19.5 miles of hiking • 5000' elevation gain •
Summer like hiking in January!
Training for a spring marathon has left me with limited time to hike. Thus, we had been planning on a January 25th hike for weeks. I could not have asked for a better day.
The day started off pretty rough. I was coming off a cold from the week before and didn't eat much for breakfast, since I lost my spoon somewhere between home and Gateway where I met with the rest of our group. We carpooled out to Eagle Creek, and then headed down the bike path and then up the Wauna Cutoff. By the time we got to the camp at the junction of the main trail, I was bonking bad. I started thinking that I wasn't as recovered from my cold as I thought I was, but grabbed some snacks before continuing up the trail. I felt like I was hiking in a haze, half asleep and ready for a nap. I told the rest of the group to go ahead, and that I might turn back towards the camp at the trail junction.
Somehow, I kept plodding along at a snails pace. Around Dublin Lake my energy level improved, and I grabbed yet another snack. Shortly after this I was cruising up the trail. I managed, somehow to get to the top of Tanner Butte just minutes after the rest of the group. The views were AMAZING! We could see Mt. Jefferson to the south, Mt. Rainier to the north, and Saddle Mountain in the coast range. After basking for much too long in the sun, taking photos, and eating lunch, we headed back down the trail, trying to beat the setting sun. The sun won, so the last three miles or so were by headlamp.
So what did I learn? Eat. Eat food...lots of it! I had never really bonked while hiking before, and definitely not this badly. I'm still not sure why it happened this time, but it is something I will be cautious not to repeat!
Karl
January 28, 2015
You did it, though! What an incredible recovery! :-D