To be perfectly honest, I got my butt kicked yesterday on a hike. Now keep in mind I work out on a regular basis as I am in training for a half marathon coming up this June. On both Thursday and Friday of last week I ran for an hour straight and it felt easy, so I must be in relatively decent shape.
With that being said, I must also be honest in saying that my husband who I hike with is not in the least sore. This is quite unfair when you take into account the fact that he had not been doing any cardiovascular activity the two weeks prior to our hike. As a women who can now barely walk up and down stairs due to hiking soreness, I have to say that men have it easy, at least this man does.
So, why do the hike if I get so sore? Well there is nothing else like it, the beauty, the peace and quiet, the challenge, the feeling of accomplishment, the new goals that form, and I could go on and on.
The particular hike Ken, my husband, and I went on was up to the top of Rooster Rock out by the South Santiam. If you look this hike up on the web it is described as "brutal". Ken describes the hike as demoralizing, I agree with both. Just when you think it’s almost over there is yet another switchback. And when you can barely place one leg in front of the other the path gets even steeper. Even Winston , our dog, kept looking back at us waiting for the trip to be over. You always know it’s challenging when your super buff, energy ball of a dog is tired.
Finally we make it to the top. Everything is so very beautiful from this grand view. We are over the top of the world it feels as we can see Eagles soaring below us. It was worth every forced step. After taking a rest and hydrating, I began to think about the decent. Most people love going down hill, however with the sheer steepness of the trail there was no love.
Here’s what happens to your body during the decent. The type of muscle contraction the body is performing during the decent is called an eccentric contraction. During this type of contraction the muscles are ripping more than during any other type of contraction, in addition the muscles are releasing the build up of toxins. As a result this is when your body is able to make the most gains, meaning this is how you will get the most sore.
Here’s what I feel happen to my body during the decent. I am trying to hold myself back as to not fall while going down the steep grade, and believe me I always almost fall at least once. My body feels clumsy due to sheer muscular and mental fatigue. It’s challenging to simply place one foot in front the other, and then my leg muscles begin to quiver and shake. Relief is brief on this trail in a couple of spots where the trail is flat. Then it’s back to down, down, down.
At the beginning, and now ending of the trail there is a little waterfall creek to cross. Ken, Winston, and I stop for a short break at the creek. Winston splashes around in the water as Ken and I talk about our accomplishment and begin setting new goals for future hikes. It sounds like we will be timing our next trip to Rooster Rock. The trip home was beautiful and relaxing even though Winston, who was sound asleep, smelled like a wet dog. Oh well.
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