Thursday
Thursday morning
Steady rain since yesterday afternoon, with some stiff wind. I slept late (10:30) again. This is some tiring training. I'm pretty exhausted, but my legs are thoroughly enjoying the trails - they're definitely beginning to feel good. I'm sure it's also good for the heart. This would be a good day to rest up and give the trails a little rest. We'll see.
[Insert musical interlude of your choice]
Thursday night
The rain never stopped. In fact, it rained harder as the day went on. I even checked the weather and took note of the impending arrival of a long, thick band of storm frontage. There were thunderstorm warnings in maine, there was a tornado in Epson, but up here it just rained. and rained. and rained some more, but harder. I figured today for a 4 hour hike up to Madison hut and back, so I actually made it to trail by 4:00, though I skipped stretching for the second consecutive day. (note to self)
In addition to the driving rain, the wind was blowing pretty hard, and I don't think it was all that warm either. As I did yesterday, I brought along a thin, long-sleeved thermal shirt and my thick, lined windbreaker, rolled up and tied around the waist (great kidney protectors in case of a stupid fall, I guess). Yesterday I never unrolled them, because it was perfectly comfortable temperature for what I was doing, and it wasn't quite raining yet. Depending on weather, I always wear a Running School synthetic tee, usually short sleeve, like today. I was comfortable up to about 4000', because the Valley Way trail heads up Madison not atop a ridge, like air line and Howker's Ridge, but alongside the ridge in the valley. On nice days, air line is pretty quick, as is Howker's, and both have spectacular views, especially when you're following up the knife edge on air line, with steep ravines on either side. On a day like today, though, you'd be much more exposed to the wind and rain. Valley way is very sheltered, but for much of it, mostly on the top half, you're walking up stream beds. In today's case, with hyperactive streams still in them. Not that I mind, I don't at all. The water is cool on my feet and legs and washes the mud off my shoes. I stood in one for a couple minutes, letting the shower massage waterfall wash the mud off my calves. Almost all the mud is in the bottom half, so clean as my shoes might have been at the hut, they were muddy by the parking lot.
I made good time on the bottom, reaching the Watson trail before an hour had passed. The 22 hour soaking didn't really slow things down uphill - I made better time than yesterday, they just made it harder. I developed the practice of 10 breath rests on the steeper sections. I passed by 7 other hikers on the way up, and the same 7 on the way down. First I came up on a young strong father carrying two (light) backpacks, and his 12 or so year old son, overweight and not happy to be climbing a mountain. This was more than halfway up, but the hard climbing was still ahead. This was a little after five; they had been on the trail since one. Not good. Next, about a minute or two ahead of them were an older couple, as it turns out, Dad's parents. They're trying not to get too far ahead. They're in good shape. Finally, about 5 minutes ahead of them, were a young mom and her two daughters, 5 and 8! They were picking their way through a steep section, and seemed to be doing OK. There was still a long way to go at the pace they all were going, and the last third of a mile is exposed.
I felt good. Most of the soreness in my knee from Sunday's fall is gone, both uphill and downhill. About a half mile before the hut it began to feel cold, so I put the thermal long sleeve on over the tee. I took it as easy as I could, maintaining a steady uphill tempo, resting every 20 minutes for 60 seconds, or for ten breaths if I needed it, which wasn't often. I reached the Madison hut at 5:48, for 1:48 going up, 5 minutes faster than Sunday, but feeling a lot better than I did then. I rested 12 minutes, talking to various hikers, then headed back down promptly at 6. At 6 they serve dinner at the hut. It smelled powerful good. I thought of food all the way down.
