One Hot Learning Experience

Yesterday's hike was a Meetup group hike through Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. Here's the description of the hike, with more photos and comments: http://www.meetup.com/Gay-and-Lesbian-and-gay-friendly-Hikers/events/59346082/

Photo by Marianne - I'm not sure if I'm in there.

It featured gorgeous scenery, beautiful views, and was hot! It was 94 degrees in San Ramon yesterday, and we were hiking up steep trails in the full sun during the hottest part of the day. Please forgive the lack of photographs - I was too busy surviving! However, this hike did teach me a number of things, both about hiking, and about myself.

1. Having great hiking companions makes all the difference. Gabe and Laura were great to hike with - we stayed together, encouraged each other, were sympathetic to each other's concerns, and  kept us going with a positive attitude. You know your hiking companions are awesome when they're willing to sing songs to you just to distract you from how your body is aching and keep you moving.
2. Even when faced with difficulty, the most important thing is to maintain a positive attitude. In the past I've fallen into negative feedback loops, mostly due to defeatist self-talk. Avoiding that, makes the hike (and life) so much better!
3. Take inspiration from wherever you find it. As usual, I tried to concentrate on the pretty flowers around me and finding new wildflowers to admire, rather than the steepness of the trail, the length of the journey, or all of those other scary things. Oh, look, it is pretty.
4. The brain is an amazing thing. In the midst of the physical distress, I was able to distract myself with a lot of happy thoughts. Perhaps that's why I was able to maintain a positive attitude. :-)
5. I'm in better shape than I give myself credit for. While I was certainly breathing hard and had my share of difficulties, I never felt like it was completely out of my league. I guess those mid-week hikes in Redwood Park have been helping and I need to keep them up. They certainly can't hurt!
6. Bring more cold beverages than you think you need. Fill up your water bladder, and then bring more. Add another water bottle just in case. Preferably filled with ice. Running out of water when it is 94 and you're in the sun is not a good idea. Fortunately, I didn't run into any difficulties as a result, but it was a scary thought. 
7. In related news, frozen gatorade is a hiker's best friend on a hot day. It keeps the other things in your pack cold, gives you a refreshing beverage, and stays cold longer. Never having had a need to replace my electrolytes before (sweating profusely? me? this time I did!), the whole gatorade thing is a new experience.
8. Read the map, or at least trust your hiking companions to do so. Gabe and Laura read the map, didn't believe our trail leader's assurances that it was an easy hike. They knew what we were in for, and were concerned from the beginning. Listening to their concerns would have been a good idea, but we mostly stayed with the group.
9. Also related, just because you're at the highest elevation point, doesn't mean that you're done climbing. After we'd climbed to the top, the path we took went down deep into a canyon, and then we had to climb back up and out over the ridge.  We didn't hit that highest point again, but we certainly did another climb!
10. Reapply the sunscreen. Even though my legs were covered in mud (of questionable origin, given the number of cows around), I still needed to reapply sunscreen. I'm happy to say I'm not sunburnt as a result of this hike, and this shade of beige is just fine with me.
11. Evaporative cooling is an amazing thing. While I wasn't so appreciative of it while hiking in the cool rain in Hawaii, it was quite amazing during this hike. I was actually cool from the breeze at one point. I think I have to upgrade my sports bra, however.
12. Having the right food is important. Apparently the hiker's lunch consists of a bagel and cream cheese for carbs, a yogurt for protein, and fruit. Having an orange for a late afternoon snack is also important - liquid and sugar in a self-contained package! What's more critical is making sure you eat the lunch you brought so you have enough calories in you to continue up the hill. Fortunately, I'm pretty good at having snacks as well.
13. Hard candies are good to have. We didn't have them this time, and I'm going to be sure to put them in the backpack for future trips. They keep you're mouth moist as you're hiking along. For me, they might be another happy distraction. Chocolate that doesn't melt also works for me.
14. Going backwards downhill really helps my knee. My knee only hurts during the second half of a given hike, and only during downhill. Its along the outside part of the knee, connecting to the calf. Faced with a long, steep downhill, fortunately along a service road, Laura suggested I walk backwards. It worked! I felt ridiculous and laughed at myself along the way, but it relieved the pain and allowed me to get down the hill intact. I don't think that will work on any other terrain, however. 



Photo by Marianne - Gorgeous scenery! Pretty flower!

15. Have a cooler in the car for after the hike. While I've learned to have another pair of shoes in the car, because the relief from peeling off the hiking boots is similar to taking off ski boots, having cold beverages as a reward is also important. I had an extra water bottle in the car, but it was hot when I got there - not the same.

For all of that, I'm glad I went on this hike. I hope Gabe and Laura will join me on another and that they weren't scared off by the craziness of this one!