TR: Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass Early September

If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
User avatar
rlown
Topix Docent
Posts: 8225
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:00 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Wilton, CA

Re: TR: Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass Early September

Post by rlown »

BSquared wrote:Mostly I'll just keep up the anti-sciatica back exercises the doc gave me years ago.
That was the most important thing you said! Bed is the wrong choice unless you really can't move at all. Then, it's the drugs to at least get you up and do the exercises.

And don't overlook pack too heavy or over cinching as a root cause to aggravation.

Russ
User avatar
BSquared
Founding Member
Posts: 958
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:31 pm
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Location: Jericho, VT

Re: TR: Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass Early September

Post by BSquared »

rlown wrote:Bed is the wrong choice unless you really can't move at all.
You got it: during the week I was down I couldn't move at all. Pretty miserable.

BTW, I've borrowed a friend's Osprey Aether 70, loaded it up with 50 lbs of sand, and hiked around with it quite a bit (out here in the flatlands, I'm afraid), and it feels *much* better than the old Great Star. "Comfortable" would be a stretch, but at least it stays on my hips without being cinched ridiculously tight. Definitely heading in the right direction :)
—B²
User avatar
freestone
Topix Expert
Posts: 961
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2005 9:42 pm
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Location: Santa Barbara
Contact:

Re: TR: Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass Early September

Post by freestone »

There may be a more of a relationship with the sciatica and the 50 lbs on your back than the altitude. You need to seriously concentrate on lightening the load on your back, not find another pack that will carry the 50 pounds comfortably.
Short cuts make long delays. JRR Tolkien
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: TR: Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass Early September

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I had sciatica years ago, and went to a sport medicine rhumetoligist (sp?). My sciatica was pressure sensitive - I could predict the weather! Seemed like changes in pressure caused the problem, not if the pressure went one way or the other. Altitude changes pressure. The worst thing for me was sitting - either long drives or flying in an airplane. I suspect that just getting to the Sierra started up the bout. The bad thing with sciatica, is once it is triggered it takes a couple of weeks to get rid of it.

Keep moving! My sciatica was due to inflammation and back then, they just gave me time-release aspirin. There are now better meds. I also did better sleeping on a warm bed - used a heating pad. My brother has sciatica and gets cortisone injections which help a lot. Lots of different causes and different stuff to do to mitigate it. Getting the source of your sciatica diagnosed is probably a good idea - that way you can use the appropriate therapy and meds.
User avatar
BSquared
Founding Member
Posts: 958
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:31 pm
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Location: Jericho, VT

Re: TR: Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass Early September

Post by BSquared »

Thanks for you comments!

Freestone: I definitely don't intend to carry 50 lbs (nor was I on this trip, at least I don't think so; I hardly ever know exactly how much my pack actually weighs at the beginning of a trip; too bad they removed the scale at Whitney Portal...). On the other hand, I do have a really hard time keeping the day-1 pack weight much below 40. The idea is that if a pack's suspension can keep it in the right place on my back for a few hours, with 50 lbs of sand inside, then it'll probably keep it in the right place all day while going up and down in the mountains.

Daisy: Very cool to hear that sciatica can be sensitive to pressure change! That would explain a great deal. I do sort of know what's causing it: when the sports-medicine gal looked at my MRI back after I had really bad sciatica, she said, "well, B2, there are a lot of reasons you might have trouble with your back!" :( Turns out that there's all kinds of nasty bony arthritic stuff down there getting in the way. Not much I can do about that except those exercises, I guess..

Moral of story seems to be: be careful of long-term sitting immediately before backpacking. Will do!
—B²
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests