HikeArizona.COM

How are things progressing this year? In keeping with the idea that you are only as good as the numbers you post, I'm up to 61,436' of elevation for the year and a modest 132 miles.

Added August 2019: Looking back 10 years later, I honestly can't think of anything more offensive or unhealthy to say about one's hiking, than the above statement. Thats was my OP in 2009. Hiking should never just be about the stats recorded.

January 31, 2023: Have at it.

Cross country skiing is what I've been debating should be added. Try it, you'll see...

Plus, when I am cross country skiing, so often I am following trails that are already posted on HAZ. Except that it's harder to ski them than it is to hike them.

azbackpackr wrote:Cross country skiing is what I've been debating should be added. Except that it's harder to ski them than it is to hike them.

Except for the downhill grades, lol! Then all you have to worry about it falling!

Yes, falling. Ahem!

But you can't really do fast or tight turns, especially on the classic longer skis, and you really are working going downhill, too, probably more than you are when hiking down hill. You have to step-turn a lot which takes a bit of coordination, timing, and muscle. The newer shorter skis are better for turning, but I don't have those. Snow conditions vary, and you have to deal with that as well. I think it is a hard sport to master, and I am self-taught and haven't mastered it. It's just not easy.

Snowshoeing is a lot easier. With snowshoeing you only have to remember to walk as though you have a bad butt rash, with your feet well apart...

Snowshoeing always sounded cool to me back east. I have never gotten to do it.

azbackpackr wrote:Try it, you'll see...

lol... we've been over this, I have albeit many moons ago

I'm open to opinions and it can be changed, just haven't seen the avalanche of opinions roll in yet.
Descending is easier from my experience in addition to less weight stress on flat glides... making it easier overall in my opinion. The only thing I recall is that finding the perfect stickiness is crucial. Too little and ascending is hell, too much and descending is hell. Since I'm not very experienced I am interested in hearing from others that are experienced.

Yeah, that's the other thing. Huge learning curve, including wax. I have the waxless type, but I do use a ski spray (or sometimes just silicon spray) on them when it's warm and sticky. You have to be careful with that, though, because you can make them way too slippery as well.

I haven't even been out xc skiing yet this season, although there has been plenty of snow near Flag. I'm moving back to Eagar, and likely will go several times in the White Mtns., before I leave for Costa Rica.

I don't think there are a lot of HAZers who xc ski as regularly as I used to, when I lived in Eagar. I haven't seen too many triplogs, anyway. Mostly it seems they have been people going up to Flag just to try it. It really isn't too practical unless you live up on the mountain, if you want to get very good at it. Snowshoeing is a lot more practical, since there is very little learning curve. (Butt rash analogy...)

Riding a bike up Bell Pass is harder than hiking it....riding one down is but looking.....

Ah, activity. I will take advantage off this to mention that I am fine with the goals I have achieved in 2011, for the most part, but am now concerned I will lose my top 10 status for my coveted AEG field. I need to keep up the elevation, as there are 2 contenders moving towards me, and rapidly. With 3 weeks left in the year, I could easily be bumped to spot 11 or 12.

Jim_H wrote:Ah, activity. I will take advantage off this to mention that I am fine with the goals I have achieved in 2011, for the most part, but am now concerned I will lose my top 10 status for my coveted AEG field. I need to keep up the elevation, as there are 2 contenders moving towards me, and rapidly. With 3 weeks left in the year, I could easily be bumped to spot 11 or 12.

Oh, no! And you worked so hard to get there!

azbackpackr wrote:

Jim_H wrote:Ah, activity. I will take advantage off this to mention that I am fine with the goals I have achieved in 2011, for the most part, but am now concerned I will lose my top 10 status for my coveted AEG field. I need to keep up the elevation, as there are 2 contenders moving towards me, and rapidly. With 3 weeks left in the year, I could easily be bumped to spot 11 or 12.

Oh, no! And you worked so hard to get there!

