With the current weather we've been getting in Oregon, I have a sneaking suspicion that the Cascade Lakes Highway probably won't be open until June at the earliest. Even then, probably be late July before I get a shot at South Sister, so in the meantime I'll keep working on physical fitness. Today I decided to go for a distance hike out in McDonald Forest from Oak Creek to the Vineyard Mountain area on the North side of Corvallis. I picked up a Camelback Cloud Walker pack yesterday for more light and fast hiking or biking (once I get my bike, should be soon) and threw a few things in and hit the trail. At Oak Creek I took the 600 or Patterson Rd. from the gate up and over to Sulfur Springs Rd. which is around 5.5 miles. Since I wasn't quite ready to turn back yet, I decided to cross Sulfur Springs and head up the 500 road which circles Vineyard Mountain. After a few miles, I felt it was time to head back since I was still a ways away from the Vineyard summit. I reached Sulfur Springs and a quick check of my GPS showed I'd gone 3 miles up the 500, so my total hike for the day was going to be around 14 miles.
Gear wise, clothing was great and pack works awesome for day hikes, but still having some foot issues. I'm going to say that the Lowa boots are just fine, I've been having similar problems with my right foot in the gym with other shoes as well. I made it back to my truck in almost exactly 5 hours, so with a few rest breaks along the way, not a bad pace and it was much more hilly than I'd expected. Probably a good 1000' change in elevation along the way, a very decent workout for the day. Even though I was in a good mood and feeling pretty good about the days hike, my feet were pretty pissed at me by the time I finished. I stopped by the store on my way home and picked up a foot brace used for treating plantar fasciitis to see if that might help my foot after workouts by keeping it splinted at a ninety degree angle.
Upcoming events, I did get myself enrolled in the RMI Wilderness First Responder course in Seattle for June, until then I've been reading my Medicine for Mountaineering book and a few others. Besides training myself physically, I'm trying to exercise my brain as well. I haven't really considered myself a student since flight school, so its been awhile. Until the weather changes or more classes come about, I'll keep working on preparing myself physically and mentally.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Training Hike - McDonald Forest
Found a nice loop hike in McDonald that satisfies my goal of finding a hike that is similar to the approach on South Sister. The Oak Creek Quarry loop covers 8 miles round trip and a gain of around 2000' in elevation, and I was able to complete the loop in about 3.5 hours. Since quitting smoking, I've put on about 20lbs, since leaving Alaska in 2003, its more like 60lbs! August of '03 I was at my lowest weight since high school, but I was smoking a pack a day as well as tearing up my body in the airline business. Part of me leaving Ak. for good was the fact that I was destroying myself on a daily basis for a paycheck. Granted, when I left, so did most of my physical activity. By the time I settled in Oregon for good in 2004, I was already gaining back weight I'd lost from that summer of work. The fact that I worked a retail counter for the last 7 years hasn't helped much either. So, along with the quitting smoking to be able to enjoy life and enjoy my mountains, I'm working on a regular routine of working out.
I've been trying to get into the gym at least three days a week, but if decent weather presents itself, I'm heading for a trail. That's what I woke up to today, decent weather in front of a storm system that's moving in this week. I picked the Quarry Loop because of the distance and elevation, the approach on South Sister really worked me over last year. I need to know I can make the approach, bag the summit, and still have enough poop left in me to descend without causing myself any injury. Starting from the Oak Creek parking lot, take the Homestead trail to the left of the information kiosk. This short trail leads to a spur of the 6021 road, you want to keep right through the next few junctions until you see a "T" intersection with a post that says "6021 770" to the left. Here's where you start a steady uphill for at least a good hour or so. From here without a map or knowledge of the trails it could be easy to get turned around and end up on the other side of Corvallis! You want to keep on the 770 until you hit a 3 way junction with the 680 road. The junction isn't well marked, but three roads come together in a triangle, stay with the junction to your right. The 680 will eventually lead to the 600, or Patterson Rd., and back to the parking area.
