To tired to enjoy the views?

[coldfeet]

Just curious...I'm not a quitter but yesterday's hike at times wasn't fun because it was really physically challenging, I did dream about quitting and selling my gear while I was dragging my butt wishing I did better on weight watchers. I was to beat to enjoy the views, sounds like it was to hard, maybe i should have turned around.

Matt said he felt like that once (after 24 miles)..

Maybe because it was the first shoeshoe trip of the season and I'm still not in shape..

 

[Tuco]

I've got a lot of experience in this area , and many times when I am not hiking frequently I feel terrible on the trails and think "why do I even do this" Since I feel so exhausted. Maybe even too tired to appreciate the views.

But always, in retrospect, I believe that the physical challenge and effort for me is as important as the ability to enjoy the views. One step on the trails still beats none on the couch....

 

[TMax]

Hey Coldfeet,
OK, so it was a tough hike, but think of the great story you've got to tell! I always feel better if I've pushed myself through a tough one. Obviously, you don't want to push to the point of causing harm, after all, we all want to be out there again, not nursing an injury somewhere. But each "tough" one leads to the next one being a little bit easier. Winter hiking is definitely harder than summer in terms of the energy output. Maybe you could start to clock yourself and see how you do on spped and ascent. Then set your sights on hikes accordingly, with smaller increments of "ramping it up." We'd hate to see you give it up too soon!

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

Hey Cold Feet! Sometimes I think, speed has everything to do with fatigue(maybe all of the time). I know myself, having a sinus-athsma problem, some days aren't as good as others. What I find to be critical is at the beginning of my trip. If I start at a pace that doesn't get me breathing too hard, I can go all day with no problem. If I get winded early, I seem to tire, legs feel heavy, and have a hard time getting that second or third wind. Like others have said, you probably need to find your groove and hike at YOUR OWN PACE, and not keep up with others, especially if they are younger and naturally built much leaner(us older guys aren't really overweight, I keep telling myself...ha!). Anyway, keep at it, it's all for fun...and it's funny how much more energenic you feel when you reach treeline or views start to open up!
-Tony

 

[MattC]

Terri makes some excellent points there, David. Especially the one about a tough hike making the next one seem easier. She's a great example of someone who is able to push through a difficult hike by use of a strong will-for example, Mt. Rainer, and numerous NE death marches.

As for the views, you did get several good pics. Maybe looking back at those will help you appreciate them more than when you were actually there.

A thought or two about what might make life a little easier-I still think you may be able to shed a pound or two from your pack. I believe you had 6-pointers on Saturday, as well as Dawn's 10-pointers, which you used. I don't know what else you might have had. Maybe there really wasn't much else you could have shed, I don't know.

Probably even more importantly, you were sweating a lot. I know, because you accidentally left your headband in my car! You also mentioned that you had taken care of a liter of water by the time we made the summit. I'm sure your recall our discussions about what we were wearing while we were traveling. You had on a fairly heavy base plus a fleece vest throughout the climb. I really think you could get away w/ wearing less while moving, especially during ascents. This might help you conserve sweat, resulting in your being better hydrated. I know when I'm not well hydrated, everything is much harder.

Lastly, you did fine!!!

Matt

 

[--M.]

Yes, more than once

Sure, on many hikes.

Once the day is aging and finding a shelter spot before they're gone becomes a reality, stopping for the views loses a lot of it's potency. I always feel weird about this, but I've come to accept it and understand how tired I am in the face of only being on the 20 yard line. I've experienced this nearing Guyot (Bondcliff!), Imp and Jefferson, which we couldn't even bag for fear of not making the Perch in time. We've also turned reasonable hikes into deathmarches with whimsical "Let's try this route" blunders. Marcy and Katahdin became 13- and 15-mile slogs this way. Ugh.

We just had to grin and move on. In each case, the next day made up for the views and we were recharged for more.

Hiking really teaches me a zen-like go-with-the-flow approach, 'cause the alternative is gnashing my teeth while having 'fun.'

In my meager experience, the hiking keeps getting better, so I just hang in there. Best wishes for the next round!

Merry 'Holiday,'

--Mike

 

[poison ivy]

Hey coldfeet,

Don't dispair, I'd bet most all of us have been there. There have been a couple of hikes that didn't quite go right and ended up not being a whole lot of fun. My husband & I dayhiked Mt. Marcy a few years ago... he just flew up the mountain and had no troubles (despite not hiking for months) while I was dragging all day. I had blisters all over the soles of my feet because my old boots finally gave out and the last two miles I was practically crawling my feet hurt so much. At one point during the hike, I said I was going to sell my gear & spend the weekends sitting on my porch laughing at people who were killing themselves to get up mountains. He joked, "Yeah that will last about a week." And he was right, of course.

