Catalina View and Two Peaks

Saturday, Irene and I went on a nice walk with Irene's friend Nancy. We meet at the small parking lot off Palos Verdes Drive and walked out to Hawthorne Rd. It was only a 7 mile walk, but other than the rain, it was really nice. I was glad that Irene and I both had our rain jackets on. Whenever the clouds parted, we were able to see out to Catalina. Nancy took us on a different route than we normal go. It was a nice change. I hope Nancy comes out again. As always, we stopped at the Saint Honore French Bakery for coffee and muffins. It was a nice start for our Avon Walk training. We have until May to get ready for the first one.

Our favorite breakfast stop

Distance:	7.28 mi
Time:	2:01:17
Avg Pace:	16:40 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	449 ft
Calories:	515 C

Then Jenny and I went for a hike on Sunday. It was a little tricky because of the weather. It was cold and very rainy in the morning. Jenny went for a trail run in early. After eating some lunch, we waited for the rain to slow down before we took off. We drove up Route 2, the Angeles Cress Highway, about 14 miles from La Canada. Then up Red Box Road towards Mt Wilson.

Once we found the parking lot at Eaton Saddle, and got out of the car, we realized it was really cold. 37 degrees and very damp. The starting was already pretty high - 5,184 feet. I was very happy to have a wool hat, gloves wool socks and a rain coat. We started up the path, and found rocks every where. The Station fire went right through this area. I assume that the loss of plants and the recent rains knocked rocks all over the pathway. The path goes through a dark tunnel. From Marham Saddle, you can choose either a path or fire road towards Mt. Lowe, or a steep path toward Mt Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak.

We hiked up towards Mt Disappointment through the clouds. Occasionally the clouds would blow away and provide an amazing view of the valleys below. We were really lucky that it was clear when we got to the top of Mt Disappointment, which is just over 6,000 feet. We then hiked back down a bit and up to San Gabriel Peak. At 6,209 feet, that is one of the highest points in the area. I have read that the views are amazing, but we were in the middle of the clouds. So we didn't see much. Still, it was a good hike.

Elevation

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         Time (h:m:s)             Distance (mi)     

After a quick snack, we headed down with the idea of going a few miles on the Mt. Wilson Rim Trail. Just as we got within a few yards of the car, it started to snow. As we headed up towards Mt. Wilson, it was so foggy, it was hard to see. We decided to stay in the car, rather than hike more. I was sure glad we did. It started to hail and rain soon after that. In fact, it poured and hailed all the way down the road back to La Canada.

So pretty short hike today, but a good climb. And although I am still breathing really hard on the inclines, I feel like I am recovering faster. I just need to keep working on it.

Summary

Distance:	4.10 mi
Time:	2:00:29
Avg Pace:	30:00 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	1,309 ft
Calories:	565 C

Avg HR:	128 bpm
Max HR:	160 bpm

Directions:

Great Hike: Bailey Canyon to Jones Peak

Gary and Sherrie at Jones Peak

Gary and Sherrie organized a great walk today. After reading my last post, they scaled it down a bit. Good thing. This was a tough hike for me. Actually, I feel pretty good right now, nothing really hurts. But I am sure I will feel it tomorrow. My biggest problem is needing to improve my cardio.

The hike is a loop up Bailey Canyon to Jones Peak, down a rugged steep trail to intersect with Mt. Wilson Trail. The Mt. Wilson trailhead is located in Sierra Madre.

We managed climb up 2425 feet in elevation in just over three miles. And my lungs were definitely feeling it. I found this great picture of Jones peak.

We started in Bailey Canyon Park in beautiful Sierra Madre. I parked near Lizzie's Trial Inn at Mt. Wilson Trail Park. Gary and Sherrie picked me up and we drove to Bailey Canyon Park. Then it is pretty much straight up the mountain to Jones Peak. Amazingly there were no cars when we got to the park at 7 am. Which also meant that there were very few people on the trail. I huffed and puffed all the way up. Luckily Sherrie and Gary are both very encouraging and patient. I was so slow. The third mile in took me over 43 minutes, though I decided to leave the clock running when I stopped to catch my breath. I only paused it for our snack break and pictures.

