Hotfootin' It

Event Weekend Day 2 : The Big Hike!!!

2008-09-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Mt. Ida via Milner Pass
Distance Hiked: 9 mi
Elevation: 10,759-12,844 ft
Elevation Gain: 2,085 ft
Distance This Season: 81.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 19,044 ft

Susan and I dragged ourselves out of bed at 4am sharp all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (ha) and moseyed over to the lobby where a yummy breakfast and lunch were provided by Kirk's Outfitters. I was pretty much wearing every piece of clothing I had brought with me to the park since I was not prepared for such chilly weather and had a nice conglomeration of Team NM's extra gear. With Susan's rainpants and ear warmers, Jake's headlamp, and Richard's gloves I was ready to rumble.

The drive to the trailhead took about an hour along Trail Ridge Road. It was pitch black outside but after getting out of the bus and taking turns at the porta-pots the sky started to get light enough to see without headlamps. I was pretty flippin excited about using one though so I insisted on using it for the first five minutes of the hike even though everyone had stowed theirs away.

The trail climbed very steeply for about 1.5 miles until we reached the timber line and then was a very gentle grade for the remainder. Our group consisted of 4 San Franciscans, 2 Rocky Mountainers, and 3 New Mexicans so the pace was kept slow enough that no one was having difficulty acclimating, and I found that although I had to concentrate extremely hard to keep my breathing deep enough, I acclimated very well on this first steep part with no crazy headaches or dizziness or anything!

The trail had some great views of the Continental Divide in the morning sun. When we left Estes in the morning it was about 30 degrees but felt a lot warmer once we got the blood flowing. The wind chill was pretty bitter, but luckily we had the wind behind us for the hike up and didn't get too chilly. We passed over a ridge which a few of us had enough curiousity to peek over and got a gorgeous view of a beautiful green valley with a huge herd of elk grazing near the lakes.

After a while, the trail turned into a big rock field with lots of scrambling to be done. We hopped from rock to rock until the summit was so close we could taste it! By this point it had gotten a little more windy and cold so I eagerly blazed through the rocks to be one of the first to catch a glimpse from the summit.
The two groups joined together at the top and had a power lunch on a ledge just under the ridge to escape the cold winds and were eager to speed back down the mountain. It was so cold I had to eat my lunch with my gloves on to keep my fingers from going numb!
As we started to head back down the mountain, the wind suddenly went from seriously cold to extremely cold and strong. Although we tried scrambling back down as fast as we could, the wind was so intense at times even the strongest hikers couldn't find the strength to move one leg in front of the other. the wind stayed pretty consistent over the four miles of unprotected trail along the side of the mountain at somewhere around 60-70mph with extreme gusts literally pushing hikers over. I could feel the wind going up one nostril and banging around in my brains and my morale was getting pretty low.

After what seemed like an endless journey of doom, we finally found the shelter of a few large boulders and everyone collapsed, removing their gear and scarfing down food and water. We didn't stay for long, however and started the trek back to the alpine line where we celebrated our successful journey and shedded our wind gear.

The ride back down from Milner's Pass along Trail Ridge Road was beautiful. We completely missed it on the way up due to the early hour. I remember passing a group of mountains to the right and stating "Woah, those are some serious mountains over there!" Our guide informed us that "those serious mountains over there" were Mt. Ida and neighboring mountains and I was like, "Sheesh! It's a good thing we drove up here in the dark, otherwise I would have spent those 7 hours at the trailhead!"
When we got back into town I was greeted with hugs and laughs from Uncle Jim and Robert and we wasted no time in getting some celebration ice cream and walking around Estes. Later on, Billy Mac and John met up with us for the Celebration dinner at the lodge which was very delicious in spite of the loud dance music. It was such a great feeling to have them come out to support me. Thanks so much for coming guys!

I felt really proud at how much I've improved during the season mostly due to the advice from hike leaders Angela, Glen and Chuck and also from the emotional support of all of my friends and family. I've never been part of a great cause like this one and was very happy to be a part of it and to meet such fun fellow hikers. Thanks again to everyone for being you. You can see lots more pictures from the trip at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9nbswhc.29kx7rcw&x=0&y=8sc4lh&localeid=en_US

P.S. The event has passed and the season is almost over, but It's never too late to donate to a great cause!

Event Weekend Day 1

2008-09-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Rocky Mountain National Park
Woohoo! Event weekend! The thing we've been training for all summer. After our arrival at Estes Park in the wee hours of the morning Thursday/Friday last week it was immediately apparent that I was not going to have enough winter gear for the blustery weather of a Rocky Mountain September. Thus, Friday morning was spent wandering in and out of outdoor shops and borrowing items here and there from my fellow New Mexico hikers.

