Hiking Thread

#777
#777
DinkinFlicka said:
Alright dudes... Machu Picchu.

Anyone finished it? Slated for 6/31.

Ciudad de Perdida was definitely all I could handle but I finished at the head of the pack. I understand altitude prep is a bigger factor in Peru.

Anyone have a good company through which to go?
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This I am jealous of.
 
#778
#778
DinkinFlicka said:
Will only be my second time hiking in freezing temps. Definitely made more of a man out of me the first time around in Colorado.
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Looks like an awesome hike. Definitely got that and Kilimanjaro next up on my list when I get some time. Just do plenty of research online before you go.. looks like the hike "only" goes to 13.8k feet so you should be fine with the altitude. The key is to take it slow and drink lots of water. Those are crucial to letting your body acclimatize. Oh and bring plenty of TP.
 
#779
#779
JFreak said:
Looks like an awesome hike. Definitely got that and Kilimanjaro next up on my list when I get some time. Just do plenty of research online before you go.. looks like the hike "only" goes to 13.8k feet so you should be fine with the altitude. The key is to take it slow and drink lots of water. Those are crucial to letting your body acclimatize. Oh and bring plenty of TP.
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Don't forget about Everest base camp, the plane ticket is more expensive than the guided hike. Some of us are talking about doing it by 2020.
 
#780
#780
UT_Dutchman said:
Don't forget about Everest base camp, the plane ticket is more expensive than the guided hike. Some of us are talking about doing it by 2020.
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Already done it :). I don't know why anyone would do it guided though. Solo is the way to go! (No guide no porter). Obligatory sun rising over Everest pic included from the hike up to Kala Pathar (18,500 ft). Spent 45 minutes alone atop the summit and it was truly humbling.
 

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#781
#781
DinkinFlicka said:
Found a good company that'll do a 5 day for 600.

From all accounts it's not as physically taxing as what I did in Colombia, but only if I acclimate myself. I'm thinking about buying one of those stupid training masks.
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Increased nitric oxide production will improve your efficiency in high-altitude hiking somewhat. One product that I have used as a pre-workout supplement for this purpose is SuperBeets; it works by providing a high dose of dietary nitrates, which are converted to nitric oxide through enterosalivary circulation. See SuperBeets(R) - The Circulation SuperFood | HumanN.

Here are links to the first study that specifically studied the link between enhanced nitric oxide production and improved athletic performance at high altitude ("Beeting" high altitude sickness with beet juice and 'Beeting' high altitude symptoms with beet juice: The human body isn't made to operate at high altitude, but drinking beet juice may help the body acclimatize -- ScienceDaily).
 
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#782
#782
I hiked Charlie's Bunion last week. There was about 6" of snow. Crazy but beautiful. I'm trying to upload pictures but keep getting error messages saying I don't have a security token.
 
#784
#784
Snow covered AT on say to Charle’s Bunion.
 

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#785
#785
I can't speak to the beet juice, but definitely study up on acclimatization as it's good to learn about anyways. The three best things you can do are:
1. Be in good general shape. The more efficient your body is at using oxygen the better off you'll be when you get up there.
2. Give yourself time and take it slow. Your body is going to be working hard to increase your red blood cell count in order to help carry oxygen to places your body needs it. This process only happens as fast as your body will biologically allow it, and everyone is different. Getting up to 10k feet for a couple days before the hike will get a head start on this process.
3. Hydrate! Drink more water than you think you'll need. This will also accelerate the acclimatization process.
Lastly, know the warning signs and if you start experiencing AMS you must descend.
 
#786
#786
DinkinFlicka said:
Alright dudes... Machu Picchu.

Anyone finished it? Slated for 6/31.

Ciudad de Perdida was definitely all I could handle but I finished at the head of the pack. I understand altitude prep is a bigger factor in Peru.

Anyone have a good company through which to go?
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We did it a couple years ago. Have you not booked already? We had to book in advance with a company for permits
 
#788
#788
PROUD DAD MOMENT: so we hiked alum cave/bluff and my daughter (3 in a few weeks) hiked 2 miles of it! The 2 miles took forever but still she did it
 
#789
#789
Rishvol said:
PROUD DAD MOMENT: so we hiked alum cave/bluff and my daughter (3 in a few weeks) hiked 2 miles of it! The 2 miles took forever but still she did it
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That's awesome! I'm almost 50 and my knees have gotten so bad I can barely go a mile uphill.
 
