Setting up the New Spot

We've used a Spot Satellite Messenger for years since our first major sea kayaking trip in Glacier Bay, Alaska. I updated to a Spot Gen3 to get the smallest, lightest weight device and set it up tonight. Spot also has Spot X, which allows you to text, but I didn't really think that was necessary. It kind of defeats the purpose of the solidarity of the experience! As long as I can relay that I am safe and send a help message if I need it, the Spot Gen3 will do just fine.

First, I set up a new profile in my Spot account. The last one we used was for both me and my husband and the emergency contacts were outdated. I included four of my friends on the OK messages, and my husband and a friend on the emergency contact.

Then it was time to activate the new device. I chose the basic package plus extreme tracking. Extreme tracking detects any movement (I set it for after 30 minutes of non-movement), rather than me having to turn Spot tracking on. I chose this as an extreme safety measure; if an animal drags me away in the night and I am not able to turn on tracking, at least someone will be able to find me. This does mean I have to sleep with the Spot somehow attached to me.

Next, I had to download firmware and install it onto the Spot. During set up, I had to decide what interval I wanted to be tracked at. (I could, of course, change the interval later and refresh my device.) I found a good chart from Spot detailing the battery life depending on the Spot mode being used. I felt comfortable at selecting 10-minute tracking. When the sky is obstructed 50% or more, it causes significant drain on the battery, and since I will experience heavily forested areas and open spaces, I figured 10 minutes was safe. I will not be bringing extra batteries!

The final step was to set up a share page. This provides a link to my tracking and allows me to choose what I want it to show, and whether or not I want it to be public or private. I chose private and to share OK messages and tracking. I am reserving the help and SOS messages, as well as movement alerts for my emergency contacts. I then was able to choose a password to provide my friends, and then customize an email message that they would then receive. I had a little trouble getting Spot to recognize their emails as valid. I backed out of the page and tried again, and then it worked.

I sent my friends an email asking them to confirm that they had received the Spot share invite. So far one person confirmed, so I think it worked! My husband also received his.

Overall, the set up was pretty easy but it did take a while. In order to deactivate the subscription for the Spot Gen2, which expires at the end of July, I have to call customer service. I plan to take the Spot along on the July 7th 26-mile run. It will be a good test and give my friends an idea of what they'll see during my fastpack. None of them have experience with Spot, so it will be good for them to know what to expect.

Making Arrangements for Cascade Pass to Stehekin

I count myself lucky for the friends in my life. Though few, the ones I have would do anything for me, and it feels good to have that support.

One friend will run over Cougar Mountain with me on my birthday just to keep me company, even though trail running is not her thing. Another (runner) friend offers encouragement and understanding of the goals I have set for myself. Her husband gives his trail wisdom, both of them having done Section J of the PCT. And now two friends have agreed to help me with the Cascade Pass to Stehekin training run!

Friends Dana and Jill have a beautiful house and boat on Lake Chelan. On the day of my Cascade Pass to Stehekin training run (training for a fastpack of Section J on the PCT), they will be awaiting my husband's arrival after he drops me off in Marblemount. Then, they'll get into their fast boat to make the one-hour trip to Stehekin to pick me up. They'll have food and a beer waiting for me, not to mention hugs. They've graciously offered me not only a shower afterward, but also for us to stay the night with them.

Wisely, Dana suggested we figure out a plan for communication and what to do if the weather makes the lake choppy. If the weather cooperates, they will most likely have to wait for me to arrive, but if the wind and waves slow their speed, I may have to wait for them. This means I have to bring along a change of clothes and some food. I can always get food and water at the store there, but I will pack extra food just in case. There is no cell phone reception there, so I will just go to the meeting place we predetermine. Hopefully, they and my husband will already be there, but if not, I'll stay put until they arrive.

Since I will be running in an isolated area, I will take my Spot Satellite Messenger with me. This will allow me to send OK messages, as well as help and 911 messages with GPS coordinates. I will have the tracking feature as well, so they can follow my progress while they still have cell reception.

