Hermits on the Hancocks (Desserts on the 48). Feb 9, 2014

Woo-hoo!  My leg feels completely back to normal.  Hooray for stretches and recovery exercises!

The girls and I got back into the woods yesterday and ascended a couple of mountains.  It felt wonderful!  I think we can now resume our usual once-a-week hiking routine.

We are currently chasing multiple lists, but in a casual fashion.  During the next six months -- hopefully, before we leave for the John Muir Trail in August -- we should finish, or almost finish, the following lists: 52 With a View (Sage), Trailwrights 72 (Alex), Desserts on the 48 (both girls), and the Terrifying 25 (both girls).  FYI, we made up the last two lists (we enjoy rock scrambling, and we all wanted to do another round of the NH48...this time, with different desserts).  When we come back from California in late August/early September, we'll probably start visiting the New Hampshire peaks we haven't yet seen.  We live in a gorgeous area of the country, and the girls love to get out there, so why not keep exploring.

The hike up the Hancocks was the perfect get-back-into-it venture.  The first part of this trek is 1.8 miles of flatness along the Hancock Notch Trail.  All that flatness gives a recovering body ample time to get warmed up before hitting the steeps.

The entrance to the trail, in the parking lot off Route 112.

The trail was nicely packed from the previous day's foot traffic, so we didn't need to wear our snowshoes.

1.8 miles of flat!

We took a short water break by the first intersection.  Then it was on to 0.7 miles of Cedar Brook Trail.

Crossing a snowed-over stream.

We reached the Hancock Loop Trail, took a few more gulps of water, and walked the 1.1 miles to the beginning of the actual loop.

This part of the trail's grade is easy-to-moderate.  It only gets steep on the actual loop over the peaks.

Sage with frosty hair and eyelashes.

Loop time!  We chose the common North-first approach so we could experience the dangerous joy of butt-sliding down South Hancock.

The trail up North Hancock goes down for a tenth of a mile, then it ascends steeply for six tenths of a mile.  Up to this point, the girls and I had flown through the woods.  When we reached this stretch, however, I had to slow down.  Alex and Sage kept their same pace, which meant they kept going ahead of me, way out of eyesight.  Both of them now hike like fit young athletes, whereas I hike like an aging mom.  There may soon come a time when I ask folks I trust in the hiking community, young adults known for their quick pace and strong (and safe) hiking skills, to allow my girls to go with them from time to time so they can keep hiking to their ability (and not be handicapped by the presence of their mom).

On top of North Hancock...

We're counting this as part of our quest for Desserts on the 48.  Store-bought hermits served as our summit treat.

We're not paid to endorse these hermits.  We simply find them yummy.

The temperature up top was a balmy fifteen degrees (F), but the sun was out and we felt fairly warm.  We therefore lounged for a few minutes and soaked in the view before continuing the 1.4 miles to South Hancock.

Moving along the ridge toward South Hancock.

On South Hancock.

We lounged for a while on this peak, too.  Eventually, we got up and began the crazy-steep 0.5 mile descent back to the loop intersection.

Sage looking at Arrow Slide and North Hancock.
After this photo was taken, we sat and descended via buttsliding.

I don't have photos of our buttsliding descent.  I was concentrating on protecting the girls and not impaling myself on any branches while we zoomed down at approximately 100 miles an hour.  The girls laughed hysterically all the way down the mountain, and we all ended up with frozen rear ends and huge smiles on our faces.

This was my fourth time, Alex's third time, and Sage's second time on the Hancocks.

'Twas an excellent day in the woods.

Thanks, Alexander B. Bruce Elementary School!

Last Friday, we had a wonderful time speaking with a crowd of fun-loving and intelligent students at Alexander B. Bruce Elementary School in Lawrence, MA.  Many thanks to Allison Nadler for introducing us to her fabulous class!

Have fun in the snow today, everyone!

More Presi Rail Trail. Feb. 3, 2014

Presidential Rail Trail, Appalachia to Bowman, 6.2 flat miles, roundtrip.

This is Recovery Hike #3.  Recovery Hike #2 was a 5-mile jaunt up and down some hills near my home last week.  The leg is feeling great, thanks to the stretches I mentioned in a previous post, along with some new ones my local (and excellent) sports med doctor suggested (specific flexion and Range of Motion stretches -- see your doctor for individualized recommendations).  All these stretches, combined with light and cautious exercise, have brought me back into mountain-hiking shape.  At least, I hope I'm back in mountain-hiking shape.  I'll find out this Friday or next Monday, when I hope to summit something (anything!).

