Hiking Training Plan, Week #10

Week: August 19 - August 25
Miles Hiked (Week): 5.28
Miles Hiked (Month): 13.53
Miles Hiked, (Month Goal): 15
Miles Hiked (Yearly Total): 38.58
Pounds Lost (Week): 0.8
Pounds Lost (Total): 18.6
Nights Camped (Week): 1
Nights Camped (Total): 4
Nights Camped (Backpacking): 0

So this week is going in the right direction, if not as quickly as I'd like. Still, any progress is good progress. I'm now slightly less than 1.5 miles away from my goal for the month, with one hiking day left to go. Unfortunately, it looks like this Saturday is going to be a warm one. However, it won't be that much warmer than this past Sunday, and I walked over three miles that day. As long as I stay out of the sun and take enough water it should be fine.

As you can see in the running totals, I spent a night camping this weekend. This time it was way up in Northwestern Wisconsin at a campground high above the Eau Galle Reservoir. It was supposed to be two nights, but the threat of storms (and the incoming warm front) led me to break camp on Saturday and hole up in a hotel. It was a nice campground, quiet and secluded, with a nice shower and restroom nearby. The trails are pretty limited, although it was a fairly steep walk down to the shoreline and back. I actually had fun making my way back up on a very steep trail. Now, if the trail had been longer, or had it been the end of the day rather than the beginning, I doubt I would have enjoyed it so much. Still, that is a rare thing for me to enjoy walking up a hill.

Although I did stay in the air conditioned and pizza filled comforts of a hotel Saturday night, I made up for it on Sunday, walking the most difficult trail at Mirror Lake State Park.* I'll share more about this eventually, as it is one of the hikes that will be part of my "Hiking the Lists" feature. Suffice it to say that it wasn't overly difficult, but it sure had plenty of ups and downs. Though short, they got kind of tiring, particularly since most of the trail was without anything approaching a view of the lake. Still, two down, 58 to go in Wisconsin.

So once again, I am trying to hit my exercise and calorie goals this week. Saturday is the last day I have to hit my hiking goal, and I'll be down in Ridge Farm, so it will likely be Forest Glen that I'll be attempting to do that. Next month the goal number goes up by another five miles, so I'll have to get at it to hit that for September.

*According to the park.

Adventures in Camping - Table Rock Lake

You know you're going camping with a good coupla people when the first thing you do, gearing up for the four hour car ride, is blast "On the Open Road" from a Goofy Movie.

Yes, a couple of coworkers and I were headed four hours south of St. Louis to Table Rock Lake in Southern Missouri, where we hoped to have a relaxing weekend filled with camping, scuba diving, and s'mores. We'd spent the last couple weeks planning this adventure and couldn't be more excited - the days at work leading up to the big trip were spent with high fives and random shouts of "WE'RE GOING CAMPING!". No WAY our other coworkers could have been annoyed.

Hiking the Lists #4: Garden of the Gods Observation Trail

Hike: #4

Title: Observation Trail

Location: Garden of the Gods Recreation Area

Hike list: Illinois

Difficulty: Mostly Easy (a few uphills and downhills, and some awkward rock steps)

Duration of Hike: A short walk amongst interesting rock formations

Between the 320 million year old rock formations, and the panoramic views of sizable hills, Garden of the Gods feels hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from the flat prairies and fields that cover most of the state. Although short, the quarter mile loop is a good workout with plenty of odd looking rocks and scenic vistas.

Because much of the path is stone, it can get slippery when wet. The most recent time I visited here* parts of the walk way were slippery, but nothing too hard to deal with. After a short uphill climb (or a longer one, if you go clockwise from the parking lot), you come to the rock formations. These sit high above the valley below, so mind your step. Plenty of the boulders and rocks can be accessed without equipment, so if you are looking for a chance to do some boulder hopping, this is a good place to do that. 

Many of the rock formations have names, which I did not write down at the time I walked it. I recommend that if you are looking for a weekend trip from St. Louis or Chicago, or are traveling through Shawnee National Forest and are looking for something to do, to make time for Garden of the Gods. There's a campground nearby, and many other trails in the area if you are looking for a longer, more challenging hike. 

