I got down on one knee and I popped the question to Pam.
She said yes.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
HALF DOME
Half-Dome 1, Yamaman 0.
Yes, Half-Dome done me in. You would figure that one who has been to the top of Mt. Whitney five times would consider hiking Half-Dome a "walk in the park." Over the last two years, I have heard people planning on hiking the Dome. I say, "If you can hike up Whitney, then Half-Dome shouldn't be a problem." I got a real dose of reality today. It is not that easy.
This was my first visit to Yosemite National Park in over 30 years. Pam and I left for Yosemite National Park at around 4:30 a.m. just outside of Coarsegold, CA.
6:30 am: We start the hike. We planned on a 5:30 a.m. start but due to my poor planning because I did not think it would take that long to get to the trailhead. I was wrong. Then again, there are people on the road who do not know what the turnouts are for to let other drivers by. We followed at least 3 slower vehicles that finally decided to pull over. We park the car at Happy Isles parking lot and head off into the wilderness. Instead of taking a left, we took a right and went to the end of the Happy Isles area. Oops. We double back and get on the "right" side of the Merced River which is the Mist Trail.
7:18 am: We reach Vernal Falls Bridge before making our way up to Vernal Falls. There is a water fountain here as well as restroom facilities. This is where the High Sierra Loop Trail begins. Pam and I are excited to be hiking this trail.
7:30 am: I help Pam slip into a shell to shield her from the mist of Vernal Falls and I decided not to don mine. Although a bit chilly at this time, I got a good soaking from the mist, but it sure felt good. The trail is steep with at least a thousand steps in between. There is a section along the trail that is limited to one-way traffic.
7:45 am: Finish the "rock climb" going up past Vernal Falls. The trekking poles provided extra pushing power up the stone stairway.
8:31 am: We reach Nevada Falls.
8:54 am: Half-Dome/Merced Lake junction.
9:40 am: Pam and I noticed a four hikers up ahead of us taking a picture of something off trail. When we reached the party they pointed out that there was what appeared was a western diamondback rattlesnake under a dead branch. This was my first encounter with a rattlesnake at 7,000 feet in elevation. From this point on every step up or step down over anything got a quick scan.
9:50 am: I believe this sign is misleading. It was a very long 2 miles considering the "99 Steps" required just to get to the cables. The risers high and the tread narrow and precipitous. At the Steps, I had to stop and rest every tenth step. Very demanding especially since we had been ascending steadily since the sign.
11:30 am: This is how it looked when we got to the cables. Where did all these hikers come from? On our way up, we encountered few hikers. We passed a few and a few passed us. I kept thinking to myself that this should be a great day to make it to the top. Such was not the case. As Pam and I prepared for our ascent, something was cascading down the granite slope. At first I thought it was a rock and yelled, "ROCK!" As the object got closer it was someone's cellphone walkie-talkie. Well, it is now part of Yosemite Valley.
12:00 pm: I decided to turn around. At the rate we were going up the cables, we would get to the summit around the cutoff time leaving no time to take it all in. As I paused on the granite, my calves would become fatigued. Pam and I would rest on the 2x4s at each stanchion as we patiently waited our turn to make it up. All the hikers worked in unison. As one pair move up, the other pair moved as well. A couple of hikers who aborted their summit attempt came down on the left side. On my way down, I slipped. Luckily I held on to the cables preventing me from slipping any further on the slick granite. A fellow hiker grabbed me by my pack as well. I have a nice bruise on the inside of my right arm but nothing else.
3:00 pm: Mules and horses on the John Muir Trail. Some hikers were a bit impatient. Some hikers tried to slide by the mules. Luckily none of them were spooked causing harm to hiker, rider and mule. One woman was told to stay away at least 15 feet from the last horse but she kept getting too close. I shouted at her to keep back. The cowpokes were courteous to stop the train at one of the switchbacks to allow us to pass by without further incident.
