Tired old legs

[balzaccom]

Talk about confronting your mortality. This hike up Ralston Peak in Desolation Wilderness knocked me for a loop. I took it slow. I had all day to hike six miles, but I wasn't really prepared for my 72-year-old legs to need two hours to climb 2,000 feet. And in the sun I used up much of my water, as well. I made it another mile (one half-mile contours around the peak, the other climbs another 500 feet in half a mile) in time for lunch. I drank the rest of my water and thanked my stars that I was done with the hard climbs for the day. From the top of a mountain, it's all downhill, right?

Almost. A nasty little 150-foot climb to go over a knoll on the way to the PCT gave me one more chance to flex those quads and hamstrings. Ugh. (Why not just contour AROUND the knoll? Only trail makers will know the answer to that one...)

But I did make it to zone 39 and set up camp by the middle of the afternoon. The first thing I did was filter some water, because I was showing clear signs of dehydration. And the rest of trip was delightful—until I had to climb back down those bobsled runs the next day on my way home. That hurt.

The whole story is here, complete with more photos and a link to the whole photo log: https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/ ... -adventure

[Nozmo King]

I feel you. I'm six years younger than you but had a similar experience in Desolation at the beginning of July. I've told numerous people how easy the hike to Crag Lakes & Stony Gorge is, which I've done a few times in the past, but this time it completely kicked my butt. We drove up from Sacto in the AM & immediately started the hike on a hot day, so my excuse was the heat & sudden change in elevation. But, as they say, Father Time is undefeated. By the time we got to Stony Gorge, I was exhausted & dehydrated. Fortunately, after a good night's rest, I was fine for the rest of the journey.

[c9h13no3]

I wasn't really prepared for my 72-year-old legs to need two hours to climb 2,000 feet.

Man, now I feel dumb for climbing 1000' per hour in my 40's with a daypack.

[DaveF]

I feel you, too. I think this is the trail that starts close to Camp Sacramento? I hiked it over 20 years ago in my early 30s and it kicked my butt. I remember the trail not only being really steep in places, but also having ruts and areas with slippery footing.

Thanks for the work you do up there and in the Mokelumne Wilderness. I'm approaching retirement and hope to give back like you.

[balzaccom]

I wasn't really prepared for my 72-year-old legs to need two hours to climb 2,000 feet.

Man, now I feel dumb for climbing 1000' per hour in my 40's with a daypack.

Thanks for making me feel better!


And yes, DaveF, this is the trail near Camp Sacramento. You have described it quiet accuately!

[Gogd]

I found this technique made it easier to totter over grades I used to bound up in my youth.

Hybrid Rest Step
Experienced hikers learn how to walk efficiently over level and mildly inclined trails. Most experienced hikers also know of an alternative to the normal stride, used by mountaineers. referred to as the “rest step”. The rest step has its place on very steep slopes and/or high altitude, when one cannot sustain the effort to move forward in a continuous, fluid motion. But few are aware of a stride that is used to cover the intermediate ground of moderately steep routes. This technique combines the motions of an efficient “normal” stride and that of the rest step. I call it the hybrid rest step.

Features of the hybrid rest step:

• It is 10% more efficient than other strides when used to travel moderately steep routes.
• It is a fluid, continuous motion, appearing to the observer as more similar to a normal stride than the traditional rest step technique. used by mountaineers.
• It efficiently manages forward momentum energy.
• The hyperextension stage of the stride exploits momentum to advance the walker, as well as provide a brief rest moment for muscles while the skeleton is fully supporting the hiker’s weight
• Incorporating the hyperextension into the stride requires one to slow the walking pace somewhat to obtain the full efficiency of this technique, but the hiker will find this slower pace is about right if one needs to avail to the technique in the first place.

Refer to detailed technique descriptions (below).

Hybrid Rest Step Diagram .jpg (23.43 KiB) Viewed 249 times

1. Walker is in mid stride. Muscle effort in the lead leg is primarily used create pivot articulation of the hip joint, by using the upper leg and hip muscles.  The lower portion of lead leg is allowed to dangle freely below the knee.  Muscle effort in the trailing leg is what advances the walker, by using upper leg, butt, hip and lower back muscles to straighten the pivot angles of the hip and knee joints.  Lower leg muscles in the trailing leg are used solely to provide ankle joint stability, with no effort applied to attempt lifting the trailing foot’s heel from the ground.
2. Walker is about to plant the lead foot. The knee and hip angles of the lead foot are maintained, but no effort made to extend the foot beyond the position it assumes by simply letting the lower leg dangle from the knee. Forward movement up to this point was the result of straightening the trailing leg to full extension.
3. The Walker is completing advancement of the lead leg.  This is accomplished  by allowing forward momentum to rotate the trailing leg’s knee past full extension, into a slightly hyperextended angulation. The hyperextension allows the walker to add 2-3” to the stride length, and additional elevation gain within that 2-3” length of trail.  These gains are obtained primarily by the energy of forward momentum.  The hyperextension also give the weight bearing (rear leg) a brief moment to rest while the bones take up the task of supporting the full body weight.  Once the hyperextended angle is achieved, momentum will move the walker’s center of gravity forward of the trailing foot, causing the lead foot to contact the ground.  If one were performing a traditional “rest” stride, the climber would pause at this point taking a breath - or three - while their weight rests fully on the bones of the trailing, hyperextended leg.  The rest afforded by the rest step, however comes at the expense of losing whatever energy they had invested in their forward momentum.  The hybrid rest step, however, does not pause, and instead uses that forward momentum to carry the center of gravity from trailing leg onto the lead leg.
4. As the forward leg is weighted, the upper leg, butt, hip and lower back muscles of the lead leg are used to carry the load.  Once the weight is fully on the lead leg, forward momentum causes the center of gravity to advance to a position over the toes of the lead foot.  At this point the walker uses the muscles carrying his weight to also begin straightening the lead leg and maintain forward momentum.  This motion begins to lift the trailing foot off the ground.  The walker then uses the hip and back muscles of the trailing leg to pivot the trailing leg hip joint forward, and lift the foot off the ground.  The lower part of the trailing leg is allowed to dangle freely from the knee.   Note: no attempt is made to use the lower leg muscles of the trailing leg to push off the ground and power the stride forward.  Meanwhile the lead leg begins to straighten, using upper leg, butt and lower back muscles.  The lower leg muscles of the lead leg are used only to keep the ankle stable. 