*The only time I've visited as an adult.

Hiking Training Plan: Week 9 Recap

Week: August 13 - August 18 (6 days)
Miles Hiked (Week): 0
Miles Hiked (Month): 8.25
Miles Hiked, (Month Goal): 15
Miles Hiked (Yearly Total): 33.30
Pounds Gained (Week): 2.4
Pounds Lost (Total): 17.8
Nights Camped (Week): 1
Nights Camped (Total): 3
Nights Camped (Backpacking): 0

As expected, this week was my first week in a while that things went the other way. Eh, what can I say, it was a birthday weekend, and hiking and healthy living were not part of the plan. Instead, it was a weekend of beer, cheese, and driving through the glacial features of Central and Southern Wisconsin. Along the way we crossed several trails, most of which appeared to be trails for hikers, walkers, joggers, and bikers. At least one brewery (Central Waters in Amherst) was just a short distance off of one of the trails, which would make for an interesting day of bicycling and beer.

And so, this week it's back to business. I'm going camping up in Wisconsin this weekend, the first time I'll be doing it two days straight.. Well, assuming the first night goes OK. I have three weekend days left to go to get that 6.75 miles, and I hope to at least get 4 of those this weekend. Hopefully I'll have more good news next week. After all, it isn't the weekend gone astray that kills the plan, it's failing to get back on track.

Further Thoughts on Hawk Hill at Forest Glen

It's not the longest incline I've ever walked. It's not the steepest, and certainly isn't the worst footing, or most dangerous incline. Heck, it isn't even the highest or steepest climb at Forest Glen. All of that given, why does Hawk Hill (a.k.a. the path to the Vermilion River and the tower), give me such fits?

I've written about this little trail before, and how it humbled me after a few hikes which had given me confidence in my abilities. With even more distance, I continue to take a positive outlook, and have accepted that what's more important is getting to the top of that hill, even if it takes one (or more) stops to get there.

Hiking Training Plan, Week #8 Recap

Week: August 5 - August 12 (8 days)
Miles Hiked (Week): 7.25
Miles Hiked (Month): 8.25
Miles Hiked, (Month Goal): 15
Miles Hiked (Yearly Total): 33.30
Pounds Lost (Week): 2.6
Pounds Lost (Total): 20.2
Nights Camped (Week): 1
Nights Camped (Total): 3
Nights Camped (Backpacking): 0

So after a down weekend last week, I got back on track with a fun weekend in the St. Francois Mountains southwest of St. Louis with Erin. None of the hikes were too strenuous (I bowed out on the Mina Sauk Falls trail once it started getting too rocky), although there were a few climbs. It was interesting how much better I took those inclines than I would have two months ago. It appears the daily uphill walks up the ramps at the parking garage at work have paid off. The picture above is one of the rocks that give Elephant Rocks its name.

Because I didn't get back from the trip until mid-morning on Monday, this week was one day longer than normal. Having eaten breakfast and a couple snacks before getting back up to my apartment, it didn't make sense to weigh in then. As such, the upcoming week will be one day shorter. I'm going to try to keep up the progress, but this upcoming weekend may cause a temporary setback, seeing as I'm taking a trip for my birthday that will involve very little hiking. As long as I get back to it next Monday, I'm not too worried.

As you can see, I've added some additional statistics. This includes the number of nights I've camped out since starting my hiking training plan. Counting this past Saturday at Silver Mines Campground in Mark Twain National Forest, that brings it up to three nights for the year. I've yet to do a backpacking hike, but my goal is at least one or two nights before winter. Stay tuned for more details about that trip, when it happens.

A record breaking week on the AT and the PCT

At 7:20 PM EDT this past Wednesday, Matt Kirk reached the summit of Springer Mountain, better known as the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. With his final step on that trail, he became the record holder for the fastest self-supported hike on the Appalachian Trail. During his 58.4 day hike, he dealt with the wetter than normal summer along the East Coast, a twisted knee, and a pace that averaged over 37 miles per day. Even if the trail was graded like it is along the B&O Towpath for its entire distance, that would be a tough undertaking. And as anyone who has walked more than a few yards on the AT knows, it is rarely flat.