This TR is a nod and a wink to the new fitness forum and our fitness mentor Scott Johnston.
I thought about this hike when I aborted a training session the day before because it felt too hard. One hikes at a much lower intensity that at which one trains so in spite of the aborted session I was confident I would be fit the next day. That same afternoon I was totally pumped and looking forward to HaBasa in wintery mix and pondered the wall of Saddleback while I stuffed back loads of protein and carbs.
Three scooters; one random, one boss and one in training for nothing in particular, pulled into a dark and lonely Garden parking area and signed out at 5:45. The other scooters needed the peaks but I was only going for a wintery hike.
We maintained a gentle fat-burning pace all the way in to Slant Rock, which took three hours and 30 minutes in shallow snow that deepened as we gained elevation. My average heart rate was only 98. I was glad of the easy fat-burning pace because I knew this was going to be a very demanding hike. I wanted my glycogen stores to be as full as possible for the tough sections, especially for the wall of Saddleback which would come late in the day. Then the long walk out. I prefer my walks out in the dark to be anything but death marches. When your glycogen stores have dropped way down your brain has to really strain itself to fire those sluggish motor units. Also, when lacking in glycogen you burn up protein for fuel and the amino acid valine crosses the blood-brain barrier and drugs you into feeling like curling up in a snowbank for a long winter's nap.
The ascent from Slant to the Range Trail connector was a slog and here we dipped into our glycogen reserves a wee bit before heading up the steep snowy “wall” of the Haystack trail. I had to kick steps into the crusty snow. Rain had fallen and frozen and this provided support. At the junction to Haystack we dressed for the occasion, fed, watered (my first sip since morning coffee) stored our packs. It was cold and the clouds, now torn to shreds, whipped across the deep blue sky very quickly. As soon as we got up onto the rock of Little Haystack the wind smashed into me and toyed with my balance. This is proprioceptive training at its best. I turned my back to the icy blast and dropped my goggles into place and cinched my hood tight.
The light was dazzling. The rock was covered with the whitest snow and ice imaginable (see photos for proof) and I was exactly where I wanted to be. Now and then we checked with each other to make sure everyone was having fun and when I glanced at my heart rate monitor I noted a very high value but kept on trucking. I knew from my training and fueling regimen that I would have more than enough glycogen stores for the entire day. I gave no thought for the next day. The descent of Little Hay was easy in spite of extreme winds and blowing snow, which made it seem very dramatic. We hung out on the summit for a while taking pictures and feeling really, really good. Total time to Haystack = 6 hours on the button.
Back at the packs we could converse normally and we made clothing adjustments, sampled each others food supplies and made a careful descent to the low point between Hay and Basin. The snow was too deep but not deep enough. Every step required focus and I made heavy use of pre-tensing my muscles into a state of flexible rigidity so that when my feet unexpectedly hit a rock at a funny angle I could respond instantly by adjusting the length-tension curves on as many as 100 different muscles all in the same instant. Hiking poles were put to extensive use, which of course engaged the trunk muscles, which connect the kinemtaic chain between the left foot and the right pole tip and vice-versa. Steve House's killer core workout was paying major dividends.
Basin: lots of very hard ice. Hillsounds were up to the task but just, microspikes were of very limited value on the black ice. Crampons were better. I wore my crampons on the back of my pack where they did provide a training effect but offered no improvement to the traction I experienced with my Hills. Once above the steep icy pitches the rest of the climb was downright pleasant. We were consuming glycogen but not a rate that would lead to fatigue, increased acid or loss of coordination later on when we would need to be on top of our game.
The descent of Basin put our reflexes to the test. The snow depth ranged from perfect for a controlled descent to treacherously shallow over black ice. There was no warning or indication as to when these shifts would occur so you had to be ready all the time in that pre-tensed state of flexible rigidity. It was also imperative to do this while cracking jokes and keeping ourselves entertained and our spirits buoyant. A positive mental outlook leads to a better working brain and nervous system, which drives all of the hikers functions' and hormonal outputs. I wanted to feel as buoyant as possible on the wall of Saddleback.
Speaking of which, it was now looming overhead so we stowed gear and I put on my boiled wool mitts for the rock climb. We decided that in spite of the ice that we could climb it faster and with less energy expenditure than by taking the “other route”. At each little crux we helped each other out: a hand here, a push there. It was splendid and I fired off a slew of pics of my buddies in rapid-fire succession. The light was absolutely beautiful and my brain was telling me the kinds of things I always long to hear.
From Hay to Saddleback: 3 hours 30 mins. And it took us 3:30 to walk out from Saddleback to the Garden. The Orebed trail was icy, dicey and long. I thought aloud that we'd arrive at the Oebed Lean-to in 10 mins and Trail Boss said we had already passed it. This was like discovering an extra thou in your bank account.
The moon was nearly full and when Trail Boss and I stopped at the JBL picnic tables to remove our (now hateful) Hillsounds we contemplated the moonlit woods and peaks and then we walked out using up some of our functionally unlimited fat reserves. Total time 13 hours. My supposed calorie burn: 8000. Peak tally 3. Good times: not even a Mastercard platinum card can come close to purchasing that kind of happiness.