I put everything on, and was glad to have brought warm clothes. Saw mom and the kids within 8 minutes of leaving. The little girl was crying. She was wearing little girl sneakers with little girl socks. As she tried to wade across an icy stream at 4500 feet. Mom and big sister were trying hard to keep her spirits up. I assured them they were within minutes of warmth and dryness and food. This is no trail for kids, especially not today. Next I passed by Mom and Dad about 15 minutes down. They said to say hi to their son. His son was having a lot of trouble, with his own son. Hard to tell if he was whiny, unathletic or both, but he was sure struggling. I figure they still had at least an hour before they reached the hut, and some real rough climbing and water traverses, too. I hope they save them food. I told Dad his Pa said "Hi." I had the bottom half of the mountain to myself and took it very, very easy (it was quite slick). I also did a little sightseeing at the more torrential waterfalls and rapids, as I switched over to the brookside trail for part of the way back. The trip down took 1:53, a little longer than the trip up. Some running on the way up, none down. It was pretty dark, and not quite 8 yet. No fall, no slip, no blood. No exhaustion.
I feel good. I hope the weather is nice tomorrow. This is fun. Maybe I'll take some pitchers.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wednesday, July 23
Wednesday
Another day of perfect weather! Cool, overcast, occasional rain. And I think my legs may feel, dare I say it, good. The question arises, is it reasonable to expect to hike 2-4 hours every day, at an average grade of almost 1000 feet per mile? It really doesn't include a whole lot of actual running, but my heart rate stays high and the legs work hard. I mean, this shit is really exhausting!
I did a bunch of research online today, looking for descriptions of the various routes up Mount Madison (5367 feet, starting from about 1300 feet). First of all, I was mistaken; last spring I went up Short Line, not Air Line, because I remember passing by Mossy Falls. Which means I've taken Short Line, Air Line and Howkers Ridge trails up to about 4000 to 4800 feet. The unanimous online consensus from trail folk is that Valley Way is the easiest way up. Valley Way goes straight to Madison Hut (4800') in about 3.8 miles, and from there it's about 0.4 miles to the peak. Optionally, you can split off Valley Way after about 2.4 miles (3350') and take Watson's Path directly to the summit of Madison in about 1.5 miles. Hmmm. That's a 2050' climb over 2.4 miles (850'/mile, 16% grade) followed by 2000' climb over 1.5 miles (1330'/mile, only a 25% grade - the Mt Washington auto road has an average grade of 11.6%). Piece of cake.
I can't let myself get tempted to do really stupid things (because I'll do them every time), so I wait until late afternoon to hit the trails. I start at about 5:30 sharp, giving me no more than three hours of light. I'm planning on two hours so I can call it an easy day. Valley Way is a great trail, especially if you plan to run, but I didn't stretch today, so I fast hike it, reaching the Watson cutoff at about 62 minutes, about 26 minutes/mile. I take Watson for a very easy 8 minutes for 70 minutes out, up to about 3450' then head back. I take it real easy and careful on the top section down, anxious not to bust my ass, but the bottom two miles is almost entirely runnable, so I runned it. In fact I felt pretty good and totally enjoyed running it. As soon as I reached the car, the deluge began - good timing. For me at least, not so much for the three people I passed about a mile back, who probably still have 30 minutes left on trail. 50 minutes back for a total time on trail of 2 hours. That makes two days in a row without hurting myself. A new record!! (beating yesterday's record of one day in a row)
So I'm thinking it should be possible to summit Madison in about 2 hours, and to get back within 4. The question is, do I do it as a morning workout and get home before noon, or wait 'til 4 and try to get back before dark? Or is there a stupider option I've missed?
Another day of perfect weather! Cool, overcast, occasional rain. And I think my legs may feel, dare I say it, good. The question arises, is it reasonable to expect to hike 2-4 hours every day, at an average grade of almost 1000 feet per mile? It really doesn't include a whole lot of actual running, but my heart rate stays high and the legs work hard. I mean, this shit is really exhausting!
