Mt. Si

 Dropping kids to school in Snoqualmie. Elks, mountains.

Snoqualmie Valley Pass

Yesterday, coming back home from Idaho thru the Snoqualmie pass. 

Happy place.

Ultra-light shoes for hiking in mountains

I live in a very rugged Pacific Northwest (PNW).

The terrain consists of sharp rocks in summer and wet or snow-covered sharp rocks in winter.

My choice of ultralight shoes is not typical,
but they are similar to the footwear of traditional highlanders from the region where I was born.

Are heavy mountaineering shoes a good choice for hiking?

No. Heavy boots are a terrible choice for hiking.

Heavyweight down below is what you have to lift the most;
just like with the car, you want a minimum of unsprung weight.

An extra pound in your backpack makes little difference, but the same pound distributed to your feed becomes a very heavy burden after a few thousands of “stairs”.

The second, more important reason is that mountaineering boots are stiff.

Stiff boots might only appear a better choice in rugged rocky terrain, but they weaken the toes, the arch of the foot, and the ankles.

Why are the agility and strength of your feet important?

In human evolution, the bare feet that propelled us for tens of miles daily throughout rugged terrain in pursuit of fruits, nuts, tubers, and the game.

Today’s urbanite mountain hikers will pump iron to strengthen the quads and glutes, but they under-appreciate the most important group, the feet.

The final reason is that as we age, we want to have stability and dexterity in our feet to keep us healthy.

Is the risk of hitting a rock with my toe worth wearing ultralights?

Yes. As you hike, you strengthen your feet and build awareness of foot placement.

I see people lumbering like elephants without apparent attention to foot placement.
In reality, you want to be light-footed and pay attention to every foot choice you make. 

Eventually, you will be able to literally run through rocky terrain without worrying about misplaced steps.

What about running shoes or, even better, cross-terrain shoes?

For years, I used cross-terrain running shoes with a very aggressive tread pattern. 

I used them for Spartan run practice and for hiking. 

They are great. 

However, they have relatively thick soles and do not train your foot muscles well.

So what is my choice of shoes?

I use ultra-light minimalist shoes in summer. 

They have good thread and minimal soles.

Note, I bought the shoes below twice!

View on Amazon https://amzn.to/49Iyw8V

I wear military-style ultra-light flexing-sole boots in winter. 

I love them, I used them frequently since 2016, and they are also great in summer.

I need tall military-style shoes in winter to prevent snow from entering the boots.

View on Amazon https://amzn.to/3Ua2ehi

Why do I always wear woolen socks?

Wool is my favorite fabric. I have T-shirts, long-sleeve shorts, underwear and blankets made of wool.

Wool socks, especially a thicker set, protect feet from minor scratches. 

Wool does not stink like cotton. 

Wool keeps cooler in summer and warmer in winter, especially when wet.

What do Polish highlanders wear?

They were thick woolen socks and woolen leggings with lightweight moccasins (called kierpce) made of tough leather. They are cross-tied over the calves with thick leather. 

A modernized version uses rubber thread for additional traction.

The picture below is close to how they are supposed to be worn.

Has this article changed your opinion on which shoes are best for mountains?

Please write a comment below.

Without your feedback, I am really flying in the dark. 

I am not kidding when I say that sometimes I feel that only crawler bots visit my blog; many are from China, too.

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Lake 22

Mount Si

Mount Si (pronounced Sai) is definitely one of the most recognizable landmarks in the region. It is towering over the town of North Bend and it is simply breathtaking in its beauty. 

47°30'21.0"N 121°44'21.7"W

As a whole family, we have previously climbed the Little Mount Si, a smaller peak in the range, which is equally picturesque, but it is trully a baby next to the parent, the Mount Si.

Today, since Natalia was travelling to Las Vegas and girls did not want to go hiking and stayed home with Bunica, I went by myself. 

I have been strugglining with health problems, whether it is pollen allergy, since the cherry trees and other bushes are in the full bloom, or some other chemical reaction, my face have been burning and bags around my eyes make me look as if I was 20 years older. 

I decided that instead staying at home and feeling sorry, I will challenge myself to sweat and breath some fresh evergreen mountain air.

The trail was very busy, but when hiking alone I like saying “hello” to passing people. I also like hiking alone when I listen to a good audio book, and the book today was excellent. See my previous post on the current book.

The hike was challenging and I came back very tired, but feeling good. There is no way we would have made it with kids in a quick few hours.

I feel so happy to live right under (takes me 30 minutes to drive to) such a beautiful mountain range.    

 

Cherry blossoms and a black bear while riding a motorcycle

March 20, 2024
Yesterday was the last of several sunny days, and since I did not ride my new motorcycle much, I decided to go for a sunset cruise in the region's forested canyons.
Unlike riding offroad, for which my knobby 250cc is designed, cruising streets is quite a bad experience. The bike shakes and vibrates at speeds up to 30 mph, and I did not even attempt anything above 40. 

