Mt. Whitney Training Hikes

Hike #0: April 22 – Tiger Mountain

Mom and I spent the afternoon on Tiger Mountain. We hiked up to the summit, and then took a different (steeper) trail down. All-in-all, about 6 miles and 2,200 feet.

Hike #1: May 5 – Tiger Mountain

This weekend has been about learning to plan ahead!

I got back from my dentist appointment on Saturday, and realized, ‘okay, time to hike.’ I hadn’t figured out where to go, so I had to go where I knew – Tiger Mountain. I ate some cheese & crackers (only things available) and ran out the door. Forgetting a map. I hiked up the same trail Mom and I had done two weekends before. I was very tired and had low energy, perhaps because of the Big Sur 21-mile Walk I did the weekend before, but perhaps because of not getting enough food. At the top, I ate a granola bar and apple, and headed down. At the bottom, I still needed about 700 feet, so I turned around and went up the same trail (since I didn’t have a map to find alternatives) until my altimeter told me I was done, turned around a went down again.

I decided not to do that again – I will plan ahead next time.

I now have two boxes on the living room couch: one for all my biking gear for my next ride, one for all my hiking gear for the next hike.

Hike #2: May 13 – Mt. Si

Goal: 3,200’/12 miles. Achieved: 3,200’/8 miles.
This weekend’s lessons: 1) hikes take time, and 2) if I walk alone, I’ll need some sort of a hydration pack.

I got my elevation, but not my distance. I was hosting Mother’s Day (Mom hiked with us for the first part of the trail), and had to get back to start the barbecue. I thought I could walk up and down Mt. Si and then do a quick 4-mile walk to get a total of 12 miles, but the walk had to be abandoned. I just didn’t have any time. I hope that next weekend, I’ll be able to have a full day with no time limits, so I can complete all my training.

I went up Mt. Si with my friend Marie — she had a fanny pack with pockets she could reach, and could drink frequently from her polybottle. I had to either take my pack off, or ask her to hand it to me. I don’t think I’ll want to do that with random strangers. My new pack has a pocket for a hydration pack — one more thing to buy!

Mt. Si had a very nice trail, and was a good hike, but it was very, very crowded. Most people were walking faster than we were, so we frequently stopped to let them go by.

Hike #3: May 19 – Wilderness Peak

Goal: 3,500’/13 miles. Achieved: 1,600’/5.5 miles.

Oof — this weekend’s lesson was painful: leave nothing in the car, and leave the car unlocked. Mom and I did the Wilderness Peak loop, and returned to the parking lot to meet Russ, who was going to walk the second loop with me. We found that both our cars had windows broken, and my purse had been stolen out of the trunk. So, instead of my second hike, I spend the afternoon on the phone with the sherrif’s department and insurance company.

Still – it could have been worse. As we were walking the trail, we ran into several search & rescue people looking for a guy who had gone out for a trail run on Friday, and hadn’t been seen since. (Monday, the search was called off, and he was listed as a missing person. Tuesday, he mysteriously re-appeared, claiming to have fallen into a ravine and been unconscious for three days. His story is being met with considerable skepticism.)

We had a very nice walk, though.

Hike #4: May 26 – Dirty Face Peak

Goal: 3,900’/14.5 miles. Achieved: 3,300’/7 miles

This was a frustrating hike. Anne and I drove to Dirty Face (near Lake Wenatchee) where my parents have a cabin. We (Mom, Dad, Anne, and I) all started hiking together, with the idea that Anne and I would soon leave Mom and Dad behind. But I started having trouble getting my breath right from the start. As we went on, I went slower and slower – I was having to stop every couple of switch-backs to lean over and catch my breathe. I also wasn’t hungry and had a headache.

We made it up to where the snow covered the trail at the time when we had planned to turn around. As Anne pointed out, we wouldn’t have gone any further, since the path through the snow was steep, but I doubt I could have gone on anyway. Discouraging. (Although my symptoms of breathlessness, low appetite, and mild headache were probably what I will experience with the high elevation on Mt. Whitney. So, good training after all.)

Mom turned back before the snow. Anne and I turned back at the snow. About an hour after we returned home, Dad came in, exhausted. He had hiked to the top – finishing the last 800′ traversing the snow. He kept saying, “why did I do that? I’ve been to the top, I know what’s there, I had nothing to prove. Why did I do that?”

We talked about what my problem was (nothing can really be done about Dad’s). I think my asthma medication (which I take every day) has run out and I didn’t notice (it’s an inhaler, and I don’t smell or taste anything even when it’s full). Other things that might have exacerbated the situation: pollen in the air, not enough iron, not enough water, losing too much weight too fast, not enough sleep, not good nutrition, not eating enough during the hike.

So, this week I am renewing my prescription, getting to bed early, drinking lots of water, and taking a multi-vitamin.

It is very important to me that next weekend to complete both the mileage and elevation goals. Although I have six weeks before I hike Mt. Whitney, I only have three more hikes scheduled. I am looking at my schedule to see what I can do to to adjust my training.

Hike #5: June 2 – Lake Serene x 2

Goal: 4,400’/16 miles; achieved: 4,780’/15.4 miles

Did it! Wow, I’m tired. Although I had planned to hike in the Olympics (Elwha up to Hurricane Hill), Mom had the foresight to call and talk to the ranger who explained the trails were all under snow. So, Saturday Dad, Adrian and I drove to the bottom of Hurricane Ridge ( 2 1/2 hours), biked up it (18 miles & 4,800′ uphill), came down, and drove home.

The next morning, Mom and I met at the Lake Serene trailhead and hiked to the lake. I left her at the lake, and hurried back. I was worried that I wasn’t getting enough elevation, so I included a side trip to a waterfall overlook. I got back to the car, grabbed a little lunch and got more (very warm) water, and headed back up again. I didn’t think I would do it, but I did! No breathing problems at all.

Beautiful hike!

Mom and I ran into each other when I was going back up and she was almost done. We took pictures of each other, and continued on our way.

Hike #6: June 17 – Chuckanut Mountain

Goal: 4,800’/18 miles; achieved: 4,500’/18.5 miles

A long day, but I did it. The route went all over Chuckanut Mountain (near Bellingham), over all sorts of trails. After Lake Serene and Mt. Si, it felt very, very empty. I saw seven adults (three on mountain bikes), four children, and two dogs the entire time I was out. Probably because it was such a drizzly day. But that did keep me moving. I finished in ten hours — two hours fast than I expected.