I did a bunch of research online today, looking for descriptions of the various routes up Mount Madison (5367 feet, starting from about 1300 feet). First of all, I was mistaken; last spring I went up Short Line, not Air Line, because I remember passing by Mossy Falls. Which means I've taken Short Line, Air Line and Howkers Ridge trails up to about 4000 to 4800 feet. The unanimous online consensus from trail folk is that Valley Way is the easiest way up. Valley Way goes straight to Madison Hut (4800') in about 3.8 miles, and from there it's about 0.4 miles to the peak. Optionally, you can split off Valley Way after about 2.4 miles (3350') and take Watson's Path directly to the summit of Madison in about 1.5 miles. Hmmm. That's a 2050' climb over 2.4 miles (850'/mile, 16% grade) followed by 2000' climb over 1.5 miles (1330'/mile, only a 25% grade - the Mt Washington auto road has an average grade of 11.6%). Piece of cake.
I can't let myself get tempted to do really stupid things (because I'll do them every time), so I wait until late afternoon to hit the trails. I start at about 5:30 sharp, giving me no more than three hours of light. I'm planning on two hours so I can call it an easy day. Valley Way is a great trail, especially if you plan to run, but I didn't stretch today, so I fast hike it, reaching the Watson cutoff at about 62 minutes, about 26 minutes/mile. I take Watson for a very easy 8 minutes for 70 minutes out, up to about 3450' then head back. I take it real easy and careful on the top section down, anxious not to bust my ass, but the bottom two miles is almost entirely runnable, so I runned it. In fact I felt pretty good and totally enjoyed running it. As soon as I reached the car, the deluge began - good timing. For me at least, not so much for the three people I passed about a mile back, who probably still have 30 minutes left on trail. 50 minutes back for a total time on trail of 2 hours. That makes two days in a row without hurting myself. A new record!! (beating yesterday's record of one day in a row)
So I'm thinking it should be possible to summit Madison in about 2 hours, and to get back within 4. The question is, do I do it as a morning workout and get home before noon, or wait 'til 4 and try to get back before dark? Or is there a stupider option I've missed?
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22
Tuesday
178 pounds. My legs are still sore, and if I sit down for more than 10 minutes I walk like I ran a marathon the day before when I get up. I feel like I lost all fitness while down south. While in Florida, I could actually SEE it decline! My dad had just had a double bypass, and the kids were taking turns staying with him. I went last and stayed until he could mow the lawn and hoist the 5 gallon water bottle, then a week or two extra, for luck. My stay overlapped with those of Lorelei, Chris and Tony, so I got to hang out with some brothers and sisters I don't see often enough. Anyway, dad was checking his blood pressure three times a day with his spiffy automatic sphygmomanometer, so we kids did the same. It was a contest, of course. When I first arrived, I would usually win both bp and hr, with numbers like 124/78 and 52. By the end of six weeks (or thereabouts, all the days fade into one tiki bar blur) I'd get stuff like 148/90 and 60. Hell, another six weeks and I'll be having the bypass. Except for the one day I hashed, and one day I played 18 holes of golf (with cart, NObody walks the game in south fla), I got absolutely no exercise. Unless you count Golden Tee Golf.
I like to get at least an hour of exercise a day, so to make up for the last three months, I should get four hours a day for a month. Right? Of course not. That's just crazy talk. I need a sensible training plan. Let's see, what am I training for anyway? Hmmmm……. Something to do with mountains. Something stupid and dangerous. Oh yeah, that's right, the presidential traverse.
I couldn't help myself. Reading the map, looking at different routes up Madison, I just had to have a little peek at another. There are numerous trails, including one which is dead flat and soft along the old train line (which does not go up the mountain), so I figured I could just take another easy day. The day was overcast, cool and occasionally drizzly, again, just the way I like it. From the parking lot, I took the train trail - 1 flat mile east to Howker's Ridge trail. I walked the mile, just to warm up the legs (I stretched at home) in about 15 minutes, then turned up the trail. The trail has a real nice lower section, much of which is runnable, then turns steep. There are a couple nice waterfalls, including one you have to cross. It's maybe a little faster than air line on the way up, but much easier on the way down. There are a series of promontories called Howks, with very dramatic panoramic views. I didn't get onto the trail until about 5:15, so I decided to go up for an hour and a half, which would get me back before dark, absent any misadventures. And there weren't any. I stayed on my feet the whole way and did NOT finish bleeding! First time for everything. 90 minutes up, 83 minutes down. The legs even feel a little better.
