I want to do the Pacific Crest Trail, followed by strolling to the top of Rainier. I've started reading/researching and there is a LOT to research/choose/learn. They call this kind of trip 'thru hiking'.
So far my assumptions are I'll need 10k to get started, and be able to hike 10 miles on back to back days without blowing out my feet... 5k to pay bills for 3 months, the other 5k for gear, transportation etc. This means I may not be able to do it next year, but the year after. While needing to be able to go 10 miles repeatedly still holds true, after some initial reading, the 'warm up hikes' probably have a lot more value in testing and choosing gear.
I started looking in to gear, here's what I've learned.
The classic hiking boot is a NO. Too heavy. The reading I have done recommends anything from a trail running shoe to a light boot. The running shoes are NO, while they are by far the lightest option (and reducing weight is a MAJOR concern in this trip) they don't have proper tread. So that leaves light hiking boots or hiking shoes to choose from. Besides that, I intend to also take some light but sturdy sandals. Tiva's or something like that. NOT the heavy closed toe sandals I've seen, they're heavier than the heavy hiking boots. (ridiculous!)
...Did I mention I'll probably need FIVE(+) PAIRS of them? Yeah, everything except the heavy hiking boot wears out in about 500 miles. I'll probably have to test both extensively before I go to determine my preference. Also, curiously, it turns out I'm supposed to order them 1 size larger than normal. Feet get bigger when you do something like this so you need the room to expand.
On top of shoes, a light pair of gators will help keep the sand, pebbles, and water off my feet.
I am going to need 1-3 pairs of socks every time a package ships to me. Curiously, while everything else needs to be technical, from what I'm reading regular ol' non-cotton socks from costco will do. Cheap is good.
The first piece of gear I am pretty sure I KNOW I want is an Aarn backpack. These things load balance you front to back, allowing you to walk upright instead of the classic backpacker stoop. Sounds WAY more comfortable -- Right now I'm leaning towards this pack (if I can find it in the US... they haven't really caught on here yet) http://www.aarnpacks.com/#!natural-balance/c2h6
If anyone besides Andrew knows this blog exists, I'd be curious to know.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Avoiding wheat is a BITCH
The stuff is EVERYWHERE. I thought I was wheat free after thanksgiving for a week. NOPE - red vines have it.
My spicy chicken in the fridge isn't breaded so it's wheat free right? NOPE.
My beer is safe of course... NOPE! Pyramid Chai Wheat brew.
Sheis!
This is a bit harder than I thought.
New Plan! Avoid wheat generally - except eat down some of the supply at home and give it a go again in a week or so once my wheaty beer is gone.
My spicy chicken in the fridge isn't breaded so it's wheat free right? NOPE.
My beer is safe of course... NOPE! Pyramid Chai Wheat brew.
Sheis!
This is a bit harder than I thought.
New Plan! Avoid wheat generally - except eat down some of the supply at home and give it a go again in a week or so once my wheaty beer is gone.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Day 2.
I worked 11:20 hours today. that's less than 12 so I have to go to the gym right? YES. I did. I only did the treadmill today - it was about all I could handle - but hey, mission accomplished.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
I'm fat.
FITNESS:
I am sick of being fat and feeling like shit.
So - after work I went to fitness evolution and joined the gym. $10 a month with a sneaky $40 extra after 4 months, so actually $12.50 a month over the course of a year.
In order:
5 minutes walking, 5 minutes jogging, 10 more minutes walking, 5+ minutes of stretching, 20 crunches, 10 pushups.
I really feel the crunches. sad.
Goal: any day that I work less than 12 hours, I go to the gym. I don't have to work out - but I do have to step inside and then step outside.
Silly yes. The hardest part for me is showing up.
Funny how well named this blog is for what I want to talk about right now...
SLEEP:
I'm in the process of keeping a sleep journal for a second sleep study I'll be doing on (was it) Wednesday.
NUTRITION:
I want to stop eating wheat entirely. Apparently modern wheat has a protein which is toxic to humans. Mom lost 16ish pounds in 3-ish weeks simply by cutting wheat out.