The trip took right around 3.5 hours, including a stop along the top of the loop to throw some tape on my heels because of new boots. I've also been having a few foot issues because of weight, and today I tried a little bit of arch taping on my right foot which was bothering me a little. This helped support my arch and keep my foot from flexing, which has been causing some pain to the outer edge of my foot. I'm going to give this a shot tomorrow in the gym as well. Bought a new pair of running shoes.....for $130.....but I went to a real shoe store (Five Star Sports) and the guy helping me saw very quickly a few of my foot issues such as pronation. My ankles and feet want to roll inward when I stand or walk, so he helped me with a pair of motion control shoes to help offset the pronation. I think with taping, I should be able to workout longer and make more of my exercise sessions.
I've been trying to get into the gym at least three days a week, but if decent weather presents itself, I'm heading for a trail. That's what I woke up to today, decent weather in front of a storm system that's moving in this week. I picked the Quarry Loop because of the distance and elevation, the approach on South Sister really worked me over last year. I need to know I can make the approach, bag the summit, and still have enough poop left in me to descend without causing myself any injury. Starting from the Oak Creek parking lot, take the Homestead trail to the left of the information kiosk. This short trail leads to a spur of the 6021 road, you want to keep right through the next few junctions until you see a "T" intersection with a post that says "6021 770" to the left. Here's where you start a steady uphill for at least a good hour or so. From here without a map or knowledge of the trails it could be easy to get turned around and end up on the other side of Corvallis! You want to keep on the 770 until you hit a 3 way junction with the 680 road. The junction isn't well marked, but three roads come together in a triangle, stay with the junction to your right. The 680 will eventually lead to the 600, or Patterson Rd., and back to the parking area.
The trip took right around 3.5 hours, including a stop along the top of the loop to throw some tape on my heels because of new boots. I've also been having a few foot issues because of weight, and today I tried a little bit of arch taping on my right foot which was bothering me a little. This helped support my arch and keep my foot from flexing, which has been causing some pain to the outer edge of my foot. I'm going to give this a shot tomorrow in the gym as well. Bought a new pair of running shoes.....for $130.....but I went to a real shoe store (Five Star Sports) and the guy helping me saw very quickly a few of my foot issues such as pronation. My ankles and feet want to roll inward when I stand or walk, so he helped me with a pair of motion control shoes to help offset the pronation. I think with taping, I should be able to workout longer and make more of my exercise sessions.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
RMI Wilderness First Aid
Last year I started looking into getting back into some sort of schooling, for what I really had no clue, but the idea of a first aid class popped into my head. I felt it would be a good way to get back into a class room environment as well as brush up on my skills. Last FA class I took was in 1993 when I was in college, and knowing that there had been changes over the years, I decided to start there. After mentioning to some friends about my thought, several spoke up and said to forget the traditional first aid courses and seek out a Wilderness FA class instead. I started looking into it, and really felt that with my recent forays into the back country, this would be a wise choice as a starting point. I looked into classes through WMI first, but then came across Remote Medical International based out of Seattle. They listed a WFA class in February, so after talking with the boss to switch schedules, I used part of my tax return to register for the class. I have to say, this was well worth it, even for how fast paced and intense the class was. The instructors had so much information to try and impart to us in such a short period, that it had to move pretty fast.
Saturday morning I headed up to McMinnville to Linfield College. The course description really caught my attention, it said to bring layers of clothing and essentially the same pack and kind of gear you would on a day hike. I was liking this more by the minute! Around 8:00 when everyone had arrived, we were introduced to the instructors, Janet Peterson, Kate Peters, and Dee Allen. All three had varying backgrounds which I feel really enhanced the overall instruction experience. Janet's energy and teaching style kept the class interesting from the first section to the end of the day, grabbing volunteers to be victims or assistants and surprising people by throwing various "curveballs" at unsuspecting students. During different sections, she would hand the class off to Dee or Kate while preparing for other parts, which included heading outside at various times to add a more real world feel to the class. Dee and Kate really knew their stuff, not only in the sections they taught, but even answering random questions or just interjecting into the lectures. During any of the hands on sections, they would all walk around through the class and either comment, critique or explain anything that was unclear. This was a very participatory class, you may sit and listen for a half hour, but then you spent the next half hour putting to practice what was just presented to you.