PICTURES No captions for the pics but they speak for themselves I hope.
I thought about this hike when I aborted a training session the day before because it felt too hard. One hikes at a much lower intensity that at which one trains so in spite of the aborted session I was confident I would be fit the next day. That same afternoon I was totally pumped and looking forward to HaBasa in wintery mix and pondered the wall of Saddleback while I stuffed back loads of protein and carbs.
Three scooters; one random, one boss and one in training for nothing in particular, pulled into a dark and lonely Garden parking area and signed out at 5:45. The other scooters needed the peaks but I was only going for a wintery hike.
We maintained a gentle fat-burning pace all the way in to Slant Rock, which took three hours and 30 minutes in shallow snow that deepened as we gained elevation. My average heart rate was only 98. I was glad of the easy fat-burning pace because I knew this was going to be a very demanding hike. I wanted my glycogen stores to be as full as possible for the tough sections, especially for the wall of Saddleback which would come late in the day. Then the long walk out. I prefer my walks out in the dark to be anything but death marches. When your glycogen stores have dropped way down your brain has to really strain itself to fire those sluggish motor units. Also, when lacking in glycogen you burn up protein for fuel and the amino acid valine crosses the blood-brain barrier and drugs you into feeling like curling up in a snowbank for a long winter's nap.
The ascent from Slant to the Range Trail connector was a slog and here we dipped into our glycogen reserves a wee bit before heading up the steep snowy “wall” of the Haystack trail. I had to kick steps into the crusty snow. Rain had fallen and frozen and this provided support. At the junction to Haystack we dressed for the occasion, fed, watered (my first sip since morning coffee) stored our packs. It was cold and the clouds, now torn to shreds, whipped across the deep blue sky very quickly. As soon as we got up onto the rock of Little Haystack the wind smashed into me and toyed with my balance. This is proprioceptive training at its best. I turned my back to the icy blast and dropped my goggles into place and cinched my hood tight.
The light was dazzling. The rock was covered with the whitest snow and ice imaginable (see photos for proof) and I was exactly where I wanted to be. Now and then we checked with each other to make sure everyone was having fun and when I glanced at my heart rate monitor I noted a very high value but kept on trucking. I knew from my training and fueling regimen that I would have more than enough glycogen stores for the entire day. I gave no thought for the next day. The descent of Little Hay was easy in spite of extreme winds and blowing snow, which made it seem very dramatic. We hung out on the summit for a while taking pictures and feeling really, really good. Total time to Haystack = 6 hours on the button.
Back at the packs we could converse normally and we made clothing adjustments, sampled each others food supplies and made a careful descent to the low point between Hay and Basin. The snow was too deep but not deep enough. Every step required focus and I made heavy use of pre-tensing my muscles into a state of flexible rigidity so that when my feet unexpectedly hit a rock at a funny angle I could respond instantly by adjusting the length-tension curves on as many as 100 different muscles all in the same instant. Hiking poles were put to extensive use, which of course engaged the trunk muscles, which connect the kinemtaic chain between the left foot and the right pole tip and vice-versa. Steve House's killer core workout was paying major dividends.
Basin: lots of very hard ice. Hillsounds were up to the task but just, microspikes were of very limited value on the black ice. Crampons were better. I wore my crampons on the back of my pack where they did provide a training effect but offered no improvement to the traction I experienced with my Hills. Once above the steep icy pitches the rest of the climb was downright pleasant. We were consuming glycogen but not a rate that would lead to fatigue, increased acid or loss of coordination later on when we would need to be on top of our game.
The descent of Basin put our reflexes to the test. The snow depth ranged from perfect for a controlled descent to treacherously shallow over black ice. There was no warning or indication as to when these shifts would occur so you had to be ready all the time in that pre-tensed state of flexible rigidity. It was also imperative to do this while cracking jokes and keeping ourselves entertained and our spirits buoyant. A positive mental outlook leads to a better working brain and nervous system, which drives all of the hikers functions' and hormonal outputs. I wanted to feel as buoyant as possible on the wall of Saddleback.
Speaking of which, it was now looming overhead so we stowed gear and I put on my boiled wool mitts for the rock climb. We decided that in spite of the ice that we could climb it faster and with less energy expenditure than by taking the “other route”. At each little crux we helped each other out: a hand here, a push there. It was splendid and I fired off a slew of pics of my buddies in rapid-fire succession. The light was absolutely beautiful and my brain was telling me the kinds of things I always long to hear.
From Hay to Saddleback: 3 hours 30 mins. And it took us 3:30 to walk out from Saddleback to the Garden. The Orebed trail was icy, dicey and long. I thought aloud that we'd arrive at the Oebed Lean-to in 10 mins and Trail Boss said we had already passed it. This was like discovering an extra thou in your bank account.
The moon was nearly full and when Trail Boss and I stopped at the JBL picnic tables to remove our (now hateful) Hillsounds we contemplated the moonlit woods and peaks and then we walked out using up some of our functionally unlimited fat reserves. Total time 13 hours. My supposed calorie burn: 8000. Peak tally 3. Good times: not even a Mastercard platinum card can come close to purchasing that kind of happiness.
PICTURES No captions for the pics but they speak for themselves I hope.
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