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

[saskia.home@xxxxxxxxxx (Saskia Daru)]

I just saw on the TV a story about a guy who wants to jog from Lisbon
(Portugal) to St Petersburg (Russia). He was saying that he will
consistently do days of about 40 miles. The interviewer asked him what
the maximum distance would be and he said that 'the human body cannot
do more than 100km' (65 miles approx.) I don't know why he said that,
is there any evidence that there is a true maximum the human body can
bear?

Not for my own hike, I hike up to about 15 miles comfortably, not much
more. Still I enjoy my hike so much more going ultralight, by the way,
it is not just about making more miles. It is also about looking up and
around without a pack in your neck, about balancing on a log during
creek crossings, about enjoying being out instead of shutting
everything outside of your tent at night... And I really like trying
out something different.

Saskia

On donderdag, jan 9, 2003, at 14:52 Europe/Amsterdam, Richard Calliger
wrote:

> 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
>>
>> __________________________________________________
>> Do you Yahoo!?
>> Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
>> http://mailplus.yahoo.com
>> _______________________________________________
>> PCT-L mailing list
>> PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net
>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> PCT-L mailing list
> PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>
------------
drs Saskia Daru
< Project DIVA >
	projectimplementatie en -advies
	op het gebied van diversiteit
	en interculturaliteit
Haarlemmerwerg 247b
1051 NV Amsterdam
06-24718848
projectdiva@xs4all.nl