Training Week 7: June 27–July 3

Back from one adventure, already packing for the next.

This week started and ended on planes. I returned from the Colorado Trail trek at the start of the week and then got back on a plane Friday, this time with Lee, for a week off together. After being apart last week, I’m really looking forward to having so much quality time with him, and with family.

Given all the travel, it’s been tough to follow my training plan, even before the CT. I’ve mostly been listening to my body and hiking as much as I can given other commitments. I’ve also realized I’ve been so focused on hiking that I’ve been neglecting my strength and yoga practices. I’ll be recommitting to those over the next few weeks.

Saturday, June 27 — Full Rest
Early flight home from Denver, then quality time with Lee, Lola, and Gigi watching Formula 1 and Shrinking. 🐾📺

Sunday, June 28 — Strength
60 min Full Body Strength w/Adrian + 20 min Yin Yoga w/Kirra on Peloton

I felt like my legs must be pretty strong after all this hiking, so I figured a legs-focused strength class wouldn’t be too tough. I would pay the price for my hubris over the next few days. 80-100 each of reverse lunges, front lunges, dumbbell squats, single leg deadlifts, and runner’s lunges, with some core and upper body mixed in for good measure. About 30 minutes in I knew I was in for a world of hurt (the good kind, but perhaps a bit too much of it).

Monday, June 29 — Moderate
Table Mountain via Long Ridge, Upper Stevens Creek County Park (AllTrails)
10.14 mi / 2,203 ft elevation gain

I did the loop clockwise, opposite of AllTrails’ suggestion, so that I had a steep descent at the beginning rather than a steep ascent for the last 2 miles. There was no one parked at the trailhead and I only saw 2 bikers and 1 hiker on the trail. I was, however, greeted by 2 deer less than 10 minutes in.

The trail was mostly shaded, walking on an easy path in the trees. At the bottom of the descent there were some pretty stream crossings that were high enough to get my feet wet — they dried quickly in my trail runners. Over the next 5 miles the trail climbed 700 feet to Table Mountain, where I sat on a makeshift bench to eat lunch, then another 900 feet. After that it was fairly flat, with small ups and downs, for the next 3 miles, transitioning to grassy hills with expansive views of tree-covered hills.

By the end my legs were totally spent, and I had to haul myself up the 2 steps into the van. In hindsight, this wasn’t my smartest choice knowing the workout my legs had gotten the day before, but I was eager to get back on the trail, and maybe feeling a little overconfident after the CT.

Tuesday, June 30 — Active Recovery + Strength
30 min Low Impact Ride + 30 min Upper Body Strength w/Logan on Peloton

I could barely walk today, so hiking was out of the question. I still wanted to get a little blood flowing in my legs, so I did an easy ride before an upper body strength class. My legs were unimpressed.

Wednesday, July 1 — Moderate
Bay Area Ridge Trail, north and south of Saratoga Gap
10.18 mi / 1,895 ft elevation gain

I started out intending to do this AllTrails hike, but a couple of miles in I realized it largely overlapped Monday’s hike — too soon. So I improvised a route connecting several trails to the north and south of Saratoga Gap, and turned it into a much longer hike.

Between my legs still being sore and having to figure out the path as I went, this wasn’t my best day hiking. It felt like just trying to get miles in. That’s just how it is sometimes… But, a bad day on the trail still beats a good day doing lots of other things.

Thursday, July 2 — Long
Dool Trail and Johansen Road and Gazos Creek Road Loop, Big Basin Redwoods State Park (AllTrails)
12.0 mi / 2,145 ft elevation gain

See featured hike below!

Friday, July 3 — Rest
Travel day ✈️

Going to hang out with Lee’s family for a week in Skaneateles, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, where he and his brothers grew up and his parents still live. We’ll spend lots of time in the lake while catching up with his parents, his brothers, and their families. After that, it’s a quick 2-day trip to Florida so Lee can see our new house and we can have a belated birthday dinner with Mom.

Week Total: 32.3 miles / 6,243 ft elevation gain

Featured Hike: Dool Trail and Johansen Road and Gazos Creek Road Loop, Big Basin Redwoods State Park

After Wednesday’s uninspiring hike I was looking for something spectacular, and this one delivered! Even the drive in was incredible, with redwoods poking up through the fog of the marine layer.

Big Basin was hit hard by the CZU Lightning Complex fires of 2020, with nearly the entire park impacted, but it is recovering beautifully. While much of the other vegetation burned, most of the coast redwoods survived. It was remarkable to see how the fire scorched the outer bark while the inside stayed red and alive. They are now tall black sticks with short, bushy green branches sticking out. Most of the undergrowth is back too, densely packed with shrubbery and small trees reclaiming the forest floor.

Much of the hike is on fire roads, which aren’t my favorite and meant more sun exposure than I expected. The scenery more than made up for it.

A few miles in, I stopped to take a photo when I heard loud huffing and puffing coming from back down the trail. I assumed it was a trail runner struggling uphill, until a young buck came around the corner and stopped just a few feet in front of me. He was panting and clearly startled, and we just stared at each other for a moment before he calmly walked into the woods. I’m not sure what he was running from, but I watched my back closely for a while afterward, just in case a predator decided I was suitable prey.

A little while later I noticed a fence alongside the trail and eventually realized I was passing private property — a few train cars and a striking metal fence with children’s artwork carved into it. It turned out to belong to Markegard Family Grass-Fed, a local family farm which sells at local farmers markets and delivers direct to consumers. As a vegetarian I’ll likely never be their customer, but if I were going to eat meat I’d want to get it from these folks. They seem to care deeply about treating their animals and the land with respect.