I finished day one feeling somewhat overloaded, but at the same time feeling satisfied, and somewhat accomplished even though I was only halfway there. I kept running primary patient assesment through my head, trying to focus on anything I may have missed, and think about any comments or suggestions I was given as well as feedback from other students I was interacting with. To give you an idea of how hard I was concentrating on patient assessment, I woke up running the ABCDE's of primary survey through my head at 5A.M.; Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Environment. I was concentrating on the subject matter fairly intense, since the primary assessment really is the basis of all your care from then on, and to miss anything could be detrimental to the patient. I headed on up to McMinnvillle again, ready to go, and feeling more confident in what I was learning. Right when we started, we all paired up and did another mock injury and patient assessment, which was in my opinion a great way to start the day. I was already more confident with what I was doing, but still missed a few things that my partner caught onto, and getting his feedback was invaluable to know what I needed to concentrate on a little more.
Just before the end of the day, we did one more scenario, this time I was a caregiver, and we were walking into an unknown situation. Even with not knowing what the exact nature of the problem, I was able to home in on the symptoms and begin to narrow down my scope to the aspect of potential treatments, and it wasn't an easy scenario. We were given information that it was a horse riding camp and it was late evening, and that was it. My patient was complaining of abdominal pain, and I was narrowing it down to an illness when the class was called back in. I asked my patient how he felt I did, and he said I did a thorough exam, and probably would have figured it out given a little more time. That's part of it, time, and being able to be thorough but quick so that a decision for treatment or evacuation can be made. From here, I still have a ton of learning to do. I have the WFA book from the class, as well as my Medicine for Mountaineering book to read, but this has given me more of a start, a personal reference to fall back on while studying so that the materials make more sense. I'm looking forward to taking a Wilderness First Responder class eventually, so that I can be of even greater help in the great outdoors. Janet, Kate, and Dee taught a wonderful class, and it has made me eager to learn more as my time in the back country increases. On the way home, I stopped at the pharmacy for a box of 4X4's and rolls of gauze after learning that those two items in abundance can fix most anything I'll be qualified to handle..........
Saturday morning I headed up to McMinnville to Linfield College. The course description really caught my attention, it said to bring layers of clothing and essentially the same pack and kind of gear you would on a day hike. I was liking this more by the minute! Around 8:00 when everyone had arrived, we were introduced to the instructors, Janet Peterson, Kate Peters, and Dee Allen. All three had varying backgrounds which I feel really enhanced the overall instruction experience. Janet's energy and teaching style kept the class interesting from the first section to the end of the day, grabbing volunteers to be victims or assistants and surprising people by throwing various "curveballs" at unsuspecting students. During different sections, she would hand the class off to Dee or Kate while preparing for other parts, which included heading outside at various times to add a more real world feel to the class. Dee and Kate really knew their stuff, not only in the sections they taught, but even answering random questions or just interjecting into the lectures. During any of the hands on sections, they would all walk around through the class and either comment, critique or explain anything that was unclear. This was a very participatory class, you may sit and listen for a half hour, but then you spent the next half hour putting to practice what was just presented to you.
I finished day one feeling somewhat overloaded, but at the same time feeling satisfied, and somewhat accomplished even though I was only halfway there. I kept running primary patient assesment through my head, trying to focus on anything I may have missed, and think about any comments or suggestions I was given as well as feedback from other students I was interacting with. To give you an idea of how hard I was concentrating on patient assessment, I woke up running the ABCDE's of primary survey through my head at 5A.M.; Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Environment. I was concentrating on the subject matter fairly intense, since the primary assessment really is the basis of all your care from then on, and to miss anything could be detrimental to the patient. I headed on up to McMinnvillle again, ready to go, and feeling more confident in what I was learning. Right when we started, we all paired up and did another mock injury and patient assessment, which was in my opinion a great way to start the day. I was already more confident with what I was doing, but still missed a few things that my partner caught onto, and getting his feedback was invaluable to know what I needed to concentrate on a little more.