I am sick of being fat and feeling like shit.
So - after work I went to fitness evolution and joined the gym. $10 a month with a sneaky $40 extra after 4 months, so actually $12.50 a month over the course of a year.
In order:
5 minutes walking, 5 minutes jogging, 10 more minutes walking, 5+ minutes of stretching, 20 crunches, 10 pushups.
I really feel the crunches. sad.
Goal: any day that I work less than 12 hours, I go to the gym. I don't have to work out - but I do have to step inside and then step outside.
Silly yes. The hardest part for me is showing up.
Funny how well named this blog is for what I want to talk about right now...
SLEEP:
I'm in the process of keeping a sleep journal for a second sleep study I'll be doing on (was it) Wednesday.
NUTRITION:
I want to stop eating wheat entirely. Apparently modern wheat has a protein which is toxic to humans. Mom lost 16ish pounds in 3-ish weeks simply by cutting wheat out.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
4am morning #2
If there is one thing going to trucker school is making me sure of... It is that if I don't take care of my body I'll end up being 2-300 pounds like most of the other truckers. Nooooo thank you.
Class starts at 6am. Yesterday and today I got u at 4am to take a run. Didn't last as long today, but I did wake up on my own 15 minutes before the alarm went off. If I know my body, a few more days of this and I'll be waking up at 3:59, just in time to turn the alarm off before it goes off if I want to.
So I'm 2/2. woo. If I make it to 15/15 or 20/20 I'll pat myself on the back at that point.
Class starts at 6am. Yesterday and today I got u at 4am to take a run. Didn't last as long today, but I did wake up on my own 15 minutes before the alarm went off. If I know my body, a few more days of this and I'll be waking up at 3:59, just in time to turn the alarm off before it goes off if I want to.
So I'm 2/2. woo. If I make it to 15/15 or 20/20 I'll pat myself on the back at that point.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Pilchuck
I noticed that one of my more recent (but very old) posts I'm complaining that I haven't been to the top of Pilchuck. turns out I finally made it to the top last summer with a girlfriend I dated for a few months - she'd never been hiking but seriously kicked ass on the trail.
...Dusts this thing off...
Out of the blue I was wondering "I wonder what Devon is up to", saw she was online and chatted for a few minutes. She cut me short, she had to catch a flight home, but we're going to get coffee tomorrow morning.
Knowing she's flying home can only mean one thing with Devon - she was running a race somewhere. If you are *not* like me and are a little more aware of the news you already know this meant the Boston Marathon. took me about a minute to figure it out. She ran it in 2:53:20 *boggle*.
Devon is an inspiration to anyone interested in fitness - she's a rock star yet at the same time super supportive of anyone trying to be healthy at any level (she's not a snob). You can read about her here: http://devoncrosbyhelms.com/
Anyway, reading her blog reminded me that I haven't been posting here for a while, but it is time to start again - here's why.
4 weeks ago I started exercising regularly with my friend KC. We met on exercisefriends.com about two years ago, and out of the blue I started chatting with her again asking if she was interested in mutually motivating each other with extra emphasis on being consistent. She is - we both prefer mornings - but due to her schedule (I'm unemployed at the moment) this means 5 am three days a week, and a few hours later monday and friday. A little harsh, but I'd prefer 5am to the afternoon simply because that early in the morning I only have ONE priority - If I tried to do this during the day I'd be too much of a flake.
Current NUTRITION goal: Eat Breakfast - any breakfast is better than no breakfast. When I'm being organized, I buy these $3.50 nut and fruit bricks at PCC - I'm sure they have tons of calories, but the point is making sure I eat something healthy while still being a complete slacker (zero preparation). I'll see if Devon has any ideas what else I can use.
Okay, that's not enough - I also need to have fruit and veggies available to grab and munch on any time. I'll give myself a "C" over the past month, looks like I need to go grocery shopping today.
