#elevation gain

[tempest-melody]

Olympic Peninsula: Hiking Storm King

Olympic Peninsula: Hiking Storm King

On the trail to see Marymere Falls you pass the turn off for the Storm King trail. The trail is a little less than two miles long (1.7 miles to be exact) but it gains about 100 feet of elevation per 1/10 of a mile. Keltin and I got a good look at the start of the trail after visiting the falls and decided to hike it on our final morning. The day dawned windy and rainy. Due to the weather we…

View On WordPress

[chevventures]

30km; 1000m gain

So I set out to accomplish what I had planned at the beginning of this week: I wanted to cover 30km in the mountains with over a 1000m of gain. This route was KILLER! By the end my legs were jello...I could only jog on flats and gentle downhills. I ran two loops that would fly by my house so I could have my own “transition area” and load up on more fuel before I headed out on the second portion of my run. The first loop was on the North side of my home and it consisted of MTB trails, quad routes, and all-purpose trails. It included climbing a DH route that I didn’t know where the start was but since I knew the finish I decided I would climb it during my run route to find the beginning! That is what killed my legs. There were portions of this down-hill course that I needed to scramble to get up. When I got to the top of it I got to fly down the ATV trails that lead up to it and loop back towards my house. The second loop consisted of running to a mountain range south of my house; climbing up the mining roads and then climbing MTB trails. The plan was to climb up to the top of the “school of rock” down-hill mtb trail and then at the midway mark of the down-hill portion take a left and climb to the top of the “sooper trooper” down-hill course and follow that all the way to the bottom of the mountain and run back home. By the time I got to to the top of sooper trooper my knees were trashed. I could barely descend. Anything under 8min/km pace hurt too much so I had to really slow up unless it was a flatter section. When I go to the bottom I had to basically run back home which was hopefully going to be 6km to make the 30km. I ran / walked all the way back to my place and realized I was 2.5km short of my goal so I decided to power-walk up the hill behind my place and then run back down to get over 30km.  Up to the 22km mark I was feeling good. Something agitated my knees though which makes me think I was over-extending when I was descending the “school of rock” course. Something to keep in mind for next time. I am registering in the Grizzly 50k in Canmore, Alberta. It will be my first Ultra and I think the route I just made and survived is a great training run for it!

[hikercarl]

10 Essential Tips for Beginner Hikers: Start Your Journey Right

Discover essential beginner hiking tips to kickstart your outdoor adventures. Learn about gear, safety, and trail etiquette for a confident start on the trail.

Starting your first hiking trip can be thrilling and fulfilling. But, it’s key to be well-prepared and have the right mindset. These 10 essential tips for beginners will set you up for success, whether it’s a day hike or a longer backpacking trip. Key Takeaways Follow the Leave No Trace principles to respect the outdoors and minimize your impact Choose a beginner-friendly trail that matches…

10 Essential Tips for Beginner Hikers: Start Your Journey Right

[ivegottheruns]

Hi. Hello.

I’m back and ready to run some hills.

So I’ve been kind of absent from here for the past year or so and mostly that’s been due to laziness on my part and also due to my lack of focus in relation to my running goals. I ran a half marathon back in January of 2018, with my fastest time yet of 1:52:00! I was pretty jazzed about that performance and have been kind of sort of maintaining and just getting stronger in the weight room. Nothing too exciting just floating along, getting buff and running when the mood strikes. 

Very recently I have decided to do something crazy, some might consider me crazy for wanting to attempt this race. I used to be one of those people admittedly... BUT I have decided to officially start my training for the one and only PIKES PEAK ASCENT. It’s a race that takes place in Manitou Springs, Colorado at the base of Pikes peak. The total elevation gain is a little over 7,800 feet and ends at 14,115 feet up in the sky. The average grade is 11%. Which is steep AF.... but this is not exactly news to me as I’ve done my fair share of 14ers in Colorado. However I’ve never run all the way to the top of one, so this is a different beast. I’ve always been a lover of the uphill and (usually) welcome hills with open arms. I’m not a fast runner but I’m a tough runner. This mountain has been starting me down for four plus years, so naturally I have to go run to the top. 

It’s not until August of 2019 and I can’t even sign up until March of next year but technically I’ve begun training with a trail half coming up in less than a month. I figured I’d start sharing my training updates with anyone even vaguely interested in some average joe runner wanting to run up a big steep-ass mountain for the fun of it.

[ihikefar-blog]

Mount Wilson The Hard Way

Mount Wilson The Hard Way

There are about seven different routes in which to summit Mount Wilson. We took the route that begins in Bailey Canyon, and ascends first to Jones Peak, then to Hastings Peak, and then a final push to reach the Mount Wilson Toll Road. I kicked off my 2017 Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge on Earth Day (4/22). This was my second summit of Mount Wilson, but my first for the challenge. (more…)

View On WordPress

[ihikefar-blog]

The Explain of Elevation Gain

This might help in trying to understand elevation gain.

In hiking, the amount of elevation gain, or to quote Wikipedia, cumulative elevation gain, or simply gain, is what makes a trail steep, really steep or not so steep. In hiking nomenclature, there is the oft-incomprehensive term that is ‘elevation gain’. I’ve read a few blogs on this, and also Wikipedia’s entry, but some of these write-ups read like an episode out of physics 101. Elevation gain…

View On WordPress

[ultrawheelingfan]

Spring events can turn hot or cold, so be prepared for extreme weather

Spring events can turn hot or cold, so be prepared for extreme weather

Cyclists riding in the Bay Area’s popular Primavera Century, the region’s first 100-mile cycling event of the year, climb up from San Jose on the Calaveras grade, known as “the wall” and the first big hill of the day before the heat set in. Photo courtesy of Fremont Freewheelers Bicycle Club.

By Michael Collier

The first century of the cycling season, which usually comes around in April or May in…

View On WordPress

[rihammond]

Red Bull 400 - Planica Ski Jump, Slovenia

A "sprint" with lots of elevation gain...looks like my kind of race!