Mark’s Photos #18
Along the Continental Divide Trail in New Mexico you traverse a series of mesas between the towns of Grants and Cuba. Right out of a western movie set, these sheer sided flat top hills...
SlowBro's Blog Posts
Yellowstone Family Trip-0
Nancy and I are heading to Yellowstone National Park. We will be meeting our daughter and son and their spouses, and our three grandchildren there for a short vacation. As the youngest is only...
SF2T- Post Script-1
As you may now know, I got off trail due to some heart palpitations and an episode of irregular pulse. I thought it unwise to continue solo as Cappuccino was leaving the hike to...
Mark’s Photos #17
After a toe ligament tear took me off the Arizona Trail for several months, I returned in the fall to complete the 800-mile trail. I had left off in Flagstaff, so I returned there...
SF2T- Day 7
Last night. Yes, well last night was not the best for me. The weather was perfect, I was warm enough, and the stars were out in full array. But I woke up with a...
SF2T- Day 6
10 miles and 5,412 ft of elevation gain today. Camped beside the Santa Barbara River last night. Up at 5:05 a.m. with a breeze and the temperature at 39° (windchill equals ~34°). We were...
2 responses to “SF2T- Day 6”
Who was this Santa Barbara! Babs certainly got around in the American Southwest! When you walk calf deep through the stream, your socks must get wet, yes? Of course. You then hike on in wet socks? We got caught in some large pools of water on the trail to Grand Falls in West Forks, Maine. Our socks got wet. Not really a big deal. That said we were not wading in calf-deep water. Great to see you two have the discipline during the steep climb to take many breaks and fuel up.
Yep, socks and shoes (trail runners) get soaked and we hike on. Unlike the old heavy hiking boots, trail runners have mesh tops and drain water quite well. The warmth of your moving feet dry out your socks in a couple hours in the dry climate of NM. The old wisdom of never hiking in wet footwear, really doesn’t apply to modern shoes. Unless you are in very humid conditions like the tropics where your feet stay wet all the time for days. Then you can get trench foot which is not good.
As to rest and fueling up on a long climb, I used to save snacks on a long climb as a reward when I got to the top. On the PCT I finally realized that was stupid. On a long car trip I wouldn’t wait until I got there to put fuel in the car. So why wouldn’t I do the same for myself. I started snacking at the start of a climb and as needed on the way up. As a result, climbs became easier and life got better.