4:30 pm: We reach the car. Before we finished, we stopped by the bridge to freshen up and to replenish our water. I used my SteriPen for the very first time. I guess I will find out in a couple of weeks how well that ultraviolet system works. Tired, weary and dirty, we had fun. The parking lot was crammed full of cars. I had to maneuver ever so carefully to get out. I wished getting out of the park was easier than getting out of the parking lot. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic in the valley. You would swear it was rush hour on Interstate 5.
Half-Dome from the back side on the left as we made our way back down on the John Muir Trail.
Nevada Falls with Little Yosemite Valley in the background as seen from the John Muir Trail.
We had fun.
Pack: Osprey Stratos 40
Lessons learned:
1. Never go to Yosemite during a long holiday weekend. Too many cars, too many people. It is best to go during the week.
2. Took 100 oz. of water each and that lasted us until a mile at the end of the hike. It may be best to refill, but not top off due to weight at the spring.
3. Go light, go light, go light. Next time I will pack my CamelBak HAWG for that final push to the summit to save on weight.
4. Rock shoes? That is a possiblity since they provided excellent traction on rock surfaces. Some further research will be done on this.
5. Climbing harness? I did bring one. Maybe next time.
6. Bonk avoidance. I need to eat more energy food. The peanut M&Ms provided good nourishment, but I need to add more trail mix to the fray to get more bang for the buck.
Yes, Half-Dome done me in. You would figure that one who has been to the top of Mt. Whitney five times would consider hiking Half-Dome a "walk in the park." Over the last two years, I have heard people planning on hiking the Dome. I say, "If you can hike up Whitney, then Half-Dome shouldn't be a problem." I got a real dose of reality today. It is not that easy.
This was my first visit to Yosemite National Park in over 30 years. Pam and I left for Yosemite National Park at around 4:30 a.m. just outside of Coarsegold, CA.
6:30 am: We start the hike. We planned on a 5:30 a.m. start but due to my poor planning because I did not think it would take that long to get to the trailhead. I was wrong. Then again, there are people on the road who do not know what the turnouts are for to let other drivers by. We followed at least 3 slower vehicles that finally decided to pull over. We park the car at Happy Isles parking lot and head off into the wilderness. Instead of taking a left, we took a right and went to the end of the Happy Isles area. Oops. We double back and get on the "right" side of the Merced River which is the Mist Trail.
7:18 am: We reach Vernal Falls Bridge before making our way up to Vernal Falls. There is a water fountain here as well as restroom facilities. This is where the High Sierra Loop Trail begins. Pam and I are excited to be hiking this trail.
7:30 am: I help Pam slip into a shell to shield her from the mist of Vernal Falls and I decided not to don mine. Although a bit chilly at this time, I got a good soaking from the mist, but it sure felt good. The trail is steep with at least a thousand steps in between. There is a section along the trail that is limited to one-way traffic.7:45 am: Finish the "rock climb" going up past Vernal Falls. The trekking poles provided extra pushing power up the stone stairway.
8:31 am: We reach Nevada Falls.
8:54 am: Half-Dome/Merced Lake junction.
9:40 am: Pam and I noticed a four hikers up ahead of us taking a picture of something off trail. When we reached the party they pointed out that there was what appeared was a western diamondback rattlesnake under a dead branch. This was my first encounter with a rattlesnake at 7,000 feet in elevation. From this point on every step up or step down over anything got a quick scan.
9:50 am: I believe this sign is misleading. It was a very long 2 miles considering the "99 Steps" required just to get to the cables. The risers high and the tread narrow and precipitous. At the Steps, I had to stop and rest every tenth step. Very demanding especially since we had been ascending steadily since the sign.
11:30 am: This is how it looked when we got to the cables. Where did all these hikers come from? On our way up, we encountered few hikers. We passed a few and a few passed us. I kept thinking to myself that this should be a great day to make it to the top. Such was not the case. As Pam and I prepared for our ascent, something was cascading down the granite slope. At first I thought it was a rock and yelled, "ROCK!" As the object got closer it was someone's cellphone walkie-talkie. Well, it is now part of Yosemite Valley.