I'd recommend picking a somewhat easy peak next time or one that you enjoy and love to return to.

- Ivy

 

[Tom Rankin]

Yeah, lose that fire starter log (joke!), and the extra water, and the extra crampons, and whatever else (I know I need to lose a few extra POUNDS! ), and try not to sweat. I know it sounds funny, but dress and go the speed where you are not sweating too much. There are some winter hikes where I am wearing snowshoes, single shirt, and shorts!

I still hope you'll come back for the other side of the Mink Hollow!

 

[Furry]

Some good points in the previous posts. There's little doubt that if you tried the same route next weekend, you will find it much easier going (weather conditions and all else being equal).....and if you did the same route again the following weekend, it would be even easier still, etc., etc. The human body is remarkable in conditioning itself this way. So, don't be discouraged, coldfeet, it will get easier, if done with some level of consistency.

Just as important as physical conditioning is the "mental conditioning" that develops. Subconciously, you will begin to accept that some level of discomfort and physical stress is part of hiking (or any other endurance event for that matter), and for that reason, the fatigue just doesn't seem to have such a negative affect. Like Yogi said, 90% of the game is half mental!

 

[Neil]

Group therapy session.

I too had a rough hike last thursday. There was only 6 in of snow over slightly icy rock and I wore the wrong snowshoes so had to contend with backslip and coming back from 2 weeks of a bad chest cold. Man oh man! At age 49 do you ever get out of shape quickly! I got to the limits of my physiology at what seemed to be a snail's pace.

It was a real wake-up call, especially since my companion is the kind of guy who runs the entire Great Range to Marcy and back in 10 hours and then goes and hikes the entire Dix range the very next day.

I gave myself a rest day then found a nice steep 300 vertical foot hill on the outside of town and went up and down, up and down. Tomorrow I'm going back with weights in my pack. Flat land training, whether running, skiing, speed walking etc. just dosn't cut it in the NE.

As for the winter dress code: if I'm freezing when I start hiking then I'm usually OK within 5-10 minutes.

 

[KayakDan]

Coldfeet,
I found it a bit ironic,that you,coming from NYC,found the trail difficult,while I trudged around Manhattan all weekend ,and found it harder than doing a trail. Walking on pavement is a killer on the leg muscles and feet! On the other hand,the vertical gain wasn't bad,and there was lots of "wildlife"!

 

[Whiteman]

I like Neil's approach

Fortunately we have that 300 foot hill nearby too, because with all of the work I am doing this Christmas season--which consists entirely of cooking, eating and drinking (don't worry, this stuff is charcoal filtered)--even The Blue Hills are looking pretty challenging.

OK, it's not really quite that bad, but it sure is easy to lose that edge, especially when you live over 100 miles away from the mountains you want to climb.

My brother just passed some good advice he got from a friend of his. He uses four events each year as training targets, and spaces them out evenly, so there is always something to train for. I have just picked up my target for January, which means I am only two months behind in my training at the moment.

Coldfeet, hang in there brother. The next peak will revive your spirit!

Happy Holidays!

 

[Mr. X]

Yeah, don't let it get you down. Leave a reminder in your pack to take it all in. I've been there alot and to quote my self "Dude, why haven't I been hiking that much?? I'm out of shape!". Last time that happened to me I was awoken out of my slump by a super cool A-10 fly by on 09/11/05.

 

[Umsaskis]

Often it's the cold and wind making me quickly lose feeling in my fingers that keeps me from enjoying the view. If I can spend more than 5 minutes on a cold open summit, I'm doing good! I get tired out too, and sometimes that makes me mad (at myself) while I'm climbing, but when I get to the top I usually enjoy the view for as long as I can stand the cold. Usually I just slow down if I'm on a sleep deficit or out of shape (e.g., a bit of both right now! my upcoming hikes should be interesting....)

 

[Mike P.]

To tored to enjoy teh views, maybe not but on many ocassions especially on peaks I've had great views from before on mediorce days I barely stop, maybe 3-5 minutes tops.

Kind of "been here, looked better," tired too.

