Hiking Catoctin

The last hiking trip was nearly 2 weeks ago, on March 15th.  I haven't blogged at all since then, with (sort of) good reason (that's a story of another blog post).

Anyway, we decided to travel to Catoctin Mountain to try out one of their trails.  This is an area that is not too far from the actual Appalachian Trail, and it's and area that is equidistant between the members of our hiking group.  It also has the most rugged terrain we've hiked so far- closer to the terrain we would encounter on our trip in October. 

We opted to go on the 5 mile round trip hike that took us from the parking lot at the Visitor's Center onto the Falls Nature Trail that leads to Cunningham Falls (also known as McAfee Falls to locals) then on to the Hog Rock Nature Trail to the Blue Ridge Summit Overlook and back down the mountain to the parking lot.  My mom and I both had our packs along to try them out for the first time, and I also had my new "Indiana Jones" hat on for a trial run. 

We started out on the trail easy enough, but it didn't take long for those hills to start killing me.  Basically, I think everyone on the hike realized they had some more work to do to be in trail shape. My pack, which is the new anti-gravity Osprey Aura 65L, was comfortable.  The added weight killed me, but that was because I'm just not in shape and not because of the pack.  I love the pack.  However, my "Indiana Jones" hat isn't going to work for the trail with a pack.  The back of the hat hits the top of the pack and, quite frankly, it drove me insane.  So my son now gets to wear the hat whenever he wants to without having to share it with me (except now he's realized that my cousin has the same Mothman hat that I do, and now he plans on wearing my Mothman hat, which is the baseball cap I planned to use- I can never win).  And I discovered that if I already didn't think hiking poles were essential, I would now.  They really do help take the strain off of your joints, especially on the downhills, which really are worse than the uphills just like everyone says.  In fact, my cousin ended up using my son's poles (he got tired of them) and she has since decided she needs a set of her own. 

My husband and his hiking poles

My cousin (left) and myself

My mom and son and their poles

It was a gorgeous day- our first real taste of spring after getting hit with some snow earlier in the week.  The views from the summit were spectacular and Cunningham Falls was beautiful as always.  I definitely want to hike here again, and there are a few other trails that we haven't been on yet, though I hear they have pretty steep uphills.  As it was, my son, who has a fear of heights, was pretty nervous near the summit.  His exact words were, "I'm pretty sure there's an 80% chance of dying here.  I've been looking, but I haven't seen any skulls yet."

Despite the abnormally high chance of death, the aches and pains and feelings of discouragement, I enjoyed the hike.  I think that was something we could all agree on.  And I was extremely proud of my son who managed the whole difficult 5 miles without too much whining- I'm pretty sure I whined more and tool more breaks than he did.

Six Miler

 

Three of the 7 going on The Trip

 Saturday brought some significant snow to our area.  I'm guessing it was around 8 inches or so.  Needless to say, it caused some issues with our planned Sunday hike.  With a little maneuvering and a couple of phone calls, we decided to walk along the road in the Gettysburg National Battlefield Park.  Walking along the road isn't my favorite thing to do, but I'd rather be outside (especially when the weather is sunny and in the 40's) than sitting in the house.  So off we went.
The weather was great after dealing with several days of subzero windchill and snow.  We walked/hiked one way until we got the an area that was closed then turned around and walked the other way.  All total we did about 6 miles.  Physically I was feeling pretty good.  The only issue I had was my hip.  I fell on it last year and every now and then it gives me a little problem.  It had actually been fine, but today it was really aching.  It probably warrants a trip to the doctor to get it double checked.  When I got home, I ran a hot bath, lit my stress relief candle and put on some Chopin and soaked in a hot bubble bath.  Between that and some ibuprofen, I was feeling better.  Looking forward to the next hike we have planned and hoping we have weather as nice as today (except without the snow covering the ground).

A couple of scenic shots from the hike.

A random canon on the left and Eisenhower Farm on the right.

Hike #5

 We set up a goal to try to hike at least once a week to try and prepare ourselves for the final trip.  But this weekend wasn't looking so great weather wise.  Saturday was supposed to be the better of the two days.  Sunday was forecasted to be high of only 11 degrees with windchills below 0- not ideal hiking weather.  So Saturday found me at my mom's house contemplating what to do.  I had been out taking care of my chickens and nearly getting frostbite, so I wasn't sure a hike was the best idea.  The original plan was to just go for an extended walk my from my parents house.  There was a snow storm moving in along with high winds and sub zero temperatures, so we wanted to make sure we didn't get caught outside in nasty weather.  But because the sun was out and the temperature was hovering in the low 30's, we changed our plans at the last minute and decided to check out the trails at the local Nature Center.