Just before the end of the day, we did one more scenario, this time I was a caregiver, and we were walking into an unknown situation. Even with not knowing what the exact nature of the problem, I was able to home in on the symptoms and begin to narrow down my scope to the aspect of potential treatments, and it wasn't an easy scenario. We were given information that it was a horse riding camp and it was late evening, and that was it. My patient was complaining of abdominal pain, and I was narrowing it down to an illness when the class was called back in. I asked my patient how he felt I did, and he said I did a thorough exam, and probably would have figured it out given a little more time. That's part of it, time, and being able to be thorough but quick so that a decision for treatment or evacuation can be made. From here, I still have a ton of learning to do. I have the WFA book from the class, as well as my Medicine for Mountaineering book to read, but this has given me more of a start, a personal reference to fall back on while studying so that the materials make more sense. I'm looking forward to taking a Wilderness First Responder class eventually, so that I can be of even greater help in the great outdoors. Janet, Kate, and Dee taught a wonderful class, and it has made me eager to learn more as my time in the back country increases. On the way home, I stopped at the pharmacy for a box of 4X4's and rolls of gauze after learning that those two items in abundance can fix most anything I'll be qualified to handle..........
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tumalo Mountain 1-25-11
I had one more full day up in the Cascades, so to not waste another possible hiking opportunity, I headed out this morning in search of something to summit. My original plan was to hike the Tam McArthur Rim area South of Sisters, but the road was gated and covered with snow 4 miles from the trailhead. I'd made a back up plan that I'd informed by email and text that I was going to drive around to the Cascade Lakes Highway and check out Tumalo Mountain. I am so glad I ended up on that hike, it was absolutely amazing! Tumalo Mountain is just North of Mt. Bachelor, the trailhead starts at the Dutchman Flat Sno-Park. Its published elevation is 7779' and by trail its about 3.6 miles roundtrip. Just at the Sno-Park there's still close to 4'-6' of snow and the trail is pretty much lost. I chatted for a few in the parking area with a guy who had just came down to see what the snow was like. He'd been snowshoeing, didn't ask if he'd been to the top, but he said it was soft in spots up higher. On his suggestion, I started out on snowshoes and carried my trekking poles on my pack. After a half mile of trudging up 30-40 degree slopes on crusted snow, I decided to ditch the snowshoes and bust out the poles. After rearranging my pack, I started making good time toward the summit. I was on a well used rut in the snow, and even the pole tips would only sink in a few inches before hitting solid snow and ice.
About a mile up is where it started getting interesting. The snow was staying solid, but the terrain steepened drastically. From here it was 40-60+ degree slopes, a few spots almost vertical kick stepping. The view was starting to open up, the South and Middle Sisters and Broken Top to my West, Bachelor to the South coming up from the tree line. From here on I had to really push myself, not just physically but mentally. I could see the summit, about a quarter mile and 500 vertical to go, but it was grueling. Once in the open, the wind really started cutting through as well, so took the chance to duck behind some trees and grab the coat and gloves from my pack. I kept on the clearest path I could, by this point there were trails running every which way, snow boarders, alpine skiers who had skinned up to the top. Finally after following a narrow almost vertical chute, I could see a sign of some sort ahead. I knew I was close, so with a burst of energy I took off another 30 yards to the sign post, and then could see the last little summit knoll to my left about another 50 yards up. By this point I was ecstatic, that was probably the most difficult climb I'd done, so I mustered up all my extra oomph and with a huge grin on my face, made it to the summit!
