Toughest Hike

[sherileeaz]

[pfredricks]

Hmmmm---That style of writing seems very familiar to me. Dont I know you?
eg:frequent use of quotes on words, time quoting, etc

I am looking for someone of your caliber to challenge me on my faster ascents of camelback and squawpeak. Maybe we could get together and hike it. I would really love to meet someone that could hike that with me regularly.

About Michael Jordan.
I will say that an NBA player making millions (arguably the greatest sports figure of the modern era) is probably busier than someone who has the time to regularly write hiking reviews in an internet forum.

PS
Does the name Robert ring a bell?

[sam_hikes]

I know many will disagree but in my opinion Camelback & Squaw Peak are not very good training for even longer hikes... They just seem too short/busy and with too little elevation change. (Unless of course you do them twice or do both Camelback trails)

Just can't see them helping much with EPIC dayhikes hikes such as GC, Ridgeline, Humphreys, and the EPIC's already done.

But any time spent hiking is sure better than not hiking at all

[sidhayes]

Mr. Sam Hikes, Please....I am one who disagrees. That is like saying that running a 10k distance is not good training for longer distances! Sir, I agree that they can be busy, but they seem both long enough and good elevation gains for me! I believe if one is consistant in hard efforts and regularity of hiking these mountains, that is all that one needs to do any "epic" hike mentioned above. Perhaps, people who do not find them good training, are not going hard enough?

[Canyon Dweller]

Sam I am with sid here. This past summer I used Camelback to get ready for a backpacking trip in Colorado. I hiked 4, 14,000+ foot mountains and 2, mountains above 13,000 feet. I would of not been able to do this without Camelback Mountain. When I could on the cooler mornings I went end to end to end with 40 pounds on my back. I found that Camelback Mountain is good for training, not the best (I've had better), but it did the job.
_________________
Mountains are there to be climbed!

"Meaningless! Meaningless," says the teacher, "Utterly Meaningless, Everything is meaningless."-Ecclesiastes 1:2

[azhiker96]

I used the Flat Iron to train for my first hike into Grand Canyon. The key was to keep upping my pace to keep the intensity up there. Adding a pack is another good way to keep the intensity up. If you really want to increase the intensity just hike with an and try to keep him in sight.

[JW]

[Tom Treks]

[squawback]

With all due respect, Mr. samhikes, need I remind you of the tale of Emile Zatopek. Zatopek was a middle distance (5k, 10K) runner back in the 50's & 60's for the Czech Republic. Having already won the gold in those two events at the 52 Olympic games, he decided to enter the marathon as an after thought-and again won the gold! I assure you that runners rarely, if at all, run their perscribed distance to train for their event. The idea that shorter hikes, especially if used as interval training, won't translate over to the epic hikes, I believe, is an erroneous one. Again, like azhiker96 suggests, it's all a function of intensity.

Personally, I found that if I focus on the longer hikes at the expense of the shorter, more intense, hikes like Camelback and the Flat Iron that my times on the shorter hikes suffer. Conversely, if I stay focused on the shorter hikes, doing repeats, my abilites for both types of hikes improve. However, that's just me, I understand that everybody is different.

As for my Jordan comment, it was simply an ill fated attempt at humor. I'd like to believe that a Jordan would actually condenscend to indulge us "ordinary" people, however it is doubtful. Almost all professional contracts contain a codicil precluding such activities becasue of the risk of injury. Perhaps Jordan was an exception.

[sam_hikes]

[squawback]

Unfortuantely, Mr. smahikes, you misinterpeted my analogy. The point being, that you don't have to do "epic" hikes to be capable of doing an "epic" hike. Do you think Zatopec was doing distances over a 10K before he decided to run the marathon? I doubt he even did the full 10K distance, a mere 25% of a marathon. Camelback Jack, the hiker I mentioned in my initial correspondence uses Camelback almost exclusively in preperation for his "eco-challanges" - the worlds toughest expedition race!

Once again I like to point out that a person doing repeats on Camelback at race-like intensity, is probably better equiped to do a so called "epic" hike, than a guy doing epic hikes is to challange the 20 minute barrier on Camelback. It's simply easier to rachet ones intensity down a few notches to accomodate a long hike than it is to pick it up for a short one.

Back to Jordan, that's why I said "perhaps Jordan was an exception" I seem to recall some such exemption.

[sam_hikes]

Wow, now we have the amazing feats of Sid and now Camelback Jack.

Someday I hope to see in person or in some news publication these amazing accomplishments.

I am in awe.

[pfredricks]

I knew Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan was a friend of mine.....you are no Michael Jordan.

I pray that intelligent-heck even the average- people can see what the heck is going on here.

I thought my intelligence was being insulted before. This takes the cake.

I guess the debate is over. And thank goodness.

thanks
-Pete

[squawback]

Do you even have a modicum of insight into what it takes to conjugate some form of pertinent discourse. Please, tell me that your not such a peanut brain that you actually derived a serious Jordan comparison from my earlier comments.

It appears that I need to condescend because you, Mr. Fredricks, are about one brain cell north of an amoeba. The last comment is, that Jordan had the exception to the codicil (contract provision), which would have allowed him to play pick up games. In an overt diplay of pedance, you felt it was necessary to confirm that he, in fact, did, even thought I previously acknowledged that it may exist. The exemption I speak of is just that. As for you intelligence being insulted, isn't that statement somewhat oxymoronic?

That personal email I sent you earlier today at you request, forget it. The offer is off.

As for samhikes. Remember, it's not what we know about others, it's what we know about ourselves inside. Therein lies the source of all ambiguity. Your proclivity towards despair resonates like the sound of a scared rabbit fleeing from a swooping barn owl.

[Tom Treks]