#790
#790
Ulysses, have you ever invested in a good pair of trekking poles? If not, you might be interested in this study, which attempted to quantify the degree to which trekking poles improve hiking efficiency. Participants “completed two hiking trials on consecutive days. Each athlete was randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 acted as the control group and completed both trials without poles. Group 2 hiked the first day without poles and the second day with poles. Both trials were completed on Snow King Mountain in Jackson, WY. The hiking path was a 1000m (.62 mile) stretch of the mountain’s boot pack trail. The path covered approximately 3281ft of horizontal distance and 1556ft of vertical distance, giving the route an average grade of 47.4% (27.1 degrees).”

Without going into details on physiological parameters that were examined or precisely how their statistical data were analyzed, the bottom-line results of their study were as follows:

“To assess overall metabolic efficiency, we once again turned to the connection between HR and speed called: Heart Rate-Running Speed Index. . . . If trekking poles do improve efficiency, the effects should be seen as increases in the group’s Heart Rate-Running Speed Index.

As you can see in GRAPH 2, the trekking pole group experienced a 16.0% increase in efficiency (based on their HR-Running Speed Index) while the non-pole group experienced only a 5.0% increase. This means that the trekking pole group gained about 11.0% more efficiency. Our real-world results add weight to the laboratory studies which show that trekking poles can have a positive effect on uphill movement. . . . When hiking uphill at significant grade, under significant load (approximately 47% grade and 40% bodyweight), trekking poles increase efficiency by approximately 10% and decrease perceived effort by 20%.”

See At Steep Grades Using Trekking Poles is 20% Easier and 10% more Efficient - Mountain Tactical Institute.
 
#791
#791
Volosaurus rex said:
Ulysses, have you ever invested in a good pair of trekking poles? If not, you might be interested in this study, which attempted to quantify the degree to which trekking poles improve hiking efficiency. Participants “completed two hiking trials on consecutive days. Each athlete was randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 acted as the control group and completed both trials without poles. Group 2 hiked the first day without poles and the second day with poles. Both trials were completed on Snow King Mountain in Jackson, WY. The hiking path was a 1000m (.62 mile) stretch of the mountain’s boot pack trail. The path covered approximately 3281ft of horizontal distance and 1556ft of vertical distance, giving the route an average grade of 47.4% (27.1 degrees).”

Without going into details on physiological parameters that were examined or precisely how their statistical data were analyzed, the bottom-line results of their study were as follows:

“To assess overall metabolic efficiency, we once again turned to the connection between HR and speed called: Heart Rate-Running Speed Index. . . . If trekking poles do improve efficiency, the effects should be seen as increases in the group’s Heart Rate-Running Speed Index.

As you can see in GRAPH 2, the trekking pole group experienced a 16.0% increase in efficiency (based on their HR-Running Speed Index) while the non-pole group experienced only a 5.0% increase. This means that the trekking pole group gained about 11.0% more efficiency. Our real-world results add weight to the laboratory studies which show that trekking poles can have a positive effect on uphill movement. . . . When hiking uphill at significant grade, under significant load (approximately 47% grade and 40% bodyweight), trekking poles increase efficiency by approximately 10% and decrease perceived effort by 20%.”

See At Steep Grades Using Trekking Poles is 20% Easier and 10% more Efficient - Mountain Tactical Institute.
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Yes..I use them. I was a flooring installer for 26 years, and on top of that I have a gentic predisposition for extreme osteoarthritis..so I am in really bad shape in my knees and back. I probably shouldn't be trying to do too much hiking at all till I can get surgery, but I just love it so much I can't help it.

This past weekend we camped at Cosby CG in GSMNP, and I meant to just sit by the fire and relax, and maybe walk the nature trail...instead I walked the mile long nature trail and ended up walking two miles up the Gabes mountain trail..now today I can barely move. I am in excruciating pain.
 
#792
#792
Ulysees E. McGill said:
Yes..I use them. I was a flooring installer for 26 years, and on top of that I have a gentic predisposition for extreme osteoarthritis..so I am in really bad shape in my knees and back. I probably shouldn't be trying to do too much hiking at all till I can get surgery, but I just love it so much I can't help it.

This past weekend we camped at Cosby CG in GSMNP, and I meant to just sit by the fire and relax, and maybe walk the nature trail...instead I walked the mile long nature trail and ended up walking two miles up the Gabes mountain trail..now today I can barely move. I am in excruciating pain.
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Aleve that knee
 
#793
#793
Volosaurus rex said:
Ulysses, have you ever invested in a good pair of trekking poles? If not, you might be interested in this study, which attempted to quantify the degree to which trekking poles improve hiking efficiency. Participants “completed two hiking trials on consecutive days. Each athlete was randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 acted as the control group and completed both trials without poles. Group 2 hiked the first day without poles and the second day with poles. Both trials were completed on Snow King Mountain in Jackson, WY. The hiking path was a 1000m (.62 mile) stretch of the mountain’s boot pack trail. The path covered approximately 3281ft of horizontal distance and 1556ft of vertical distance, giving the route an average grade of 47.4% (27.1 degrees).”

