Surviving Ultra

Because DFL is still an accomplishment

Tag: adventure

  • Fun in the Snow

    My aerobic base building block has been going well and I can feel my running-based conditioning coming back quickly, but winter snow has definitely hit earlier than expected this year with 3 snow storms hitting to date.  Part of me never grew up and still loves to play in the snow so it’s been great to get out, strap some crampons on, and hit the snow-covered trails, such as some recent exploration of Minnewaska Park’s Lower Awosting Trail and Blueberry Run Footpath. 

    While I don’t mind training outside in the winter, the recent storms have had me make some modifications to my current training block.  On the first of the stormy days where conditions meant it would have been unsafe to run, I replaced a run with some sport specific gym-based exercises in the form of high repetitions of step ups with a 30-pound rucking plate on my back. This workout came from Mountain Tactical Institute’s Mountaineering and Hiking Prep plan and additional snow storms led to my decision to stick with it.  The plan contains two days of step ups, two total body strength days, and one running day.  The step ups and circuit-based strength days still provide a great aerobic benefit and the running in the plan still allows me to continue to practice my form.  I have made the weekly run a bit longer than the plan calls for though and have taken advantage of the 5 day a week layout of the plan to sneak an extra day of hiking or trail running in if I’m feeling up to it. The plan is a recommended entry point for their more advanced mountain running and hiking plans and I see myself following this plan up with one of them. 

  • Rucking Around the Boston Area

    I recently had to travel to the Boston area for an event in the suburb of Woburn.  Whenever I travel, I always try to find some time to see something interesting or explore something new and when checking out Woburn I couldn’t help but notice that Middlesex Fells reservation sat between Boston and Woburn when I did a quick search for trails in the area.  That’s when the crazy idea hit of why take a cab from Boston when I can hike it.

    I arrived in the Boston Back Bay station in the morning and divided my adventure up into two parts since I decided to meet a colleague in Boston for lunch.  I had all of my luggage and some water and snacks packed into a backpack that weighed about 20 pounds.  I spent the remainder of the morning rucking around the Charles River Esplanade area and enjoying the views of the river for a nice ~10 mile adventure.

    It was a rainy and misty day so the views of the bridges were not the clearest

    but it was great seeing many of the interesting looking trees in the park

    as well many of interesting statues throughout it.

    After a nice long lunch meeting I then set out (a bit too late) on my approximately 12 mile ruck to Woburn via the Middlesex Fells reservation.  The walk to the reservation did take me through parts of the Boston area that I had never visited before and there were a few interesting sites along the way like this footbridge across the Mystic River. 

    When I arrived at the nature reservation, I started down the Middle Road trail and headed towards the panther cave. 

    I was able to capture some pictures of the rock outcroppings that started to pop up as I approached the area of the cave, but didn’t get to capture any great pictures of the cave itself as by the time I arrived in the area darkness was starting to rapidly set in and I switched focus to getting myself back to one of the main roads that paralleled the park and to the hotel hosting the event as quickly as possible.

    While I was not without a small flashlight, there is a definite note to self to pack a headlamp next time so I don’t need to cut my adventure short.  From what I did see of the preserve, however, it’s definitely an area that I would love to explore more of if the opportunity presents itself in the future. Regardless the day made for a fun 22 mile trek that was much more fun than a cab ride. 

  • Planning the Next Adventure

    As an avid hiker and trail runner I am always on the lookout for interesting places to explore and there are a couple of ways I routinely seek out my next adventure. When seeking to explore a new area getting a trusted opinion of someone who has hiked the area before is usually the best bet but not always feasible.  When there is no one to ask, however, I have become a fan of using some apps/online research tools to identify trails that would interest me. The approach that I tend to use is as follows:

    1. AllTrails – This app has been around for a relatively long time and was one of the first hiking apps I can remember using, but it is an app that I find myself using less often as time goes on.  I think it is still a great resource to identify interesting areas to hike and run as you can view pictures of a trail and frequently read reviews of a given trail.  The downside to me is that you are only readily presented with a pre-canned list of routes with no easy way to create a custom route from point A to point B if it does not already exist. It’s great for ideas of where to go, but necessarily the best for planning how to see everything you want when you get there.
    2. Hiking Project – Hiking Project is an app that I find myself using more and more often for the role that AllTrails used to fill – finding an interesting area to explore.  I really like how they overlay pictures of different scenic views onto the map so you can figure out that you want to see these 3 sites off the blue trail and these 2 off of the red trail along with an idea of where they are on each trail.  It gives you a bit more granular insight into how you can make the most of your adventure.
    3. Komoot – this has become my go to app for route planning.  Once I identify an exciting area to explore using AllTrails or Hiking Project I will turn to Komoot to plan a route through the area.  This way I can easily see that in order to hit every site I want to see on my journey I need to start on the red trail and then switch to the blue and then finally take the yellow trail back to the start. I can layout a route that works for me and not just follow a pre-canned route created by someone else. I also really like the elevation profiles that they provide as part of the route planning. If I am training for a particular event I can try to find routes that will have similar elevation profiles to race day.
    4. Paper maps and compass – Not an app by any means but something I always like to keep handy.  GPS navigation is great and highly convenient, but things can occasionally go wrong – batteries die, signals can be poor, devices break, etc.  When this happens, you need to ensure that you have a way to navigate out if needed. While plasticized or laminated maps are best for the waterproofing, even without having the ability to purchase those it’s trivial to print off a map from one of the above apps to have a hard copy that you can store in some place where it will stay dry.  It adds negligible weight to your pack but is invaluable when the need arises.