Aloha Kakahiaka

Good morning.


It is 7:40 am.

Will be leaving Arnott's Lodge soon and dipping tires in salt water along the Hilo Bay and then heading down Kalanianaole Street to Kamehameha Avenue. Then left onto Wainuenue Ave. Then continue uphill on Kaumana Drive to the Saddle Road.

Mauka Side --Starting

Okay, start at 6am on Friday.

Out of Arnott's Lodge, 98 Apapane Road, 6am

Find some water at sea level, I've already got a spot scoped out, dip the tires.

Kalanianaole Street follows into Kamehameha Avenue.

That takes a left in Old City.

The go is up Waianuenue Avenue, past Hilo High School.

Then it is Kaumana Drive past Kaumana Caves to the Saddle Road.

Finally, plans are a bit rough after that except go to the access road and start up.

Good Morning.

Hardship in Hilo

Okay so I have 14 miniues till the time runs out on this dollar operated internet terminal.

Crikey... 13:13

drat 12:48

Okay- anyway, I had a nice little piece typed up but then the thing ran out before I hit the publish button and now I'm hating life, staying up later feeling like I need to go tend to body things minutes or more ago.

Come on Sean, this is Hawaii. Quit your complaining and tell everybody how sweet your life is. Tell them that 5% grade here feels about like how flat or downhill feels up there at 40 or so degrees latitude. Tell them that it only takes a quarter the liquid to roam Hawaii as it does to do Boulder's hills. Tell them there are banana trees. Tell them that Banyan trees are right up there with Sycamore trees for being the coolest trees there are.

Tell them you now have mayonaise and lettuce to go with your wheat bagels and sharp cheddar cheese. Tell them about raisins and dates and plums and peaches and nectarines and grapefruit juice and V-8 juice and 8 packs of Gatoraid and the giantly huge and possibly also colossal desire to rage (or really- just be) on Mauana Kea.

Tell them that things are going well.
Tell them you are very grateful for what you have been given.

Tell them also that you think it might be way better yet if they were here with you.

Be honest, go on, tell them these things.

Especially tell that one.

Nextward

The Autumn Equinox for 2006 occurs on September 23 at 4:03 Universal Time. Universal Time means Greenwich Mean Time. Presently I am in Mountain Daylight Time, so the Earth will be at the Equinox point this evening at 10:03. Likewise, if for instance you live in Maine, it will be just past midnight. Anyway, seasonal change is upon us. For many of us, the weather is altering and our surroundings differ as well.

But today their is a sort of symmetry. Maybe it is only symbolic. Dark and light are in balance just around now.


I am nearing the end of my stay in Colorado. August was ancient Eastern mountains with loads of broadleaf. The past two weeks have been near the Continental Divide- younger mountains and far more conifer than broadleaf. Next is not even continent. What sorts of trees I don't yet know.

I'll be between the great landmasses on a minor glitch where the planet's super heated interior has leaked out and piled up. Piled up so high that it has piled from the bottom of the ocean up to the water's surface and then another 2 and 3 fifths miles toward the sky.

Happy Equinox.

Hayohh

Check the pictures at http://kineticpics.blogspot.com/

Triple Tripping

Brainard Lake then Eldora then Mount Evans

Last Thursday I pushed the wheelchair from Boulder to Brainard Lake. First there was the early wake up to negotiate. Then there was Lee Hill to carry myself and a gallon of liquid over. Then I was somewhat tired and there was ten or twelve miles of Left Hand Canyon to sort. Then there was the road up to Ward which sits at 9200 feet. Then we have the steeper road out of ward up to the Peak to Peak Highway. Finally there was the not so steep five miles down Park road to Brainard Lake at 10300 feet.

In all maybe 30 miles and 5000 feet of elevation gain, plus another 1000 feet considering the downhill on the back side of Lee. Start time 6:50, finish ~4:20.