178 pounds. My legs are still sore, and if I sit down for more than 10 minutes I walk like I ran a marathon the day before when I get up. I feel like I lost all fitness while down south. While in Florida, I could actually SEE it decline! My dad had just had a double bypass, and the kids were taking turns staying with him. I went last and stayed until he could mow the lawn and hoist the 5 gallon water bottle, then a week or two extra, for luck. My stay overlapped with those of Lorelei, Chris and Tony, so I got to hang out with some brothers and sisters I don't see often enough. Anyway, dad was checking his blood pressure three times a day with his spiffy automatic sphygmomanometer, so we kids did the same. It was a contest, of course. When I first arrived, I would usually win both bp and hr, with numbers like 124/78 and 52. By the end of six weeks (or thereabouts, all the days fade into one tiki bar blur) I'd get stuff like 148/90 and 60. Hell, another six weeks and I'll be having the bypass. Except for the one day I hashed, and one day I played 18 holes of golf (with cart, NObody walks the game in south fla), I got absolutely no exercise. Unless you count Golden Tee Golf.
I like to get at least an hour of exercise a day, so to make up for the last three months, I should get four hours a day for a month. Right? Of course not. That's just crazy talk. I need a sensible training plan. Let's see, what am I training for anyway? Hmmmm……. Something to do with mountains. Something stupid and dangerous. Oh yeah, that's right, the presidential traverse.
I couldn't help myself. Reading the map, looking at different routes up Madison, I just had to have a little peek at another. There are numerous trails, including one which is dead flat and soft along the old train line (which does not go up the mountain), so I figured I could just take another easy day. The day was overcast, cool and occasionally drizzly, again, just the way I like it. From the parking lot, I took the train trail - 1 flat mile east to Howker's Ridge trail. I walked the mile, just to warm up the legs (I stretched at home) in about 15 minutes, then turned up the trail. The trail has a real nice lower section, much of which is runnable, then turns steep. There are a couple nice waterfalls, including one you have to cross. It's maybe a little faster than air line on the way up, but much easier on the way down. There are a series of promontories called Howks, with very dramatic panoramic views. I didn't get onto the trail until about 5:15, so I decided to go up for an hour and a half, which would get me back before dark, absent any misadventures. And there weren't any. I stayed on my feet the whole way and did NOT finish bleeding! First time for everything. 90 minutes up, 83 minutes down. The legs even feel a little better.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Monday, July 21
Wake up at 8:30, hobble to the bathroom, then go back to bed.
Woke up when rested. Hobbled into the LR, turned on the telly for the morning Charmed session. What's this? No Charmed? I check the guide and see that it's 12:30! Holy Crap! Did I really sleep 4 extra hours? My legs feel like crap, especially the banged up left. I go out shopping and the walking around helped a lot; it doesn't feel like anything internal was hurt, except some muscle bruises. I bought the AMC trail map today. I've got to do a Presidential traverse. First week in September. 19 miles, 9 of New Hampshire's 48 4000 foot peaks, including the 5 highest. 12 hours. I must do this.
Ran 2.8 from home at sunset, though it was still mostly cloudy. Stretched well beforehand and, while a little stiff and sore, I didn't find any major pains or limitations. Very awkward and painful for the first mile, with some unsettling discomfort on the front of the knee just below the kneecap. Began to feel better near the mile mark, but passed in a septagenarianistic 10:20. The second and third miles were quicker, as I was beginning to feel better, and that knee thing faded away. The second mile was around 7:40, but then I ran into one of my (recently graduated) athletes at the HS who was out for a jog, and I ran with him for a bit, at a casual pace so we could talk. It was great to see him. I really missed coaching this spring. Lancaster is having their road race this Saturday. I must attend.
