Ibuprofen and Its Effects During Ultramarathons

Ibuprofen and Its Effects During Ultramarathons

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Rainier Climb

Lake Katherine Hike

My first attempt at this hike was foiled by spring runoff raging rivers in May. In mid June the rivers were quite passable and the trail was in good condition. I referenced a few internet sites and the book Hiking New Mexico by Laurence Parent.
It is a beautiful hike through some very luscious thick riparian vegetation in the Pecos Wilderness about 30 minutes outside of Santa Fe. The hike is about 7 miles out to a Katherine lake which I did not make it to...we opted to stay at Spirit Lake which is just below the steep ascent to Lake Katherine. And here is why: We got lost (ish).
A warning to those hopeful about making this hike...the signage for the turn offs have been vandalized leaving you with a lot less information about your options. First sign you encounter states the trail (Tr261) is not maintained - which it is very much NOT maintained - but this is the most direct route by a LONG shot. The standard trail (Tr254) meanders quite a ways west before continuing north. We took the standard trail on the way in and the unmaintained trail on the way out and our hiking time was cut down to a third!!!!

We missed the turn off for Lake Katherine and had no daylight left to backtrack. Spirit Lake is also quite pretty thank goodness and my dog thoroughly enjoyed swimming.. The mosquito were quite impressively aggressive and loud...flash backs of my childhood in Michigan!

This was also a demo of some gear I plan to bring up Rainier next month.
1. Jetboil stove - 4 stars. Loved it for coffee in the morning especially, no complicated set up and ultra quick results.
2. Mountaineering boots...need to have a plan B here...killed my feet and ended up finishing the hike in my Keen sandals. Thanks Liz for your thoughtful generosity in getting these boots for me but I think they might be a short lived possession of mine!

Colorado Backpacking Sep 09

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September...still counts right?

What a not so great Backpacking season I have had this year...but Im trying to at least finish strong with TWO big trips planned this month.

1st - A 6 night loop just east of Silverton, CO in the Weminuche Wilderness This is especially exciting because it is the first backpacking trip ever with Blue, my adorable 10 month old black lab. He has no idea what fun lays ahead!

2nd - A 2 night private guided "mountaineering school" on the glacier fields of Mt. Baker in the Cascade mountains of Washington. This is in preparation for our July climb of Mt. Rainier.

Preparing for these two trips has led me as usual to REI for some new gear :)My favorite thing to do besides dehydrate meals for backpacking is buy gear for backpacking...also, I had to research dog food for backpacking.

Blue will be munching on the following:

The Honest Kitchen "Force" dehydrated dog food
Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Steaks (recommended as basically Clif Bars for dogs)
Dogswell Happy Hips Dried Chicken Breast with glucosamine

More later...Im off to REI.

On second thought

Hmmmm....this is why gear shopping is so fun. Oh, the reviews you can read! Well, my Mountain Hardware hook up may not be worth it in the end seeing as how all the tent reviews seem to be quite negative. The 2 person tents are all quite small and review as large solo tents. Although I plan on quite alot of solo backpacking this season, I must think of little (soon to be big) Blue and potential backpacking partners in my tent selection. So the Mountain Hardware Helion is out.


Now my first pick is the Big Agnes Copper Spur Ultralight 2 person tent. Great reviews from both REI shoppers and Backpacker Magazine Gear Reviewers. It has a big price tag but with my REI dividend (just received last night!) and their 20% discount it might be do-able. OH I LOVE GEAR!