I was really glad for the shade all the way up the hill. Once we got up there, the view from Jones Peak was amazing. We really could see all the way to the ocean and Catalina Island. It was stunning. Here are a few pictures:

The cross-over trail from Jones Peak to the Mt. Wilson trail was very steep. I was really thankful that Sherrie decided I would prefer to go down it than up. Getting to Jones Peak from Bailey Canyon was hard enough. Luckily Gary lent me one of his walking poles. Next time I will definitely bring my shiny new ones. And his advice to lean forward on the down hill was really helpful - better balance and less knee stress.

The top part of the Mt. Wilson trail was through the woods. Luckily today was much warmer than last week, so I didn't mind the woods. Once we got near First Water, there were suddenly tons of people. The trail from there is pretty wide, and much less steep than the higher trails. It is also in the sun, so I was glad we were going down. We then walked down into Sierra Madre, past Lizzie's Trial Inn to my car. Then I drove Gary and Sherrie to their car at Bailey Canyon Park.

Happy to be at the top of Jones Peak

Here are some stats from my fancy new Garmin Forerunner 910xt:

Summary

Distance:	6.91 mi
Time:	3:34:25
Avg Pace:	31:35 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	2,425 ft
Calories:	1,131 C

For more details on the trail, Dan's Hiking page has a great description of the route.

Reality Check

I can't believe how sore I was after the hike to Inspiration Point. After we walked, Jenny and I went to have a breakfast burrito at Lucky Boy.

Famous Lucky Boy Burrito

I was doing OK until I tried to stand up to pick up my extra burrito to take home for Keina. Boy did I hurt. The back of my thighs were absolutely burning.My legs were hardly moving. Even my lungs hurt.

Luckily I took some Advil and used the exercise stick on my legs. The I put some Tiger Balm patches on, and got some sleep. I am still sore but feeling better.

Bottom line is that I am far away from being able to consider doing the equivalent of 2.5 x the Inspiration Point Loop. I was excited to hear that Gary and Sherrie hike every weekend. Sherrie pushed through the Inspiration Point hike like she was walking to the grocery store. I need to be able to hike like that. And Gary not only hikes, he knows how to train to climb Mt. Everest. So if anyone can help me train more and better, it will be those two.

Jenny thinks it would be fun for me to get a Garmin watch to track all my stats. I agree, I think it would be fun. Yes, I am a geek. I did spend a day at CES getting the highlights tour from Mark. I am thinking about getting the Garmin Forerunner 910XT. Jenny can get all the customized screens set up for me. Thoughts?

Inspiration Point

Jenny, Sherrie, Jackie and I all had a great hike today. We drove less than 5 minutes from my house to the top of Lake Ave. We climbed up to the 2.7 miles to Echo Mountain. Then we went up to Inspiration Point. Jackie had the good sense to split off from us at Echo Mountain given that this was her first big hike since the birth of her beautiful son Jim.

The Echo Mountain trail starts at the top of Lake Ave in Altadena at  the Cobb estates. The land was donated to the Forest Service by John Muir High Students in the 60's. I guess they took the school's name sake seriously. Echo Mountain is where the Echo Mountain Resort was in the late 1800's. It must have been amazing.

The hike up to Echo Mountain is pretty doable. But it was really cold when we meet at 7 am. No really, it was about 32 degrees. There were already quite a few people on the trail at that time of day. I was glad we left early, even though I was cold. Of course with 4 layers of shirts, a hat, gloves, hand warmers that my Mom made, warm socks, I was actually pretty good. The hand warmers are great because they are easy to take on and off, or just push up my sleeve a little if I am hot. Also good for holding a tissue, which I always need when it was cold. 

