Breaking in the hiking boots - Little Black Mountain

[tradygirl]

Me and my friend Matt have the same work schedule and we get every other Friday off. We figured we'd make good use of it and started peak-bagging last summer on our Fridays off together. We dubbed it "FAC" - or the Friday Adventure Club. It's awesome.

Today we kicked off the first FAC of the summer season with a hike neither of us had done. It's an obscure peak in the foothills of the Wasatch called Little Black Mountain. The hike ended up being no joke! 5.5 miles each way and 3000' elevation gain. Steep ascents and descents mean my quads are killing me right now. But, what better way to kick off the hiking season?

The sunflowers are in full swing right now, and the skies were unbelievably blue. With snow in the central Wasatch, the views did not suck.

It doesn't look like much, but LBM is a butt-kicker.

 

[itri]

Wow, looks like a great hike! I'm itching to start getting some good hiking in...although my hikes usually have to be a little shorter since I'm carrying a two year old on my back!

 

[Sheena]

wow. looks like a great hike! Great views too!

 

[Jenny]

Nice pictures!

 

[mollmeister]

Wow, looks like a great hike! I'm itching to start getting some good hiking in...although my hikes usually have to be a little shorter since I'm carrying a two year old on my back!

Ours have gotten really short when both kids are along. Sigh. ODS is now 36lbs of kid + 7.5lbs of pack + assorted lbs of kid stuff. . . so 45-50lbs pack. And it wiggles and complains. I think we are about to hit a *dead spot* in our hiking. He will go for about 30min at a time on his own two feet, but then he wants to ride for a while. And the little one is getting too big for the baby carrier. . . so. . .

I think we're going to be leaving the big one with my mom a few times this summer so we can hike with the wee one.

Let me know if you're ever looking for hiking partners up the peaks in Indian Peaks! (We start early, though. We don't like storms or intense sun!)

 

[itri]

We just hiked yesterday, for only the second time since last fall. We did right around 4 miles at Matthews/Winters park. DS does pretty well in the pack still, as long as he has snacks and water. I was struggling a little by the end, just with his weight pulling down on my shoulders. My legs and cardio could keep going all day!

DS's starting to hike a little bit. We haven't done more than about half a mile, but he's starting to get the hang of it.

Do you hike Indian Peaks a lot? I have a friend who lives down there, so we've hiked there a couple of times, but it's a bit of a drive for us!

 

[Pequenita]

Hmmm....I have every other Friday off, too. Maybe I should do shadow FAC climbs in the Shenandoahs!

 

[Marigee]

Hmmm....I have every other Friday off, too. Maybe I should do shadow FAC climbs in the Shenandoahs!

If you need a hiking buddy give me a shout - I'm free most Fridays this summer.

 

[Pequenita]

If you need a hiking buddy give me a shout - I'm free most Fridays this summer.

Ooh, cool! I've got out of town travel on my Fridays off until mid-July, but I'll be in touch!

 

[tradygirl]

So last week's FAC kind of fizzled....Matt tweaked his back on Saturday and was OOC for the week, and one of my teachers decided to give a final on Friday night. LAME.

Anyways, guest-FACker Lisa joined me for some tennis Friday morning before I had to lock myself up to study.

Any of you shadow FACkers get out last week? I'm starting to plan for next Friday already....

(BTW, if you guys are serious about shadow-FACking, I may have to invite you to be guest bloggers on the FAC blog :D)

 

[Pequenita]

Anyways, guest-FACker Lisa joined me for some tennis Friday morning before I had to lock myself up to study.

How's your wrist?

Any of you shadow FACkers get out last week? I'm starting to plan for next Friday already....

(BTW, if you guys are serious about shadow-FACking, I may have to invite you to be guest bloggers on the FAC blog :D)

I and several of my college classmates made it up to Mt. Moosilauke* (4802') in the White Mtns. for a reunion hike last Friday. We spent the night at the Ravine Lodge and did the Salty Dog Rag and otherwise square and contra danced Thursday night. Dawn revealed a bluebird day in the Whites, and after breakfast, we took the standard Gorge Brook route up to the summit for the CLEAREST and least windy day I've ever had up there!! We could see the steam from the cog train climbing Mt. Washington (approx. 25miles as the crow flies?). We lunched on the summit, hung out, and then descended on the Carriage Road trail. I discovered that my knees don't handle the granite of New Hampshire the way they used to, and the last 2 miles down, I couldn't wait to dip my knees into the ice-cold river/stream near the trailhead.

Oh, I did this in my running shoes; I didn't like how easy it was to feel the rock underfoot, but there was no way I was going to bring FIVE pairs of shoes for a 3.5-day trip!



* props to my friend Dave for doing this site through the years!

 

[Pequenita]

pix

summit. The little one slept the entire way up; woman in purple is 7.5 months pregnant!

on our way down from the summit. It's no Wasatch, but it's not too shabby.

 

[tradygirl]

How's your wrist?

It's doing a lot better. Thanks for asking! I'm still concerned about falling on it, but it doesn't hurt at all on my bike anymore. I can't believe it's only been about 4 months since I broke it!

Oh, I did this in my running shoes; I didn't like how easy it was to feel the rock underfoot, but there was no way I was going to bring FIVE pairs of shoes for a 3.5-day trip!

I feel ya on this one. Since my old lightweight hiking shoes are pretty much shot, I figured I'd try my trail running shoes for our most recent FAC outing (last Friday - check the blog for pics). I was not happy! They weren't stiff enough and I felt like my feet were swimming in them. I think it's time to invest in some new hiking shoes.

The Mt. Moosilauke area looks beautiful! I bet staying up there was very cool.

 

[abc]

Oh, I did this in my running shoes; I didn't like how easy it was to feel the rock underfoot, but there was no way I was going to bring FIVE pairs of shoes for a 3.5-day trip!

LOL!

I took a peek into my car (which is always a mess). There're 4 pairs of shoes already in there! 1) sneaker 2) hiking boot 3) water shoes 4) sandel. And if I count the cycling shoes I wore when I walked back to my apartment, I did bring 5 pairs of shoes for my trip...

OK, my excuse is I just came back from a week long trip in which I did 4 day traverse of the Presidentials, plus a weekend of whitewater instruction and one day of kayak swim support. Still, I need to put these shoes away.