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NOTE: This is part 2 of a mountaintop rescue story. If you missed part 1, read it here.
Let’s see… Where did I leave you in the mountaintop rescue story… Oh, yes. I was tempting karma with all my jerk-wad ways the night before our big hike.
After a night of silly bantering and high-stakes Farkle, Reuben, Kelsey, and I met up at 9 AM to hit this hike.
The plan was to leave from Alpine, hike over what they call the Box Elder Pass, and end at Tibble Fork, a popular reservoir on the other side of the mountains. From there, we were planning to hitchhike to the bottom of American Fork Canyon where we left Reuben’s car.
After talking to a few people who had done it, we thought it was a pretty straight-forward route and we planned on about seven miles of fairly rigorous hiking. None of us had ever done this particular hike, but I knew the first part of it well as it’s the same trailhead for one of my quickie favorites, Horsetail Falls.
Last year, Fabulous Wendy and I had set out to do this hike and after three miles we figured we’d missed the turn-off, so we turned around and came back. A horseback rider on the way down told us we should have turned onto this certain trail near the bottom. We found the turn-off and decided to do it even though we’d already hiked 5 1/2 miles. About two miles into it we were too beat to continue (we had no idea it was so steep), so we called it a day and planned to do it another time.
And so the Sunday before last, knowing exactly where to go this time, we loaded up our gear and drove to the trailhead.
I took more than a gallon of Gatorade with me, figuring I’d need a lot of liquids to finish a hike like this. I also had some emergency essentials, tons of energy snacks, and some of my nicer camera gear in tow. The weather people were predicting a day just shy of a hundred degrees. Nothing I hadn’t hiked in before.
The hike started out fairly rigorous, but nothing too crazy. About a mile up, we stopped at this giant rock for a self-portrait.
Three miles in, the slope was really getting crazy steep, and it wasn’t offering us much of a break at all. We stopped for photos at this humongous tree (that’s Kelsey and me there, teeny tiny people at the bottom of it). You can see the slope of the mountainside that we were basically hiking the entire time.
As soon as Reuben caught up to us, we all snapped a few pics of each other.
I snapped a couple of Kelsey and Reuben. Both were breathing hard but doing fine.
Reuben took this photo of me, and I wish I would have looked at it on the camera, because I would have seen the first signs of trouble.
My body was being cleaned out of its fluids. All the water was being sucked out of my muscles and fat which was deflating my arms (and I’m sure the rest of me). For some reason, the Gatorade wasn’t keeping me hydrated properly.
The next warning sign I had was about five miles up the trail. My quad cramped up. I had two of my six Gatorades left, and I hurried and downed one. I’ve cramped up before and that’s always done the trick. Well, that and a good rest and a nice stretch before continuing on.
But that last mile to the summit was relentless and beyond difficult. My legs started cramping more and more. And this is where I started getting into trouble, though still nothing I thought was too crazy serious.
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When I played soccer back in high school, I'd take advil or other anti inflammatory/pain medication before tough workouts or before a run to prevent cramps. Worked pretty well!
wow, guess I can finish the story later tonight!
Me 3
Me too!
It's KILLING me not knowing the rest of the story. Agh! Post more!
When I used to dance ballet I would sometimes get incredibly painful cramps in the arches of my feet when I was working them very hard that involved my feet basically locking in the pointed position. It was very hard for me to get them out and relax, even using my hands.
I also remember once when I had a membership to the Y and I went to this 25-minute ab intensive class thinking it'd be a piece of cake since it was less than a half hour. Came out of it feeling exhausted but proud. The next day I woke up and thought I had a stomach virus. Turns out the soreness in my abs was so deep it felt like severe stomach cramps.
I always enjoy reading your blog. Glad you and your hiking crew made it off that mountain okay!!
These pills are great! http://www.vitacost.com/Hylands-Leg-Cramps-with-Quinine
If I am running alot in the summer I tend to get cramps in my calf. Usually I can feel a tightness there, so I take a few of these and it keeps my legs happy.
Hey :) I would say you drank too much Gatorade as well. Drink water, water, water.... at least 2-3 water for every 1 Gatorade. Kept us healthy in the Army. :)
Waiting on part 3! :)
You are a TEASE, Dan Pearce!
I always have some EmergenC in my pack, but I never realized what a good idea it was until now. I have never hiked in the Alpine area, do you know how your favorite trails faired during the fire?
I couldnt wait so I Googled your rescue, but I like hearing it from you. You are humble about it and seemed to have learned from it, which is all anyone can hope for, to learn from our mistakes. I live in CO and often hike, and know how easy it is to go off trail or have an unexpected storm come up. Thanks for sharing, maybe you can save someone else from harm. Glad you are okay for your son and loved ones.
Once you have reached the cramping part like that you don't keep going. You could have gotten heat stroke. Sometimes I think we are our own worse enemy.
so my Q is - next time this guy wants to tag along, will you let him? lol
A good alt for gatorade is organic coconut water. It isn't quite as tasty, but it is very hydrating, and full of potassium and vitamins. Also excellent for hangovers... not that I would know ;)
@Karl B. Hille Does the Performance Sports drink cause you to bulk up? I am trying to lose weight but am thinking this might help me as I train for a mud run. I just don't want to get bigger. Thanks
Karl, thanks for the info. I'm definitely getting a lot of input today that Gatorade is not the way to go.