Jackie did great. In fact, of the four of us, I was the only one huffing and puffing. But Jackie was smart to head back this time. No need to over do on the first time out. Hopefully she will join us again soon and go the whole way.

Nice picture taken by Jackie

Sherrie, Jenny and I then continued up Castle Canyon Trail to Inspiration Point. There were very few people along this trail and I can see why. It was absolutely beautiful, but much steeper than the lower trail. It was such a beautiful clear day that we could clearly see out over the whole valley. In fact, we could even see Catalina Island.We actually saw a fair amount of snow at the top of hill. It was pretty slow going for the last half mile or so. I was breathing pretty hard, but kept moving for the most part. We only made a quick stop at the top for a snack because it was too cold to hang out.

We then walked along the fire road a ways, then onto Sam Merrill Trail back down to Echo Mountain. At first the trail gets really shady and cold. Luckily you get into the sun after a little while. The sun felt really good at that point. Again, even though it was cold, I am glad we left really early. Once we got back to Echo Mountain, there were a lot of people and a few mountain bikers. Then we headed back down to the car on Lake. 


Next time we do this hike, I would like to add the loop up to Mount Lowes. That should add another 3 miles and a lot more elevation. I need to recover from this walk first. Sherrie and Jenny were very kind to let me set the pace. I needed to keep it pretty slow. I have a LONG way to go still. When I get better at this, doing the loop from Echo Mountain to Inspiration Point twice in a row would be a great way to get in shape.
Summary of our hike:


-  Distance: 10.4 miles
– Elevation Gain: 2740 feet.
– Time: 4 hours, 40 minutes

Here are some nice maps of the trip I have borrowed from elsewhere:

Nice Trail map from the Foothill Flyers:
http://www.foothillflyers.org/funruns.html#mtnmap

2740 feet up. Pretty good climb. I was pretty slow up that last part.

Cool looking map of the hike

I am happy to see that Nicole and Jim are also getting in some good hiking. They did a 1,000 foot climb at Appalachian Trail, Lehigh Gap, Palmerton, PA.

New Years Half Marathon

We did a great Half Marathon last night, the first New Years Race LA. It was through the streets of Downtown LA and into Dodger Stadium. Very well organized event.

Jenny, Michael, Mom and I all participated. Irene and Dad both unfortunately had to back out. They are both fine, but not up for 13 miles right now.

The race started at 9 pm, so we were totally decked out in lights and reflectives, making for interesting pictures.

We all did great but Mom came in 3rd place in her age category with a 3:29 time. Very impressive for a first time half marathoner! She will get a trophy for the event. Michael was in the top 5 in his category, Jenny in the top 40 of her category. I was happy to share Mom's time, but that put me near the bottom of my age group. Still, any time I finish a half under 3:30 is a good day. I am also happy to say that I feel great today. I even took a break from my no meat regime to celebrate at Ruth's Chris Steak House tonight. And we all got a very cool medal.

If they got some good pictures of the event, I will add them later, but here is one from the beginning of the race.

Mom, me, Jenny and Michael all glowing 

Next up: First a quick detour to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Then a 10 mile hike on Sunday with some friends in the hills of Altadena. Assuming the weather holds out it should be a good day.

Irene, Jenny and I have a half marathon coming up in February. My first big event this year will be the Boston Avon Walk in May.

By the way, I think I will add Headlamp to the necessary equipment for the Mega. Very helpful to avoid falls last night. And I am very likely to end that race in the dark. Note however, the headlamp isn't even on in this picture. That is just a reflective spot on my hat.

Mega Equipment

I am a novice to serious hiking. But I have done a lot of long distance walks through the Avon two day, 40 mile walks. I have completed six walks and plan to do two this year in Boston and Santa Barbara. One thing I have learned, you have to have good equipment, mostly shoes and socks. The other thing is that you don't want to be trying anything for the first time on event day. So, here are some notes on what I plan to try for the Megatransect. I will update later with how things are going.