12:00 pm: I decided to turn around. At the rate we were going up the cables, we would get to the summit around the cutoff time leaving no time to take it all in. As I paused on the granite, my calves would become fatigued. Pam and I would rest on the 2x4s at each stanchion as we patiently waited our turn to make it up. All the hikers worked in unison. As one pair move up, the other pair moved as well. A couple of hikers who aborted their summit attempt came down on the left side. On my way down, I slipped. Luckily I held on to the cables preventing me from slipping any further on the slick granite. A fellow hiker grabbed me by my pack as well. I have a nice bruise on the inside of my right arm but nothing else.
3:00 pm: Mules and horses on the John Muir Trail. Some hikers were a bit impatient. Some hikers tried to slide by the mules. Luckily none of them were spooked causing harm to hiker, rider and mule. One woman was told to stay away at least 15 feet from the last horse but she kept getting too close. I shouted at her to keep back. The cowpokes were courteous to stop the train at one of the switchbacks to allow us to pass by without further incident.
4:30 pm: We reach the car. Before we finished, we stopped by the bridge to freshen up and to replenish our water. I used my SteriPen for the very first time. I guess I will find out in a couple of weeks how well that ultraviolet system works. Tired, weary and dirty, we had fun. The parking lot was crammed full of cars. I had to maneuver ever so carefully to get out. I wished getting out of the park was easier than getting out of the parking lot. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic in the valley. You would swear it was rush hour on Interstate 5.
Half-Dome from the back side on the left as we made our way back down on the John Muir Trail.
Nevada Falls with Little Yosemite Valley in the background as seen from the John Muir Trail.
We had fun.Pack: Osprey Stratos 40
Lessons learned:
1. Never go to Yosemite during a long holiday weekend. Too many cars, too many people. It is best to go during the week.
2. Took 100 oz. of water each and that lasted us until a mile at the end of the hike. It may be best to refill, but not top off due to weight at the spring.
3. Go light, go light, go light. Next time I will pack my CamelBak HAWG for that final push to the summit to save on weight.
4. Rock shoes? That is a possiblity since they provided excellent traction on rock surfaces. Some further research will be done on this.
5. Climbing harness? I did bring one. Maybe next time.
6. Bonk avoidance. I need to eat more energy food. The peanut M&Ms provided good nourishment, but I need to add more trail mix to the fray to get more bang for the buck.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
1,000,000th ABDOMINAL CRUNCH
On December 1, 1997, I decided to start logging the number of abdominal crunches I do daily.
Well, today (3,453 days later) I did my 1,000,000th abdominal crunch at 6:07 a.m.
What next? Pushups. I started doing those daily since November 1, 1997.
724,900 and counting.
Well, today (3,453 days later) I did my 1,000,000th abdominal crunch at 6:07 a.m.
What next? Pushups. I started doing those daily since November 1, 1997.
724,900 and counting.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
MT. WILSON
Pam and I arrived at the Mt. Wilson trailhead in Sierra Madre around 6:45 a.m. joined up with TeamBruin along with their friends Lynn and Glen, Mike and Cheryl, and Rollie for a "little" hike up to the top of Mt. Wilson. This hike was a Half Dome training hike for TeamBruin's friends. They will attempt a summit sometime in August. Pam and I will attempt this hike during the Memorial Day weekend. TeamBruin has hiked the trail to the top of Half Dome.
According to Dave, he had a feeling the hike was going to be somewhat of a physical and logistical nightmare from the start. Glen and Mike showed up with their little "Costco" packs with the water bladders removed although they did pack a few small water bottles. Rollie's pack had four 1/2 liter water bottles, two apples, and two oranges and wore cotton socks. Cheryl wore no hat, Mike had an iPod. Glen and Lynn had trekking poles but did not use them "to their best advantage." No electrolytes or other carbohydrate sources other than snack food consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables.
