Message Board Get Together?

[Hikin_Jim]

BBQ on Saturday July 14th middle of the morning

Would the PM work? Some people might want to do something radical, like, um, well hiking for example.

[magikwalt]

Well at least we have the day decided. Suggestions are still be requested for everything else. I have a wide open schedule so it makes little difference to me except that I'd like to see it firm up by Thursday evening.

[lee]

A gathering of Skyline who's who!
I think I am assuming too much here... thank you for the invite
I have already set up a trip to The J. Paul Getty Museum for one of the meetup groups here in San Diego on Saturday July 14. If it ends up with just me on the 'yes' list, I will cancel the trip and head up there. Not via Skyline

[zippetydude]

Yipes. I'm hoping for the morning. Hikin Jim, is the afternoon a must, or a slight preference, or somewhere in between? I enjoy your posts and look forward to meeting you in person.

Hey, by the way, I know there must be some "lurkers" out there who do Skyline, read the info here, but don't happen to post. I'm hoping you'll be able to make it as well - I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss out on the camaraderie and Walt's BBQ!

How about the rest of you regular poster people?

By the way, RJUSC, if you're home for summer, I hope you can make it!

z

[Hikin_Jim]

I just wanted to do a hike before I eat some "Q" 'cause it ain't a happenin' afterwards. I've been wanting to do Marion and Jean for some time and was hoping to "hop on top" via the first tram, do a couple of peaks and then enjoy some Q thereafter. If morning is best for everyone, then I'll just have to get creative.

I've got some nutty idea that I'm going to do a 13er in CO in a couple of weeks, so I kind of want to be doing a solid hike every Saturday until CO. I guess I could just head over to the DST and meet you all at the tram, then hike back out. Hmm. I'm sure there's a way.

Anybody know a good x-c route from the top of Marion back to the Wellman Divide trail? The SSE/SE trending ridge looks "interesting."

[magikwalt]

Good Morning Hikin_Jim,

You know over training isn't good for you either. Maybe you need a zero day to replunish your fat stores? I've used this line of reasoning to avoid the heat lately!

Walt

[zippetydude]

I see your logic. I'm glad you posted, 'cause there's something that I do before hard runs or climbs that really helps on the big day.

Marathon runners call it a "taper", because you shorten the distance of your long outings during the last 3 weeks before a marathon. You'll also want to ratchet up the intensity just a little so that your normal pace will feel easy when you go on your trip. I employ the same approach for, say, setting a personal best on Skyline or South Fork, or when I do Whitney. What it works out to is letting your body fully recharge and heal before the 13r, so you're strong and almost itchin' to go (as they say in the South). I'd encourage you to give it a try.

The most straightforward way to try it out would be to cut out anything that takes, say, more than two hours of nonstop hiking for the next week, then cut out anything that takes more than one hour of continuous hiking the week prior to your 13r ascent.

For example, pick a trail you already know takes you about 2 hours, and try to do it in 1:50, or 1:45; the final week you'd do trails that normally take you about an hour, and try to do them in :55 or :50. Slightly more intense, but not crazy hard.

What this does is allow your muscles, which have already built up strength and endurance, to fully heal and charge up for the upcoming challenge. When I do it this way, the weeks before feel ridiculously easy, but the healing is good for me, and I honestly enjoy the tough, challenging day more because my legs feel great, springy and fresh. Check out this link.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7 ... -0,00.html

I know you're not running a marathon, but a 13r is a serious challenge, and I doubt your body is going to think, "Wow, that was so easy! I think I'll do it backwards next time! Or maybe I'll carry a big rock! I need a REAL challenge!"

You'll probably find that Skyline and other such hiking has wonderfully prepared you, but a 13r is still a 13r. This taper idea is just like icing on the cake. Give it some thought.

z

[Ellen]

Howdy Walt

I'll be in touring the wine country and hiking in redwoods (Muir woods, Armstrong park) from July 12-16. I'll miss seeing you and eating barbecue on the 14th At least I can drown my sorrows at a wine tasting

Someone please take pictures and post them.

Howdy Jim

I agree with Z's tapering suggestion. This helps the physical properties of the muscles and rebuilds fuel stores. From a dietary standpoint, I always take the day off before a long hike and load up on carbohydrates to replenish muscle glycogen stores. Due to the heat, I've also been generously salting my food and drinking ample fluids to assure that I'm hydrated.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[Hikin_Jim]

"Taper." Interesting. That's sort of what I had in mind although I was just going on gut instinct to form my "training plan."

My plan was to do increasingly hard hikes (based on gain and distance) every Saturday while doing 1hr local hikes Tue/Thu.

My plan for the last two weeks was to do a pretty hard hike -- Cucamonga Pk (8859', 14 mi RT, 4200' gain, Robinson rating: Strenuous) -- two weeks before the 13er and then do a lighter hike -- Mt. Baden-Powell (9399', 8 mi RT, 2800' gain, Robinson rating: Moderate) -- the Saturday prior to the 13er.

I was figuring my body would recover during the mid-week since I don't normally have time to do a lot of real hiking between Saturdays, but it sounds like people are saying that's too much for the last weeks prior to a 13er.

Looks like I need to 86 Baden-Powell on the Saturday prior to the 13er, but what do you guys think about doing a pretty tough but not killer hike two weeks prior given that I don't do a lot of mid-week hiking? The fact that I'm just short of age 45, should also be factored in.

...

One last thing that I should say before people start making assumptions is that while I have hiked in the San Jacintos, I haven't done Skyline. I have tried to be scrupulous in avoiding any posts regarding the Skyline route itself or any matter where first hand experience would be needed; all my posts have been based on my experience over the last several decades of hiking. I did encourage one individual who was a self described beginner who intended to take a group on a Summer Skyline to reconsider. I think that was a reasonable call to make based on what experience I have. Had I done Skyline only once years ago on a cool day, I think that I would be less qualified to make such a call. By the way, I am intimately familiar with the pain and suffering of hiking in 100+ temps.

[magikwalt]

Sorry to hear you will be out of town Ellen. I'll swap you BBQ for wine anytime you like. When you make it back shoot me a line and Jean an I will do a hike and BBQ day with you.

Here's the routine I like best: Rubbed ribs go in the smoker, catch the tram up and hike to the summit, drink a beer at the tram bar and back to Palm Springs for BBQ Lunch.

I hike to eat and drink!