Ready (I hope) to start hiking again

[kmorgan]

Well, it's been a lousy winter for me. My last hike was November 10th on Plateau (first snow of the season too). After that hike my right knee, which I've been having on and off trouble with since 2006 was hurting enough to sideline me. I thought I'd be out of action for at most a month, maybe 6 weeks. Well that turned into 5 months!

I'm planning on heading up this coming Saturday, the 19th, to hike Halcott (one of the last 3 peaks I need for my regular 3500 finish).

Anyone interested in joining let me know. I hope I remember how to walk in the woods!

Cellphone 631-514-4389, email [email protected]

Kevin

 

[Jay H]

Hey Kevin, best wishes on a nice recovery... Ask MCorsar about Halcott cause I know he was thinking of hiking it sunday (4/13/08) after the 3500 club dinner. There is still some pockets of snow in the catskills which is typically fairly mushy by the afternoon. Mushy snow is not good for bad knees so I would be fairly careful with your descent...

Jay

 

[kmorgan]

Hey Kevin, best wishes on a nice recovery... Ask MCorsar about Halcott cause I know he was thinking of hiking it sunday (4/13/08) after the 3500 club dinner. There is still some pockets of snow in the catskills which is typically fairly mushy by the afternoon. Mushy snow is not good for bad knees so I would be fairly careful with your descent...

Jay

I've gotten quite a few replies regarding the descent from this peak. Perhaps a longer but not to dicey hike in Harriman would be a better idea for my return to the hills.

Kevin

 

[DougPaul]

I've gotten quite a few replies regarding the descent from this peak. Perhaps a longer but not to dicey hike in Harriman would be a better idea for my return to the hills.

If you haven't hiked in a while, you have probably deconditioned...

Ramping up slowly to [re]start up is a good way to minimize the chance of developing (or redeveloping) an overuse injury.

Been there, done that...

Doug

 

[vegematic]

Good luck with the reconditioning. I can't imagine being down for 5 months...I'd need sedatives! I'm just getting back after having the flu and pneumonia about six weeks ago. Suffice it to say I found my "stroll" up tiny Albany Mtn in Lovell, ME yesterday to be pretty challenging.

Take it slow and listen to your body.

-vegematic

 

[DougPaul]

Good luck with the reconditioning. I can't imagine being down for 5 months...I'd need sedatives! I'm just getting back after having the flu and pneumonia about six weeks ago. Suffice it to say I found my "stroll" up tiny Albany Mtn in Lovell, ME yesterday to be pretty challenging.

Take it slow and listen to your body.

It took me 10 months from breaking my leg last Feb to my first easy XC ski in Dec. I managed to get in some moderately strenuous XC skiing by Feb and ~5 lift-served Tele skis (using parlallel turns when I got tired or the terrain got too difficult) by March. However, the strain and pounding gave me 2 good cases of overtraining of the muscles of the weak leg. (Each case takes at least a month to recover. At its worst, it was difficult for me to walk on the level or on stairs.) Still working on recovering from the last one...

As I said earlier, been there done that. My recomendation is that you try not to follow me down this path...

Doug

 

[Peakbagr]

Kevin,

Welcome back. What are your remaining peaks?
I'm taking a bunch of beginning hikers up Overlook on Saturday. Thats a pretty mild gradient and might be easy on the knee.
With the warm temps, maybe even see some hungry rattlers out and about.

 

[kmorgan]

Kevin,

Welcome back. What are your remaining peaks?
I'm taking a bunch of beginning hikers up Overlook on Saturday. Thats a pretty mild gradient and might be easy on the knee.
With the warm temps, maybe even see some hungry rattlers out and about.

I still need Halcott, North Dome and Sherrill. I was hoping to get them done before the nettles become a problem, but I guess there's no hurry, unless someone decides to put in a golf course (or a resort) on those peaks.

I'm probably going to take the advice given to me and start with a hike or two in Harriman. I know the park well enough to vary the difficulty as needed.

If I decide to do Overlook with you when are you going to be at the trailhead? Are you meeting somewhere en route? I remember that trail head filling up pretty fast, parking-wise that is.

Kevin

 

[Peakbagr]

This is a new-to-hiking group I started at the 'Y'. Some confusion on dates and we had a mob sign up for the program but only a handful show up at the 2 info meetings with school vacation.

We'd probably be at the trailhead around 9 to 9:15am. If I have 7 or 8 the trip will go.
I believe you have my email, but I'll send it to you in a PM in case you want to check in on Friday evening.

Hope that knee gets better soon. I'd be up for a Sherrill trip. There's a nice route from 42 and I'd like to get up on the Balsam just west of Sherrill to see if it has any views.Halcott is really steep from Deep Notch, probably not great for the knee, but a route from the west might be interesting.

 

[Jay H]

So Kevin, how did the hike go? I've noticed the bugs have really hit the NJ area right now... going to have to remember the bug spray from now on..

Jay