Right there I dropped my pack and checked my GPS, it said 7794', which means 15' of snow was beneath my feet! It was an amazingly emotional moment, the view was incredible all the way around, and I had accomplished a mountain summit in winter. To think I was a smoker only 6 months ago still gets me, and a year ago the thought of summiting a mountain like this probably wouldn't have even crossed my mind. Add to that the fact that I was staring face to face with my next major goal, South Sister, and I let out a healthy "WooHoo!!!" from the summit. After snapping a few pictures and grabbing one of my do-rags from my pack to make a face mask from the wind, it was time to make my way back down. From here it was hard to keep on the same trail I'd come up, the snow was starting to soften and there were so many crossing tracks, I just headed straight down. I'd marked a GPS point for the Sno-Park, and with Bachelor right in front of me, it was an easy straight shot to the bottom. By now with the soft snow, I was having to plunge step with my heels to keep my balance, so it was murder on the shins and calves coming down. Right around 3:00, I came out of the tree line at the opposite end of the Sno-Park, so stayed within 100 yards of where I started. Covered 2.4 miles and 1441' in less than 3 hours. Exhausted, but still with a grin on my face, I started bsing with a couple younger guys who were just heading up, one skinning and one shoeing with his snowboard on his pack. The guy that was skinning had just quit smoking a few years ago, so we had some common ground to talk about. They shared a few of their favorite hikes with me and headed off. I said have fun, and the one guy said "Now you're addicted to oxygen. Pretty cool, huh?"
Yep, pretty cool.
About a mile up is where it started getting interesting. The snow was staying solid, but the terrain steepened drastically. From here it was 40-60+ degree slopes, a few spots almost vertical kick stepping. The view was starting to open up, the South and Middle Sisters and Broken Top to my West, Bachelor to the South coming up from the tree line. From here on I had to really push myself, not just physically but mentally. I could see the summit, about a quarter mile and 500 vertical to go, but it was grueling. Once in the open, the wind really started cutting through as well, so took the chance to duck behind some trees and grab the coat and gloves from my pack. I kept on the clearest path I could, by this point there were trails running every which way, snow boarders, alpine skiers who had skinned up to the top. Finally after following a narrow almost vertical chute, I could see a sign of some sort ahead. I knew I was close, so with a burst of energy I took off another 30 yards to the sign post, and then could see the last little summit knoll to my left about another 50 yards up. By this point I was ecstatic, that was probably the most difficult climb I'd done, so I mustered up all my extra oomph and with a huge grin on my face, made it to the summit!
Right there I dropped my pack and checked my GPS, it said 7794', which means 15' of snow was beneath my feet! It was an amazingly emotional moment, the view was incredible all the way around, and I had accomplished a mountain summit in winter. To think I was a smoker only 6 months ago still gets me, and a year ago the thought of summiting a mountain like this probably wouldn't have even crossed my mind. Add to that the fact that I was staring face to face with my next major goal, South Sister, and I let out a healthy "WooHoo!!!" from the summit. After snapping a few pictures and grabbing one of my do-rags from my pack to make a face mask from the wind, it was time to make my way back down. From here it was hard to keep on the same trail I'd come up, the snow was starting to soften and there were so many crossing tracks, I just headed straight down. I'd marked a GPS point for the Sno-Park, and with Bachelor right in front of me, it was an easy straight shot to the bottom. By now with the soft snow, I was having to plunge step with my heels to keep my balance, so it was murder on the shins and calves coming down. Right around 3:00, I came out of the tree line at the opposite end of the Sno-Park, so stayed within 100 yards of where I started. Covered 2.4 miles and 1441' in less than 3 hours. Exhausted, but still with a grin on my face, I started bsing with a couple younger guys who were just heading up, one skinning and one shoeing with his snowboard on his pack. The guy that was skinning had just quit smoking a few years ago, so we had some common ground to talk about. They shared a few of their favorite hikes with me and headed off. I said have fun, and the one guy said "Now you're addicted to oxygen. Pretty cool, huh?"