We set out on their 1.5 mile trail.  If the weather started to change, we were close enough to bail and head for home.  The Vista trail took us up a decent incline and through a grove of pines and eventually brought us to an aviary with some owls and raptors.  It was a pleasant surprise and gave us a little rest.  We ventured on to the 3 mile yellow trail.  It was a little icy in areas, but we managed.  Well, except for my little spill where I ended up sprawled on the ice.  My loving husband told me if I did that on the trip, he and the rest of the group would use their poop shovels to bury me there.
There were many things to discover along our travels.  Someone had constructed emergency shelters in the pine trees, and we climbed in to check it out.   My 8 year old became nervous when he spied a sign telling horseback riders there was a dangerous bridge ahead.  It turned out to be only dangerous to horses.   It was a pretty good hike, except for the whining- and not just the whining from the 8 year old.  There were a few steep inclines that had my husband and I muttering under our breath.  And I also realized, as I looked to the top of the hill from somewhere near the bottom, that my 60 year old mother was kicking my butt (as she looked down at me from up near the top).  In total we hiked about 3 miles and for about 2 hours before the snow and wind moved in. I learned a few things on the hike: there's a reason why in all the research I've done on how to physically prepare for a back packing trip they all say the best thing is to get out and hike.  This hike had terrain closer to the type of terrain I'll encounter on the AT and I had muscles hurting that don't hurt after an hour at the gym.  I also learned that my boots need to be replaced.  I had pretty much already come to that decision, but this hike drove the point home.  My feet were sliding and hitting the front of the boot, now I really can't wait to get to REI.  And finally, I think I'm pretty confident that I won't have a heart attack from hiking (though I haven't done anything with a pack yet).  Ever since my physical showed diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, I've been worried about my heart.  My dad was only 6 years older than I am now when he had quintuple bypass surgery, so I worry about every twinge.  I'm happy to say that yesterday I paid attention and I was twinge free on every hill.    

Taking a break (5 minutes into the hike

Dangerous bridge!

The not so dangerous bridge

Get Lost

Of course I'm speaking figuratively not literally. On the second hike I went on this winter (I know, I'm out of order since I've been on 4 so far), my hiking partners and I opted to head to a local covered bridge and hike along the creek. There wasn't much of a path, and what there was didn't go very far so we opted to just follow the creek.  A few times we ended up on the wrong side of a fence because of fallen trees taking the fence down, but it only took a minute to get back on track.
Eventually we came to an area where another small creek merged with the larger one.  With no way to cross, we had no other choice but to turn around and head back.   It was probably time to head back anyway since it was raining, and it was getting darker and colder by the minute. 
Hikes like these are some of my favorites.  I like the idea of being able to wander without a path and get lost in nature.  Of course, with the creek right there, we weren't in any actual danger of getting lost (because I have no desire to actually get lost in the woods).

3 of the 7 going on "The Trip"

 

I am hoping that this weekend I will  be able to make it out and about again.  However, Saturday's weather is predicting 37 degrees, 16MPH winds and 80% chance of snow.  Sunday is forecasted as 11 degrees and 24MPH winds.  So far, Saturday is the looking like the best option.  Hopefully the wind won't be too bad and we can get out and hike.  I enjoy my gym workouts, but nothing beats being outside, even if it is cold and windy and there is no path.