Rain started threatening about halfway up Left hand Canyon but never really hit. Support didn't show in Ward but Team Us member Vijay Viswanathan serendipitously appeared to save the day. The initial view of the Rocky Mountains surrounding Brainard Lake was transcendent. I left with a gallon of Brainard spring water as tourist treasure.

Last Saturday I pushed the wheelchair from Nederland to Eldora. First there was Vijay to situate with his hand cycle and his able-bodied roommate John in Vijay's wheelchair. Then the three of us headed maybe three miles down the highway to the turn off to Eldora Ski Resort. Then (and even I am already getting tired of this 'then' device) there was that big ole hill leading up to the ski slopes. Then there was more of the hill and more and more. Then there was the hill and a little snow. Then there was the hill and a lot of snow. Then there was the top of the hill and loads of bitter cold snow blowing straight sideways and then I started getting worried. Then a third of the way or so back down the hill John, whose able bodied physique had impeded his wheelchair pushing progress on the hill, showed in his four wheel drive and possibly saved my life.

I hadn't even a wind breaker to bring along. It wasn't really far we were going. It wasn't even that high up either although Nederland is 8300 feet up already. Vijay, in proper apparel but no gloves, made it all the way back home unassisted. His hand cycle is a lot quicker than my wheelchair, but still it was bitter weather. All this before 11 or so in the morning.

Last Sunday (which sounds weird because it is yesterday I am talking about) I pushed the wheelchair from the base of the Mount Evans Autoroad at Echo Lake to its top, along the highest paved road in North America. First I wasn't even sure I wanted to attempt this road that sits above 10000 feet as I was a bit unnerved by Saturday's sudden bad weather around and below 9000 feet. Then I finally decided to go ahead with it. Then we didn't get to the camp spot till 2 am. Then I decided not to get up at 4 am for early start in bitter cold and high wind.

Then it was after 6:30 and the wind had died down and the sun was rising and myself and my support man, Mark, got up and got started. Maybe the base is 10200 feet. Well, we got ready and just past 8 am we paid our dollar fifty each and started up the road for what turned out to be quite an adventure. One sign says the top of the road is 14 miles away. Another says the road to the top, above Summit Lake, is closed. Mark rode his bicycle in low gear and I pushed my chair and we started ticking off miles. Mountain goats and mountain sheep and mountains and mountains and more mountains. Reaching mile 9 meant we had reached Summit Lake at 12700 feet and would next decide whether or not to continue to the actual summit.

There is a rock hut at the lake and there was a wood fire inside tended by park staff. It was about 12:30 pm. We sat inside and planned things out. The weather was good and so was the forecast. We ate some and warmed up some and headed on up the hill. The wind blowing down the mountains and across Summit Lake was very cold. Heading on up it was bitter in the shade but manageable in the sun. Mile 12 passed. Mile 13 went by. We went on toward marker 14 and the top. Approaching mile marker 14 it was obvious that there were at least 5 more switch backs to go. The pace slowed continuously. Somewhere along the way we passed mile marker 14 and there were bunches yet of switch backs to go.

Finally the top of the road was beneath us. It was 3:30. We'd reached a paved parking lot at 14130 feet. Then I started wondering how my feet had fared. It was maybe zero if you allowed for wind chill. After not so long we started down. With the wind at my back I was braking with vigilance.Then we reached the first switchback. With the wind at my front I was pushing down hill. Things went on like this for miles. Strongest, coldest winds I've ever felt. Finally we were closing in on Summit Lake and that stone hut with the wood fire. Gee, but that really cold wind on my back as we headed up past Summit Lake was now very much more to deal with as we faced it, as I pushed down hill into it.

We reached the hut. Then I sat quite close to that fire for the next hour while Mark bicycled the next 9 miles to the base and got the car. I had time to eat and time to hydrate. I had time to worry about my toes and time to worry about Mark's safety after he left the hut.


Looking at the majestic mountains beyond Brainard Lake, beneath threatening cloud cover, it occurred to me this was the most epic wheelchair journey I'd ever done.