We started our hike a little after 7:00 a.m. Little did all of us know that the 14-mile hike would last almost 11.5 hours.
We encountered dozens of trailrunners preparing for the Mt. Wilson Trail run that will take place during the Memorial Day weekend.
Dave told everyone to stop at First Water, which is a little over a mile and a half into the hike. It is here we heard news from Dave that Lynn and Greg dropped just a mile into the hike!
Here is what Dave observed as he was the sweep: "Watching from the rear, I could see everyone's gait and speed, and could see when things got dicey. At one point, Mike and Cheryl got a little snippy with each other and I seriously thought Cheryl was gonna bail ... that's when I gave her my (trekking) poles (she was laboring), pumped her full of Cytomax and GU, and she was raring to go in better spirits. I knew we were in trouble just above Orchard as Mike was griping about 'What the hell was Glen thinking about putting us up here on this hike?!', with Cheryl trying to calm him down, while I was trying to keep Rollie focused on moving forward."
We continued our push towards Orchard Camp another two miles away. Poison ivy lined the trails on either side. Since I was the "point" I alerted the others behind me "oak left" or "oak right."
Mike and his iPod.
We finally reached the "halfway up" portion of the hike...Orchard Camp. We sat down to eat and drink. Dave came over an lifted my pack and asked me how much did it weigh. I told him it weighed 25 pounds. I went over to his pack and lifted it. His Osprey pack had to weigh at least 35 pounds! "What the hell is in there?" "Water, electrolytes, food." "Any rocks in there?"
We struck out for Manzanita Ridge which according to the trail signs was 1.9 miles away. Pam and I set out on a really good pace. I told Pam we could turn around at Manzanita Ridge if her foot was an issue. It was not. She wanted to continue. We sat there on the bench waiting for the others to catch up.
Poison oak was abundant between Orchard Camp and Manzanita Ridge. There was one portion of the trail you had to duck under a canopy of poison oak. Pam and I waited for the other to alert them, but we decided we go on ahead to the ridge.
We get to the ridge, take off our packs and rest on the bench in the shade. Once everyone caught up and rested it was off to the summit another 1.6 miles away.
Whenever I hike, I usually note when and where I am at along the trail. Today, I did not. I didn't even count the switchbacks.
All of us made it to the top. Pam and I opted for the "shorter steeper" route while the rest went the "toll road" and into the parking lot.
Sitting (l to r): Me, Dave, Cheryl, Mike. Standing (l to r): Pam, Jane, Rollie.
Now that the "getting to the top is optional" part was accomplished, it was now the "getting down is mandatory" part. I knew that this portion would be a problem for some.
Jane, Pam and I reached Orchard Camp ahead of the others. Jane said for us to go ahead and go if we had time constraints. Pam and I decided to wait for the others. We were there for a good half hour or so when Cheryl and Mike finally came down. I noticed that Mike had a slight limp, but he was okay. Cheryl looked fine and was in good spirits.
When Rollie and Dave made it down, there was a problem. Rollie was having serious knee problems. Especially, his left knee. Luckily, Dave had two neoprene knee braces for Rollie to wear. After everyone was well rested, it was time to hike the last 3.5 miles to the end. It would be the longest 3.5 miles for Rollie.
About two miles from the end of the trail, I stopped at a vantage point to spot the rest of the hikers since Pam, Jane, and Cheryl were with me. I saw Mike coming down the trail, but no sign of Dave and Rollie. I gave my car keys to Pam and told the ladies to go on ahead. Mike later caught up and I gave him the situation. Mike was yelling at Cheryl to stop since Mike was out of water and Cheryl had some.
Still no sign of Dave and Rollie.
There was something in the back of my head to wait. What if Dave needed help with Rollie? What if something happened to both of them?
