Another year of abusing myself

[bgl]

Kim,

I'm impressed and intrigued by all your long hikes. When you refer to "The Big Hike" (post 24), exactly what is this?

Yes, the races that I mentioned are all on paved roads. The 31.1 mile race on Jan. 26 is actually on the main road (Highway 11) from Hilo to Volcano. Except for the last +4 miles, which is on a little country road. And that's actually the toughest part, not just from a physical point of view, but mentally. The finish line is at Cooper Center in Volcano Village (sort of a community center). But the distance from Hilo to Cooper Center is "only" 27 miles, and the race is exactly 50 km (=31.1m). So, around 27 miles you've just turned off Highway 11, and you're on this little country road, passing by Cooper Center (within 30 ft. of the finish line!). After about 2 miles you make a 180 degree turn, and head back to Cooper Center, on the very same road, which gives you a chance to see everybody who's behind you!

There's really no comparison with something like the Mt Whitney hike. They are in two completely different categories and I can't say that one is harder than the other. I did the Mt Whitney hike back in the early 1990s with a few running buddies from San Diego. We left the camping ground (around 8000 ft?) just before sunrise and travelled VERY light (running shoes, running shorts, a t-shirt and the only thing we carried was water). We were back down around 2 p.m., and even though I was tired it was not the same exhaustion that I experience after walking 31 miles nonstop. Uphill! At least you're (obviously) heading downhill the second part of the Mt Whitney hike, and if anything, I found it difficult to move as fast as I wanted to because of the uneven terrain, and other hikers on the trail (and we passed everybody, since most of the others were carrying all sorts of stuff!).

Mauna Kea would be an interesting hike, and certainly very strenous. Just a few weeks ago, there was a hiker who left the Visitor Center (at 9,200 ft elevation) to hike to the summit. He was around 60, and reportedly an "experienced" hiker. An hour after he left, a snow storm engulfed Mauna Kea. (And he should have known that. Plus, if he was really experienced he should have known better than to attempt this hike by himself. He was visiting from the mainland). They're STILL looking for him!

A more interesting hike I think, which I would like to do one day, is Mauna Loa. Almost the same elevation as the summit of Mauna Kea, but the incline is MUCH more gradual. There are also plenty of other hikes, for instance in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, that don't have the dramatic change in elevation. They may take a long time (because of the distance), and may be tough in the sense that you're hiking across old lavaflows, but they're not as strenous as hiking up a big mountain.

Bo-Göran

[Kim]

Bo - My 'Big Hike' is Kilimanjaro, flying out Feb. 14th, begin walking the 17th.  I'm really excited, but also kind of apprehensive because of the altitude (19,340 ft.) and cold.  

I agree your speedwalking races are a totally different thing from hiking.  Both can be very strenuous, but in different ways.  How long does it take for you to do the 50k?

My daughter gave me a guide to hikes on the Big Island, it describes maybe 40 different trails; I will read up on Mauna Loa.  My understanding was the views are better from the steeper peak.  And unlike the lost hiker, I will check the weather forecast before setting out... ??? It would be fun to eventually do all the hikes in the book. :cool:

[bgl]

Kim,

Kilimanjaro - WOW! That IS a big hike!! I'm looking forward to plenty of pictures!

I've done the 50K twice (Jan 2006, Jan 2007). 5 hrs 54 mins. the first time, 5:57 the second time. That's an average pace of about 11:25 per mile. Little bit faster on the flat parts, a little bit slower on the long uphills.

I've never been up on Mauna Loa, so not sure about the view, but the visibility is really key. Most of the time there's a layer of clouds around the 7,000 elevation, so that prevents good views in general, whether you're on Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa. Especially during the summer, the summits are almost never visible from Hilo (sealevel). During the winter when we have several days of high pressure, it can be very sunny with no clouds and no rain and that's when the visibility is the best. But that would also be the least desirable part of the year to do a hike up there because of the low temperatures during those months...

One fascinating hike is north from Waipio Valley, along the coast (even though most of the time you don't even see the water because of the dense forest). I've done it halfway with our daughter. Very rough terrain in places, but there's hardly any climb to speak of.

Bo-Göran

BTW - checked my computerised running log (which goes back to 1985!). Did the Mt Whitney hike/climb on Aug. 14, 1992. Took us 5 hrs 10 mins to the summit and we did the downhill part in 4:24. Then I drove back home to Poway, dropped off my friends, and went out for a token 3.5 mile run at 9 p.m. the same day. Those were the days when I did NOT want to miss a single day running. And hiking 22 miles up & down Mt Whitney obviously didn't qualify as running... Actually managed more than 3 years without missing a single day.

[www.dadluvsu.com]

I'm getting shin splints just hearing all of this!