Now I do sweat a lot & I've been really out of shape to in fair cardio shape but still 25 pounds too heavy so here are a few things I try to do.

Drink a liter of water in car before starting & then don't carry extra (I still carry three liters which is what I do for 90% of all my hikes over 8 miles)

Wear less - a forecast of 20 degrees will put me in long underwear & converible pants that I'll zip off or at least open on uphills to vent. a longsleeve poly T & a micro-fleece shirt usually unbuttoned, i probably shouldn't wear that either. I'm sweating in the first 1/4 mile still, just remember to cover up when you stop.

I'm always amazed as I'm sweating as I pass people (or getting passed) by people in shells & G-tex pants & I'm trying to shed layers.

Increase cardio workout & lower weight does help, a lighter pack without sacrificing the gear you need is good too.

And Plateau in this weather is a pretty good hike too.

 

[DougPaul]

I gave myself a rest day then found a nice steep 300 vertical foot hill on the outside of town and went up and down, up and down. Tomorrow I'm going back with weights in my pack. Flat land training, whether running, skiing, speed walking etc. just dosn't cut it in the NE.

I used to live right near a 200-300 foot hill. (But then I had to move and ended up in the flatlands. ) I would put up to a 45lb pack on my back and walk up and down the hill. Enough exercise to build/maintain a reasonable amount of fitness, not enough to exhaust or hurt myself.

To stay in shape, going out only on weekends isn't enough (even when I was younger ). Walking the hill once or twice during the week made a big difference.


As for thermal managment, a good goal in winter (below treeline) is to drop enough insulation so that you stay just slightly cool*. This prevents water and energy loss due to sweating. (Also keeps your clothing dry.) Different people can produce widely different amounts of heat, so you have to learn for yourself how much insulation is required. (And it is ok to stop occasionally to add/remove a layer if you become hot or cold.) The problem in winter is often dumping heat rather than keeping warm. For example, I am frequently stripped down to my bottom layer of the thinnest available moisture-wicking polyester tee shirt** while a partner still has on a wool shirt and shell.

I have seen people wearing expedition down parkas with sweat streaming off their faces at temps around 20-30F, but they keep that down parka zipped all the way up. (After all, its cold out...) Idiots. I have also helped rescue some of them.

* Above timberline, the goal is to stay just slightly warm because of the potentially higher winds. And if it is windy, lowering a shell zipper just an inch or so can dump quite a bit of excess heat.
** The reason for using a very thin first layer is so that you can strip down to it to dump a maximum amount of heat. Removable insulating layers and shells go on top.

Doug

 

[percious]

I feel you. I had food poisoning last thursday, and hiked on saturday. I felt like much more tired than usual. The good news is, if you didn't push until you were going to chuck, you probably didn't over-do it. Maybe try making the other guys go at YOUR pace for a while. You can only move as fast as the slowest member anyhow. I don't think the weight is an issue, I think the cardio vascular strength is the most important. The advice given for training is good. The first trip in the winter is always the toughest.

cheers.

-percious

 

[the starchild]

me too! both to coldfeet and all the replies.

i have definetly been on hikes and wondered what the hell i am doing wandering around in the woods, killing my legs on uphill slogs or killing my knees coming down in rain, hail, and snow, or just too much hot sun. why? why? why?

because that particular time is hard, very hard. especially mentally, no matter how hard your body is hurting. but once you push past it and move on, all the wonderful, life fullfilling reasons that brought you out there in the first place will be clear to you and your spirits and heart will be lifted and full of happiness once again!

however, your body might stay mad at you for a few days but it will forgive you too...in time!! (beer seems to help)

 

[Davehiker]

The first snowshoe of the year is always hard on me. I find lots of small muscles that I'm not used to using that all complain at once!

Even if I'm a little miserable during a hike, I seem to only remember the good parts. A couple of weeks later, I can't remember the agony. (I've noticed that phenomenon with ice fishing too!)

 

[Jkrew81]

I totally understand what you are saying. About 8-9 months ago I was having some serious problems with tendonitis in my knee and I thought my hiking life was over at 24. Low and behold I was forced to get off my lazy ass and run to rectify the problem. The first time I went back out after a few weeks of running the hiking felt amazing.

On another note, I have been turned down by a Washington winter ascent 5 times, 4 last winter and 1 last weekend. Needless to say it was not a happy drive home. But that is why hikers are gifted with only short term memory.

Somtimes taking some time off and focusing on other things has done the trick for me.