About 45 minutes later, I saw Dave and Rollie coming down the trail. Rollie was hiking "backwards" because his knees were bothering him so much. Not a good sign. A disaster in the making. By now, Rollie is experiencing fatigue as well as agony. I bet his mind was saying "I want off this f**king trail now!" but his body was telling him, "Patience. You will eventually get your ass off this trail." The danger about hiking backwards downhill on such a steep trail is that you increase your risk of stumbling and somersaulting out of control resulting in serious injury or even death. Walking backwards down this steep trail is like walking down the stairs backwards without holding on the handrails.
I took off my pack and and reached into my utility sack and pulled out two Ibuprofen 800 tablets to give to Rollie when he reached me. When they did, Dave told me he already gave Rollie some Aleve. I placed the two tablets into Rollie's shirt pocket and handed him my trekking poles to assist him with easing the strain on his knees.
I grabbed Rollie's pack about one mile from the end. He didn't want to relinquish it, but I grabbed it anyways without further comment.
It was slow going but we eventually were in sight of the houses towards the end of the trail. It is here I gave Rollie's pack back. Once the three of us were in sight of the road where the cars were parked, we saw everyone including Glen and Lynn. After celebratory hugs and handshakes, I couldn't help but notice Rollie still 20 yards away from us. It appeared he froze in his tracks overcome with emotion and fatigue realizing what he just did. "Come on, Rollie, you ain't done yet!" He finished. We all finished. The Mt. Wilson Death March was officially over.
This was Pam's first really long hike. Considering the grade of the Mt. Wilson Trail and the amount of physical exertion needed to hike up it, I feel she will have no problems climbing up to the top of the highest in the lower 48 in September.
As for me, this was my first long hike since my sciatica flare up in March. With my 25 pound pack, I experienced no problems with my back the entire way.
What a hike.
According to Dave, he had a feeling the hike was going to be somewhat of a physical and logistical nightmare from the start. Glen and Mike showed up with their little "Costco" packs with the water bladders removed although they did pack a few small water bottles. Rollie's pack had four 1/2 liter water bottles, two apples, and two oranges and wore cotton socks. Cheryl wore no hat, Mike had an iPod. Glen and Lynn had trekking poles but did not use them "to their best advantage." No electrolytes or other carbohydrate sources other than snack food consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables.
We started our hike a little after 7:00 a.m. Little did all of us know that the 14-mile hike would last almost 11.5 hours.
We encountered dozens of trailrunners preparing for the Mt. Wilson Trail run that will take place during the Memorial Day weekend.
Dave told everyone to stop at First Water, which is a little over a mile and a half into the hike. It is here we heard news from Dave that Lynn and Greg dropped just a mile into the hike!Here is what Dave observed as he was the sweep: "Watching from the rear, I could see everyone's gait and speed, and could see when things got dicey. At one point, Mike and Cheryl got a little snippy with each other and I seriously thought Cheryl was gonna bail ... that's when I gave her my (trekking) poles (she was laboring), pumped her full of Cytomax and GU, and she was raring to go in better spirits. I knew we were in trouble just above Orchard as Mike was griping about 'What the hell was Glen thinking about putting us up here on this hike?!', with Cheryl trying to calm him down, while I was trying to keep Rollie focused on moving forward."
We continued our push towards Orchard Camp another two miles away. Poison ivy lined the trails on either side. Since I was the "point" I alerted the others behind me "oak left" or "oak right."
Mike and his iPod.We finally reached the "halfway up" portion of the hike...Orchard Camp. We sat down to eat and drink. Dave came over an lifted my pack and asked me how much did it weigh. I told him it weighed 25 pounds. I went over to his pack and lifted it. His Osprey pack had to weigh at least 35 pounds! "What the hell is in there?" "Water, electrolytes, food." "Any rocks in there?"
We struck out for Manzanita Ridge which according to the trail signs was 1.9 miles away. Pam and I set out on a really good pace. I told Pam we could turn around at Manzanita Ridge if her foot was an issue. It was not. She wanted to continue. We sat there on the bench waiting for the others to catch up.