It is definitely not Tenere or BMW, but I have spent under 2,000 and not $12,000.

On the motorcycle ride, I went to Snoqualmie Falls and stopped by several spots by the river.

In The Fall City, there are rows of cherry trees by the river, and I was glad I went, as in a few days, I would have missed them. It was beautiful.

47°32'43.7"N 121°50'28.3"W


On the way back, after sunset, I saw a large black bear in the middle of the road. I had to slow down and rev my engine for the bear to finally disappear into the forest. What is fantastic is that it was just a short mile from my kid's school.

47°34'15.6"N 121°58'58.8"W

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I took Natalia to the movies tonight to see "Wild," a story by Cheryl Strayed. 

I have been reading a book by the same title. The story is about a woman walking the Pacific Crest Trail, PCT, to find herself. 

The book is amazing, and the movie is excellent as well; however, the book has much more detail. 

I was hoping that Natalia would understand my longing for mountains and time in nature.

Last year, while spending a solo weekend in the Sierras in California, I hiked along the PCT, if only for a few miles. I can envision being on this trail for weeks at a time and the pronounced effect it would have on my psychology. 

I miss the Sierra Nevada mountains.

mysterium

I woke up today remembering a dream about my friend Kajtek, I opened my email and there was a message from him. You may say it is a coincidence, but we have not seen each other in years and write only sporadically.

I've read his blog one more time and I found so many "pearls" that I wanted to share in my so-imperfect English translation... he'd so eloquently wrote about a trip to the mountains:

"The `mysterium` begins.

In case you don't understand, step-by-step march forward.

[...] Rain. The views do not disturb, neither the conversations. Everyone in the thoughts under their own rain coat during which everyone is getting closer to themselves, renews the friendship with oneself, cut off from all the assaults of civilization. Visibility: 2 meters, we are resting under the rock outcropping with some other tourists. Our faces are smiling, as if we followed the motto: `the worse conditions, the better the joy`. I can feel the closeness between fellow humans, even if we are just standing there for a moment, I have not felt this unity in any church before. To feel it you have to get closer, make an effort, mere fact of getting out will not do. At the shelter there are tourists in flip-flops who took the ski-lift on the way up, I noticed the road construction equipment to flatten the road... what more can I say.

[...] The evening in the shelter on the Czech side has a wonderful climate, we are lucky, there are no `forced` tourist groups, brought from the cities against their own will. The quiet conversations over the beer, tea and coffee. Someone is wondering around the shelter, some other group is taking pictures of the long shadows. One man cast his gaze upon the ceiling in lazy meditation and there is no sign that he will let it go anytime soon..."

http://kajkop.blogspot.com/2009/06/blizej.html

Grand Teton

Where I Belong

February is a good month to be born in.
Happy birthday, Maya. Kareem. Ann.

If I were in Poland, I’d also celebrate my name day, the second biggest celebration after birthdays—but that’s not a custom here.

This morning, Ji ate bigos for breakfast. I knew she’d feel sick, but at this moment, I let her eat whatever she wanted. I guess I'll have the afternoon to myself.

A vacation this year? I doubt it.

I miss the mountains.

I miss the patches of snow clinging stubbornly to spring.
The sound of streams rushing over rocks, the crisp air, the way birds call and echo through the trees. I want to drive again through open deserts and high ranges, where the land stretches wide, and freedom isn’t just an idea—it’s something you feel in your chest.

I love this country. I love freedom. But I feel homesick.

I was born in the mountains, and it is there where I belong.

Here, in the city, I feel trapped.

On the trail, people nod and say, “Hello there, how are you doing?” Here? Nobody cares. I hate big cities.

Last night, I watched the Men’s Super G at the Salt Lake City Olympics.
To an outsider, it may not seem like much—there are faster and flashier sports —but if you understand what it means to race downhill at 55 mph, you feel it in your bones.

To me, it's the ultimate challenge.

Imagine this:
Drive your car on an uneven country road at 55 mph.
Now, stick your head out the window.
Take a ski pole and try to jab it into the ground.
At the same time, make 45-degree turns.

If your truck survives the exercise, you’ll have a slim idea of what it takes to ski.

It’s just a person, speed, and gravity. The G in Super G stands for Giant, but to me, it stands for G-force.

Your muscles burn on each turn.
Unlike tires, the razor-sharp edges of your skis carve through snow and ice.
The wrong edge at the wrong angle? You’re gone.

It’s an on-the-edge sport.

Every mistake and every bump can have consequences. You fly 90 feet per second. A misjudged turn by a couple of degrees, and you miss the gate. There’s no room to spare, no millisecond to procrastinate.

I miss skiing. I miss the mountains.