I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. Can't wait for the end of the saga.
Please read this, Single Dad Laughing. Gatorade has sodium potassium and chloride, plus carbs for energy EmergenC includes sodium and potassium, as well as calcium, magnesium and chromium. it's the Cal/Mag combination that is ESSENTIAL for the contraction and relaxation of muscles and probably much better to relieve and prevent cramping. It also contains B-Vitamins and antioxidants. Better yet is a formula called Performance Sports Drink - from Shaklee. It contains six electrolytes - sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, magnesium, and phosphorus - in the proportions your body loses them in sweat. It also has a higher carb mix and that's supposed to be somehow optimized for high-endurance exercise. The downside is it's only available through distributors - so you'll have to go look them up. Finally, coconut water (not coconut milk) - has a similar electrolyte blend and flavor profile to Gatorade, with a more natural carb content. Also it has antioxidants, and is an isotonic solution - meaning it has the same glucose/saline proportions as blood plasma and could - in an emergency - be used in place of saline intravenously. I'm just saying' Gatorade isn't the only fish in the sea, and certainly not the most helpful when it comes to rehydration.
Don't leave us hanging.... I can't wait for tomorrow to hear the rest of the story. Glad you are ok.
I never really got heat cramps but I DID go to my knees a couple of times too many on a climbing trip in the mountains near Innsbruck, Austria. We were running down the talus (which of course accelerates your speed exponentially) and I hit empty patches a couple of times. NOT fun. I fell to my knees and the stupid rocks rolled right over me. What it meant probably is that I tore my PCL in both knees on that trip. For the next day's climbing in Switzerland I was out of condition and had to ride the stupid cable car up with the rest of the whiny baby people. I did, however, climb clear down from there to Lucerne.
I hear pickle juice is good for muscle cramps.
Glad you are all safe! I have learned alot from your post and others comments. thanks for sharing.
Tomorrow??? LOL Laughing with you and not at you. Thank goodness you guys made it out okay to laugh about it later.
I've made this for my husband for work, he's a carpenter and has been working out in the sun. http://katymcarter.com/2012/02/homemade-all-natural-gatorade/ It sounds a little sketchy but it's actually really tasty. He drinks some of this and then a crapton of water. He told me once that the ...ade drinks aren't made with the right ratio of electrolytes, etc and for them to be most useful they should be really watered down.
@aknitterobsessed I have bookmarked your Gatorade recipe. My son has five 6 hour LAX clinic sessions this week with the HS coach and I hate sending him with Gatorade. What do you use for a calcium p and where do you get them? Have you ever tried juicing other fruits?
@carynhelene @aknitterobsessed I use a similar recipe but I get my calcium from Blackstrap Molasses. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=118&tname=foodspice
@aknitterobsessed @BazoDee @carynhelene I don't have a link -I do 2tbs of BSM, 2 tbs of raw Apple Cider vinegar, 1/8 -1/4 tsp baking soda and 12-16 oz of water depending on my mood and how much baking soda I used. It is a salty sweet drink -not unlike gatorade. I've used lime/lemon instead of the ACV and I'm sure you could use sea salt instead of the baking soda.
Of course I'm no expert and I'm not a doctor -that's just what I do - I also use the Emergen C. I do hot yoga 4-5 times a week, so electrolyte replacement is really important to me and I've tinkered in the kitchen with this.
Tumeric is also supposed to be good -I may tinker with that next.
@BazoDee @carynhelene I have blackstrap molasses but I can guarantee you my husband wouldn't drink it, lol. Can you link a recipe? For the calcium I've been using some calcium lactate from Standard Process that I bought from my chiropractor. Someone else mentioned EmerGen-C, I really like the raspberry flavor.
Becky, trying to figure that route out is proving tricky, I'm hitting you up for advice on it next time I plan to hike it.
What you should do next time is leave your car at Silver Lake Flat, go over the mountain from Alpine, spend the night at Silver Lake then hike down to Silver Lake Flat the next day. Or do it in reverse. That way most of your hike is the second day downhill through corner canyon :)
I used to get muscle cramps all the time (from running insane amounts on steep trails to condition myself with my horses), I found the best thing (for me) was bananas, coconut water, watermelon, and making sure I didn't drink before a big run/heavy activity day. I hate to say it but Gatorade has to be the worst stuff for you, its dehydrating and gives you short term energy spikes that only cause you to crash harder. Drinking salt water would be more beneficial. I haven't had cramps in years, but I'm also super cautious, the few times they knocked me completely out I had horses to jump on to carry me home. Glad you made it off the mountain safely!
dude!
At least you are posting it, so apparently you came home. Glad to see that.
For hydration forget the gatorade. Seriously. Coconut water is my numero uno! Or try chia seeds (as in chia pets-google it) -they are easier to carry, black strap molasses mixed with some water, or any number of home made electrolyte solutions that combine baking soda, molasses and citrus or apple cider vinegar -will be 1000 time more meaningful to your body wrt replacing electrolytes.
BTW- the chia seeds are only helpful if you drink them with a ton of water - you can make yourself really sick if you eat them dry and don't drink water after. http://rebalancelife.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/pre-hydrate-with-chia/