First Hiking Trips of the Season
Apr. 8th, 2010 10:23 pmNow that it's not coat-weather, it's time to start hiking again! I've been on two trips already, and really looking forward to more, but I'm much more out of shape from winter than I thought I was. I'll have to find a way to keep my strength/endurance up during the off-season next year.
The first trip was a bit over-ambitious on my part, I decided to go to my beloved Wolf Gap to tackle Tibbet Knob. I've been up it a few times in the past, and while it's only 3 miles round-trip, it's one of the most intense trails I've ever hiked. But, I figured I could make it so I gave it a try. Getting to the first waypoint (a really nice overlook about a half-mile up the trail) wasn't too bad, but I definitely felt it more than in previous trips. The problem occurred almost a quarter-mile later, when my bad ankle started acting up. Last year, by the end of the hiking season, I had built up strength in that ankle enough that I had very little issue with it, and I assumed that it would be ok in the future. Not so. I tried to keep going, but even with the assistance of my trusty hiking staff, I only made it another hundred feet or so before deciding to turn back. I managed 1.5 miles with approximately 400-500 feet of altitude gain in the first half, though, so I was satisfied with that as my first trip.
The second trip occurred this Tuesday, about a week after my first attempt. The thought of going to the yuppie-proofed national park for some easier hiking crossed my mind, but they're still in "winter mode" (gates close at 5pm whether you're out or not, with large portions of the main road completely inaccessible), so I went back to Wolf Gap. This time, I went for my favourite trail to take out-of-towners on, Big Schloss. Its initial half-mile is pretty intense, but not impossible, and it has fewer rocks, so I decided to make it my first real hike. And, I made it to the top and back with minimal trouble (thanks in part to my new ankle supporter), my ankle didn't give me any trouble until the last hundred yards or so. It was nice to feel accomplished at climbing it, and I spent quite a long time just hanging out on the rocks at the peak. I missed the solitude, the feeling of being there alone, just me and nature. It's wonderful :-)
Part of what made the second trip fun (and the first trip less-fun, since I forgot the navigation data SD card) was that I got to try out my GPS + PDA combo for trail navigation. Since TomTom has no topographic or trail data, and Google Maps doesn't work without an internet connection, I picked up a special app called "Backcountry Navigator". I had evaluated it over the winter before purchasing, but this was my first time using anything of the sort for hiking. And, it was pretty neat! Unfortunately, the map data's resolution was patchy and inconsistant in places, but it tracked me with rather creepy accuracy, and made a great way to keep some waypoints. It was also kinda nice to see my progress, though that's about the only thing it'll truly be useful for in familiar territory. The real benefit will be having a GPS device I can use if I'm ever lost again; I'm rather proud of the fact that I can navigate with just a map and compass, but I'm also exceptionally lazy, so in October when I got off the trail, it would've been nice to whip out the GPS and say "Oh, the trail's back this way, and here's exactly where I lost it, cool!".
So, I'm back in hiking-mode again. My goal is to make it for one hike every week, with a preferred length of 5 or more miles per trip, same as last year. I'm also hoping to have a chance to break my distance record before the heat of summer catches up with us; my standing record is seven miles, I'd like to break 10 this year :-)
The first trip was a bit over-ambitious on my part, I decided to go to my beloved Wolf Gap to tackle Tibbet Knob. I've been up it a few times in the past, and while it's only 3 miles round-trip, it's one of the most intense trails I've ever hiked. But, I figured I could make it so I gave it a try. Getting to the first waypoint (a really nice overlook about a half-mile up the trail) wasn't too bad, but I definitely felt it more than in previous trips. The problem occurred almost a quarter-mile later, when my bad ankle started acting up. Last year, by the end of the hiking season, I had built up strength in that ankle enough that I had very little issue with it, and I assumed that it would be ok in the future. Not so. I tried to keep going, but even with the assistance of my trusty hiking staff, I only made it another hundred feet or so before deciding to turn back. I managed 1.5 miles with approximately 400-500 feet of altitude gain in the first half, though, so I was satisfied with that as my first trip.
The second trip occurred this Tuesday, about a week after my first attempt. The thought of going to the yuppie-proofed national park for some easier hiking crossed my mind, but they're still in "winter mode" (gates close at 5pm whether you're out or not, with large portions of the main road completely inaccessible), so I went back to Wolf Gap. This time, I went for my favourite trail to take out-of-towners on, Big Schloss. Its initial half-mile is pretty intense, but not impossible, and it has fewer rocks, so I decided to make it my first real hike. And, I made it to the top and back with minimal trouble (thanks in part to my new ankle supporter), my ankle didn't give me any trouble until the last hundred yards or so. It was nice to feel accomplished at climbing it, and I spent quite a long time just hanging out on the rocks at the peak. I missed the solitude, the feeling of being there alone, just me and nature. It's wonderful :-)
Part of what made the second trip fun (and the first trip less-fun, since I forgot the navigation data SD card) was that I got to try out my GPS + PDA combo for trail navigation. Since TomTom has no topographic or trail data, and Google Maps doesn't work without an internet connection, I picked up a special app called "Backcountry Navigator". I had evaluated it over the winter before purchasing, but this was my first time using anything of the sort for hiking. And, it was pretty neat! Unfortunately, the map data's resolution was patchy and inconsistant in places, but it tracked me with rather creepy accuracy, and made a great way to keep some waypoints. It was also kinda nice to see my progress, though that's about the only thing it'll truly be useful for in familiar territory. The real benefit will be having a GPS device I can use if I'm ever lost again; I'm rather proud of the fact that I can navigate with just a map and compass, but I'm also exceptionally lazy, so in October when I got off the trail, it would've been nice to whip out the GPS and say "Oh, the trail's back this way, and here's exactly where I lost it, cool!".
So, I'm back in hiking-mode again. My goal is to make it for one hike every week, with a preferred length of 5 or more miles per trip, same as last year. I'm also hoping to have a chance to break my distance record before the heat of summer catches up with us; my standing record is seven miles, I'd like to break 10 this year :-)