I should do an easy double tomorrow and get back on the trail Wednesday.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sunday, July 20
Sunday three in the afternoon, and I think I'll hit the trail. I'm thinking two easy hours up, one easy down. heh
I'd been slugging out at home all day long, and it sure felt great. I haven't been home in more than three months, and every place I visited (Virginia beach, Cape Coral) was hotter than hell. Over 90 degrees every day, muggy, and hanging over all the smell of burning swamp fires. In Suffolk, VA, the "Great Dismal Swamp" is burning. Because it is the ground which is burning, and it has an organic layer averaging something like 6 feet thick, the rains haven't put it out - they need a hurricane. It started a couple months when a piece of logging machinery caught fire. The logging machinery was clearing brush from a hurricane several years ago, because the brush was a fire hazard.
It's so miserably hot in south florida, and the sun is so strong, the streets are deserted between about 11 and 5. I asked my dad, "where do kids who live here go during the day?" It was summer vacation, and you couldn't find a teenager outside in the middle of the day. He said they go to the mall. Ninety degrees but it feels like 102 because of the stifling humidity. Uncivilized. Yahoo told me it was 79 and overcast in Whitefield. Mmmmmmm, that would be comfy. Every day I'd tell someone how much I missed the north country.
I'm finally back, and I've spent my first day and half relaxing in my very own home, all alone and so quiet. It's been raining, sometimes heavy, sometimes lightly, for the last 24 hours. It's three o'clock, and I figure it's time to say hello to the trails. I delayed my trip down to VA in the spring by a day so I could take a (first and) last look at the trails connecting the mountains of NH. That day, I took air line from the Appalachia parking lot up (Durand ridge next to King ravine. That day I climbed trails covered with an average of 6 feet of snow, and made it about 3.5 miles (about 4740 feet, up from about 1240) in two hours, and about an hour and a half back. I saw a couple skiers on their way down and I was less than an hour up. They looked at me as if I were crazy! Was it because I was wearing simple running gear, shorts and tshirt with running shoes? I had my emergency gear with me - a bandana. I ran (OK, so most of it wasn't technically "running," as the trail is pretty damn rugged) most of the way up Mt. Madison, turned around and ran back, passing them again just before the trailhead. Who's crazy now, silly skiers. You may not be bleeding, but I can go up and down in the time it takes you to come down. I took a pretty good fall about halfway down and had some nice bruises and gashes which took a couple weeks to heal. Also scraped my shins in about a thousand places on the ice crust, mostly during the run down. It was a great trail, and the next day it was 90 and muggy in VA. So damn hot.
I grabbed some appropriate synthetics to wear in a cool rain. Despite the unrelenting rain, I hadn't heard any thunder all day, so I didn't worry about the weather. I filled a bag with dry clothes and a towel, wrote the first line of this entry (sarcastically) and was out the door at about 3:15.
Appalachia parking area, 3:37. I spend about ten minutes getting dressed and adjusting my hydration. It's certainly warmer than it was in March, but it's still cool and overcast and drizzly. I love this weather. At 3:47 in the afternoon, I start up the mountain.
I don't run much. I'm just planning on maintaining a quick, steady pace, letting the climbing do the work. Besides, it turns out the trail is much more runnable in winter, especially downhill. A good trail runner could run up most of the bottom half of the trail, steep as it is, but it is far too steep, rocky and slippery to run down, except a handful of sections no more than 30 seconds long.
