. You may have purchased boots that are too stiff and heavy. Which boots do you have?

 

For just hiking you probably don't need anything more than a beefy running shoe.

[selkirk]

Also on the blisters, is there any chance your hiking in cotton socks or rag-wool socks? Those things are the devil! and will give you a blister every time.

 

For me if the weather is warm I usually just wear a thin nylon liner sock or a lightweight wool sock of some sort (Smart Wool is good, but it should be a pretty fine blend, nothing coarse like rag wool).

 

Keep it up

 

 

[Mountain Dew]

To answer the questions I have hiked in regular tube socks and also in "smart wool" (but they are pretty thick). I will try nylon... do you mean like panty hose?, or more like dress socks? (or are these nylon socks special socks from an outdoor store).

 

As far as boots, I am wearing the brand Merrell.

 

 

 

DAY 17

10-07-09

 

Not a ton of excitement yesterday. Here is an update on my "habits".

 

Eating:

 

Raisin bran for breakfast (small bowl)

Half a can of lite syrup peaches and 1/2 can of navy beans for lunch

Green salad/fat free dressing and 8 green onions for dinner.

lots of water all day long (still no sodas)

and

** 2 tic tacs with dinner

 

 

 

** A little of this

 

 

 

 

+

 

 

 

A little of that

 

 

 

 

='s a Tic Tac

 

 

 

as far as excercise goes, my Calf's felt like I had over done it the last couple of day with the stair stepping stuff, so I just went for a walk with my 2yo/built in back pack for an hour after dinner!

 

 

I am off again tomorrow, so all today I will be trying to plan my weekend around some good hikes with my daughters, and also maybe a tougher one with just me!! (Any Suggestions)?

 

Have a great day

 

 

To be cont...

[selkirk]

The nylon liner socks aren't really similar to dress socks or to nylons.

 

I would suggest going to an outdoor store and searching on "liner sock" or some such thing. Though running socks or something of that nature would probably also work. If you're feet sweat a lot (like mine can) you can wear these underneath wool socks as well to try and keep the surface of your foot dryer.

 

The tube socks would definitely give you blisters even with good boots. I've had pretty good luck with smart wool socks, so those might have been from breaking in your boots.

[Le Piston]

Another vote for Smartwool...although sock preferences sometimes take a lot of experimentation to find what combination works best for you. You also might look at how tight/loose your boots are. If you have areas of high friction, taping ahead of time can help. Some people forget to tighten their boots before going downhill and it can lead to jammed toes and heel blisters. Trekking poles can also help the knees on the way down (especially old abused ones like mine). Good luck and keep up the good work!

[Mountain Dew]

Thanks to both of you. I will look for the liner socks this weekend, and I will make sure to tighten my boots. I do have a bad habit of wearing my shoes/boots loosely tied. Now I just have to find a good place to hike (3 hours or less one way). Taking my 2 yr old to Niqually wildlife place tomorrow, but want a longer one for me and my 14 yo for sat or sun....

[Water]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=olympia,+wa&daddr=46.276733,-122.198181&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=10&sll=46.404723,-122.218781&sspn=0.701696,1.783905&ie=UTF8&z=10

 

not too far to mt st helens area

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/trails/documents/Mount_St_Helens_Trail_Guide.pdf

 

that PDF has all the info you need -- call gifford pinchot forest service for more details if needed/desired.

[Le Piston]

I haven't looked at the entire thread, so I appologize if someone else suggested it but there are lots of day hikes in and around Mt. Rainier National Park of varying lengths and levels of difficulty/elevation gain. I have taken my own kids on them trying to addict them to the mountains like their old dad. If you get a yearly pass it pays for itself after 2-3 visits. Look at Spray Park, Burroughs Mountain, Mt. Aix, Crystal Lakes, etc.

[nhluhr]

Liner socks will almost certainly solve your blister problem. If not, the problem will solve itself as your feet toughen up. Keep up the great work! I'm excited to see the one-month result.

 

Also, no photo record of your physique? That would be a great way to help yourself see the progress.