Yep, pretty cool.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Black Butte 1-24-11
First big hike of the new year, and even though I didn't make it to the top, it was a great day of hiking. For anyone who may not know where Black Butte is at, it is off of Highway 20 between Santiam Pass and Sisters. Take Forest Service road 11 for about 4 miles, then turn left on the 1110 road for just under 5 miles. This will take you around the North side and up to the trail head back around to the SouthEast. The trail is about 2 miles long with around 1500' off elevation gain. The summit is at 6436' with a historic fire look out as well as the still used lookout tower and crew cabin. Due to snow on the road, I was only able to make it a few miles up the 1110 road, so started from there. Even though I didn't make the summit, due to deep snow and looming weather, it was a good day of learning as well as accomplishing a few goals I'd set for myself.
The first goal I'd set was to test my current layering plan, which I'm fairly happy with, pending a few minor adjustments. Started with silk long underwear, which will be switched with polypro later, fleece pants, and a pair of Sierra Designs light rain pants. They are a thin rip-stop nylon that is lined with a membrane and fully taped seams. They come with a small stuff sack, and pack down to something that could fit in a pocket. Bought some wool/acrylic blend socks to round out the lower half. I'm still waiting on buying boots, so the good old XtraTuffs were used today due to sloppy roads and snow. Good boots, but you feel every rock and your feet sweat like crazy. After the tax return comes in, new boots are on the list. For the upper half, I scored some REI OXT Tech long sleeve shirts on closeout, color was discontinued. Good base layer for moisture control. Threw a 1/4 zip fleece on over that, with my Marmot jacket in the pack. Hiked up to the trail head and threw the jacket on, then coming back down chucked the fleece in the pack at the trail head since I'd be moving faster heading back. Layers worked great, other than a few minor corrections I need to make.
The big lesson learned today....... if you're going to be hiking in potential snow conditions, leave early. I knew that, I'd read it in several of my books and trip descriptions, but I got a late start today. That decision may or may not have completely thwarted my making it to the summit, but it made me decide when to turn back. There was plenty of wind and weather making its way around, and within a mile from the top with clouds looming, I started punching through the knee deep snow. Once you get out of the tree line, there is still around 2+' of snow on the trail. There are also still many large rocks in the trail that create pockets to fall into. I decided to turn back at around 5700', which left about a mile to go. It was already going on 3pm, and to fight knee deep snow for another mile would put me well into dark before I was headed back. I'll save the summit for another day. If I had started earlier and the snow stayed firm, who knows. I'm still happy with the day. All together I covered 7.4 miles and around 2400' vertical. That's some good hiking right there, and the view wasn't bad either.
The first goal I'd set was to test my current layering plan, which I'm fairly happy with, pending a few minor adjustments. Started with silk long underwear, which will be switched with polypro later, fleece pants, and a pair of Sierra Designs light rain pants. They are a thin rip-stop nylon that is lined with a membrane and fully taped seams. They come with a small stuff sack, and pack down to something that could fit in a pocket. Bought some wool/acrylic blend socks to round out the lower half. I'm still waiting on buying boots, so the good old XtraTuffs were used today due to sloppy roads and snow. Good boots, but you feel every rock and your feet sweat like crazy. After the tax return comes in, new boots are on the list. For the upper half, I scored some REI OXT Tech long sleeve shirts on closeout, color was discontinued. Good base layer for moisture control. Threw a 1/4 zip fleece on over that, with my Marmot jacket in the pack. Hiked up to the trail head and threw the jacket on, then coming back down chucked the fleece in the pack at the trail head since I'd be moving faster heading back. Layers worked great, other than a few minor corrections I need to make.
