Old legs are tired legs

balzaccom

balzaccom

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Sep 30, 2014
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Talk about confronting your mortality. This hike up Ralston Peak in Desolation Wilderness knocked me for a loop. I took it slow. I had all day to hike six miles, but I wasn't really prepared for my 72-year-old legs to need two hours to climb 2,000 feet. And in the sun I used up much of my water, as well. I made it another mile (one half-mile contours around the peak, the other climbs another 500 feet in half a mile) in time for lunch. I drank the rest of my water and thanked my stars that I was done with the hard climbs for the day. From the top of a mountain, it's all downhill, right?

Almost. A nasty little 150-foot climb to go over a knoll on the way to the PCT gave me one more chance to flex those quads and hamstrings. Ugh. (Why not just contour AROUND the knoll? Only trail makers will know the answer to that one...)

But I did make it to zone 39 and set up camp by the middle of the afternoon. The first thing I did was filter some water, because I was showing clear signs of dehydration. And the rest of trip was delightful—until I had to climb back down those bobsled runs the next day on my way home. That hurt.

The whole story is here, complete with more photos and a link to the whole photo log: https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/another-desolation-adventure
 
lol ...... ask us after (if) we get back from Hidden Canyon Loop.... 3 days of 1600 plus verticle. 2 hours seems reasonable to me...or longer in my case.
 
regehr said:
there's a whole lot of people younger than 72 who can't climb 2000' in 2 hours.
Click to expand...
I'm one, though not much younger! Took me 6.5 hrs for 9.5 m, 2600' gain and back down on rock-filled trails in NH. Needed ice on the knees after than one.
 
I do get to meet a lot of really good people when I volunteer on the trail. There are families, sharing the experience with the third or fourth generation of Desolation hikers. There are fearless groups of young urbanites, full of energy, setting forth to experience the mountains for the first time.

There are veteran backpackers who have their favorite spots away from the crowds, and thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail who might well be hiking through the whole area in a single day. They are universally friendly, helpful, and happy to chat with me about their experiences, their concerns, and any questions they might have about wildlife, trail mileage, or anything else.

But every once in a while I meet someone who makes me stop and rethink the whole thing.

On my last hike up Ralston Peak, I struggled against old age and a brutal climb to make it near the top, where I was planning to eat my somewhat overdue lunch. And that's when I ran into them: two young women, possibly sisters, who were as fit and lithe as gazelles. They were hiking in running shorts and sports bras, with only trailrunners on their feet, and one carried a tiny day pack. The would not have looked out of place in a city park, out for a stroll.

I greeted them and asked them where they had hiked, expecting to be able to congratulate them for making it to the top of the peak. But no. They had hiked over the peak, back down along the PCT to Lake of the Woods, and were now on their way back over the peak and down to their car at the trailhead. All of this before lunch. And they didn't look a bit tired, or have a single hair out of place.

I am a grumpy old man.
 
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