Without going into details on physiological parameters that were examined or precisely how their statistical data were analyzed, the bottom-line results of their study were as follows:

“To assess overall metabolic efficiency, we once again turned to the connection between HR and speed called: Heart Rate-Running Speed Index. . . . If trekking poles do improve efficiency, the effects should be seen as increases in the group’s Heart Rate-Running Speed Index.

As you can see in GRAPH 2, the trekking pole group experienced a 16.0% increase in efficiency (based on their HR-Running Speed Index) while the non-pole group experienced only a 5.0% increase. This means that the trekking pole group gained about 11.0% more efficiency. Our real-world results add weight to the laboratory studies which show that trekking poles can have a positive effect on uphill movement. . . . When hiking uphill at significant grade, under significant load (approximately 47% grade and 40% bodyweight), trekking poles increase efficiency by approximately 10% and decrease perceived effort by 20%.”

See At Steep Grades Using Trekking Poles is 20% Easier and 10% more Efficient - Mountain Tactical Institute.
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I don't know how I would have done without them when hiking Machu Picchu
 
#794
#794
Volosaurus rex said:
Ulysses, have you ever invested in a good pair of trekking poles? If not, you might be interested in this study, which attempted to quantify the degree to which trekking poles improve hiking efficiency. Participants “completed two hiking trials on consecutive days. Each athlete was randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 acted as the control group and completed both trials without poles. Group 2 hiked the first day without poles and the second day with poles. Both trials were completed on Snow King Mountain in Jackson, WY. The hiking path was a 1000m (.62 mile) stretch of the mountain’s boot pack trail. The path covered approximately 3281ft of horizontal distance and 1556ft of vertical distance, giving the route an average grade of 47.4% (27.1 degrees).”

Without going into details on physiological parameters that were examined or precisely how their statistical data were analyzed, the bottom-line results of their study were as follows:

“To assess overall metabolic efficiency, we once again turned to the connection between HR and speed called: Heart Rate-Running Speed Index. . . . If trekking poles do improve efficiency, the effects should be seen as increases in the group’s Heart Rate-Running Speed Index.

As you can see in GRAPH 2, the trekking pole group experienced a 16.0% increase in efficiency (based on their HR-Running Speed Index) while the non-pole group experienced only a 5.0% increase. This means that the trekking pole group gained about 11.0% more efficiency. Our real-world results add weight to the laboratory studies which show that trekking poles can have a positive effect on uphill movement. . . . When hiking uphill at significant grade, under significant load (approximately 47% grade and 40% bodyweight), trekking poles increase efficiency by approximately 10% and decrease perceived effort by 20%.”

See At Steep Grades Using Trekking Poles is 20% Easier and 10% more Efficient - Mountain Tactical Institute.
Click to expand...

That path is steep. I have hiked up to ski after the lifts are closed for the season. I would also run and bike up Snow King after the snow melt. While it was on the cat tracks it was still pretty steep, that hill has a pretty impressive vertical.
 
#795
#795
NorCalVol67 said:
That path is steep. I have hiked up to ski after the lifts are closed for the season. I would also run and bike up Snow King after the snow melt. While it was on the cat tracks it was still pretty steep, that hill has a pretty impressive vertical.
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Yep, 1556ft of vertical distance in 3281ft of horizontal distance definitely qualifies as steep.

By the way, do you have any thoughts on fall foliage hotspots in the Eastern Sierra and White Mountains, all the way from Lone Pine to Bishop, Mammoth Lakes and points in between? Furthermore, when do the aspen in that area tend to peak?
 
#796
#796
Volosaurus rex said:
Yep, 1556ft of vertical distance in 3281ft of horizontal distance definitely qualifies as steep.

By the way, do you have any thoughts on fall foliage hotspots in the Eastern Sierra and White Mountains, all the way from Lone Pine to Bishop, Mammoth Lakes and points in between? Furthermore, when do the aspen in that area tend to peak?
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Unfortunately I have no knowledge to give. That is an area we never made time to explore.
 
#799
#799
After vising Peru I am definitely thinking about doing the Inca trail.

Dink there also a newly discovered Machu Picchu like city that's only accessable by a 5 day hike. It's in the jungle so it won't be cold and it's called Chorquequirao.
 
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#800
#800
We are having to move to Alabama to take care of my FIL after my MIL passed away on Mother's Day gonna try to get as many hikes in this month as possible. Really want to see the flame azaleas on Gregory Bald
 
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