We have used a Spot many times for kayaking. It is a great way to let people track you, know you're OK, or signal for help if you need it. Spot also has the Spot X, which allows you to send texts essentially. I opted for the less expensive (but still costly) Spot Gen 3. 

It's good to have this plan, and barring forest fires and bad weather, all should go well.

Listening to Your Body

I've been training unofficially since September and officially since January for a 70-mile fastpack run on the PCT in August. I spent the fall and half of winter building a strong distance base, and then began increasing distance, elevation, and trail in January. This weekend, the second hard week in a row at 24 plus miles on Saturday, (and then eight and 10 on Sunday), going for maximum elevation gain, I reached a limit.

Today, I ran 25 miles on Tiger and Squak Mountains. I spent nearly eight hours running and hiking in wet brush, with soggy feet and sometimes muddy tread, summiting four peaks (albeit the highest was 2800 ft) and gained over 8.000 feet of elevation. On my way down from the central peak of Squak, my feet hurt and my knees hurt; fortunately, I only had four miles to my car. In the end, as I ran down through the Sycamore neighborhood and snagged the Rainier Trail back to my car, I felt pretty good. But on the drive home, I came to terms with putting in what essentially amounts to a 50K effort two weekends in a row every couple of weeks.

With Friday night's rain, the overhanging branches and undergrowth were droopy with moisture. Though wet, it was a lush, green, and beautiful trail.

I know that the 70-mile run will be harder than what I've done thus far, but in analyzing the elevation profile of the PCT, much of the mileage will be gentle ups and downs with three big ascents and descents. Though the overall elevation seems daunting, I don't think it will be as hard as what I've been doing. From what I can tell, the first day (50 miles) will be like a moderate 50K course plus a 20-mile hike with 2200 feet of elevation gain and loss afterward (i.e. mostly a hike). The second day will begin with a 2200 foot ascent and then a gradual descent to Snoqualmie Pass.

I also know that whatever I have trained for, be it a marathon or a 50K, you never run the distance you are training for during actual training. Your body (or at least mine) just can't take it. In marathon training, the most I ran was 20 miles; in 50K training, the most I ran was 26 miles on Saturday followed by 10 miles on Sunday, with the week capping at 56 miles. With these ideas in mind, I made my training plan for the 70-mile run, running two hard weeks back to back. I have those two hard weeks to go, maxing out at a 60-mile week. I think it's time to back off a little in terms of elevation gain.

My plan tomorrow is to run my 10 miles on the flat Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Next week is easy, just a 32-mile week. And then I have two hard weeks left before my Cascade Pass-Stehekin run. For now, I have decided to run an easy-ish 26 miles on trail for the first hard week, and then the final 26 will be 8,000+ feet of elevation gain. After that, I taper to the 34-mile Stehekin run, and then taper to the PCT Section J Southbound run of 71 miles.

Running Up Mountains: Lessons Learned

As my watched beeped for mile seven of my eight-mile run today, I smiled and thought about how that was mile 50 for the week. Elite runners boast of averaging 50 miles a week for an entire year, but for me, 51.5 miles for the week without injury is an accomplishment! Later my husband reminded me that I have to run that all in one day on my first day of the PCT Section J fastpack I have planned for late August. Uh huh. It's going to be a long day with lots of hiking up steep sections.

Speaking of HIKING up steep sections, yesterday, I ran the Issaquah Alps westbound, adding a two-mile section of the Coal Creek Trail to get to 24 miles. I finished the toughest part of the run, Tiger Mountain, feeling pretty good and began the climb up Squak on the East Ridge Trail, a never-ending Z of switchbacks. Normally, I hike more than half of this, but yesterday, I realized I was running it and feeling good. I thought, wow, am I actually going to run this thing? I thought I was nearly at the top, so I kept running. But as many a hiker knows, one switchback can look like the next, and the next, and the next. I should have walked at that point, but I just kept going, wanting to run the whole thing. Mistake.