Susan, Jenna, and I stopped by the eerie Stanley Hotel (the hotel Stephen King wrote The Shining based on) and poked around the place. It was a very classy lodge which is apparently very haunted. This was not the actual hotel used in the filming of The Shining (much to my disappointment) but was still a very interesting and beautiful lodge.

After a quick power lunch the New Mexico hikers got together for a nice leg stretcher to Cub Lake.

Cub Lake Trail
Distance Hiked: 5 mi
Elevation: 8,121-8,624 ft
Elevation Gain: 643 ft
Distance This Season: 72.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 16,959 ft

Although we weren't at great altitude on our little leg stretcher hike to Cub Lake, I was definitely feeling it. Throughout the season I have struggled with altitude and breathing deeply enough to be able to keep up with the team on our hikes. We stayed together and took it nice and easy and I put my nervousness about the big hike the next day aside. It was great to get together with everyone for one last warmup and the lake was gorgeous with lots of beautiful lillypads and critters.

After the hike we rushed back to the lodge to prepare for the Inspiration Dinner. We met up beforehand to enter as a team and were surprised to see an archway of hiking poles guiding us into the ballroom. Ha! The food was delicious and the speakers were great. We were extremely proud to find out that so far this summer, the seven chapters attending this event had raised over a quarter of a million dollars! Wow!!!

It seemed almost impossible at the beginning of the summer to have brought in the amount of donations that I did. It's amazing how many great people we know who are willing to step it up and make a difference and to tell the government that if they won't take care of it, we'll do it ourselves! Everyone, you've made a huge difference in the lives of these afflicted families. Give yourselves a hug or a high five!

After dinner we broke up into the groups that we would be hiking with in the morning. All the chapters were spread out over several different trails with some having a departure time as early as 1:30am!!!! AHHHHHHH!!! Luckily, my group didn't have to be on the bus until 4:30am so we got to "sleep in". Our guide informed us that the trail would be steepest at the beginning, something else to tie knots in my stomach, but luckily I was able to sleep well before the big day!

TWA Crash Site

2008-09-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Domingo Baca Route to the TWA Crash Site
Distance Hiked: 8 mi
Elevation: 6,450-8,810 ft
Elevation Gain: 2,360 ft
Distance This Season: 67.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 16,316 ft

Last Sunday we got up bright and early with the New Mexico marathon runners and hit the trails to find the TWA Crash Site in the Sandias. Richard was our fearless leader and used his might navigation skills to lead us though the lush rainforesty "trail".
It was misty all morning and pretty foggy in some parts but we didn't get too wet or cold throughout the climb. We had lots of obstacles along the way but made it up safely in one piece to the site.
The TWA plane crashed on Feb. 19, 1955, killing all 16 people aboard. The wreckage extends over about 300ish yards in the trees and bushes. You can view lots of photos in my slideshow I made here. It was a very unique experience and a beautiful morning hike. Thanks to Richard for organizing, leading, and feeding the group.

Today I'm off to Colorado for my event hike on Saturday. I will be getting up at the crack of dawn and conquering Mount Ida so wish me luck and pray for nice weather! Thanks to everyone for supporting me all summer and also for donating to LLS! You rock! See ya at the top!

Maria

Mid-Week Embudo Trail Hike

2008-08-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Embudo Trail to Three Gun Spring Trail
Distance Hiked: 8 mi
Elevation: 6,200-7,900 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,700 ft
Distance This Season: 59.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 13,956 ft

Susan (from the hiking team) and I decided to get together Thursday morning for a midweek hike in the foothills. The plan was to take the Embudo Trail from Indian School up to the Three Gun Spring Trail and hike up to the South Peak. There were very few people on this more scenic route up the mountain and the weather was pretty cool for the beginning of the hike.
We made it up to the junction with Three Gun Springs and enjoyed a scenic view of the Sandias and Manzanos while we had a picnic lunch. We had to cut the hike short when my magical blister bandaids stopped working and my heels started screaming. It was a good workout with pretty views and hardly any traffic on the trail. We'll have to attempt it again sometime soon!

Week 12 - Pino Trail #140 to the South Peak

2008-08-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Pino Trail #140
Distance Hiked: 10 mi
Elevation: 6,460-9,230 ft
Elevation Gain: 2,770 ft
Distance This Season: 51.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 12,256 ft

We got to sleep in a little bit this week as our hike was a lot closer to home. We were hiking in the Sandias once again since we've had such a good "monsoon" season and the mountain opened back up again last month. Our hike started from the Elena Gallegos Parking lot and climbed all the way to the South Peak where half the team hiked along the Cienega Trail and the other half enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at the top.

