We arrived at Black Mountain Campground around 10:45.  We had received word from Jeff’s friend Chadd that he was on his way and would be there soon.  He arrived at about 11:30 and the 5 of us got ready for a 3 mile hike to Mid Camp, where Melissa, Jeff, Chris and John were already set up.  About 1/2 mile up, Chadd was having knee problems.  He told us that he has had surgeries and the cold and his heavy pack were giving him problems.  He was going home.

The four of us continued up in the hard packed, basically frozen snow.  And yes, I realize that snow is already frozen, but this snow was solid and very slick.  Thanks to YakTrax that I had picked up from REI the week before, I had little to zero problems hiking on the ice.

We made it to Mid Camp around 2:15 Saturday morning.  We set up in the cold air that read on Jeff’s thermometer at 4 degrees.  I was thankful there was little wind.  I crawled into my sleeping bag in my bivy sack on the snow and tried to sleep.

I woke up around 6:00 and I had to pee.  It was still dark outside and no one else was up.  I tried to hold it for a while, but finally had to get up.  After I got back in my bag, I warmed my feet with my hands and then laid back down for a while.  All of a sudden I heard someone yelling in the distance.  I yelled back and then soon realized that it was Chadd.  Jeff summed it up nicely, “Hey Chadd you crazy bastard.”  Apparently, Chadd drove back home, unloaded his pack some and returned to meet up with us, hiking by himself in the dark.

We got a fire going and thawed out the feet.  We made some breakfast, which for me consisted of a freeze dried meal from Mountain House that was scrambled eggs with ham and green and red peppers.  It hit the spot, but I think anything warm would have been great.  We geared up for a summit hike and left just before noon – later than we should have left.

Melissa, John, Andrew, Chad, Tyler and I started up the mountain and it hit me, (like it does every trip there) how amazing it is to have such a diverse landscape so close to home.  It really does feel like you are on another world compared to Charlotte.  And it is a mere 2 hour drive!

At around 2:15, I ask Melissa if she wants to hike in the dark and she says no.  We had already discussed turning around at 2:30 to get back before dark.  It was 2:15 and we had 1.5 miles to go to the summit.  We decided to turn around and the other 4 went on to the top.

We got back to the camp where Jeff and Chris had a fire going and we got warm and dry.  the others made it back just before it got dark with their tales of how extreme the conditions were at the top.  Their frosted beards proved such conditions.

We made dinners and several turned in early to get warm in their sleeping bags.  Melissa, Chris and I stayed up a bit and talked and listened to the “I must be camping with Jeff” music by Johnny Cash.

Sunday morning I woke up and was extremely cold.  I was worried about my feet that I could barely move.  Jeff made a fire and I warmed my toes that had turned a shade of white/yellow and finally got their color back and stopped hurting.  I packed up and headed down the mountain with Chad, Andrew and Tyler.  Melissa, Jeff, Chris and John stayed back and made coffee and breakfast.  I had my sights set on food and a toilet at the nearest Waffle House!

We mad it to Waffle House around 12:00 and after hitting up the toilet (new Special Place, thanks Waffle House!) I ate a waffle, hash browns, eggs, toast and of course, bacon!

It was a great trip and it reminded me of why I love to hike and camp, but I have decided that, with my current equipment, my threshold on low temperatures is around 15-20 degrees.  The 4 degree temperatures were uncomfortable in my currnet sleeping system.  Perhaps a tent and battery-powered socks (good tip, Chad) are what are needed to get a good night’s sleep in such conditions.

Andrew, Kevin, Tyler and Chad After the Hike

I will take some ideas from Melissa for an “end of year” post and reflect back on 2009 and then focus on what I am planning for 2010.

Family Changes

2009 marked the 3^rd birthday of my oldest daughter, Mia.  She is a wonderful girl who has me completely wrapped around her fingers.  The year also marked the 1^st birthday of my youngest, Sadie.  She is an independent spirit who will be giving Mia hell in the coming years, I am sure.  Parents turn the other cheek when it is payback, you know.  My wife, Jenn, and I celebrated our 5 year Anniversary.  My sister, Jenny, and her husband, Chuck,  had their first baby, a boy named Cai and he is so adorable!  See Melissa’s post on her experience being there with them.

Weight Loss

In the beginning of 2009, I started my weight loss journey.  At the peak, I had lost about 40 pounds, but have slipped off since.  During marathon training I actually saw a weight gain, which I have heard can happen.  For the entire year, I lost about 30 pounds.

Running/Triathlon

In January 2009, I could not run a mile.  I started the Couch 2 5K program from PodRunner Intervals and ran my first 5K with Melissa in February.  I was hooked.  I went on to run a 4.1 mile race in April, my first triathlon in May, a 10K in June, off-road triathlon in July, international distance triathlon in August, a 211 mile relay run in the mountains of North Carolina in September and a Marathon in December.

