Hiking 100 Miles in June

I’ve really been getting out of shape lately and given that I have a few failed attempts in making it to the gym on a regular basis I’m going to try something different.  100% hiking, well at least for this month.  Just like the title reads I’m going to put down 100 miles on the mountain during June.

I plan on primarily using the Big Kennesaw, Little Kennesaw, Pigeon Hill Loop which is a little more than 6 miles with a cumulative gain of over 1,600 feet.  As much as possible I’m going to use an every other day schedule though there will be a few doubles and one triple involved.  If I get near the end and have a lot of miles to make up I’ll do an all day over to Burnt Hickory and Kolb Farm if necessary.  The entire system can provide a 16 mile loop of sorts.

Here are the charts:

 

 

 

 

6/7/2011 – Early Morning – Completed 15.4mi

Made it over to the mountain a few minuets after 6:00AM. I’m not a morning person so this was tough but the solitude and wildlife that’s present in the morning made the hike really enjoyable.  Saw lots of deer and a few male with big antlers.. One was in the middle of the trail staring at me so we had a standoff… after 30 seconds or so he yielded and I was able to continue on and finish in about 1:40.

6/8/2011 – Completed 21.6mi

Hiked late in the afternoon and wrapped up around 9:00pm. I felt great the entire time and had my best time yet at 1:36

6/10/2011 – The new Shoes – Completed 27.8

Had to hike it the heat of the day and had my slowest time yet at 1:50. Thunder rumbled a few times but the rain never came. Instead a humid intense heat ruled the day. I started the hike at about 92 degrees and finished as it was 94. I saw maybe 10 people over the entire 6 miles.

Today was my first day in the La Sportiva Wildcat Trail Running Shoes.  I had to use some second skin after my heels were damaged in the Solomon shoes but it all worked like a charm and I really like the new shoes. Great grip, stability and above all it fits my foot perfectly.

6/11/2011 – Completed 34

Hiked in the heat of the day again. Had a person record to the top of Big Kennesaw.  From trail head to the parking lot in a little over 15 minuets. That beats my personal best by a minuet and a half.

6/13/2011 – Completed 40.2

Got an early start and finished in about 1:40. Saw a young spotted fawn on the trail, had to have been born this spring. The trail was pretty rutted so there must have been a pretty good rain on the mountain yesterday. Giving lots of thought to what 30 day challenge I’d like to try next. Doing a series of  extremely long hikes is drawing my attention as is trying to do an incredible number of push-ups or pull-ups during a month. I still have some time to decide… we’ll see.

6/13/2011 – Part II Completed 46.4

I had some free time this evening so… I went back over to the mountain and put in another round for a total of more than 12 miles today.  And not only did I do it a second time but it was my best time yet.  Making it to the top with a new record of about 14:40 and finishing at around 1:33

6/17/2011 – Completed 52.6

Well, I’ve had 3 days rest thanks to a 12 mile day earlier in the week but today was no cake walk. I started the hike under dark clouds that turned into an all out thunderstorm with heavy rain and winds. It rained for the entire hike which kept me cool for a change  but made for otherwise unpleasant conditions.  Another factor that has crept up again during this particular hike is some knee pain on my right knee. I may need to get this checked out as I still have pain just sitting here more than an hour later.

 

6/19/2011 – Completed 58.8

Took a rest day for the knee. Iced the knee a lot on the day of the injury as well as the next day, put on a knee brace and had a great hike.  Knee braces work!  High humidity.

6/20/2011 – Completed 65

Got up early and was on the mountain at around 6:30. Awesome hike because Susan was able to come along which easily made this the best hike so far. I can’t really tell how long this hike took but we kept a respectable pace. Lots of deer out this morning, saw a really small fawn and a young buck as well.

6/21/2011 – Completed 71.2

Started at 6:30. The dry air made for a cool morning with a nice breeze. Moved at an average pace and felt good.

6/22/2011- Completed 77.4

Hit the mountain today during a downpour and it was great.   Saw only 4 – 5 people 2 turtles and tons of frogs.

6/24/2011- Completed 89.4 – 12 miles

We’ve got a busy weekend planned so I knew I had to get the miles in today. I put in right at 12 miles. Took the standard visitors center to Pigeon Hill then across Burnt Hickory taking the West Loop Trails over to Dallas Highway then crossed over to the Illinois Monument when the weather turned nasty.  Great.. I was only 6 miles from my starting point! I ended up ducking under the bridge that crosses nooses creek for a few minuets during the worst of it.  I was more afraid of being hit my falling branches than anything. It all worked out though and the best part of it was that that storm dropped the temperature at least 10 degrees!  Finished in a little over 3 hours.

6/29/2011 – Completed 99.? – 10 miles

Well, one more day left in June and I didn’t want to just squeak by so I put in 10 today and will put in 6 more tomorrow just to overachieve on the goal  I’ve included a picture of the new bridge and it’s certainly nice but seems like a bit of overkill for a bridge in the middle of the woods. The weight capacity was noted to be in the tons.  Here is a picture of the old bridge…  Seems like a waste.

6/30/2011 – Completed 104.82 – 5.43 miles

Well I wrapped it up today. Hit the mountain at around 5:00 and it was hot and muggy. Tired legs from the 10 miles yesterday. Lots of lizards out and about but still didn’t see a snake the entire 100 miles.  Including a few pictures from the hikes below.

A few things I picked up along the way:

Plan the work and work the plan – A goal of any size is so much more likely to happen if there is a plan.  One needs to be able to adapt and adjust along the way but ignoring the “plan” or not making one for something that matters is just lazy. I know that’s common sense but this challenge drove the point home for me.

Metrics Motivate – This goes hand in hand with the previous point but there were many times that I just wanted to see the chart climb up to the next level so bad. If it matters, measure it. Adjust, improve, measure etc.. It makes a difference.

Competition makes us better – Some of my best times were accomplished on days that I was passed on the trail. I HATE being passed. I would usually spend the rest of the time trying to keep up with the person when possible.. when not possible I would at least try to keep them in sight.  Sure, it was probably a little annoying for them to have a bearded guy trying to keep up using a modified jog/speed-walk but having a competitor brought out my best and made all of the difference in the world.

Food is fuel – When you’re not using your body regularly you can eat food that just fills you up. In fact prior to this challenge I did just eat to get that full feeling. But when your body starts depending on that food to accomplish things a good/better diet begins to find it’s way into your life. I found myself craving the “right” foods more often. Don’t get me wrong my diet still kind of stinks but it has to be one of the biggest improvements I’ve made over this month.

I’m not a runner – I’ve enjoyed running a few times in my life but only a few and those weren’t that remarkable. This one is hard to accept and I may challenge this idea at some point but for now I’m going to stick with a brisk pace and precision jumping through rocky areas.

Time – Finding the time to do this was more difficult than the hike itself.

Thank GOD for National Park System and Kennesaw Mountain Trail club – What a team. Without this park Cobb would be one big endless subdivision… seriously. There would be houses all along the ridge and the closest green space would be in Bartow County… and the trail club. I know these guys bust their ass to maintain this trail so well and preserve the mountain. You guys rock!

The best hike was the morning that Susan was able to join me.  Having her along to share good conversation and an awesome vibe was amazing…  She’s still the coolest person I know and inspires me regularly.  If you’re looking for yoga in Marietta get in touch with her.

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Here’s a few more pics:

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Well, that’s it. I enjoyed the hell out of having this 30 day challenge in my life so I’m going to try it again in July…. er, tomorrow.