The Aussie Top Up Method

How long and how often you stop during a hike is very goal dependent.  However, an Australian study may hold the answer if you are wanting to stay at your optimal condition through out the day. 

Check out this 'Aussie Top Up Strategy'.  

The study gave a group of athletes various eat, drink and rest schedules, and closely monitored each patients' body for signs of fatigue, dehydration and discomfort. 

Optimal schedule:
Stop every hour for 5 min (only) during streneous physical activity: eat, drink, and rest during the break.  After the fist hour you will drop to 90% your optimal condition and bounce back to 95% by the end of the 5 min rest.  When following this schedule, after 3 hours you will have only dropped to 85% (bouncing back to roughly 90% after the rest).  As 9 hours rolls around you will still be operating at 70% of your optimum.  Even at 12 hours expect to be functioning above 60%.

Compare this to another scenerio.  The atheletes in this trial rested for 15 min every three hours.  By the time they reached their first rest, atheletes were only functioning at 70%.  After the 15 min break they did rebound to 80% only to plunge 50% by their next rest at hour 6.  By hour 9, 30% and around 10% at 12 hours.

The obvious but interesting observation is that in both scenerios, the actual duration of rest is the same.

I will be trying out this strategy for my next few trips. 

September 2010 and Yoho's passing

Above: Cow Camp in Little Paradise.  Below: Summiting a peak above Munson Pass

 Overlooking Upper Tyax Creek Valley

 Below: Cinnabar Basin

 Lizard Peak

 Lorna Lake

 Permanent Snow Patch (mini glacier) on Lizard Peak.  Below: Looking South from Lizard Peak

 Above: Wolverine Tracks.  Below: Fish Lake

 Shadows on the shoulder of Lizard Peak

SCREE!!!

Spetember brought mixed emotions for us.  On the bright side of things I guided several amazing hiking trips through the South Chilcotins.  I also had a couple of good horse packing trips with Jaimie as well.  I developed a passion for Salmon fishing and was able to catch 22 sockeye with the season was on.  I was also lucky to have a good friend of mine, Ryan Titchener, come from Jasper and assist me with a trip I was guiding out of Eldorado Cabin. 

Tracey, on the other hand, was left to deal with Yoho, who was deteriorating at an alarming rate.  It finally reached a point where he was experiencing many more bad days than good ones.  When it got to the point that he lost control of his bowels, which had to be an awful thing for him to have happen (he was such a composed dog when healthy), we decided that it would be more merciful for us to let him go.  September 29, 2011 at 4 pm: we had Yoho euthanized in our arms.  We knew exactly when he passed, the light in his eyes faded out like a candle being extinguished.  Our boy was gone.  It was a painful drive back knowing that he was in our trunk with a plastic bag wrapped around his remains.  We brought him to a favourite spot and placed his remains where he loved it most (while living here in Lillooet).  I felt his ears one last time and let him go.  We are able to look over where we placed him on a daily basis and know that his spirit and the lessons he taught us live on.  It is a little unfair for Pinto, we are expecting him to live up to Yoho's legacy, to be even half the dog that Yoho was will be good enough.  Perhaps it would be best if he didn't as then maybe when he too passes on, it may not hurt quite as much.

Eldorado Chili

I've had a lot of success with this recipe.  It is a hearty meal that satisfies the hunger brought on after a long day on the trail.  This is a vegetarian recipe that even staunch meat eaters will enjoy.

Serves 3 people

Eldorado Chili
1 cup split red lentils
8 sun-dried tomato*
1 Tbsp beef bouillon (vegetable based for vegetarians)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dried onion*
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder*
3 cups water
*Substitute 6 roma tomatoes (wrap in news paper and pack in your cook pot), 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic.

Options:  Add a bell pepper, jalapeno or cheddar cheese to round off the meal.

At home:  Combine all dry ingredients in a sealed plastic bag.  Carry fresh ingredients (incl. cheese) separately.

At Camp:  Mince garlic and chop vegetables (if applicable).  Combine vegetables and dry ingredients in a pot.  Slowly add water and stir well.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 15 to 20 mins.  Add additional water if looking dry.  Add cheese to each serving.  Serve with: pita, bread, or instant rice.

Going out with a bang! End of Summer 2010

We were told by the initial vet that Yoho should exercise as little as possible... how can we do that to him!?!  Yoho loves to hike and loves the mountains.  Instead, our goal is to get him out as much as possible so that he can live his final days to the fullest.  He no longer will eat anything but Salmon, which is good, as Salmon are running in the Fraser and I have started fishing to keep him (and us) nourished.  Over the end of the summer we have taken Yoho and Pinto up three more mountains: Two in one day near Tenquille Lake, and one above Blowdown Cabin with Jess and Estelle Stewart (our dear friends) visiting from Jasper.  FYI, Blowdown Cabin is now my favourite place.