The big lesson learned today....... if you're going to be hiking in potential snow conditions, leave early. I knew that, I'd read it in several of my books and trip descriptions, but I got a late start today. That decision may or may not have completely thwarted my making it to the summit, but it made me decide when to turn back. There was plenty of wind and weather making its way around, and within a mile from the top with clouds looming, I started punching through the knee deep snow. Once you get out of the tree line, there is still around 2+' of snow on the trail. There are also still many large rocks in the trail that create pockets to fall into. I decided to turn back at around 5700', which left about a mile to go. It was already going on 3pm, and to fight knee deep snow for another mile would put me well into dark before I was headed back. I'll save the summit for another day. If I had started earlier and the snow stayed firm, who knows. I'm still happy with the day. All together I covered 7.4 miles and around 2400' vertical. That's some good hiking right there, and the view wasn't bad either.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Snow Shoeing, Wilderness First Aid and 127 Hours
No real hikes or anything to speak of lately, but did get in to snowshoeing recently. Since quitting smoking, I have added a few pounds, and with what I have planned for next Spring/Summer, I need to get a jump on some conditioning. I did do a hike of the Mary's Peak Northridge trail a few weeks back, but a week later found out just a few miles on snowshoes on flatter terrain is even more of a workout! I went up to Black Butte for a few days this month, my boss's folks have a cabin there. I wanted to hike to the Black Butte fire lookouts, but the road up is already under a few feet of snow, so I left my truck on the FS11 road and snowshoed up a mile or so and back. Someone had gone up in a rig at one point, whatever it was had some seriously wide tires, so there was a few decent ruts to walk in going up. Having never used snowshoes before, I went up in the ruts. Nothing too steep, but a decent workout. After about a mile, I hit the Black Butte Loop trail system sign, looks like a good all day trip around the Butte. I turned back there, and decided to walk the powder back down. There was almost two foot of powdery snow, and holy crap, what a difference! It was harder and more exhausting going downhill in powder than it was going uphill in the ruts.
In February or March, I'm looking at taking the two day Wilderness First Aid class in Portland or McMinnville. With the amount of time I've been spending outdoors, and in some more remote locations, it started to make more sense. I've been wanting to get back into school, started on a law enforcement degree 18 years ago and then had a change of heart on choosing that as a profession, but have always wanted to be able to help people in some way. Being better trained (last first aid class I took was in 1993) in first aid, as well as potentially working my way up to Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness EMT has kind of started to motivate me back into schooling of some sort. Besides those classes, I've also started looking in to some other hiking and mountaineering classes sponsored by REI and a few other places. I'd LOVE to do the NOLS Outdoor Semester, but don't quite have the $12K and 78 days to spare. To get a head start on taking classes, I picked up copies of Conditioning for Climbers and Medicine for Mountaineering & Other Wilderness Activities.
I also picked up a copy of Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston after watching the movie 127 Hours a few weeks ago. Incredible movie, but I almost couldn't watch the last 10 minutes. Because of Aron Ralston having still and video cameras with him, he was able to document his situation to where the filmmakers could duplicate every last detail. I'd heard of Aron after his ordeal when his story was all over the news, and after an article came out in People magazine, my mom mailed it to me. I learned my lesson several years before that about letting several people know where you are going, when you'll be back, and if plans are going to change, they don't change unless you can inform the people you told what the change is. I stick to those rules every time I go out in the woods, even just hiking Mary's Peak. I learned from my dad when I was a kid this important life truth: Shit Happens. I've had a few of those moments in my life, falling through ice into a creek and soaking myself, getting pitched from a skiff in the ocean because the fuel tanks shifted, falling off a log 20 feet in the air because I stepped on the one piece of loose bark. I survived all those things, but they taught me to be more cautious and I had someone else with me at the time. I've been walking through the woods when there was decent wind blowing and heard trees fall within 100 yards of me, whats to say that a tree or large branch couldn't end up falling on me? You have to be aware of your surroundings at all times, and that includes looking up and expecting the unexpected.
http://www.nols.edu/wmi/
Medicine for Mountaineering
http://www.remotemedical.com/
In February or March, I'm looking at taking the two day Wilderness First Aid class in Portland or McMinnville. With the amount of time I've been spending outdoors, and in some more remote locations, it started to make more sense. I've been wanting to get back into school, started on a law enforcement degree 18 years ago and then had a change of heart on choosing that as a profession, but have always wanted to be able to help people in some way. Being better trained (last first aid class I took was in 1993) in first aid, as well as potentially working my way up to Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness EMT has kind of started to motivate me back into schooling of some sort. Besides those classes, I've also started looking in to some other hiking and mountaineering classes sponsored by REI and a few other places. I'd LOVE to do the NOLS Outdoor Semester, but don't quite have the $12K and 78 days to spare. To get a head start on taking classes, I picked up copies of Conditioning for Climbers and Medicine for Mountaineering & Other Wilderness Activities.
