It was tough to get motivated to leave the comfort of my air-conditioned bedroom this weekend when the forecast called for record-breaking temperatures and humidity. But every time I hesitate to leave for a Summit for Someone training session, I remind myself that Mount Rainier won't have sympathy for me if I choose to forgo an outdoor workout for an AC unit and a strawberry smoothie. Nor would I ever have any fun. So, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em right?
Hiking - Laps at Glen Onoko Falls
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| Beautiful Glen Onoko, Photo by Kevin. |
The Falls Trail can be difficult to find and to follow, despite being in a well-used recreation area. The amount of use the area gets means there are small trails all around the river banks, and it's tough to pick out the start of the poorly marked Falls Trail. After descending wooden steps to the river from the parking lot, hikers proceed under a graffiti-covered bridge and turn right up a small incline, where blazes eventually appear. The trail follows orange/red blazes up the falls and branches off at the top for a descent through the forest.
The objective was, of course, Rainier training. My goal and do as many laps of the Falls Trail as I could before either (a) my legs gave out, (b) I lost my mind, or (c) I lost all my body's electrolyte reserves through sweat. During this month's training program, I'm supposed to gain 2800' each weekend with a 30-40# pack, which meant I had to do the 2-mile loop four times. When I made it back to my car, I was so drenched in sweat that a friendly gentleman loading a kayak into his truck asked me whether I'd been hiking or paddling.
One recommendation I have for anyone planning to play outside in this heat is to take a combination of plain old water and some sort of electrolyte replacement drink. I found having NUUN Active Hydration Tablets in two of the 4.5L of liquids I carried with me made a big difference in how I felt during and after the hike.
Climbing - New Projects and Self-Sufficiency at Birdsboro
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| Orange Sunshine Wall, Birdsboro in 04/10 - by Randall Carroll |
Dan led Tap Dance (5.10) on the Main Wall and set up a top rope, which gave us access to that and two other challenging climbs - Fracture (5.11) and Puss in Boots (5.9+). I got on and finished both Tap Dance and Fracture on TR, but neither without a fall. They'll be good future projects for me. We moved on to the Zorro Face where Dan got on Zorro (12a) and attempted what would have been his most difficult lead yet. He made it to the second clip, which was an incredible accomplishment, and I'm sure he'll be back on it again next time!
He reminded me at the end of the day that it was our first day outside sport climbing, just us, without any help. It gave me pause, just as our first day of self-sufficient top roping at Livesy Rock in November did. I love that climbing allows continued evolution; there's always something new to learn. The most important thing I took away from the day was a lesson I'd been taught when I started climbing - I came away with renewed sense of the importance of clear communication. I might touch on situation specifics in another post. We preach this to new gym climbers all the time, telling them to get used to yelling commands as a belayer and a climber to prevent accidents, but even the most seasoned climbers can get complacent. It's just too important to forget, and practice makes perfect!
Hope everyone else in the Northeast managed to get outside this weekend despite the heat!