The trail was exposed and fairly flat for the first mile or so and then became nice and shady with lots of lush green vegetation. The climb was a workout but not too difficult with the hardest part beginning closer to the top with the many switchbacks up the mountain.

I felt my heels rubbing against my boots early on as we steadily climbed but like a fool, I ignored it. And now I have finally received my first blisters of the hiking season- bah! I guess that's what I get for being a dumdum. Luckily Target sells magical blister bandages that will hopefully help me heal my heels before the next big hike.

Next week is our second to last hike before our event hike in Rocky Mountain NP and I feel ready and happy. With only a few more weeks to go the fundraising total is just shy of $3000! Thanks again to everyone who donated to the cause. And for those that haven't- it's not too late!

Week 11 - Fundraiser Madness!

2008-08-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

Special Thanks to all who made it out to the Golfernoggin's Event on August 6th. The team raised around $400 for LLS while getting our golf on!

Golfernoggins just opened up here in Albuquerque a few months ago so be sure to stop by sometime for some challenging rounds of mini golf! There are lots of fun different holes including a hockey rink of doom, the grand canyon, ancient egypt, a basketball court, the classic windmill, and more!

I managed to hold my temper all night and refrain from throwing my club at things which is pretty good for me. I almost won the prize for worst score and I was having a good night!

Charlotte achieved the impossible and picked up a nice prize for getting a hole in one at the basketball court. Lots of fun was had by all! Thanks again to the folks at Golfernoggins and my funloving guests who came to support LLS!

The team also had a great fundraising day on Saturday at our Car Wash hosted by Hurricane's. We brought in over $300 for LLS while getting some cars nice and squeaky clean. Thanks to those who stopped by and the Hurricane's bunch for having us. Mmm, burritos!

Week 9 : Rio En Medio #163

2008-07-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Rio En Medio #163
Distance Hiked: 7+ mi
Elevation: 7,200-8,200 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,000 ft
Distance This Season: 41.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 9,486 ft

Although I don't particularly enjoy waking up at 4:45am on a hike day, I was pleasantly rewarded with a beautiful morning hike through a very dewy and green trail near the Tesuque area. I was actually very surprised at how much vegetation was on the trail, and even more surprised at how many river crossings we had to do. I'm guessing at least twice as many as the Tesuque Creek hike. I was very excited to find that my Gortex boots are extremely waterproof and opted out of some of the slippery log and wobbly rock bridges for a straight plunge through the river.

A few miles into the hike we came to a turnoff for a beautiful waterfall. It was the first of several tucked away in a little nook. It seemed like an ideal place to stop after hiking in the hot sun. Being that it was still early on, it wasn't hot or sunny yet so no water aerobics was necessary. This photo is my personal favorite because it looks like Jake is my conscience or something sitting there on my shoulder. Hahaha!

After leaving the waterfall the real climb began. The trail was relatively flat up until this point and then we got started on a little bit of bouldering up to the top of the waterfall area. The steep trail kept climbing up for a while and I started hanging further and further back in the group until finally I realized that not only was I feeling a little dizzy, I was also feeling slightly nauseous.

I learned the hard way that you shouldn't take heavy painkillers before hiking. I thought since we were staying at lower elevation on this hike that it wouldn't be much of an issue but I quickly learned the truth. I hung back for a few minutes and sat with Angela and enjoyed a power snack until I felt good again and then went forward to meet up with the rest of the gang for lunch break.

I felt a little embarrassed about falling back again after the Wheeler Peak incident but felt better about it after Kelly gave me my new nickname, "The Phoenix". Ha! It made be feel better because instead of feeling like a dumdum it made me feel like some mystical animal that magically reemerges from death. Haha! So I got a new nickname and learned an important lesson AND got to see lots of wonderful vegetation as well as test out my newish boots in the water. So all in all a good hike.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, fundraising is still going well! Last night I was able to stop by the last part of the Celebration Dinner for our Team Honorees and found out that this season the NM Team in Training and Hike for Discovery branch has already raised over $111,000 to fight blood cancers! So a special thanks to everyone who has already donated and if you haven't yet- it's not too late!
http://pages.hikefordiscovery.org/nm/rockymt08/mfriesen

You can view more photos from my hike here if you like. Stay tuned for important announcements about some fun events coming up!

