August 2, 2015
It's hard to believe that I'll be leaving for Nepal in just 24 days! I feel like it's crunch time ... for the past two weeks I've planned my schedule in order to maximize my time to train while not compromising recovery or - my favorite - sleep! Although, sleep isn't quite as enjoyable in the hypoxic tent.
My training for the past two weeks has consisted of one hard run for an hour, two recovery runs, one muscular endurance session, two or three hypoxic training sessions, and climbing or hiking on the weekend. Whew!
Yesterday I headed south to Mt. Rainier and hiked to camp Muir with a 25 pound pack ... twice. In order to finish my double header before the heat of the day, I started in the early morning. There was still a warm breeze blowing as I started out on the familiar asphalt path and made my way up the rocks to Pebble Creek. Under the full moon, I didn't even need a headlamp. I hadn't been on Rainier in a few weeks, and I was surprised that there was exposed rock almost up to 8,500 feet. As I was trudging along in the moonlight, I heard running water on the Muir snowfield and looked up to see a waterfall exposed in the snow, something I've never seen before at that location. It's hard to believe how much snow and ice has melted on Rainier this summer, it feels like a completely different place. Things were quiet at camp Muir during my first visit since all of the climbers were on their way to the summit, I watched the horizon start to lighten for a few minutes, then started down.
I began my second trip to camp Muir at 6:30 am, there were just a few other hearty people on the trail, and I was so thankful to be able to witness the mountain waking up. The moths that had fluttered by me during the night were gone, replaced by grasshoppers and birds. I watched a bear rambling through blueberry bushes on a slope below me, looking for breakfast, and saw a spotted fawn test her courage by jumping after its mother across a gurgling creek. I felt more connected with the mountain because I had experienced this transition from night to day.
I made it to camp Muir in 3:03, took a break to rest, eat and drink, and then headed back down and enjoyed perfect snow for book skiing. I was back at Pebble Creek in 1:10. Along the way I noticed delicate moth wings in the snow. I thought about the moths that had escorted me last night and wondered why the had lost their wings.
I also thought about the snow below my boots, how long ago had it fallen, 5 years, 50 years? How much of it would be left when fresh snow fell this winter? Mt. Rainier is a wondrous place!
It's hard to believe that I'll be leaving for Nepal in just 24 days! I feel like it's crunch time ... for the past two weeks I've planned my schedule in order to maximize my time to train while not compromising recovery or - my favorite - sleep! Although, sleep isn't quite as enjoyable in the hypoxic tent.
My training for the past two weeks has consisted of one hard run for an hour, two recovery runs, one muscular endurance session, two or three hypoxic training sessions, and climbing or hiking on the weekend. Whew!
Yesterday I headed south to Mt. Rainier and hiked to camp Muir with a 25 pound pack ... twice. In order to finish my double header before the heat of the day, I started in the early morning. There was still a warm breeze blowing as I started out on the familiar asphalt path and made my way up the rocks to Pebble Creek. Under the full moon, I didn't even need a headlamp. I hadn't been on Rainier in a few weeks, and I was surprised that there was exposed rock almost up to 8,500 feet. As I was trudging along in the moonlight, I heard running water on the Muir snowfield and looked up to see a waterfall exposed in the snow, something I've never seen before at that location. It's hard to believe how much snow and ice has melted on Rainier this summer, it feels like a completely different place. Things were quiet at camp Muir during my first visit since all of the climbers were on their way to the summit, I watched the horizon start to lighten for a few minutes, then started down.
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| Sunrise on Mt. Rainier |
I made it to camp Muir in 3:03, took a break to rest, eat and drink, and then headed back down and enjoyed perfect snow for book skiing. I was back at Pebble Creek in 1:10. Along the way I noticed delicate moth wings in the snow. I thought about the moths that had escorted me last night and wondered why the had lost their wings.
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| Waterfall on the Muir snowfield Photo: Lisa White |
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