For the first 9 months, but then have barely done the equivalent of 1 month during the first 3/4 of the year, in the last 2.5 months.

1 week left in 2011. Will Joe Bartels cross 600,000 feet of AEG?

I'll probably squeak by, Amy is right there too! Bob or Ken look to top out on mileage. Mark and John look to break 400k. Ken has the most amazing single stat at 21+ miles average per hike while in the top overall mileage too. Overall it looks like a lot of people had an incredible year. My goals for next year will probably sink me on the analysis. One is to enjoy wildflowers but that's kinna outta of my hands other than praying. The other is to break an 18min ascent on Squaw.

Yesterday I added "peaks" to the analysis for those that are interested in annual and lifetime summits.

Will Mike go for gold in January for his mentioned 200k month?
My knees couldn't take it. 90k last December was havoc not only physically but unexpectedly mentally and took a while to shake off. Perhaps 120 tops but I'm not self motivated enough to do it alone.

Well... not sure I've got the base to jump right into a 200,000' month, but it is in the back of my mind for 2012... I just resolved a basic conflict for the year: elevation versus quality of training. I had a number of event days planned for later this winter, and they would require a focus of quality during the hikes as opposed to simply logging elevation. If I hike using weighted packs it really slows down the pace, and makes a big elevation day take too many hours... so, in order to kick off a big elevation year I'm delaying the event days 'till later... and just targeting a higher weekly elevation average for the first half of the year. Ideally that will allow me to enjoy a nice morning outing and still get home in time to work on a needed remodel for half of every day.

I will still include some higher quality training components. Yesterday I hand carried a twenty pound kettle bell on the walk over to the trail and during the ascent. The asymmetric aspect of the weight ended up really ripping up my legs (who knew... I was carrying it for a bit of upper body workout!)

So... now I just have to find the motivation to stay on track for 100,000+ months for the year! Should not really be all that hard when it boils down to getting out and enjoying the trail.

I got my goal for AEG for the year. If I get a little more, great, and I might get some more miles, too. Not the lofty goal I had in mind many months ago, or the revised goal in September, but still pretty good. Maybe 2012 will be a good one. I won't be a top contender anymore, but so what? I could almost be happy if I manage to hike the Telescope Peak from Badwater hike, and down, and not be destroyed. With 8 of the top 10 for AEG being over 300,000', I definitely won't be on any top ten lists next year. Not for hiking, at least.

I still need almost 3500 feet to get the 100,000, and almost 60 miles to get the 500. And I probably don't have time. Once I get back to the White Mtns. I will be busy getting ready to move to Costa Rica for four months. And it'll be hard to get 3500 feet with all that snow, since I am not in the mood for snowshoeing. I might hike up Jester's Peak in Yuma on my way home, if the new subdivision next to it has not made parking a problem.

Maybe you could take the southern route home and do Mt Kimball. You'll visit Tucson and get 4000' so you'll top out well over 100,000'. I'm itching to do that hike, especially after a muddy Elden hike.

I stopped and hiked Telegraph Hill in Yuma today. I may come up short of the 100,000! Tomorrow I really need to get back to Eagar. I may have time for a hike near Eagar if I leave Gila Bend early enough.

Denny knocked me off the top 10 list for AEG, but I was on it up until my last look on the 30th. If someone was going to do that, at least it was someone who did over 6,000' in a day. I barely even register in 2012, but I guess I need to get used to that. Guess it isn't all about AEG, but I want to be in shape to do Telescope Peak from Bad Water. I'm not in the shape I was in back in June, and I wouldn't be able to get up out of the La-Z-Boy and hike 11,000' without doing some training.

Wow, congratulations to Johnlp, who already has 105,000 vertical feet of AEG. Plus all the other people who are racking up the miles and elevation this year.

I haven't looked at the totals in a while, but last time I saw them, a few people had already built up some pretty sweet numbers.
I'm unfortunately stopped around 70 miles for now. There's a lot more year left, though. All is well.