Getting Out There

Sunday, I made it out on the trail.  Well, not the trail, but a trail at a local state park.  I was joined by my husband, mother and friend who are also going on the big hike plus my son and my friend's son and husband. The trail was muddy and mostly covered in snow, but the temperature was in the low 40's and the wind had stopped. 
Even though this trail is only about 20 minutes from my house, it was the first time I had been on it. The trail is about 1.5 miles and works its way around Lake Marburg.  It's the steeper of the 2 trails there in the park, so it gave us the opportunity to start working on climbing hills.  It also provided insight into who was more adept at following the trail (my husband won't be navigating) and what some of the concerns might be (my husband is worried about food).
This has been the best hike out of the few I've managed so far this year.  Though not as long as I had hoped, it did offer some different terrain.  While going to the gym and working out is definitely something that is needed, nothing compares to actually going out and hiking the trails.  Letting your body experience the actual conditions you're working on tackling (like terrain) prepares you more than working on the smooth elliptical or treadmill.  And nothing compares to being out in nature, which is also a mood booster.  All in all, it was a great way to spend some time in the afternoon with friends and family.  And did I mention not once did my 8 year old ask "How much further" or "Are we almost done" or "Can we go back", instead he asked if we could turn around and hike it again in the opposite direction. Though we didn't turn around and hike back (though part of me is sorry we didn't), we do plan on going out at least once each weekend to hike various trails in the area.  There will also be some overnight trips planned once the weather improves.  I am beyond excited about all of it, not just the actual trip (though I'm soo ready to go!) but all the preparing leading up to it.  Knowing there are going to be regular hikes each week gives me something to look forward to.
So, for those of you dealing with the winter blues or SAD or depression or couch potatoitis, get out there.  Take your kids and go outside and hike.  It really does make you happier. 

Photo of 4 out of the 7 of our motley crew of hikers who 

will be braving the section hike in October.

Snow Day

Today we had a snow day.  Or, rather, we had a day off school and work because of snow that was forecasted but never actually happened.  So I spent a good part of the day being extremely lazy nursing a sore back and attempting to get some work done from home and cleaning the house.  When my husband came home early, he was ready to hit the gym.  We switched into gym clothes and headed down the road to the local YMCA.  I was pretty disappointed with my performance, or lack thereof.  At one point I had no problem pumping out 30 minutes on the elliptical machine.  Today I barely made it to 5 minutes.  It was a definite wake up call that I need to really step up the work outs to be able to get ready for this hike.  So I hit the weight machines and worked my arm and back muscled and my core muscles and my legs.  I'm fairly certain I won't be able to move tomorrow, but it's that good kind of soreness and stiffness that reminds you that you're working on a better you (at least that's what I'm going to tell myself in the morning).  After the weights, my son and I spent some time on the indoor track.  We walked and then jogged a little.  He jogged faster than I did, but as a competitive person, that was just more motivation.  I rewarded myself with a 15 minute soak in the hot tub. 

I've known that I would need to have a pretty extensive training plan to prepare myself for this hike.  My game plan, based on information I've gathered from books and websites, is to work all my muscle groups on the weight machines.  I'm especially focused on my core muscles and my back muscles because I'm especially weak in those areas and I think if I get those areas in shape, carrying a pack will be a little easier.  I'm also going to be building my endurance on the elliptical machine.  I've also read that Yoga is a good idea as it helps with flexibility and loosening muscles.  In the end though, nothing compares to actually getting out there and hiking.  The group I'm hiking with has plans to try to get in 1 day a week to hit a trail and hike.  We will eventually be adding our packs and gradually increasing the pack weight as we go.  The hope is that we'll all be in pretty good physical shape and the trip will be more enjoyable.

First Step Towards Training

Well, I did it.  I joined the local gym.  I see this as the first big step towards getting myself trail ready by October.  My husband and I have been debating about whether or not we were going to join a gym.  With a membership, there's a monthly fee, and with walking/hiking outside there isn't.  However, it's January and that means outside is cold and when it's cold, I can come up with many different reasons why I can't possibly go out to get some exercise. So while it's a great idea in theory to save some money and exercise on your own, the reality is that never happens.  Plus, I have more reason to start getting into more of an exercise routine- my health issues.  Getting more consistent exercise and maybe shedding those last 30 pounds I need to shed will help quite a bit with my high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.  I realize that all that makes me sound like someone who is averse to working out or being active, but I assure you, that isn't the case.  I am an active person.  I just don't want to be active outside with a 10 degree windchill.  So, since my husband was working late, I headed over to the Y to see what they had to offer in the way of promotions.  And because they were not only waiving the registration fee but also offering the first month free, I signed up.  Now there are no excuses not to be ready for this hike.  My game plan is to build up my core and back muscles and also building up my endurance.  While I could leave now and hike long distances no problem, with a 20-30 pound pack on my back things would be different. 

So here's to working out 

(and rewarding myself after with a soak in the whirlpool)