Hike for Recovery

This past weekend involved another non-group training hike due to the Easter weekend. We took the opportunity to make the trip across the state to visit with Jennifer's extended family on the west side of Michigan. We headed across the state on Thursday night to get an extra day in there, though I worked remotely all day Friday. It was a good thing, too, as there was a massive snow storm that hit southern Michigan Friday afternoon which prevented a number of family members from traveling until Saturday morning.

Saturday was busy preparing for the family gathering but I was able to get a good 6.0 mile hike in in the morning around the outer perimeter of the Pentwater Pathways trail. I hiked solo for the majority of the trail, catching up with some podcasts for the first hour, then took the headphones off and just enjoyed the solitude. The trail was completely covered by hard packed snow, approximately 6-12 inches deep or so. I was worried that I might start post-holing half way around and that it would be a hard hike back but it never happened. The woods were beautiful with a half inch of freshly fallen snow from the night before and clear, sunny skies.

At around mile 4.25, I came across a man with two dogs in a parking lot abutting an access point along the trail. It quickly became apparent that his VW Touareg had become stuck in the soft snow along the edge of the parking area. I volunteered to help him get unstuck, though it proved much harder than I had anticipated. Though it had AWD, it had bottomed out under the engine and all the wheels were spinning. Using nearby branches we dug out the snow from under the vehicle and put underbrush under behind the tires to try to give it some traction, but it wasn't enough.

About this time, another car came along with a woman and man. We warned them about parking in the lot. They took our word, though as they were turning around they managed to get stuck as well! Fortunately their vehicle was much lighter and we were able to get it moving again.

They then got out and helped us with the Touareg. After some experimenting and several tries, we were able to get it out of the snow by putting down blankets, towels, and reusable grocery bags the owners had in the backs of their vehicles. It also took three guys (including myself) rocking the SUV back and forth while the woman pulsed the gas in reverse.

During the course of the half hour event, the Touareg owner and I struck up a conversation. I told him about my participation in the Hike For Discovery program, that I was from the metro Detroit area and and who I was staying with in the area. As is probably common in many small communities, everybody seems to know everybody. Though he lives in the metro Detroit area as well, it turns out his mother and Jennifer's grandfather have been friends since childhood. After we had gotten his vehicle unstuck, he decided that he still wanted to walk his dogs so he joined me for about a mile or so and we just chatted.

Sometimes life throws the most unexpected things at you. Thankfully this one was a good one.

March Madness and Mongolian BBQ Guest Grilling

I've got two additional opportunities for you to support my fund raising efforts for Hike For Discovery.

March Madness Bracket

I've got a bracket competition up for the NCAA March Madness tournament. It's $10 to enter with 40% of the pot going to my fund raising efforts and the remaining 60% going to first, second, and third place (30%, 20% and 10% respectively). Contact me before the tournament starts on March 20th if you're interested.

BD's Mongolian Barbeque Guest Griller night

Join me for a night of good food and fun at BD’s Mongolian Barbeque while supporting our efforts to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to find a cure for blood cancers. Hike For Discovery team members will be working hard at the 2,000 lb, 600º F grill to prepare your meal. A raffle will be held each seating.


When: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Where: BD’s Mongolian Barbeque - (586) 726-6655 /13150 Hall Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48313
Seatings: 6:00-7:30 PM and 7:30-9:00 PM
Meals:
$12 - Kids 11 & Under (unlimited bowls)
$25 - Adult 1-Bowl
$30 - Adult Unlimited (includes 1 desert)

Soup, salad, regular non-alcoholic beverage included with each meal. Tax & tip included in price.

Purchase meal tickets and RSVP prior to the event by contacting me, indicating your preferred seating and number in your party. Tickets may be purchased at the event only if you RSVP ahead of time.

Vasa Trail

This weekend Jennifer and I headed up to Traverse City for a weekend getaway. Since I wouldn't be able to participate in the group hike, we did a little research on trails around Traverse City to see if we could find a nice wooded trail about 6-7 miles long. Based on some pamphlets at the Bed & Breakfast we were staying at, we decided to check out the Vasa Trail, which has an 11 km loop route.

When we got to the trail head, it was apparent that the trail was primarily used for cross country skiers in the winter. In fact, there was a sign posted indicating that walking on the groomed was not allowed. With no un-groomed trails marked on the trail maps, we decided we would hike along the edge of the 11 km trail anyway to gauge the situation and see if we could find any other trails.

The terrain was somewhat challenging, with many rolling hills. The condition of the trail was mostly excellent due to its grooming. However, because we were hiking along the edge, there were a few places that were fairly soft and deep that our feet would sink into. The scenery was fantastic. The woods looked so peaceful and serene covered in a blanket of snow.