4:13, and I'm wiped out. Crap. My gouty left foot hurts. I've been heading uphill for 26 minutes and I'm exhausted. I've gained back the 15 pounds I lost running last winter. Ran once in Florida, and it was a short, easy hash. Ran more often in VA, though they were all hashes and I was in FL longer than VA. I did manage to eat and drink a helluva lot, though, by golly. Man, did I eat well, and often, with gusto, and relish. A nice healthy carnivorous diet. An exceedingly unhealthy lifestyle for me. I feel like I lost any fitness I gained over the winter. I look like crap - pasty complexion, bags under the eyes, unshaven jowls. Did I really plan to climb a mountain and get back down before dark? Was I kidding when I wrote "2 hours up, 1 down?" Well, it doesn't matter, I tell myself. I'll rest after an hour. The trail steepens and narrows.
30 minutes. I'll rest in 30 minutes. Steady, quick pace uphill.
40 minutes. I'll rest in 20 minutes. Still steep, steady pace, making good time.
50 minutes. I'll rest in 10 minutes. Making good time.
60 minutes. Where's my damn rest?
67 minutes. I'll rest here. Nice log to sit on, and a rare section of level ground. It feels good to sit. My foot isn't bothering me any more, and I feel better. It's not yet 5 o'clock, and I'm sure I've covered about 2.5 miles. Two minutes rest and I'm heading back uphill. I've known all along I was serious about going two easy hours up. In March, I didn't make it to any particular landmark, and turned around after two hours at some anonymous twist in the trail. This time, I wanted to make it at least to Madison hut, 3.8 miles up, at 4800'. My goals for the next few weeks, as I get back into shape, include making it to the top of Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams and both. I'd like to do both and get back down within 4 hours. The trail gets rougher, as it winds up following a narrow ridgline with steep ravines falling away on either side. That's right after you pass the DANGER sign warning about the coming alpine region. It's cooler now, about 50-55 degrees, and the wind is blowing pretty good on the ridgeline. I stopped to enjoy the feel of the wind on my face, and to laugh. I love the mountains. Man, I could do this every day!
I reach Madison hut at 5:40, about 7 minutes faster than 2 hours. Good enough for me. That comes out to 30 minutes per mile, gaining about 1000 feet per mile (average 20% grade) on rough trails. It's large and warm inside, with benches and water and food and maps and stuff and people even. They might have looked at me as if I were crazy, but maybe they just had their own crazy looks. I don't sit, for fear of stiffening up. I'm very tired. After about 6 glasses of water, I head out the door at 6 sharp. The map on the wall says the normal time down air line is 2 hours 38 minutes. Let's hope not. My legs are wasted. Two and a half hours more would suck.
Must be careful now. The light is flat with the gathering gloom darkened further by rainclouds. I'm tired, the trail is soaking wet, steep and rocky. I DO NOT want to bust my ass on this trail. I've never finished a trail run without bleeding, but I'd like to today. What the hell is this old bald fat guy is doing at 4800' in running shorts, anyway? My legs are shot. They're not only tired, but painfully sore in about 4 spots. Very careful on the way down, yet still the occasional slip occurred. After the fourth time I slipped or tripped or stumbled, and managed to catch myself, I began counting. I'm not rushing at all now. Even so, every now and then, a little slip in the mud (but it catches itself and that makes 5) or a trip on a root (but I recover and that makes 6) or a stumble on a rock (but I grab a tree, and it holds, and that makes 7). 8, 9, 10. Ten times lucky! I AM INVINCIBLE! I'm less than a tenth of a mile from the parking area, and by now the trail is (relatively) gentle and easy. My legs are, as I said, wasted, but I'm running! Good time to relax and lose concentration, right? It's almost dark. Can you guess what happens next?? Is it too fucking predictable to stand?!? 11 strikes, my toe catches on a rock, I'm leaning too far forward and my trail leg is lagging. Tuck and roll time. Rocks got the outside of my right leg, one little gouge in upper thigh, one little gouge in calf, big mess around the knee. See photo. damndamndamn stupidstupidstupid
My legs are shaking when I get to the car (30 seconds later). 1:23 for the descent (book time is 2:38). There's blood running down my leg, but it's not too bad. By the time I get home, they've stiffened up pretty well. I stay off my feet the rest of the day, stay up late and have trouble sleeping.
