back to Adventures.
2008 September 6.
Now that fall is underway, Viann and I are in training for Viannah's
Grand Canyon trip (summer 2010).
The first hike was last Sunday evening and was very similar to the
October 10, 2004 entry at
Family Nights
but without the dog who was too sick to go. Sheridan is much
better today.
(Other entries from all of Fall 2008 are also shown there with a few
pictures.)
The second hike was this morning. The plan was to spend about two
hours climbing towards LEON from Palm Crest and to see how far we could
get and what it would do to us. You guys have been there on your
own Lukens hikes and know what I'm talking about. It's the trail
up into the mountains behind Chris Chafin's house. Wilda and I
hiked to LEON from the rent house maybe 20 years ago. The big
bill-board sized survey target with LEON written on it is no longer
there but we still call it LEON.
Starting at 6:30 a.m. (which was durned early considering we got in
from the Hollywood Bowl after midnight last night!) we climbed from the
Palm Crest parking lot about 1350 feet, ending at where we think is
right below LEON. The round trip was about five miles in about
two hours. There was one minor fall. I think Viann needs
better hiking shoes.
Viann called the turnaround point, which was higher than I was
expecting but about on schedule. We took pictures to identify the
site on later hikes.
I have something planned weekly through this fall's training
culmination on December 20 when we will attempt to summit Lukens
(actually done December 13, to be reported later). Of course, the
work-ups will tell us if we can do this and how and if we should even
attempt it. Given enough time and an early enough start, I think
we'll be fine.
If this goes well enough, then the plan for the spring is to get some
backpacking experience and start a little equipment collection.
Oh, and we're both trying to lose about 50 pounds before summer
2010. Daily Plate at livestrong.com is helping with this, but
we're just now getting to the point of having to do without food that
we would otherwise have been eating. So, yes, it's a long road
ahead, but today's result is encouraging. And Viann is right, it
does help to leave at the crack of dawn and be out when it's still
cool. Highs today are expected over 100. We were back at
the house about the time we would normally have been getting up.
And yes, I'm tired.
Here's the turnaround point and a little pile of rocks we made there.
2008 November 2 - A note to Viannah about progress.
It's going OK. This is kind of the final chapter of "doing
something with the kids." There was always a plan for Viann and I
to do something together too. It was supposed to come sooner and
be more often....
Like each of you, she has differences. She insists on getting up
as early as possible and leaving before light if possible. I
didn't have that "problem" with any of you guys. She does all the
pacing, deciding when to stop in place or sit down and rest. I
felt like I had to do all the pacing with the kids, being driven, being
in charge, doing training, and being the one responsible for the
schedule. In those respects, we are peers here. The deal
is, we leave when she wants to, we go at her pace. Otherwise she
won't go. I'm responsible for finding things to do that will fit
into the time available, with some margin. It's working well so
far.
This does give us a chance to talk over things that we just wouldn't be
able to make the time for otherwise. Things ranging from the next
hike to stuff happening at work to landscaping, getting kids through
college, the end of the world, PhDs, routine stuff like that.
She does not enjoy hiking as well as I do -- doesn't have the history
with it that I do. It was a thing that I did with my dad that
made me feel like I could do anything. (If my shoes last, I can
make it anywhere on the continent that I want to go sort of
thing.) But it is certainly within the realm of things she will
do. She draws the line at anything that needs equipment
(crampons, ropes, etc.).
[We have since set additional limiting rules beyond just rope:
temperatures between 40 and 100 F, no running, no snow.]
I am worried that she doesn't have time to do any walking aside from
the hikes, but so far we haven't done anything that she couldn't do,
self paced. We are both marginally better off for all this.
I have always thought that she came from better stock than I do for
physical fitness purposes, so she has more natural stamina and gets in
shape easier. For example, even though I ride or walk several
times a week, and sometimes push for training purposes just for this,
and although that means that I don't have as hard a time on these
outings as I would if I didn't do that, I get home from the big ones a
lot closer to having hit the wall than Viann does. Even though
she is providing pacing for me, it is still important that I keep the
calorie intake / outflow balanced on the big days. That would
have helped a lot in the Grand Canyon last time....
Actually, maybe more of my problems are diet-related than I'll
admit. Probably.
2009 January 14
There is a lengthy narrative with pictures and an Excel planning
spreadsheet on my computer. All this is too big and too unedited
to put here, but some version of it all may be one of these days.
created 2009 January 14, cbd