We passed a handful of skiers at the beginning of the trail but nobody said anything to us about hiking on the trail. It wasn't until about half way around that a skier went by and made a disgruntled comment about the posting regarding no walking on the groomed trails as he sped by. Occasionally we would pass by a track or two heading into the woods that looked like they could be side trails, but with no maps detailing where they went, we weren't about to set off bushwhacking.

So we completed the trail, trying our best to minimize the impact to the skiers. The snow was well packed due to its use, grooming, and a warm spell followed by colder temperatures, so impact from out footprints was minimal. Additionally, we only walked along the edge alongside the grooves created for track skiers where the only impact was to the snow already cut up from the placement of the track skiers' poles. That said, to clear our conscience when we were done we decided to make a donation of $20 rather than the $8 day use suggestion. Next time we'll bring skis or visit in the summer.

Additional honored heroes

Over the course of the fundraising for both Team In Training and Hike For Discovery, a number of people have indicated that they have had close friends and relatives who have been afflicted with a blood cancer. I'd like to mention them here and let them be additional honored heroes for my efforts.

• The father of my late friend Justin Wojdacki has a close cousin with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (mentioned to me during my TNT training).
  
• My wife's Aunt Brenda's first husband past away of a blood cancer (which I found out this past weekend).
  
• My wife's Aunt Jeanette's contribution is in honor of her sister-in-law Mary Ruth Sanford, who is battling multi myeloma.

If you know someone with a blood cancer that you'd like to have me participate in honor or memory of, please let me know.

Quick Update

It's been a long weekend. I'll post more later this week, but suffice to say, my training is starting to catch up with me. We had a really good 3 hour 20 minute hike (including rests) on Saturday at Stoney Creek Metro Park. We hiked about 7 miles across the most consistently hilly terrain yet. It didn't feel like much when we were done, but a few hours later the fatigue snuck up on me and I dozed off on the couch while playing with my oldest daughter.

This morning I worked a bucket drive outside a local grocery store. Rather than simply accost people at the door, I got dressed up in my hiking boots and hat, backpacking pack and trekking poles. I then proceeded to spend 1 1/2 hours "hiking" on a home elliptical machine that my team mentor had dropped off while another teammate solicited for donations. I think it worked pretty well to get people's attention. We got a number of comments from people saying they could would have problems doing that for 5 minutes. When my teammate told them I'd be hiking 18 miles in one day, many would reply they'd be happy to do be able to a mile. Sometimes I wonder if I take my good health for granted. Regardless how healthy I am, I was beat by the end of my shift. I was --><-- this close to dozing off again shortly after I got home -- darn those parental responsibilities!

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's rest day.

P.S. I stopped in to find out more about being a guest griller at BD's Mongolian BBQ. I'm discussing possible dates and locations with my fellow HFD teammates. Stay tuned.

Inspiration slideshow

I thought my donation page was a little bland, so I put together a quick slideshow of my inspirations for my participation in Hike For Discovery. Enjoy.

Week 4 update

Thank you all for your generosity so far. It's been less than two weeks and as of this writing, a dozen of you have donated over $961. That's fantastic! Keep it coming! I plan to do a bucket drive at a local grocery store a few weekends from now. I'm also looking into setting up a Guest Griller night at a local BD's Mongolian BBQ. A certain percentage of the proceeds go toward my fundraising goal. I'll be sure to post an update when I have more details.

Anil continues to update his blog with notes on the various check-ups and tests he is going through. It's amazing how many he'll have to have before his chemo treatments start. If you haven't checked it out, I suggest you do so.

The training continues to go well. I ran intervals on the treadmill this week and plan to do slower inclines next week.  The group hike this week was at Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. We received several inches of snow this week, so the trail was quite powdery and the hills a bit slippery with loose snow.

Dressing for these winter hikes has been an interesting challenge. I've done pretty well gauging the appropriate attire for the hikes on the whole: a synthetic base layer of various thicknesses based on the temperature, a wind-stopper vest and a thin waterproof-breathable shell has worked out well. On the lower half of my body I generally wear long johns (synthetic or wool) under my convertible hiking pants. I've been wearing my normal hiking boots with various thicknesses of socks, though

Though I'm generally fine once we've been on the trail for about 15 minutes, I'm generally a little colder than what I'd consider comfortable until then. Today was particularly uncomfortable, with temperatures in the 20's and gusty. As much as I've loved hiking through the snowy woods, I have to admit I am looking forward to the approaching springtime weather.