Maria

Week 7 : Chamisa Trail

2008-07-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Chamisa Trail 183 and Winsor Trail 254
Distance Hiked: 7 mi
Elevation: 7,800+
Elevation Gain: 1,500 ft
Distance This Season: 34.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 8,486 ft

This week's hike we took it pretty easy since half of us went up Wheeler last week and the other half climbed Santa Fe Baldy. The weather couldn't have been more perfect Sunday morning as we got to the Santa Fe ski area. It was nice and cool with lots of cloud cover and no thunderstorms! Whoo!
The trail was pretty steep on the get-go but after a few ups and downs it leveled off and was nice and mellow. We connected from the Chamisa trail to hike another mile or so on the Winsor trail which went through a beautiful meadow and across a stream which I believe was the Tesuque? No water aerobics or splashing this time around, awww...

The way back seemed like we had a much steeper climb. I believe Rick counted 175 steps on the last incline. Whoo, it got my heart going. Overall it was a very nice workout. The trail had lots of mountain bikers later on in the hike as well as lots of friendly dogs. If you're looking for a nice hike with pretty wildflowers, this one is a good pick.

Fundraising went very well the past few weeks. We're over the $2000 mark as of today and the donations are still growing. Next week my ad is going up for my web design/graphic design/photography/video editing trades for donations so if anyone wants to be one of my five people who receives my services in exchange for tax deductible donations to LLS, let me know! I have three spots left! Looking forward to my hikes this week! All the paperwork for the event went in today so I'm officially on my way to Rocky Mountain National Park!

Week 6 : Wheeler Peak- Highest Point in NM!!!

2008-07-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Wheeler Peak via Williams Lake Trail
Distance Hiked: 6.48 mi
Elevation: 9,700 ft - 13,161 ft
Elevation Gain: 3,461 ft
Distance This Season: 27.45 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 6,986 ft

Wheeler Peak is hands down the hardest hike I have ever attempted. It is the highest point in New Mexico, towering at a breath-taking 13,161 feet. There is a "mellow" route you can take from the other side of the Taos ski area that slowly climbs the 3,000ft over a nice 8 mile long trail... but that's not the one we took -SIGH- The Williams Lake Trail climbs the first 1,000 feet over 2.3 miles and then turns into a steep Class 2 trail, shooting straight up to Wheeler Peak over the distance of one mile!

The morning started off pretty badly. The trailhead was at around 10,000 feet of elevation and I started out having major problems catching my breath. Having experienced serious altitude problems in the past, after about a mile of the "easy" trail, I told our group I would have to turn back.
Our hike leader, Glen, had allowed my boyfriend, Nate, to come along on the hike since I had anticipated this situation and didn't want the whole group to have to turn back. We watched the group go forward and took a break before heading back.
However, after several minutes, my breathing became much easier as I acclimated to the altitude. I felt sad about missing out on the hike and we decided to finish the hike to the lake. We were very glad we did when we saw how beautiful it was in the morning light. Feeling curious, we decided to look for the trail to the peak to see how intimidating it was.

It looked pretty steep, but we knew it was only a mile. If we just took it slow, how hard could it be?

I actually can't remember how many times I thought "It can't get any steeper than this" or "We must have been at least four miles by now". Long story short: it was superhard.
When we finally got to the peak, we found the rest of the hiking team with the most surprised/happy/confused looks on their faces. We celebrated and exchanged stories... and then we heard a rumble in the distance.

The storm clouds were moving in and we were pretty far away from the treeline. We scurried as quickly and safely as we could down the steep slippery mountain. It was extremely difficult trying to fight gravity with our weakened leg muscles but it kept us moving at a quick pace.

The highlight of coming down the mountain was a huge snowdrift off to the right of the trail. Eager to give our aching muscles a break, and not caring about wet pants we slid down several stories of snow on our bums.

We managed to finally make it down the mountain and back down the Williams Lake trail well before the rain came in. I'm proud to report that even though I fell many, many times coming down, I have no injuries and no blisters. Just really really really sore muscles.

I'm glad I got stubborn and eventually made it up that crazy mountain and I'm looking forward to our future hikes. After that one I'm pretty sure I can hike up anything this state has to offer. Slowly, yet surely...
If you haven't already, visit my LLS page at http://pages.hikefordiscovery.org/nm/rockymt08/mfriesen The donation total as of today is over $1300! Thanks to everyone who has already contributed to LLS! We're doing great! To see all the photos from the hike, View My Album.

