The day after the event.
So I’ve probally mentioned a hike in August to go up Longs Peak in Colorado w/ a few friends… well on the way to that final hike Curtis and I did what could best be described as a “midterm” hike to gauge our progress.
The results are encouraging.
From a gear perspective; I picked up new shoes, a larger day pack with true hip support, and large hydration system. The shoes I’ve been using for a couple of weeks now on hikes around Phoenix and they have done well. The back and hydration system were taken out for the first time this week. Overall I’m pleased with how the pack worked I was a little surprised when I pulled out the hydration pack and it was dry all that was left was the water in the tube. So 100oz in the high country of Arizona on 11 miles of trail is probably juuuussstttt enough. Provided you don’t hit it hard and early and tap out on the way up. Longs will probably require a couple of nalgene type water bottles to supplement the hydration pack.
From a food perspective; we ate mainly trail mix fruit and jerky on the way up along with water. I had a couple of energy packs. For a buck a pop they actually work surprisingly well, I will definitely be bringing a few extra with me on the longs hike. As for lunch at the top Curtis and I both had sandwiches from Safeway… I’m thinking some a bit more substantial may be in order.
From a physical perspective; the time in the gym paid off in large dividends. Unfortunately there is no way to train for altitude at 1,500 ft above sea level. I started to having issues around 10,000 ft on the climb up, going 40 or 50 feet stop for a couple seconds catch my breath go another 50 or so feet which is pretty much what I expected. Curtis started having issues around 9,000ft when we started gaining a fair bit of elevation. 9,000 ft and flat he had no problem with.
Overall I’m pretty pleased with the results. Longs Peak is still going to be 14,000 ft of damned interesting though.