I'd been slugging out at home all day long, and it sure felt great. I haven't been home in more than three months, and every place I visited (Virginia beach, Cape Coral) was hotter than hell. Over 90 degrees every day, muggy, and hanging over all the smell of burning swamp fires. In Suffolk, VA, the "Great Dismal Swamp" is burning. Because it is the ground which is burning, and it has an organic layer averaging something like 6 feet thick, the rains haven't put it out - they need a hurricane. It started a couple months when a piece of logging machinery caught fire. The logging machinery was clearing brush from a hurricane several years ago, because the brush was a fire hazard.
It's so miserably hot in south florida, and the sun is so strong, the streets are deserted between about 11 and 5. I asked my dad, "where do kids who live here go during the day?" It was summer vacation, and you couldn't find a teenager outside in the middle of the day. He said they go to the mall. Ninety degrees but it feels like 102 because of the stifling humidity. Uncivilized. Yahoo told me it was 79 and overcast in Whitefield. Mmmmmmm, that would be comfy. Every day I'd tell someone how much I missed the north country.
I'm finally back, and I've spent my first day and half relaxing in my very own home, all alone and so quiet. It's been raining, sometimes heavy, sometimes lightly, for the last 24 hours. It's three o'clock, and I figure it's time to say hello to the trails. I delayed my trip down to VA in the spring by a day so I could take a (first and) last look at the trails connecting the mountains of NH. That day, I took air line from the Appalachia parking lot up (Durand ridge next to King ravine. That day I climbed trails covered with an average of 6 feet of snow, and made it about 3.5 miles (about 4740 feet, up from about 1240) in two hours, and about an hour and a half back. I saw a couple skiers on their way down and I was less than an hour up. They looked at me as if I were crazy! Was it because I was wearing simple running gear, shorts and tshirt with running shoes? I had my emergency gear with me - a bandana. I ran (OK, so most of it wasn't technically "running," as the trail is pretty damn rugged) most of the way up Mt. Madison, turned around and ran back, passing them again just before the trailhead. Who's crazy now, silly skiers. You may not be bleeding, but I can go up and down in the time it takes you to come down. I took a pretty good fall about halfway down and had some nice bruises and gashes which took a couple weeks to heal. Also scraped my shins in about a thousand places on the ice crust, mostly during the run down. It was a great trail, and the next day it was 90 and muggy in VA. So damn hot.
I grabbed some appropriate synthetics to wear in a cool rain. Despite the unrelenting rain, I hadn't heard any thunder all day, so I didn't worry about the weather. I filled a bag with dry clothes and a towel, wrote the first line of this entry (sarcastically) and was out the door at about 3:15.
Appalachia parking area, 3:37. I spend about ten minutes getting dressed and adjusting my hydration. It's certainly warmer than it was in March, but it's still cool and overcast and drizzly. I love this weather. At 3:47 in the afternoon, I start up the mountain.
I don't run much. I'm just planning on maintaining a quick, steady pace, letting the climbing do the work. Besides, it turns out the trail is much more runnable in winter, especially downhill. A good trail runner could run up most of the bottom half of the trail, steep as it is, but it is far too steep, rocky and slippery to run down, except a handful of sections no more than 30 seconds long.
4:13, and I'm wiped out. Crap. My gouty left foot hurts. I've been heading uphill for 26 minutes and I'm exhausted. I've gained back the 15 pounds I lost running last winter. Ran once in Florida, and it was a short, easy hash. Ran more often in VA, though they were all hashes and I was in FL longer than VA. I did manage to eat and drink a helluva lot, though, by golly. Man, did I eat well, and often, with gusto, and relish. A nice healthy carnivorous diet. An exceedingly unhealthy lifestyle for me. I feel like I lost any fitness I gained over the winter. I look like crap - pasty complexion, bags under the eyes, unshaven jowls. Did I really plan to climb a mountain and get back down before dark? Was I kidding when I wrote "2 hours up, 1 down?" Well, it doesn't matter, I tell myself. I'll rest after an hour. The trail steepens and narrows.