Current FITNESS Goal: Consistency, consistency, consistency. I figure exercising 3 times a week is ok, but the minimum. 4 is twice as good as 3. 5 is twice as good as 4. I really don't care (yet) how intense the exercise is - so long as I can feel that my limbs and fingers are fully warmed up by time I'm done (chilly mornings, really easy to tell).
Last night I tried going to bed at 10 (this blog IS called nutrition/SLEEP/fitness after all...) but simply could not sleep till after 1am. I had decided I am getting up at 4:40 sleep or no - and I did. So I basically skipped a week, but now that KC is back and I showed up, I'm optimistic I am back on board. This week my grade is a "D".
Current SLEEP goal
Perhaps I'll be able to sleep tonight considering I am running on ~3 hours today. This past week is taking its toll, and if I don't start falling asleep soon I'm going to hit a wall. Not there yet. Ideally I need to be going to bed at 9... we'll call 9 an A, 10 a B, 11 a C.
I might want to consider being hard core even on days I don't have to get up early... regular sleep schedule is f'n hard to get on, but when I've done it I have noticed it is every bit as important as good nutrition or exercise.
Crap, going to be late for class. Ta-ta.
Knowing she's flying home can only mean one thing with Devon - she was running a race somewhere. If you are *not* like me and are a little more aware of the news you already know this meant the Boston Marathon. took me about a minute to figure it out. She ran it in 2:53:20 *boggle*.
Devon is an inspiration to anyone interested in fitness - she's a rock star yet at the same time super supportive of anyone trying to be healthy at any level (she's not a snob). You can read about her here: http://devoncrosbyhelms.com/
Anyway, reading her blog reminded me that I haven't been posting here for a while, but it is time to start again - here's why.
4 weeks ago I started exercising regularly with my friend KC. We met on exercisefriends.com about two years ago, and out of the blue I started chatting with her again asking if she was interested in mutually motivating each other with extra emphasis on being consistent. She is - we both prefer mornings - but due to her schedule (I'm unemployed at the moment) this means 5 am three days a week, and a few hours later monday and friday. A little harsh, but I'd prefer 5am to the afternoon simply because that early in the morning I only have ONE priority - If I tried to do this during the day I'd be too much of a flake.
Current NUTRITION goal: Eat Breakfast - any breakfast is better than no breakfast. When I'm being organized, I buy these $3.50 nut and fruit bricks at PCC - I'm sure they have tons of calories, but the point is making sure I eat something healthy while still being a complete slacker (zero preparation). I'll see if Devon has any ideas what else I can use.
Okay, that's not enough - I also need to have fruit and veggies available to grab and munch on any time. I'll give myself a "C" over the past month, looks like I need to go grocery shopping today.
Current FITNESS Goal: Consistency, consistency, consistency. I figure exercising 3 times a week is ok, but the minimum. 4 is twice as good as 3. 5 is twice as good as 4. I really don't care (yet) how intense the exercise is - so long as I can feel that my limbs and fingers are fully warmed up by time I'm done (chilly mornings, really easy to tell).
- First week we started on a Tuesday (March 31) and managed 3 mornings. "C".
- Second week I was outta town sunday night, so we did 4 mornings. "B".
- Third week we did M, Tu, W - then KC went outta town and I slept in the rest of the week. "C".
Last night I tried going to bed at 10 (this blog IS called nutrition/SLEEP/fitness after all...) but simply could not sleep till after 1am. I had decided I am getting up at 4:40 sleep or no - and I did. So I basically skipped a week, but now that KC is back and I showed up, I'm optimistic I am back on board. This week my grade is a "D".
Current SLEEP goal
Perhaps I'll be able to sleep tonight considering I am running on ~3 hours today. This past week is taking its toll, and if I don't start falling asleep soon I'm going to hit a wall. Not there yet. Ideally I need to be going to bed at 9... we'll call 9 an A, 10 a B, 11 a C.
I might want to consider being hard core even on days I don't have to get up early... regular sleep schedule is f'n hard to get on, but when I've done it I have noticed it is every bit as important as good nutrition or exercise.
Crap, going to be late for class. Ta-ta.
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