Ed

[giantbrookie]

I echo other folks' sentiments that 1000'/hour with a full pack is good at any age. Way back in the day I would "budget" for doing better than 1000'/hour but that was when I was in my 30s or something. I remember going over Koip Pass from the Algers in 2014 (just turned 55 or about to) and thinking---"whoa 1000' an hour with a full pack is really really hard!" I remember feeling really gassed at about the 500' mark of that ascent and then just grinding it out to top where I plopped down drenched in sweat.

Since then I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've been able to make 1000'/hour with a full pack and I recall quite a few ascents where I tried and failed to register that ascent rate. This year has been different, probably because I'm training harder and this neighborhood hill-climbing routine (w 30+lbs and non-stop hiking time of 1h20m-1h30m) seems to have tuned me up stronger than at any time since 2007. Anyway, I turn 65 this weekend and I will be very pleased if I can do 1000'/hour with a full pack when I'm 72.

By the way, I notice you mentioned it was hot and that can also make things a lot harder. Last week after returning from a 2-week family vacation in Japan, I did one of my neighborhood hikes and it was high 80s to low 90s. It still felt way better than walking around in Japan (mid 90s and super humid), but a couple of days later I did the same training hike and it was something like 65. That felt way easier. The most brutal ascent with a full pack I've done in the last 30 years was last year's day 1 out of Hetch Hetchy when HH was forecast to hit a high of 109 and Lake Vernon, our destination was forecast to hit 95. Honestly, Lake Vernon felt 100+ in the shade on arrival. It is likely that Dawn and I were at 1000'/hour or maybe even a smidge better for the first hour, but we were hurting and our ascent slowed way down after our ambitious and painful opening charge.

[balzaccom]

Try that on a bobsled run full of cobbles, boulders, and sand, and see how it works! Half the time, the foot you place on the ground is not stable, and you have to react quickly or end up on your face. Or your other face!


I get to meet a lot of really good people on teh trail in Desolation. There are families, sharing the experience with the third or fourth generation of Desolation hikers. There are fearless groups of young urbanites, full of energy, setting forth to experience the mountains for the first time.

There are veteran backpackers who have their favorite spots away from the crowds, and thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail who might well be hiking through the whole area in a single day. They are universally friendly, helpful, and happy to chat with me about their experiences, their concerns, and any questions they might have about wildlife, trail mileage, or anything else.

But every once in a while I meet someone who makes me stop and rethink the whole thing.

On my last hike up Ralston Peak, I struggled against old age and a brutal climb to make it near the top, where I was planning to eat my somewhat overdue lunch. And that's when I ran into them: two young women, possibly sisters, who were as fit and lithe as gazelles. They were hiking in running shorts and sports bras, with only trailrunners on their feet, and one carried a tiny day pack. The would not have looked out of place in a city park, out for a stroll.

I greeted them and asked them where they had hiked, expecting to be able to congratulate them for making it to the top of the peak. But no. They had hiked over the peak, back down along the PCT to Lake of the Woods, and were now on their way back over the peak and down to their car at the trailhead. All of this before lunch. And they didn't look a bit tired, or have a single hair out of place.

I am a grumpy old man.

[brianA]

I hear you balzac. I understand that there are 80 year olds running marathons. But, as they say, we all age differently. I started slowing down a few years ago. One year I was leading the pack of our group of hikers. The next year I was in the middle of the pack. The next year I was at the end of the pack. Last year I was 100 yards behind the pack. This year I turned 71, and have really fallen off the table. I am now miles behind the pack.

For me, my legs are fine. It's my VO2. My VO2 used to be in the mid 40s, but now is at 35. When confronted with altitude or steepness, I am now constantly stopping to suck air. I really don't feel like going out and training like I"m trying out for football again. So I've had to make some adjustments. I now do shorter hikes, lesser climbs, and try to find backpacking areas with low mileage, and mild gain. When I'm with the group I insist that they go on. I'll catch them on the way back.

A friend and I are doing a PCT section hike this weekend. Rather, she is. I'll hike with her a few miles at one end, hike back out then drive around to the other side, hike a few miles, meet her, and hike out together. I wish I could hike the whole section with her. It's all good. I'm still out there.

[BrianF]

Balzaccom, welcome to the grumpy old man club; in June I day hiked White Mountain Peak. After making the 7+ miles to the 14,452' peak in 3 3/4 hrs I thought I was doing pretty good (for 70 years old), but shortly after I got to the summit a young man came running up the peak- fast and hardly out of breath. That kind of deflated my egobut it was stll a fantastic hike and what views!.