Destination: Adventure

Karen continues to take advantage of the close proximity of a number of hills (aka “mountains” if you live in VA or IA like the rest of us). This past weekend she and her husband, Larry hiked to the top of Stukel Mt, ascending about 2,000 ft and topping out at an old fire lookout at the top (6,545 ft). As a point of reference for what we are all preparing for, the altitude of Everest Base Camp (EBC) is 17,600 ft!

Based on the pictures the weather looked a bit windy and blustery, but these hikes are becoming routine. Clearly she is ready for the big excursion. Looks like she got to test out a new jacket and gloves due to the cooler weather…

Deb had to travel to Arizona for work and decided to go for a little hike in the high desert. Not only did this give her the opportunity to get some hill work in (as compared to her standard training in the relatively flat state of Iowa), but she was able to closely simulate the dry, arid terrain that we’ll be experiencing in Nepal… albeit without the colder temperatures or the chance encounter with an angry yak! During her 4 mile hike she gained over 1,000 feet and had an opportunity to test out her trekking poles and put some more miles on her hiking boots.

Karen and her husband Larry hiked the full Spence Mountain trail on a beautiful sunny, warm day! With a start elevation of 4,321 ft, they ascended to 5,832 ft during a 9.7 mi hike in 4 hrs. For those who don’t do much hiking, that is a pretty torrid pace, especially at altitudes exceeding 1 mi high! During the hike, Karen tested the hydration pack system, essentially a water bladder with a mouth tube. She wasn’t too crazy about how hard it can be to pull (suck) the water into your mouth. She prefers the standard Nalgene bottle.

The pictures attest to how beautiful the scenery is on this hike with views of Mt. Shasta, Mt. Scott (in nearby Crater Lake National Park), and Mt. McLaughlin.

What a beautiful day for a hike!… Cold (15 deg at start), but clear with no wind. Today Ron and I did a repeat of the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run Trail hike, but we added the Hawksbill Gap Loop for some additional altitude gain and miles. All in all, we hiked 10.5 miles with a total altitude gain of close to 3000 ft.

Once again, despite the cold temperatures, we both worked up a sweat during the climb. The combination of freezing temperatures, drinking lots of fluids, and wearing a hat that shed water resulted in the fascinating process of seeing a icicle form directly in front of my face. Here are some pictures that show what happened over a period of 3 hours while we were hiking from the start of the White Oak Canyon trail to the top of the Hawksbill overlook.

The guys agreed… I think… to grow “Base Camp Beards.” Here is a picture of progress to date (all photos taken on 4 Feb 2018):

Ron – 3rd Place

Don – 1st Place

Alan – 2nd Place

Clearly Ron and Alan aren’t taking this challenge seriously!

For the past week or so, we’ve been experiencing single-digit temperatures at night and teens and 20’s during the days… the news has labeled the weather event a “bomb cyclone” – a pretty dramatic name for extremely low barometric pressures coupled with a polar vortex of frigid air.  To me this was a prime opportunity to once again test some of the gear we’ve purchased for our Himalayan trek.

Ron was unable to hike because of some nasty 24 hour bug, but John (my son) was an enthusiastic partner in my crazy plan to go hiking in extreme temperatures. My wife (Joanie) simply thought we were crazy! A couple of days earlier I had purchased some gloves and was anxious to try them out.

Anyhow, John and I got on the road early and were undaunted that the car’s outside temperature indicator was showing 4 degrees. Our planned hike for the day was a series of trails called Hazel River/Catlett Spur/Sam’s Ridge, essentially 9 miles of interconnected trails near Shenandoah National Park. When we arrived, the temperature had risen to a balmy 9 degrees, so undeterred, John and I geared up and began our hike along the frozen trail.

Once again, effective layering of various base, mid and outer layers resulted being comfortable throughout the hike (as long as we were moving and out of the wind!). My hands got cold, but all-in-all not too bad for a 5 hour hike in temps ranging from 9 to 15 degrees with a sub-zero windchill.

John walking on water!

Frozen bottles/hydration tube

I was excited to test out my new Osprey Hydration Bladder, but quickly discovered that the drinking tube was frozen. Thankfully I had some other bottles of water that didn’t fully freeze until near the end of the hike.

It’s November 24, 2017 (the day after Thanksgiving) and Ron and I completed our first training hike, accompanied by my son John. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day with clear skies and temperatures in the low 50’s. Since we live in Virginia, we have access to numerous hiking trails in and around Shenandoah National Park, including portions of the Appalachian Trail. Today we chose the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run circuit, a total distance of about 7 mi, with a long ascent and descent… good conditions to simulate the climbs and descents we will experience in our daily treks in the Himalayas (albeit without the lack of oxygen!)

So there I was, enjoying an invigorating hike, pleased with my fitness level, when out of the blue I lifted my right foot and the entire tread of my boot separated from the upper! Apparently the glues that adhere the tread to the upper are only designed to last 10 years and even though the boots appeared in good condition that 10 year period expired midway through the hike!

Fortunately I had some duct tape and medical tape in my pack and was able to apply a quick repair that allowed me to continue hiking. The repair ultimately held for about 3 miles before the entire upper began to unravel ufrom the inner liner. Clearly it was time to get new boots…

That doesn’t look right!…

Looks like it’s time for some new boots!

Let’s start with some history… This crazy idea for a bunch of 50-somethings to voluntarily hike over 70 miles at altitudes ranging from 9,300 to 18,200 feet above sea level started with Ron (the oldest in our group at 57). Simply put, Ron has a lifetime goal to visit 100 countries and thought that a trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp was an exciting way to experience one of those countries, Nepal. He asked me (Don-54) if I was interested and without hesitation I agreed. Then we shared the idea with the rest of the family and were surprised at the interest… In the end, Karen-55, Alan-53, and Debra-53 (Alan’s wife) all decided that this would be a great adventure, made better by the shared family experience.

In Nov 2017, we began to explore trekking options… We discovered that there were quite a few trekking companies who offered guided trips that included all of the logistics (transportation from Kathmandu, lodging, food, porter services, and expert knowledge of the culture, climate and terrain). For our part, we had to commit to a dedicated fitness plan to prepare our bodies (as much as we could) to endure two weeks of hiking at high altitude.

We selected Ian Taylor Trekking, based in Vail, Colorado, made our deposits, and now we are committed!!…