On my way down Squak on Margaret's Way, I was really, really tired. I repeated the mantra, "Mind in boat" (if you've read Boys in the Boat you know what I am talking about), and stayed as focused as possible so I wouldn't stumble. My hamstring can't take another lunge forward. As I approached a tangled mass of roots, I tripped first with my left foot and then my right. I just couldn't pick my feet up enough to clear the roots--I was that tired. I didn't hurt my hamstring, though, because I pitched forward Superman-style and landed in a plank position. Even my core was tired, I noted, as I pushed awkwardly up from a pushup position. And I still had Cougar Mountain to go.

Amazingly, Cougar afforded me some nice hiking breaks and I was able to run down the west side, however slowly. Then came the section that was new to me on Coal Creek. Thank goodness it was groomed and wide, with mostly a gentle downward slope. I simply had nothing left. My run turned out to be 25.5 miles, clocking in at seven hours, 45 minutes. The previous long run of 23.5 took me 7:36, so I was pleased with my time but not with how I felt. I have never wanted to be done so badly, even in 50Ks. I should have hiked more of the East Ridge Trail.

I subscribe to the motto, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should" in many aspects of my life. Looks like I need to apply it to trail running.

I was lucky that the sun was blocked by high clouds until about 1:00 pm. It kept me cool for most of my run.

"Tivy" (Bivy/Tent) Project Completed!

On rainy last Sunday afternoon, I finished my "tivy" and I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I had to sew the tabs on the outside to tie the cords to so I can stake it. Then, once I had it staked, I cut the shape of the mosquito netting for the front door. To see the earlier stages of this project, view this post and this one.

Side view of the tivy: I have plenty of headroom and I won't bump the pole in the night.

My finished tivy: I sewed the netting along the bottom and used small strips of velcro on the sides. The pole in the center holds the top of the netting in place.

I sewed the netting onto the bottom of the tivy at the base of the triangular opening, and then sewed on some velcro tabs in three places and it closed up nicely!

I did manage to tear the fabric where the top tab attaches when I was putting the trekking pole in place, so I triple reinforced that part of the tivy. Then it was time for the moment of truth: how much did it weigh? The tivy registered at four and one-eighth ounces! My goal was four ounces. I could probably trim the eighth ounce by trimming the fabric along the seams but I don't want to risk cutting the seams. The thinner fabric is hard to cut, even with brand new sewing scissors.

Then it was time to pack my fastpack vest and see how heavy it was. My goal was to have it weigh seven pounds without water. (My water weight will vary as I go, being able to fill up fairly often, so most likely carrying 20 ounces at a time at most.) With everything packed, my vest weighed six pounds, 15 1/4 ounces. I can probably trim a little here and there by not carrying the case for my headlamp and trimming seams, but I am satisfied.

I weighed my vest on a kitchen scale. At six pounds 15.25 ounces, I am pleased. The bear spray is the heaviest thing in the pack, but I won't go without it!

"The Other Day, I Met a Bear..."

...Except I was the one in tennis shoes, and she was protecting her cubs!

Yesterday, I was running from Poo Poo Point to the top of West Tiger 1 on the Poo Top Trail (a seldom used, one-mile grunt to the peak). I've not seen anyone on this trail the two times I've been on it. I think most people take the road. It's a steep pitch along a ridge top with deeply shaded forest and no undergrowth.

I was about half way up the trail when a small plane flew over, which makes me think of my dad, who is deceased and loved airplanes. I never talk to him out loud, but for some reason I did. I said hello, and asked him for help getting through my run safely--my right hamstring was strained and I tripped, further straining it, in the beginning of the run. I was afraid I'd truly injure the hamstring. I had a second thought that maybe I needed his help for something more important like an encounter with a bear.

Moments later I heard a sound to my right on the downhill side of the trail. I looked to see two bear cubs climbing a tree about 30 feet away. I froze, pulled out my bear spray and removed the safety. My heart was pounding and my voice shaky as I sang the old Girl Scout song about a bear in tennis shoes (the first thing that came to mind). WHERE WAS MAMA BEAR? As I walked backwards up the steep pitch, I looked in all directions trying to spot her. If I was between her and her cubs, I was in deep trouble. As the trail brought me to a higher vantage, I saw she was at the base of the tree her babies had climbed. I continued to walk backwards up the trail in an awkward shuffle, talking to her all the while. She turned her head to look from her cubs to me, and I looked away. I was utterly alone on what appeared to be trail no one uses in an isolated area.