Thanks for all the well-wishes, folks.  I'm grateful for all the supportive emails!

The Presidential Rail Trail is barely used by hikers.  Guess it's too flat and boring compared with the gorgeous local waterfalls and peaks.  Even so, I enjoyed my stroll this morning.  Any stretch of forested trail is a good thing...especially in the Whites, where Mother Nature displays her beauty year-round.

The long and flat -- but effective -- road to recovery.

Frozen stream.

The intersection of a snowmobile trail, near Lowe's Path.

Heading west.

Nearing my turnaround point.

The intersection with Castle Trail.

Heading back.

The girls and I haven't been on a mountaintop in FAR TOO LONG.  I think it's been over a month -- that is forever as far as we're concerned!  Soon though, soon....just want to make sure my iliotibial band has its act together before we resume our usual hiking routine.  I hope to personally see a mountaintop within the next seven days.  Wish me luck!

Happy Legs Are Here Again

Woo-hoo!  My leg feels fine and dandy.  Had a visit with my local -- and most excellent -- sports med doc yesterday afternoon.  All I need to do is keep doing what I've been doing these past few weeks -- mainly, stretching.  He gave me a few new stretches to go with the old ones.  He also told me I should use hiking poles on a regular basis, to slow the progression of arthritis.

Two days ago, I did a five-mile hike up and down some hills near my house.  Yesterday, I walked a few flat miles and rode a stationary bike for half an hour.  Nothing hurt.  YES!

Monday, I'll head back into the woods and take on some mountain miles.  A week from tomorrow, the girls and I will summit a peak or two.

It feels good to feel GOOD again.

Recovery Hike #1: Presidential Rail Trail, Appalachia to Randolph East. 1/20/2014

1.8 miles roundtrip with perhaps 30 feet of elevation gain.

One of the many great aspects of New Hampshire's White Mountains is the diversity of the trails.  Most of the trails are rocks, boulders, and roots -- but there are quite a few tame and flat paths out there too.  Today, I decided to take my injured gam to the Presidential Rail Trail (just west of Gorham).  This trail is wide, flat, long, and never comes close to going up a mountain.  Most hikers avoid it, but for me and my Iliotibial Band Syndrome, it was the perfect terrain.

The long and unwinding Presidential Rail Trail

Note -- I have yet to see a specialist (my first appointment is next week).  In other words, I hiked today on the advice of no one.  If you have ITBS, then follow your doctor's orders and don't exercise before you're sure you're ready.  In other words, I took a risk today.  My mind desperately needed my body to get back into the woods, though...so I feel the venture was worthwhile.

I stayed off my leg as best I could this past week, and I've been doing these excellent stretches.  There has been significant improvement in day-to-day leg function.  Walking these 1.8 flat miles, however, was challenging.  I walked normally from Appalachia to Randolph East, but the return trip was not so easy.  The pain reappeared and I had to slow my pace.  When I got home, I put my leg up for a couple of hours and took some ibuprofen.  My muscles now feel like I hiked ten miles instead of barely two.

I'm thrilled to have gotten out of the house and into the woods, though, and I don't mind the less-than-killer mileage.  An injured gal has to start somewhere.

ITBS, PT, and the JMT for FA

How's that for a bunch of letters?

First -- a reminder that we are fundraising for Feeding America.  Before Christmas, we reached 50% of our $2104 goal.  Now it's time to raise that other 50%.  Please check out our fundraising page and contribute what you can.  Every penny goes straight to Feeding America.

On December 26, I slipped on my icy driveway while loading the car for my Tecumseh hike.  I did what most hikers do...I got up, brushed myself off, and went on my hike.  2200 feet of elevation gain and 5 miles later, I got home and put my feet up.

Here's Alex's reenactment of my fall...

The next morning, the lateral (outside) portion of my left knee was swollen, so I stayed off it (kind of...I have children...) for a couple of days.  I then hiked Cannon (2400 feet of elevation gain and 4.5 miles) through a foot of unbroken snow.  In between those hikes, I shoveled two storms' worth of snow from my long driveway.  A few days later, after the Cannon hike, the girls and I tried to ascend Waumbek.  That's when my knee finally rebelled.

The knee didn't hurt on Cannon -- at all.  It barely hurt on Tecumseh.  I didn't hurt when I was shoveling the snow.  On Waumbek, however, it became weak and started to hurt like hell.

I had an x-ray, which showed degenerative arthritis.  Um...yikes.  I don't feel symptoms, but I'll see a specialist soon so I can learn how to manage that lovely condition long-term.  I plan to hike as much as possible for the rest of my life, so I need to know how to increase my chances of pain-free joints.

The MRI showed no menisci tears, which is good.  The verdict -- Iliotibial Band Syndrome.  Usually, that's an overuse injury.  In my case, I slammed the heck out of the distal portion (by the top of my tibia) when I fell, the band subsequently became inflamed, I ignored it and hiked multiple times in the days that followed, and now the whole damn thing is very unhappy with me.

What does this mean in terms of hiking?  I'll probably be off the trails for a few weeks, then I'll likely ease back into things on flat, ice-free trails/sidewalks.  I hope to regain 4K hiking ability within two months, and I don't anticipate having any serious issues on the John Muir Trail (seven months from now).  Of course, I'll have a better idea of what to expect after I begin physical therapy.  My first appointment with my osteo/sports-med doctor is two weeks from today.

In the meantime, I've put myself on the 5:2 eating plan so I can avoid putting on weight during my relative inactivity.  Also, I'm increasing my sit-up sessions, weight lifting (arms) reps, and core body work-outs.

I'll post my PT details and weight loss progress each week.

Icy Driveway of Doom

Icy Driveway of Doom

I usually come home from hiking with at least one bruise, scratch, or minor skin wound.  The White Mountain trails are all boulders, roots, and tree branches.  When above treeline, the wind is often strong enough to push you off your feet.  Bushwhacking (going off trail through the woods) usually means a branch in the eye, torn clothing, and/or spiderwebs in the face.  During winter, the ice is treacherous.  During spring, the mud can be slick.  And so on.

The girls and I have been hiking the Whites for five and a half years.  In all that time, the worst injury any of us has received on the trail is a skinned knee or a large bruise.  All our more serious injuries (Alex's fractured tibia, Sage's cut face, etc) happened while doing run-of-the-mill, average activities.

The same goes for me...the last time I had a serious injury (blood clot issues aside), it was from a fall down my own front stairs.  Yea uncoordinated me.  Fractured patella, 2005.

This time, it's probably a torn meniscus.  That's what comes from trying to walk on your icy driveway in Crocs.  Yea idiotic me.  Knee injury (yet to be specifically determined), late 2013.

I have the MRI scheduled for next week.  Tuesday's x-ray showed no broken bones..but I do seem to have arthritis, which comes as a surprise since I've never had any symptoms.  Guess that'll be a discussion for a separate appointment...one with an orthopedic specialist.  I need to know how to manage the arthritis long-term so I can fulfill my life's desire of happily dying on a mountaintop at the age of 104.  The torn meniscus (if that's what it is) will require at least a couple weeks of healing.

This is a long way of saying that I won't be hiking all 48 NH4Ks this single winter season.  I anticipate being well and strong enough to handle the JMT this summer, but I'll know more after I have the MRI.

In the meantime, here are a couple photos from the aborted hike up Waumbek.  I fell on my driveway December 26..then I hiked Tecumseh, then Cannon a few days later, then I shoveled tons of snow, then I got all the snow off my roof...all on an injured knee, which rarely hurt.  The hike up Waumbek was, apparently, the last straw on this camel's patella.  On the way up, the knee went from feeling sore to feeling AWFUL...and then I finally realized I must have truly injured it when I fell on the 26th (and then wrecked it entirely by hiking on it over and over again).

Beginning the aborted Waumbek hike.

I had to bail five minutes after I took this photo.

The girls had fun sledding down the mountain.

I'll write more after I've had the MRI next week.  It's early January, which means I should have more than enough time to heal before summer.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  In the meantime, the girls will stay in shape by doing all their other usual sports (skiing, karate, climbing, swimming, etc.).

'Til next week -- happy hiking, everyone...and be careful on your icy driveways!
--Trish