Week 5 : North Mystery Trail

2008-06-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

North Mystery Trail
Distance Hiked: 9.47 mi
Elevation: 7,600+
Elevation Gain: 1,665 ft
Distance This Season: 20.97 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 3,525 ft

Today's hike was our last in the Sandias. As of today, the Forest Service has closed everything in the east mountains due to fire danger so it was great to get to hike close to home one last time. The hike started out nice and cool. It was actually cold enough for jackets in the brisk mountain air this morning, which is GREAT! I'm no fan of heat stroke. In fact, the hikes are getting earlier and earlier. No bueno!

The North Mystery Trail is a great shady trail with lots of ups and downs (some of them pretty steep in my opinion!). There was hardly any traffic on the trail as it is not marked on most maps and has not officially been recognized by the forest service. There were lots of scenic overlooks as well as many different types of plants. Some of them were especially weird...

Overall it was a very challenging hike with lots of huffing and puffing. I broke in my awesome new pair of boots, which are great and hardly rub my feet at all, and I also was convinced to try using someone's hiking poles for the first time, which wasn't as weird as I thought. Not too sure about them still. Didn't notice a significant difference on this trail. We'll see...

Well, it's Week 5 and things are moving along well! The hikes are getting harder and the donations have been growing. The official total this morning including the mailed in donations not posted to the site yet is over $1200! Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far and if you haven't seen my LLS page already you can find it here: http://pages.hikefordiscovery.org/nm/rockymt08/mfriesen

We have lots of fun events coming up including a car wash, mini golf tournament, and a wine, cheese and BBQ night. There are a lot of things to look forward to!!! ...except for the 5AM meeting time coming up soon. Yikes. Gotta beat the heat!

Week 4 : Faulty Trail #195

2008-06-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Faulty Trail #195
Distance Hiked: 7.0 mi
Elevation: 6,600+
Elevation Gain: 1,360 ft
Distance This Season: 11.85 mi
Elevation Gain This Season: 1,860 ft

Today I hit the trails again with the team after recovering from some medical problems last week. I wasn't sure that I was feeling up to the challenge this morning and started out slow bringing up the rear. However, I was surprised at how well I was doing and how great it felt to be on the trails again and throughout the hike got back up to speed.

The trial was very nice with lots of shade and greenery and a nice cool breeze. We had an early enough start that the temperatures were never unbearable. We had a tree sniffing poll to decide whether the ponderosa smelled like vanilla or butterscotch. I'm not too sure but I think butterscotch might have won that one!

The trail started out very steep and had a few tough climbs. It was pretty rocky but no one took a tumble thankfully! We climbed up Lower Faulty and joined Faulty Loop which took us past the fork for the South Crest Trail, which would be a great one to try out sometime (maybe when it's not so hot! yikes!!!)

On the way back down the loop we passed some beautiful overlooks. It was a tough hike and I was a little shaky coming down. I know someday I'm bound to have better balance, but the past 26 years hasn't been so successful! Ha!

It was a great hike and a great motivator for the rest of our season. We are way ahead of schedule and have a very ambitious group so it will be great to see how we challenge ourselves.

This week, my hiking mentor, Rick, and I are going to scout out the local grocers to set up an information table sometime in the next few weeks to get the word out to the public about blood cancers and the financial need of the thousands of patients battling them this year. Also, updates coming soon about fundraiser BBQ and wine tasting. Can't wait for the next hike!

If you haven't visited my LLS webpage yet, check it out. You can see how the fundraising is going and learn more about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Week 2 : Tesuque Creek # 254

2008-06-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

Tesuque Creek
Distance hiked: 4.85 mi
Elevation: 7,100-7,600
Elevation Gain: 500 ft

Yesterday I officially kicked off my training with my first hike with LLS. Tesuque Creek/Winsor Trail No. 254 is in the Santa Fe area in the beautiful adobe community of Tesuque. The first leg of the trip takes you past several rustic homes before you get into the wilderness.

I should have paid more attention to our hike leader's warning that we were gonna get wet feet, but after crossing the creek several times, I began to find my squishy sneakers quite refreshing! AND, I am proud to report, I did not get any blisters from said sneakers.

The hike was fairly easy. I did huff and puff the first few minutes since it was my first real hike since last year, but my worries of being left in the dust were silly.

Everyone on the hike was very friendly and welcoming. We had fun attempting to cross the makeshift bridges. I think after the first few, I abandoned all hope for fear of falling in and ruining yet another digital camera. We finished up one of the last crossings with some fantastic synchronized swimming!

So all in all, week one was a great success. I'm looking forward to the next one! If you haven't already, check out my LLS webpage. It has more information about what I'm doing as well as an opportunity to join me in supporting cancer research.

Hike on!

Maria
http://pages.hikefordiscovery.org/nm/rockymt08/mfriesen