The little tiny Eldora run, only two hours up, well before noon. Headed down I was thinking not about epic but staying alive.

The big, bold Mount Evans run, ... what an epic!

Double Dipping or Dealing in Twos

I arrived in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday night. Yesterday, Tuesday, that was two days ago.

Plan number one was to push the wheelchair up Flagstaff Mountain Road. It has a solid supply of bicyclists in training. It has a strong supply of switch backs. It is 5.3 miles in length, maybe 10% grade. It starts about a mile or so above sea level.

Day one's workout was maybe 40 minutes commuting and warming up. Day one's hill was about 3 hours long.

So then it's on to day number two. Day two decided I should carry two spare quarts of liquid tied beneath the wheel chair frame. Day two was asking for two runs up Flagstaff. Run up number one cheaped me out on hill workout time, 2 and a half hours instead of 3- and that is with the weight of the extra liquid. Two, I meant -to- make matters worse, there was run number two. Stingy old run number two of Tuesday only gave me only a two hour hill, even though still the same hill.

In the words of the immortal and illustrious two winged ascent artist, Jonathan Livingston Seagull: Perfect speed is already being there.

In theory I need to head up Flagstaff Mountain Road four (that's two times two) more times and I will cut the hill ascent time down from three (that's two plus half of two) hours to approximately zero hours, zero minutes.

But then I'd miss out on the whole fun of the push, so two days after yesterday I'm going to try hill #2 here in hill land #2.

Wednesday in the Afternon

looking back:

Wednesdy, August 23- North Conway to A T trailhead on 302 and back, ~45 miles

Thursday, August 24- North Conway to shy of AT trailhead, ~21 miles

Friday, August 25- North Conway to Crawford Notch AMC, ~26 miles, proper hill

Monday, August 28- Hurricane Mountain Road, not even 9 miles but about 5 of steep hill

Tuesday, August 29- Norh Conway to Bear Notch 'top', ~17 miles, fair hill

Wednesday, August 30- Sawyer Rock Wayside past Crawford Notch to Twin Mountain and Zealand, ~25 miles, proper hill and dirt also

Friday, September 1- North Conway past Crawford Notch to Cog Railway, ~36 miles, proper hill and hardship also

Tuesday, September 5- North Conway past Pinkham Notch to Mount Washington Auto Road's 6 Mile Marker, ~26 miles, proper hill, actual hill and lots of hiking also

looking ahead:

Thursday- geological tourist hiking planned

Friday- travel from North Conway to Philadelphia

Sunday- travel from Philadelphia to Boulder

Sunday in the Morning

Yersterday I was depleted and tired and ready to go back to Philly and get a proper job and be civilised.
Today I am ready to consider seriously considering going from North Conway to the Auto Road and then up.

There are logistics and plans and resources and stuff and things to consider and also to take into consideration.

The thing is though, I can go up Route 16 to the base during daylight and do the untraveled auto road after that. Gee but I hadn't even thought of that. Every time I considered this project I imagined leaving at night and running up 16 in the dark. Easy peasy to kick that idea out the window.

Sometimes all it takes is a little insight from a friend, from an assistant coach. I can do the busy road in the daylight and the empty auto road when there is less light... go figure.

A day alone after a hard day's work out the day before and I'm ready to clock out. Get Coach Tim and his fave assistant Laura into the conversation and ideas start poring and possibilities start flowing.


It has been two very good weeks here in North Conway and the surrounding area. Things in Crawford Notch had just gotten better and better and better. The last two runs through, this past Wednesday and Friday, were both spectacular, for different reasons and with different rythms. Does it simply boil down to good quality people playing this game with me?

Really so much good stuff has been happening and many kind, generous and thoughtful people have been helping me out to pull it all off. Today I just wanted to get something written and posted. I have laundry to do and stuff to tend to. Describing travels will wait. I have done a lot of miles and a lot of hills and many people have helped- in many ways.