I also picked up a copy of Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston after watching the movie 127 Hours a few weeks ago. Incredible movie, but I almost couldn't watch the last 10 minutes. Because of Aron Ralston having still and video cameras with him, he was able to document his situation to where the filmmakers could duplicate every last detail. I'd heard of Aron after his ordeal when his story was all over the news, and after an article came out in People magazine, my mom mailed it to me. I learned my lesson several years before that about letting several people know where you are going, when you'll be back, and if plans are going to change, they don't change unless you can inform the people you told what the change is. I stick to those rules every time I go out in the woods, even just hiking Mary's Peak. I learned from my dad when I was a kid this important life truth: Shit Happens. I've had a few of those moments in my life, falling through ice into a creek and soaking myself, getting pitched from a skiff in the ocean because the fuel tanks shifted, falling off a log 20 feet in the air because I stepped on the one piece of loose bark. I survived all those things, but they taught me to be more cautious and I had someone else with me at the time. I've been walking through the woods when there was decent wind blowing and heard trees fall within 100 yards of me, whats to say that a tree or large branch couldn't end up falling on me? You have to be aware of your surroundings at all times, and that includes looking up and expecting the unexpected.
http://www.nols.edu/wmi/
Medicine for Mountaineering
http://www.remotemedical.com/
Thursday, September 16, 2010
McDonald Forest
Working on getting myself in shape for next years summit attempts should be a bit more fun and entertaining now that I've started learning the trails in McDonald Forest. The area stretches from Oak Creek Rd all the way over to Highway 99W at Adair Village, and is covered with old logging roads and trails. The forest covers an area of 7,250 acres, not sure of the total miles of trail, but enough to keep me busy and to where I won't be repeating the same track every time. The other day I took the Uproute-Extendo Loop trail which is 4.5 miles total from the parking area with about an 800' vertical gain. The trail time estimate is 2.5 hours. Well, I blew that out of the water at a hour and thirty five, but paying for it a little bit. Seems that my shoe problems are still plauging me even though I pitched the Merrells. I was just using my Asics runners, and somehow managed to kind of dislocate something in my right foot. Its not that bad, just annoying. I really need to get in and get the Danners resoled.
McDonald is a great place for mountain biking as well, so I've been on the lookout for a decent used bike. I haven't owned a bike since I was probably 14, so I've had to do a bit of research on the different brands out there. One hike I've looked at, which I really think will help with training for next years climbs is going to be the Oak Creek Quarry loop. Total length is 8 miles with a vertical gain of 2000'. Other than the elevation here, it will be a good training hike for the first part of South Sister or Mt. Adams. Xeroxed copies of the trail maps are available at most trailheads, or the fullsize maps are available at Peak Sports and the local FS office. The map is a double sided with the Mary's Peak trails on the opposite side.
http://www.cof.orst.edu/cf/recreation/visitor_map.php
McDonald is a great place for mountain biking as well, so I've been on the lookout for a decent used bike. I haven't owned a bike since I was probably 14, so I've had to do a bit of research on the different brands out there. One hike I've looked at, which I really think will help with training for next years climbs is going to be the Oak Creek Quarry loop. Total length is 8 miles with a vertical gain of 2000'. Other than the elevation here, it will be a good training hike for the first part of South Sister or Mt. Adams. Xeroxed copies of the trail maps are available at most trailheads, or the fullsize maps are available at Peak Sports and the local FS office. The map is a double sided with the Mary's Peak trails on the opposite side.
http://www.cof.orst.edu/cf/recreation/visitor_map.php
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)