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January 06, 2008
One Trail, Seven Months, One Hundred Hikes!
Our cabin and Sunset Rock high above atop Lookout Mountain.
We plan to hike up to Sunset Rock and back 100 times by the end of July.
As I have mentioned here previously, this summer I plan to hike California's John Muir Trail (JMT) with my daughter Martha. I hiked the trail in 2006, and upon completion, I weighed about 210 pounds. Today I'm tipping the scales at about 240 pound. That is totally and completely unacceptable.
In order to prepare for our JMT hike, my daughter and I have been hiking together several times a week. Last month on a four mile (round trip) hike from our home to Sunset Rock some 1000' vertical feet above our cabin, I asked my daughter what she thought of hiking the trail we were on 100 times before our JMT hike. Not having any idea how she would respond to that idea, I was pleasantly surprised when she embraced the idea!
Today we hiked the trail together again. It was my sixth hike of the trail since we decided to undertake this lofty goal. Hiking the trail with a tall and lean 17 year old is no easy task for me these days. Martha is fit and strong and has a real competitive spirit. We walked uphill at a brisk pace, with me barely a full step behind her. At one point I slowly accelerated my stride, and she kept pace, increasing her speed so she stayed just ahead of me. I can remember the days when I had to take frequent breaks so she could join me on hikes. Now, the boot is on the other foot.
As we reached a point in our hike where two trails intersect, and we found ourselves perhaps 150 feet beneath our objective, I stopped to rest. Martha took off. I reached the summit perhaps 90 seconds after her, and that gave me a good feeling. I'm not that far behind her, and we were both a bit winded and sweaty from our climb.
As a parent, this is an interesting goal for me. Personality wise, Martha and I are very much alike. Around the house we tend to provide entertainment for my wife as our similar personalities clash on any number of subjects. Out on the trail in the woods, we both seem to scale back our intense personalities a bit, perhaps soothed by our contact with raw unfettered nature. Hiking together seems to bring us closer together.
I look forward to providing updates here on our progress towards our shared goal of 100 hikes on the same trail in a seven month period. This quest will span winter, spring and summer, and allow us to watch the changes to the landscape and the weather over that period.
In the coming weeks and months, look for periodic updates on our progress, as well as updates on my quest to lose weight. I'll post some photographs from our hikes, including images of blooming wildflowers.
Happy Trails!
Hiking and Health | By Jeffrey Hunter | 08:20 PM
Comments
Awesome.
Looking forward to hearing of your progress and then the trip report on the JMT.
Posted by: Rick McCharles at January 6, 2008 11:31 PM
Jeffrey, sounds like you have a good plan - having a training partner is an immense boost. One suggestion, that you start carrying a backpack. A light load at 1st, maybe 15 lbs, and work up to about 30 lbs.
Posted by: Ralph Alcorn at January 7, 2008 12:49 PM
Thanks for the tip Ralph. We plan to start carrying our packs early next month. Right now we're just carrying day packs. The hike is a real good one for training. When I first moved to Chattanooga nearly 5 years ago, someone from the Chattanooga Hiking Club informed me that many of the club members use the same trail we're using to train for extended hiking trips.
I will be hiking 90 miles on the Florida Trail starting in two weeks, so that'll be a nice little training session - full pack and all.
Posted by: Jeffrey Hunter at January 7, 2008 01:42 PM
Get in the best shape you can. I can tell you it is easier to backpack at 210lbs than 270lbs. Have fun on the JMT. It is an awesome trail. I have backpacked at 270. It is not easy.
Posted by: cheflovesbeer at January 10, 2008 01:01 AM