Poison oak was abundant between Orchard Camp and Manzanita Ridge. There was one portion of the trail you had to duck under a canopy of poison oak. Pam and I waited for the other to alert them, but we decided we go on ahead to the ridge.
We get to the ridge, take off our packs and rest on the bench in the shade. Once everyone caught up and rested it was off to the summit another 1.6 miles away.
Whenever I hike, I usually note when and where I am at along the trail. Today, I did not. I didn't even count the switchbacks.
All of us made it to the top. Pam and I opted for the "shorter steeper" route while the rest went the "toll road" and into the parking lot.
Sitting (l to r): Me, Dave, Cheryl, Mike. Standing (l to r): Pam, Jane, Rollie.
Now that the "getting to the top is optional" part was accomplished, it was now the "getting down is mandatory" part. I knew that this portion would be a problem for some.Jane, Pam and I reached Orchard Camp ahead of the others. Jane said for us to go ahead and go if we had time constraints. Pam and I decided to wait for the others. We were there for a good half hour or so when Cheryl and Mike finally came down. I noticed that Mike had a slight limp, but he was okay. Cheryl looked fine and was in good spirits.
When Rollie and Dave made it down, there was a problem. Rollie was having serious knee problems. Especially, his left knee. Luckily, Dave had two neoprene knee braces for Rollie to wear. After everyone was well rested, it was time to hike the last 3.5 miles to the end. It would be the longest 3.5 miles for Rollie.
About two miles from the end of the trail, I stopped at a vantage point to spot the rest of the hikers since Pam, Jane, and Cheryl were with me. I saw Mike coming down the trail, but no sign of Dave and Rollie. I gave my car keys to Pam and told the ladies to go on ahead. Mike later caught up and I gave him the situation. Mike was yelling at Cheryl to stop since Mike was out of water and Cheryl had some.
Still no sign of Dave and Rollie.
There was something in the back of my head to wait. What if Dave needed help with Rollie? What if something happened to both of them?
About 45 minutes later, I saw Dave and Rollie coming down the trail. Rollie was hiking "backwards" because his knees were bothering him so much. Not a good sign. A disaster in the making. By now, Rollie is experiencing fatigue as well as agony. I bet his mind was saying "I want off this f**king trail now!" but his body was telling him, "Patience. You will eventually get your ass off this trail." The danger about hiking backwards downhill on such a steep trail is that you increase your risk of stumbling and somersaulting out of control resulting in serious injury or even death. Walking backwards down this steep trail is like walking down the stairs backwards without holding on the handrails.
I took off my pack and and reached into my utility sack and pulled out two Ibuprofen 800 tablets to give to Rollie when he reached me. When they did, Dave told me he already gave Rollie some Aleve. I placed the two tablets into Rollie's shirt pocket and handed him my trekking poles to assist him with easing the strain on his knees.
I grabbed Rollie's pack about one mile from the end. He didn't want to relinquish it, but I grabbed it anyways without further comment.
It was slow going but we eventually were in sight of the houses towards the end of the trail. It is here I gave Rollie's pack back. Once the three of us were in sight of the road where the cars were parked, we saw everyone including Glen and Lynn. After celebratory hugs and handshakes, I couldn't help but notice Rollie still 20 yards away from us. It appeared he froze in his tracks overcome with emotion and fatigue realizing what he just did. "Come on, Rollie, you ain't done yet!" He finished. We all finished. The Mt. Wilson Death March was officially over.
This was Pam's first really long hike. Considering the grade of the Mt. Wilson Trail and the amount of physical exertion needed to hike up it, I feel she will have no problems climbing up to the top of the highest in the lower 48 in September.
As for me, this was my first long hike since my sciatica flare up in March. With my 25 pound pack, I experienced no problems with my back the entire way.
What a hike.
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