Mount Defiance

April 23, 2011

Me and Nathan.  Near Oregon Scenic Highway #30.  On the Columbia River; outside of Hood River, hour east of Portland.   Most intense training hike of the season so far.  In entirety, Mt. Defiance is 12 miles round trip, 5,000 feet of elevation gain.  I carried about 40 pounds in my pack. We made it to about 3/4 -½ mile from the top before deep snow postholing stopped us.  Gorgeous 180 degree view of Washington across the river – Mt St. Helens to the left, Rainier in the middle, and Adams to the right.  Well worth the slog, though near the top, my exertion level reached the audible ‘motherfucker’ threshold – I explained to Nathan that when I start slinging ‘motherfucker’ out loud it means ‘beyond what I think I can and want to do with no visible end in sight’,  - pretty much an 'are-you-kidding-me?'  I was at the dirty, dust-ball corners of my limits; tears brimming in my eyes.  Sometimes it is only at the end of the effort do I remember why I began.

vacation!

Spent the last week in Katy, Texas with my fam.  I took the week off from training, my job, Seattle life, and the raw diet.  I learned that a) its ok and deeply restorative to pause and evaluate every so often b) my muscles will not atrophy if I don't compulsively work them c) it isn't so much about what I eat, rather how I eat it  d) I like training e) I like resting f) it is enlightening to go somewhere different and leave my ideas behind

Plan for the next two weeks - bump up stairs/running workouts to three times per week.  Two spin classes for cross-training, 4-5 yoga classes, one hike w/weight + elevation on weekend, long bike ride if I have excess energy to burn.  Otherwise, rest day.   On May 6 I am leaving for a two week yoga intensive teacher training.  I probably won't know until I am there how much time I will have for training and what type will be realistic.

Mt. Si

Saturday 2 April.  Me, Leigh, Kirsten, Nathan.  2 hours up, 1.25 down.  We moved quickly that morning.  I carried my pack with slightly less weight than the Mailbox hike, and felt noticeably less stiff and sore the next day.  Snow was on the trail at around the 2 mile mark - fortunately, it was snowing while we were on the mountain, and the fresh snow provided traction against the ice beneath.  I read on the Washington Trails website that a person needed to be rescued off the trail the day after our hike because they became immobile after slipping on the ice.   The sky was grey at the top, we decided against the haystack scramble.  

It was a quick morning hike - Si is my preferred training hike -I can complete the entire eight miles round trip with approximately 4,000 feet elevation gain, and commute to/from North Bend, in less than six hours.