I read your article with some interest. We had kind-of a forced hike out in 2012 after climbing Mount Olympus in WA state. We decided to skip a night on the trail and do 18 miles in one set in less than 6 hours. After dropping 5000 feet in three miles the trail was wide and flat. It was right under a jog for me at that pace. We had just completed 45 miles over the last week and did more than 23,000 vertical feet so my boots were well broken in and my conditioning was fine.
But like you, I pushed my feet beyond what was comfortable. I was using medium grade hiking boots with soles old enough not to flex fully on impact. It took my toes about two months before they lost the numbness from beating them up that day. Never again.
JRB,
You had a very nice back to back hike. No wonder you feet took a hit.
My feet did not hurt me more than a day. Once I popped all the blisters nothing hurt anymore. But I live & learn.
BradBartick - Nov 16, 2014 11:32 am - Hasn't voted
Nice work, despite the issues
I did N to S to N on 10/27. The last time I didi it was 2007. Both 1-day journeys. It's an oddessey. Sounds like your energy issue at the 7 hour mark was diet or hydration-related, from which recovery is hard. Sometimes that happens even when you feel prepped. Good work gutting it out. Even though the trails are well traveled, RRR can be a lonely mental endeavor.
Brad,
Thank you very much for putting your two cents in it. I tend to believe it was my nutrition. I don't think it was dehydration since it wasn't over 60-65 for more than 3 hours and during that time I had fulfilled my water intake. However, a few days before the hike I took a supplement supposed to help during the hike. That supplement made me sick. Looking into it, that supplement has mostly salt in it. That is very expensive salt! Anyway, as you said, RRR is not really about the hike as much as the mental strength. It is good to push yourself to where you think you are going to break just to discover there is so much more of you that you even thought. I'm looking forward to my next RRR. I love the canyon at night. Cottonwood & Phantom Ranch are awesome in the middle of the night. I'm not a big fan of camping but just being there for an hour or so is such a great feeling.
JRB - Nov 15, 2014 9:31 am - Voted 10/10
Feet don't fail me nowI read your article with some interest. We had kind-of a forced hike out in 2012 after climbing Mount Olympus in WA state. We decided to skip a night on the trail and do 18 miles in one set in less than 6 hours. After dropping 5000 feet in three miles the trail was wide and flat. It was right under a jog for me at that pace. We had just completed 45 miles over the last week and did more than 23,000 vertical feet so my boots were well broken in and my conditioning was fine.
But like you, I pushed my feet beyond what was comfortable. I was using medium grade hiking boots with soles old enough not to flex fully on impact. It took my toes about two months before they lost the numbness from beating them up that day. Never again.
Diesel - Nov 16, 2014 9:30 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Feet don't fail me nowJRB,
You had a very nice back to back hike. No wonder you feet took a hit.
My feet did not hurt me more than a day. Once I popped all the blisters nothing hurt anymore. But I live & learn.
BradBartick - Nov 16, 2014 11:32 am - Hasn't voted
Nice work, despite the issuesI did N to S to N on 10/27. The last time I didi it was 2007. Both 1-day journeys. It's an oddessey. Sounds like your energy issue at the 7 hour mark was diet or hydration-related, from which recovery is hard. Sometimes that happens even when you feel prepped. Good work gutting it out. Even though the trails are well traveled, RRR can be a lonely mental endeavor.
Diesel - Nov 16, 2014 12:03 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Nice work, despite the issuesBrad,
Thank you very much for putting your two cents in it. I tend to believe it was my nutrition. I don't think it was dehydration since it wasn't over 60-65 for more than 3 hours and during that time I had fulfilled my water intake. However, a few days before the hike I took a supplement supposed to help during the hike. That supplement made me sick. Looking into it, that supplement has mostly salt in it. That is very expensive salt! Anyway, as you said, RRR is not really about the hike as much as the mental strength. It is good to push yourself to where you think you are going to break just to discover there is so much more of you that you even thought. I'm looking forward to my next RRR. I love the canyon at night. Cottonwood & Phantom Ranch are awesome in the middle of the night. I'm not a big fan of camping but just being there for an hour or so is such a great feeling.