Training for Something Different

After the duathlon, I took some time off from racing. But my exercise and training did not stop. I continued to ride my bike here and there but my focus shifted from running and riding to getting ready for our Grand Canyon trip. My wife Melissa and I were flying out to Phoenix in early September where we would meet up with Melissa's wife Vicki and her husband Mark. We would then rent a car and drive to the Grand Canyon for a Rim to Rim hike. It had all the potential for an epic adventure-everything from 120 degree hiking with full packs down deep into the Canyon to beautiful scenery and the tranquility of enjoying nature with no crowds.

Let me clarify that the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has plenty of crowds and we would be staying one night at the South Rim but then we would take a 5 hour shuttle around the canyon to the less popular North Rim. After a night there, we planned to hike down into the Canyon. Melissa and I had hiked down into the Canyon a few years earlier but not all the way to the bottom. This time we would be taking our time and doing 4 nights below the Rim.

Before going though we had to train and the best way to train for a rigorous backpacking trip is to go backpacking. Fortunately for us, we live not too far from the Blue Ridge mountains and the Shenandoah National Park. We love the park and each year we get a season pass and we always get our moneys worth.

I did some online research to find some places that were relatively close to our house so we could drive out early Saturday morning and get an all day hike in and perhaps do an overnight and get a hike in on Sunday. We did a few very vigorous hikes in the heat of the summer to try to acclimate to the heat. The Grand Canyon temperatures would be very high and we had to get used to it. Virginia weather can get be quite hot although we have a lot more humidity than they do out in Arizona.

One particular hike was really tough. On July 26th we went on what we call the Austin Furnace Mountain hike. We packed our packs heavier than we would need for a day hike to simulate the amount of weight we would have on our Grand Canyon trip. We had our tent, sleeping bags, etc although we ended up doing just a day hike. But it was quite a hike. We covered 11.23 miles over the course of about 8 and half hours. There was a lot of elevation loss and gain and a large portion of our climb was totally exposed to the sun. We had some of those moments where we just had to stop, stand, and catch our breath-no shade, and no where to sit down. The trail was not wide by any means so up we climbed single file. Melissa usually leads up the steep hills while I draft. Technically there is no physical advantage like there would be at high speeds on a bike but I call it mental drafting. Once Melissa gets going, she gets into a groove and chunks away the miles. We had plenty of water and food so the hike was manageable but it was quite a workout. Here is the elevation profile of the hike from my GPS.

Another great hike we did was the Three Ridges Hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a very popular hike with many great places to pitch a tent for the night. We had actually done this hike as a day hike many years ago.

Actually it makes a pretty good side story. We were less experienced at the time and had bit off more than we could chew. We ended up running out of water towards the end of the day. As we continued hiking, wondering when the end of the trail would finally come, the sun continued to go down (as it does every day, right?). We were running out of light fast and we were pretty pooped. Plus although it was summer, it was cooling off pretty fast. We were dressed in shorts and t-shirts and while I did have a beach towel, I really did not want to spend the night out in the woods with absolutely no gear including no flash light. It was supposed to be a day hike so I did not have a flashlight or any other safety gear.

As the sun went down, we were getting more and more tired. We were at the most difficult part of the hike and despite wanting to get to the end of the trail as soon as possible we had to rest. As we stopped and sat down in the middle of the trail, I was starting to get pretty worried. People have died in the woods from hypothermia at temperatures not much lower than what we were going to be experiencing if we did not get out of the woods. To say that I started to freak out might be an exaggeration but I was not exactly calm. Melissa calmed me down and we got up and kept moving. Melissa has exercise induced asthma and she was starting to feel the affects of pushing the pace. We continued hiking in a single file with me leading the way and Melissa following as close as she could. Somehow I was staying on the trail. There was just enough dusk light for me to divine the trail.

The terrain finally leveled out and we came across one of the shelters along the AT. There was a hiker wrapped up in his sleeping bag getting ready to sleep. He pointed us in the direction of some other hikers around a campfire. These hikers gave us some water. I did not realize how thirsty I was. We drank some water and asked where the trail was that lead back to the parking lot. They pointed us towards the trail. We tried to make it up the trail but it was just too dark. I thought that the only thing we could do at this point was to go back to the campfire and sleep next to it on the ground. It would be better than nothing.

But then we came across another group and a man loaned us a big flashlight. Using the flashlight, we were able to see the trail. I walked in front with the flashlight and Melissa held my hand as we made our way through the dark woods. We actually still had a ways to go and despite having the flashlight, it was still slow going. Finally I recognized that we were coming to the road and I was so happy. Even if the car did not start, I was glad to be out of the woods. We made it back to the car at 10:00 PM. After we got back to the car, we drove to where the hiker who loaned us the flashlight had parked their car and put the flashlight on the side of the car. We had been saved by a friendly hiker!

Now back to the story of training for the Grand Canyon. As I said, as part of our training we did Three Ridges but this time as a two day hike with full packs. Below are some pictures from the hike. There is one photo of me on the Three Ridges Trail about half way up a rocky section. This rocky section was where we were years earlier as the sun went down.

Our two day Three Ridges hike was a great training hike. We had lots of elevation loss and gain with full packs. And we were sore afterwards. Our muscles took a beating on those rocky climbs on day 2.

After Three Ridges we did some other various hikes in the SNP and around Richmond. We even backpacked the mountain biking trails downtown that I had raced on in the Xterra and the Duo. On our downtown hike we ran into some people who asked if we were training for something. I guess it was obvious. Occasionally you might see someone with a backpack down at Belle Island but usually they are homeless people with tattered gear and clothing. We had state of the art gear. We chatted with the couple for a bit as we went across the Belle Island foot bridge. They had recently come back from the Grand Canyon and when we mentioned that we did Three Ridges recently, they told us that if we could do Three Ridges, we could easily do the Grand Canyon. That was nice to hear.

There is one park where I have never seen any backpackers-my beloved Poor Farm. One day we loaded up our packs and went to Poor Farm for some training. We warmed up on the flats and did some hills and eventually made it the amphitheater in the park. At the amphitheater there is a set of about 200 stairs that get steeper and steeper as you go up. We went up and down these stairs many times in the hot summer sun. We must have looked goofy to anyone who might have seen us. But we were determined to make it to the Grand Canyon in excellent condition so we could fully enjoy the trip. Below is a picture showing the bottom portion of the stairs at Poor Farm. If you look carefully at this photo you can see me with my pack heading up towards the what looks like the top of the stairs where it gets shady. However that was only part way up. From there the stairs got steeper. My legs were aching already but I kept going up and down the stairs. It felt good to be getting all this training in. I was looking forward to the trip out west.

When I started writing this segment tonight, I had planned on quickly talking about our trip out West but got into more of the preparation story. Stay with me. Next time I will cover the actual trip out West and I will include a few pictures. Thanks for reading.