 

 Tenquille Lake Trip

 Pinto and I in Fossil Pass

 Tracey Yoho and I in Fossil Pass

 Pinto and I on his first summit - Copper Dome

 Leaving Mt McLeod.

 Tracey and Estelle during a very buggy approach to Blowdown Cabin

 Tracey and Jess hike through the swarms.

 Jess in Blowdown Cabin

Hiking 'Yoho' Peak, above blowdown cabin

 Yoho looking into the great beyond.  Yoho Peak was his last summit.

 Yoho ensuring that Jess was OK

Boot skiing down last winter's remains.

Yoho is dying.

All good things must come to an end.  Unfortunately some things end too soon and the end is near for Yoho.  Yoho peed on the floor which was very odd for him.  Tracey brought him to the vet, and the news was grave.  It appears that Yoho has cancer and that his time is limited.  It is still my belief that Yoho is an Avatar (Hindu version) sent to the world to bring love, peace and happiness to all of those who meet him.  He has succeeded in his mission, but will be sorely missed.  What an amazing being he is: climbed numerous mountains, travelled countless days on the trail, ran many km behind a bicycle, and out ran a pack of wolves for 3 terrifying hours.  This dog has done more in his seven years of life than most humans accomplish in one lifetime.  As mentioned earlier, he touched many people in a profound way.  A little part of us will die when he passes.

Yoho and his student - Pinto.  We hope that Pinto will learn as much as possible from Yoho on how to be a good boy.  He will never be Yoho, but hopefully he will help fill the hole in our hearts that is already growing.

Early Summer 2010

During early summer I spent a lot of time up at the ranch building cabins and taking folks out on day rides around the area.  Ranch work filled most of my time and was a nice way to live.  I was able to get out for a few hikes with Tracey and had an enjoyable visit with our friends from Germany: Lars and Christine.  While scouting out the road into Downton creek I spied an access to climb an unnamed peak.  This turned out to be a bit of a nightmare hike... alder 8ft tall and really not much of a summit.  Still it was a nice trip for Yoho and I who had not climbed a random peak since the year before.

 Tracey at the headwaters of Downton Creek

 Captain Chainsaw clearing Downton Creek Forestry Service Road

 View from unnamed peak in the the Downton drainage.

 Yoho on the unnamed peak.

 Lars and Christine on a Canadian Mountain Adventure

 Mid-way on our day ride around the ranch.

Parking the horses at the end of the ride.

Spring 2010

 Skookumchuk Hotspring trip.  Probably wasn't the best idea for a March trip.  The weather was a little cool and very rainy.  Not to mention that Tracey was recovering from pneumonia (or so we thought).  It is a distinct possibility that this is where Tracey picked up the Measles.

Pavilion lake was a great fishing spot this spring.  As you can see the rainbow trout are a nice size and very healthy.

How to Estimate Travel Times on Foot

Calculating Hiking Travel Times

When you are preparing for a wilderness trip, it is important to be able to judge approximately how long you will be hiking on the trail.  The following information is a general guideline that can help plan your itinerary.

5 km/hr          Good maintained trail free of obstructions               
3-4 km/hr       Trail with some obstructions, some vague spots      
2-3 km/hr        No trail but open terrain                                       
1-<1 km/hr      No trail with forested or obstructed terrain           

Other mitigating factors:

Add 1 hour for every 300m of elevation gained.

Add 15 minutes for every 300m of elevation lost.

Dense forest, dead fall, and slick conditions.  Add more time than you think!

Other mitigating factors that may affect your travel times include: excessive heat, heavy packs, substrate that you are traveling on, and individual walking speeds.  A cautionary tale: do not underestimate the mitigating factors!  To avoid a forest fire I was forced to divert through a 1 km section of forest to reach a fire guard which would have lead us to safety and eventually home.  Under normal circumstances I felt that it would take no more than one hour to travel this 1 km section as it was all downhill.  This has a gross underestimate of time!  It took four hours to travel the mere 1 km because the forest was disgustingly thick and a light rain made the ground very slippery.  Food for thought! 

Winter 09/10

Not much to report.  Just thought I'd post a few photos.

 Joffre Lakes

Tracey trying out her new touring set up en route to Marriot Basin