To walk, or not to walk?

[mandarin2j]

Emily-

It went really well; I feel quite accomplished! I wouldn't do it again any time soon, but I'm really glad we did it. Apart from running the Hood to Coast Relay, this is the first time I can literally say I have reached full exhaustion. We couldn't find the lookout-since it's not a tower, it may have been covered by a snowdrift. From what I could tell by the map, it's a bit off the trail, but we could've been 5 feet from it and not known it. It was about an hour and a half before dark and the temperature was dropping when we reached the top, so we decided it would be safer to just set up camp rather than wander around wasting daylight looking for the lookout. We ended up setting up camp under a tree to protect our tent from the snow. It's a 3-season REI Clipper tent, so we weren't really confident that the rain fly could handle winter conditions. DH got me a fantastic sleeping bag for my birthday in Oct. and I got to really put it to the test. It was still chilly, but just a bit uncomfortable, not dangerous or anything. It was probably in the low to mid-20s, which is the coldest I'll ever try to camp in. I can't wait to drag friends up there this summer and check out what it looks like when the ground is bare and Mt. Hood is visible.

I know I have a strange idea of fun, but being able to say I did it-even if it was exhausting and cold and not always fun at the time-well, that's fun. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[mandarin2j]

This weekend DH and I did a brutal hike and snow camp. On Saturday we hiked 4+ miles with just over a 3,000 foot elevation gain with full packs, really working our calves and quads. We came down the same way yesterday, putting on the brakes the entire way, really working our quads.

I usually walk 4-5 miles with a baby hill on Mondays. I'm a little sore in the calves and quads from the weekend (this was literally the toughest hike I've ever been on). I've heard that muscles build really well after full exhaustion, and that you can foul up that process by working them again too soon. So, my question is, should I take the day off and let my muscles heal and get stronger, or is that a bunch of bunk? I really want to cash in on all that effort if possible! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

-Amanda

[aggie94]

I wouldn't take the day off entirely, because I think a light walk would be good to stretch those muscles that you worked out so hard yesterday. Maybe cut back on the distance and skip the hill, IMO.

[emilycat]

Since backpacking is lower-impact than running, I'm not entirely sure how this would apply, but marathoning is a bit similar to going all-out on a rigorous hike, and after a 26.2 mile race, your muscles experience a lot of micro-tears in the fibers. Working out as usual can definitely delay recovery, but light activity improves blood flow and can keep your legs from getting stiffer and sorer. I'd follow aggie's advice and just lighten up your activity for today.

By the way, how was it? It sounds exciting; did you have fun?

Emily http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif