[pct-l] Dowse the Flames. Hike and Share your stories.

[calliger@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Richard Calliger)]

If your body can do with 4 hrs sleep one night (it is the
NIGHT PREVIOUS that counts!- not the night before THE DAY
becasue your body can stretch 24 more hrs after a great
sleep) and if you are packed lite enuf and dont mind
some jogging you could easily do a 60+ mile day!
I did that in military training but we worked up to
it with a 2 months of 2x and 3x weekly 10, 15 and
25 mile runs. And as you, 25 mile days became
routine.

I think the limit is physics: friction wear and
tear in the body's joints and also the foot-shoe
interrace is gonna get hot. But U-M's do 100
mile runs in under 24 hours "routinely".
but certainly not more than one during any
given month. So perhaps one 60 mile day followed
by a couple 15-20 to recover?

Rich


At 10:42 PM 1/8/03 -0800, Luke Snyder wrote:
>
>
>THIS LIST IS REACHING ITS MAXIMUM NEGATIVITY LEVEL!
>
>Mr. Marc Smallberries, I hope you learned your lesson.
> Opinions here are of plenty, and...blah blah blah.
>While many others on the list care to flame you and
>prove you idiot, I offer peace with you.  While I no
>longer agree with you, I once did.  Can I share a
>little magic with you?
>
>I ask you to just take a second and pull your eyes
>from the screen.  Remember just a few of those moments
>you've had along that trail we all know so well.
>Whether you've hiked just a fraction or the whole
>thing, it is guaranteed you've been blessed in some
>way from it.
>
>So, here's a call for a few more stories on the list.
>Let's hear about some trail magic, favorite moments,
>patience testers, funny happenings, and so forth.
>
>Instead of trying to take power from others, let's
>share it.
>
>I'll start.
>
>"Wonder"
>
>A few years ago, I used to wonder alot.    I wondered
>if sky-diving would make my heart stop. I wondered if
>I could hold my breath for 2 minutes, ask that hot
>blonde out, climb that rock, and other simple
>challenges that usually led to pleasing results.
>Wondering is natural, and young males seem to do it
>alot.  Somewhere during that natural progression, I
>wondered if I could push myself both physically and
>mentally day after day, covering tremendous
>geographical distances, on foot.
>
>So the research began.  Soon after, the hike.  On the
>first day, freedom.  On the next, the kickoff party.
>Thanks to many of you, I was off to a good start.
>
>Once the rhythm of the hike fell into a groove, I knew
>I was going to make it to my destination. My mind and
>body hardened and my goal was visible.  Over time,I
>found the "wonder" part of my goal disappearing.  I
>knew the trail would provide for my needs.  I knew I'd
>be blessed with many beautiful people each day.  I
>knew at the top of that pass something grand was
>waiting for me.  I knew the experience would carry me.
> Feeling as if the goal was more and more tangible, I
>needed something untouchable to wonder about.
>
>With the days getting longer, my body getting
>stronger, my mileage slowly started to creep up.  I
>called everyone I knew when I hiked my first 20 mile
>day.  Just two weeks earlier, I'd thought it would be
>an incredible feat.  Believe it or not, it wasn't that
>hard.  People couldn't believe I hiked 25 in one day.
>I surprised myself when I hiked three 27 miles in one
>day...and thus began the wondering once again.  How
>far could I hike in one day?
>
>Somewhere in that epic journey, I nailed a 36 mile day
>on my quest for the Oregon border.  I guess I did it
>just right, leaving the rest of the trail for later,
>and suspending the wondering if I could make it to
>Canada someday, and if I would ever be in the shape I
>once was, able to hike nearly 40 miles in a single
>day!
>
>Just under a year later, I found myself fit, trained,
>and even more keen to get back on the trail, with a
>mission to rock the whole state of Oregon.
>
>Boom.  Boom.  Boom. The flat terrain's entry to the
>state left me flying, pulling two consistant thirty
>mile days.  I was rockin, and not about to stop.  Once
>again, feeling that groove only a few weeks on a trail
>will do to you, I continued my push, wondering if I
>could pull a 40.  I did.  It was easy.  The only
>reason I stopped what because of the "self-induced
>spookies."  I didn't want to stop, but the darkness
>fell and I imagined mountain lion eyes stalking me,
>ready to pounce.
>
>So if a 40 mile day was easy, I wondered if a 45 was
>feasible.  And if I was to do a 45, why not a 50 mile
>day?  Was there enough time in the day to do one?
>Would my muscles fail?  Will the trail allow for me to
>cover so much ground?  Has anyone ever done a 50 mile
>day?  Will anyone believe me?  Will "Survivor" take me
>as a contestant?
>
>The "Wonder" of my hike was at full throttle.
>
>So the day came when I met a young hiker on a boy-
>scout outing.  He was heading north, covering 80 miles
>in 7 days.  As I approached him, I noticed his smile.
>He was surely enjoying himself, looking at the long
>vistas from the crest.  There was nothing different
>about this adolescent with the exception of his legs.
>He had none.  Wearing gloves, he would pivot with his
>hands and slide his trunk, throw his arms forward
>again and push on up the trail.
>
>Inspiration for my legs.
>
>That afternoon, I planned to walk from Ollalie Lake to
>a small camp site just a few miles short of Timberline
>Lodge the next day,  50.1 miles away.  I figured it
>was to be a celebration of my legs.
>
>I set my clock the night before for 4 AM to get an
>early start and planned to rock all day, until about
>11 at night.
>
>The next chunk of story goes better chronologically.
>3:30AM -The stars go away
>3:31 -The rain hits my face
>3:45 -Tired of fussing with my tarp, I'm walking.
>3:47 -Huckleberries found for the first time.  I begin
>to have serious re-considerations about pushing
>myself.
>3:50 -Rocking at full speed, flashlight on.
>6:00 -Pee break and grab a granola bar to walk with.
>6:01 -Rocking at turbo speed, probably 3.4 mph
>8:00 -5 minute foot up break
>11:00 -20 miles completed.  Lunchtime
>11:20 Rocking full speed.
>
>So the day continued on at full speed.  For some
>amazing reason, my body didn't complain about the
>accelerated speed.  My heart thumped mildly hard all
>day. Somewhere around 2 or so, I met a young kid, who
>was hiking north.  He hiked fast and we started up a
>chat.  He too was hiking the whole state, and was in
>great shape.  His daily mileage was at about 20 miles
>each day and he wanted to push himself hard with me.
>I soon learned that he was going to do his best to
>make it to Timberline Lodge, making his day a 27 mile
>one and mine a 54.1 if I were to join him.  I couldn't
>believe I was attempting to break Strider's record.  I
>remember idolizing he, his stories, and his long legs
>at the kick-off-party.
>
>You can see where this is going, and it did.  We
>rocked, even taking a 10 minute detour to see Little
>Crater Lake.  At an elevated pace, we walked all day,
>rolling into the bitterly cold territory of Timberline
>Lodge at 9:30 PM for some magic, including a free
>meal, shower, and bed (from three different angels!)
>
>As I look back on it, I smile.  I don't have much from
>that adventure aside from the mental proof that you
>can do anything you put your mind too.
>
>I'm not sure if I ever want to do that day again, but
>I'll still wonder if I could hike 60 miles in one
>day.?
>
>Thanks for reading.
>
>Peace, Love, and many thanks to the trail,
>
>-Amigo
>
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