{"id":347,"date":"2014-09-11T17:52:20","date_gmt":"2014-09-11T23:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/?p=347"},"modified":"2015-03-29T17:33:09","modified_gmt":"2015-03-29T23:33:09","slug":"holy-hiking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/?p=347","title":{"rendered":"Holy Hiking!"},"content":{"rendered":"

On September 1st, Dan and I decided that we were going to go hiking.\u00a0 We have done quite a few short hikes and I was ready to pick a bigger one.\u00a0 One of my new fitness goals is to hike what’s called a 14er.\u00a0 There are several mountains in the Rockies with elevations of 14,000 feet, hence a 14er.\u00a0 Some are easier than others and I just want to experience one to see what it’s like.\u00a0 Also, you’re not a true Coloradoan until you’ve taken a selfie at 14,000 feet.<\/p>\n

So to get to a 14er, we had to up our hiking.\u00a0 So I chose Herman Gulch off a list of ‘quickie mountain hikes’.\u00a0 Here’s a comparison of what hike we would usually do and then Herman Gulch.<\/p>\n

Typical Weekend Hike: Trading Post Trail, Red Rocks<\/p>\n

Distance: 1.4 mile loop\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Difficulty: Medium\u00a0\u00a0 Elevation Gain: 500 ft.<\/p>\n

This Weekend Hike: Herman Gulch<\/p>\n

Distance: 7 miles\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Difficulty: Moderate\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Elevation Gain: 1,600 ft.<\/p>\n

On paper, it didn’t seem to bad!<\/p>\n

\"10366326_10102109505231709_8244578394637308070_n\"<\/a>It seems more than reasonable! I could run a mile and had yet to die while training at the gym.\u00a0 I kept thinking of my trainer’s voice saying, “Yeah but did it kill you?”\u00a0 During the first mile, it was pretty easy.\u00a0 Then I realized we were ONLY a mile in.\u00a0 We were starting at around 10,000 feet above sea level and found it wasn’t too hard to breathe since we are used to 5,280 feet.\u00a0 However, we were quickly getting tired.<\/p>\n

During the second mile I realized we weren’t even close.\u00a0 My knees started to ache and my butt muscles were burning! However, my legs are really strong and there was never an option of turning back. We were going to do this, even if it killed us!\u00a0 Half way through you come to a beautiful meadow to keep you going! \"10610823_10102109502187809_4349683958100838536_n\"<\/a>Near the end of reaching the lake (which to midwesterners is more like a big pond) we were stopping A LOT.\u00a0 The people on their way back down could see the desperation on our faces.\u00a0 They’d say, “You’re almost there! It’s just another like….30 minutes!” This is not encouraging!\u00a0 Don’t tell me I STILL have 30 minutes! Just tell me I’m not going to die before I get there.\u00a0 When we arrived at the lake, we were treated with a snowball fight. in the mountains. on September 1! \"10250228_10102109504283609_5341379065446189803_n\"<\/a>After a snowball fight, water and a granola bar, we headed back down.\u00a0 I can say that they trip down is a TON easier than up!\u00a0 However, it does hurt your knees to be pounding at that angle for about an hour.<\/p>\n

Overall: I didn’t die.\u00a0 There were times when I thought I would!\u00a0 There were thoughts that I had to push to the side of “You can’t do this” or “This is TOO hard for you!” But the truth was, it wasn’t! I was absolutely exhausted afterwards.\u00a0 Moral of the lesson: If I knew how hard it was going to be, I probably wouldn’t have done it.\u00a0 Since I didn’t know what I was getting myself in for, I was able to side step that fear and prove that I could.\u00a0 For those wondering, 1,600 ft elevation gain is equal to over 100 flights of stairs.\u00a0 Just saying!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trip totals:
\nCalories burned: 1,800\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Calories consumed in desperation: 250\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Water consumed: 40 – 50 oz\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Trip Up: 2.5 hours\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Trip Down: 1 hour\u00a0 Feeling of making it: Indescribable\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Seeing this in person: Priceless<\/p>\n

\"1415038\"<\/a>P.S. I swear these are all the same hike even though I’m in three different outfits! It’s hard to pack for 45 degrees when it’s 90 outside your bedroom window!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On September 1st, Dan and I decided that we were going to go hiking.\u00a0 We have done quite a few short hikes and I was ready to pick a bigger one.\u00a0 One of my new fitness goals is to hike what’s called a 14er.\u00a0 There are several mountains in the Rockies with elevations of 14,000 … <\/p>\n

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