Hiking/Camping

2009 was a bit of a slow year in this department.  I did manage to make the MitchellWinter trip with Melissa, Jeff and Chris.  I also got up to the Linville Gorge for a weekend with Andrew and Chad.  I was able to incorporate camping before a couple of triathlons.  I hope that as the kids get older, I will be able to take them places that I haven’t yet been able to.

Special Places

You have followed some of my new special places this year, and I appreciate you all bearing with my strange sense of humor!

2010

I hope to continue the weight loss journey in 2010 and to increase my physical ability.  I have already signed up for 4 triathlons including a Half Ironman in November.  This will be my biggest physical challenge of my life and I have a long way to get prepared for it.  I also look forward to another year of milestones with my wonderful girls and my beautiful wife!

Or brown for that matter.

Seriously, when it comes to backpacking, one of the topics most of us want to think about is how to properly urinate and defecate without the aid of modern bathrooms.  Add to that the rough terrain and cold weather that is Mitchell Winter, and you have some issues to get through.

I will be the first to admit that guys have a definite advantage over the ladies in this department.  Being able to urinate without dropping your pants is most certainly convenient.  There are devices for the ladies that aim (no pun intended) to remedy this, but I am not one that could tell you how well they work.  REI sells the Sani-Fem Freshette F.U.D. and that might be an aid for this issue.

In the number two department, the proper way to go in the back-country is to dig a hole 6 inches deep and bury all excrement.  Ideally you would re-cover the ground with leaves or snow to leave as little trace as possible.  You can bring along bags and pack your shit out, but then you are faced with lugging around human waste, which can present several health concerns.  It can become difficult to dig a hole when the ground is frozen, so be forewarned about that.  I found a website that outlines proper techniques for disposing waste.  It is specific to the Alaskan Wilderness, but many points can be applied to Mitchell as well.

Night time on Mt Mitchell in the winter is COLD.  It almost always happens that as soon as you get comfortable in your sleeping bag, nature calls.  The two choices are to get up, get some clothes on, go outside and freeze, only for it to take forever to get warm in the sleeping bag again, or to have a dedicated “pee-bottle” that you could urinate in and store until morning.  I personally have not tried the latter method, but it has certainly crossed my mind.

As I wrap up this post, I am reminded of the song by Frank Zappa, “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”:

“Dreamed I was an Eskimo
Frozen wind began to blow
Under my boots and around my toes
The frost that bit the ground below
It was a hundred degrees below zero…

And my mama cried
And my mama cried
Nanook, a-no-no
Nanook, a-no-no
Don’t be a naughty Eskimo
Save your money, don’t go to the show

Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said ho, ho
And the northern lights commenced to glow
And she said, with a tear in her eye
Watch out where the huskies go, and don’t you eat that yellow snow
Watch out where the huskies go, and don’t you eat that yellow snow”

Listen here.

I will also be focusing more on Mitchell Winter with only 22 days until our Annual Winter Assault on Mount Mitchell!

I haven’t yet blogged about this, but after a short 3 mile run last Tuesday, my lower back hurt so bad I could barely move by Tuesday evening.  When I got home, Jenn said, “You can’t run a marathon like that.”  And she was right.  I needed to do something.  She suggested that I call her chiropractor, Dr. Adam Cooper, ASAP.  I called the next morning as soon as they opened and he agreed to see me later that day.  After taking X-rays, he determined that my pelvis was off alignment and with all the running, has caused major muscle imbalances in my lower back and minor imbalances in my upper back.  Apparently, when your pelvis rotates, it makes one leg shorter than the other and curves your spine to one side.  When that happens, your upper spine will compensate in order to keep your head directly above your pelvis.  What that meant to me was I was in a lot of pain.  Well, I am one week into treatments and I am almost completely pain free.  I was able to run 6 miles on Saturday and 3 miles yesterday.  Saturday’s run was a little painful, but yesterday’s was almost normal.  I am going back to Dr. Cooper today and tomorrow and, fingers crossed, I will be able to finish my first marathon in a respectable time.

If there weren’t enough challenges in training for and actually running for 26.2 miles, the weather forecast for Charlotte on Saturday is “A chance of rain or freezing rain before 1pm, then rain likely.  Cloudy, with a high near 40.  Chance of precipitation is 60%.”  I can’t think of worse weather to run in except for maybe sunny, humid and 100 degrees!  Oh well, it will make for a good story right?  And perhaps it will be good training for Mitchell Winter…

Update as of 2:48PM 12/9/09:

Saturday: A chance of snow and freezing rain before 11am, then a chance of rain and snow between 11am and 1pm, then rain and sleet likely after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Update as of 8:35 AM 12/10/09:

Saturday: A slight chance of rain after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming east around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Apparently, they can’t make up their mind, but this sounds better!  Even though it will be in the mid 20s at the start, at least it will be dry!