I have been going to A Snail's Pace in Monrovia for awhile for my shoes. They have done a great job in fitting me for shoes, inserts, socks. Now that Jenny works there, I am definitely going back.

Ask for Jenny. She will do a great job of helping you out.

Shoes are probably the most important thing for me. I have been using the Brooks Ravenna's for my Avon walks, but I need something with more grip for hiking. I wanted to stay with Brooks since they work for me, so I am trying the Cascadia. It is a men's shoe, but so far so good. I will update once I have put in more miles.

Hydration will be a big deal on this hike. I didn't have enough on my first 10 miler. Jenny has recommended this Nathan Intensity Women's hydration vest. The fit is specific to women, it holds lots of water, has room for a few items, and is light weight. I may copy Jenny and swap out the bladder for a Camelback because the mouth piece is easier to use. Again, I will update when I use it.

A couple of people have recommended we try some hiking pools. So I ordered these Black Diamond collapsible trail poles. We'll see how useful they are.

January 1 - Getting serious

San Gabriel Mountains at sunset

Our 5 mile hike before the end of the year was fun, but now we need to get down to business. Nine months is not a lot of time to get myself up the the level needed for the Megatransect. And since I have a 40 mile Avon walk just three weeks before the Mega, I will really have to be in great shape.

After calming down over the difficulties in registering for the Mega, Jenny and I decided to get out there right away. 

January  1, 2013 - Mt. Zion Loop is a big step up from Hoegee's, twice the distance, more than twice the elevation, and because we left in the afternoon, it ended in the dark. I am so glad I am training with Jenny who had the good sense to bring food and a flashlight. I just brought water, and that wasn't enough. Luckily I was able to get some more water at Sturtevant Camp, so I didn't have to ask Jenny to give me that too. 

Distance:	10.01 mi
Time:	3:48:39
Avg Pace:	22:50 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	3,538 ft
Calories:	698 C

It is going to be a long time, if ever, before Jenny can go her real speed. This was as fast as I could go. At least I felt good the next day. No big aches or pain, but can already see that I am really going to have to focus on making sure I don't hurt my knees. Squats anyone?

Beautiful day, but a little chilly

Big swing at Sturtevant Camp

We actually found some snow

Training for the Megatransect begins

Everything I have read about the Megatransect indicates that it isn't possible to overtrain. We have 9 months, until September 28, 2013. So there is time, but we need to really get going.

Luckily I'm not starting from zero. I have 6 Avon walks under my belt, five 40 mile-2 day walks, one was a 60 mile 3 day walk that I did with my Mom. I am going to do two more this year: Boston is May 18-19, and Santa Barbara September 7-8. See my Avon walk page here: http://info.AvonFoundation.org/Goto/JDS2013

Irene, me and Kathy in Santa Barbara
Day 1 of the Avon walk

These walks are challenging, and a great fund raiser, but are not in the same category as the Megatransect. Luckily, Irene, my walking partner, has always pushed me to train on big hills and to walk as fast as I can stand. Last year we decided to do two walks a year to make sure we keep training most of the year. I wouldn't be considering any of this if it weren't for Irene.

As I started to talk about the Megatransect, one person actually told me that she not only didn't think I was crazy, she would actually join me for the race and the training. That is how Jenny got involved.

So we have officially started our training.

Dec 15, Manhattan Beach Yuletide 5k, a night race on the beach with Irene and my Mom and Dad. Both Mom and Dad made the top 5 in their age categories, coming in just 6 minutes behind me and Irene. Pretty impressive for a couple in the 70's. By the way, I totally recommend this event, it was so much fun.

Dec 30, Hoegee’s Loop with Mom and Jenny. Not a bad way to start. It was beautiful. And Jenny is being very patient with my slow speeds. So having a great time.

Distance:	5.26 mi
Time:	2:18:09
Avg Pace:	26:16 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	1,629 ft
Calories:	358 C

Me and Mom on our 5 mile hike in the woods