A few minutes later, I began walking forward, and when I could see the microwave tower on the peak, I put the safety back on the bear spray. I was so relieved to find four hikers having lunch on Tiger 1. I chatted nervously with them and told them what had happened. They were completely unaware that there were bears and cougars in the Tiger-Squak-Cougar corridor.

Later, I wondered what had warned the cubs to scamper up the tree before I passed by. I realized had I not spoken out loud to my dad, which I never do, I likely would have startled the bears and could have found myself in a dangerous situation. You don't want to surprise a bear, especially one with cubs.

Last week was the first time I had carried bear spray on my long run, mostly due to a national news story a few weeks ago of two mountain bikers from Seattle being attacked by an emaciated cougar in the nearby North Bend-Fall City area. The cougar killed one of the men. My husband had me watch a couple of YouTube videos about how to use bear spray effectively. I was so thankful for this because I knew exactly what to do yesterday.

Here's what to know about black bear encounters and bear spray:

• Assume that there are bears and cougars if you are in the woods. They are (especially) in green spaces in densely populated areas.
• Have your spray readily accessible. It must be OUTSIDE of your pack and reachable within seconds.
• If a bear charges you, you have at most 10 seconds to get your bear spray out, safety off, and use it.
• If you have to spray, aim the nozzle downward so that the spray drifts up into the bear's nose. It's pepper spray, so you want the bear to breathe it in and hopefully be incapacitated long enough for you to get away.
• Be aware of wind. It will change the trajectory of the spray, which is a bright red, possibly blowing it away from the bear, or even back on you!
• Use a short burst of about three seconds. Do it again if the bear is undeterred.
• Don't look the bear in the eye. It will take you as a threat.
• Do not run away from a bear. Instead, back away slowly. Talk.
• A mother bear with cubs is most dangerous. She will do whatever she has to in order to protect her cubs, and you will be interpreted as a threat.
• Bear bells apparently don't deter bears. The human voice is more effective. Since I run alone, and will be alone on the PCT, I plan to wear a bell on my shoe (it can't hurt) and sing.
• Listen to your gut. 
• Don't hike or run with headphones or earbuds. You need to be 100 percent aware of your surroundings.
• Check the expiration date on your bear spray. 

In all, I am glad to have the encounter with the bears yesterday so I have at least had a chance to practice. I had no trouble getting to my bear spray and remembered everything I was supposed to do. 

While it would have been cool to snap a few pictures of the bears, I decided my safety was paramount. Thus, I only have a couple of pretty views from earlier in the run. I ran from Lakemont Blvd. on Cougar Mountain, over Squak, and then to all three Tiger Peaks plus Poo Poo Point. It took me 7 hours 14 minutes, and I had 7,000 feet of elevation gain, and 7,500 feet of elevation loss.

I had such lovely morning light on One View Trail, making my way from Poo Poo Point to West Tiger 1.

I am amazed how prominent the high school/middle school footprint is now from the vista at Poo Poo Point. A large crowd was snacking and resting on the hillside to the right of the hang glider take off area. To the left of the girls is a small white blip. It's a hang glider.

I ran with just one pole and I really like it. I could switch it to the right hand and peek at my watch, I could collapse it easily to carry it, and I could take a drink from my bladder. These are all things that require two hands, so with a second pole, these things are difficult. I used the pole in my left hand mostly going uphill, and in my right hand going down. This was mostly to protect my right hamstring. My left (weaker) arm is sore today, but my legs are not. I especially liked having one hand free when it came time to get the bear spray ready. I will be sewing a velcro strap on the side of my running vestpack so that I can secure the pole there (collapsed) when not in use.

Rain is in the forecast for the next several days, so I am hoping to finish my "tivy" in my evening hours after work and dinner.