30 minutes. I'll rest in 30 minutes. Steady, quick pace uphill.
40 minutes. I'll rest in 20 minutes. Still steep, steady pace, making good time.
50 minutes. I'll rest in 10 minutes. Making good time.
60 minutes. Where's my damn rest?
67 minutes. I'll rest here. Nice log to sit on, and a rare section of level ground. It feels good to sit. My foot isn't bothering me any more, and I feel better. It's not yet 5 o'clock, and I'm sure I've covered about 2.5 miles. Two minutes rest and I'm heading back uphill. I've known all along I was serious about going two easy hours up. In March, I didn't make it to any particular landmark, and turned around after two hours at some anonymous twist in the trail. This time, I wanted to make it at least to Madison hut, 3.8 miles up, at 4800'. My goals for the next few weeks, as I get back into shape, include making it to the top of Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams and both. I'd like to do both and get back down within 4 hours. The trail gets rougher, as it winds up following a narrow ridgline with steep ravines falling away on either side. That's right after you pass the DANGER sign warning about the coming alpine region. It's cooler now, about 50-55 degrees, and the wind is blowing pretty good on the ridgeline. I stopped to enjoy the feel of the wind on my face, and to laugh. I love the mountains. Man, I could do this every day!
I reach Madison hut at 5:40, about 7 minutes faster than 2 hours. Good enough for me. That comes out to 30 minutes per mile, gaining about 1000 feet per mile (average 20% grade) on rough trails. It's large and warm inside, with benches and water and food and maps and stuff and people even. They might have looked at me as if I were crazy, but maybe they just had their own crazy looks. I don't sit, for fear of stiffening up. I'm very tired. After about 6 glasses of water, I head out the door at 6 sharp. The map on the wall says the normal time down air line is 2 hours 38 minutes. Let's hope not. My legs are wasted. Two and a half hours more would suck.
Must be careful now. The light is flat with the gathering gloom darkened further by rainclouds. I'm tired, the trail is soaking wet, steep and rocky. I DO NOT want to bust my ass on this trail. I've never finished a trail run without bleeding, but I'd like to today. What the hell is this old bald fat guy is doing at 4800' in running shorts, anyway? My legs are shot. They're not only tired, but painfully sore in about 4 spots. Very careful on the way down, yet still the occasional slip occurred. After the fourth time I slipped or tripped or stumbled, and managed to catch myself, I began counting. I'm not rushing at all now. Even so, every now and then, a little slip in the mud (but it catches itself and that makes 5) or a trip on a root (but I recover and that makes 6) or a stumble on a rock (but I grab a tree, and it holds, and that makes 7). 8, 9, 10. Ten times lucky! I AM INVINCIBLE! I'm less than a tenth of a mile from the parking area, and by now the trail is (relatively) gentle and easy. My legs are, as I said, wasted, but I'm running! Good time to relax and lose concentration, right? It's almost dark. Can you guess what happens next?? Is it too fucking predictable to stand?!? 11 strikes, my toe catches on a rock, I'm leaning too far forward and my trail leg is lagging. Tuck and roll time. Rocks got the outside of my right leg, one little gouge in upper thigh, one little gouge in calf, big mess around the knee. See photo. damndamndamn stupidstupidstupid
My legs are shaking when I get to the car (30 seconds later). 1:23 for the descent (book time is 2:38). There's blood running down my leg, but it's not too bad. By the time I get home, they've stiffened up pretty well. I stay off my feet the rest of the day, stay up late and have trouble sleeping.
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