Trail Report: Mount St. Helena

Poor Mount St. Helena. Put its name into a search engine and even Google is likely to ask you, "Did you mean Mount St. Helens?" But Helena, a little gem in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, is well worth the drive (through beautiful wine country, I might add) if you are in the Bay Area and in search of a solid day hike.

The term "hike" may be a bit of a misnomer for some. The first mile or so of the trek could be considered a traditional hike, whereas the vast majority of it is simply a long uphill tromp on a wide fire road. Because this hike is typically ranked as difficult due to the elevation gain and distance (2,000 feet and just over 10 miles round trip, respectively), I was not looking forward to the journey nearly as much as the payoff: a killer view of the surrounding wine country, mountains, and greater Bay Area.

The trail, gently ascending along forested trail for the first mile, reaches the fire road at this point. It's all discouraging uphill from here, but well worth it!

I didn't find the hike to be too bad. It was a bit smoggy out, but temperatures were cool; this isn't a hike to attempt in the hot summer months. There was really no relief on the way up, but knowing the challenges of the trail going into it, I found that is was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other...over and over and over again. We encountered rock climbers along the way and a natural rock formation that definitely provides us with reason to return in the future!

The Bubble, a popular rock climbing area about a half mile up the fire road.

Near the top you'll come to the summit plateau, which is surrounded by the five summits of Mount St. Helena. The highest of these is North Peak, and you've come this far - so you might as well go for this one!

View from the top of North Peak.

We made pretty good time, completing the entire 10.2-mile round trip hike in about four hours. It's a solid Bay Area peak to bag and one that is accessible to anyone in pretty good shape and willing to put forth the effort necessary. Would I do this one again? Probably not all the way to the top, but certainly to some of the rock climbing areas.

10...no, 6...Places I Would Love, Love, LOVE to Visit!

Linking up with A Happy Girl for her Blogember challenge. Day 22: 10 places you would love to visit. Of course this is a prompt that I am excited to do! I reduced the number to six because these are the six places currently far and away at the top of my list; there are about a hundred more that are much harder to choose between for those last four slots.

1. Persepolis, Iran

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I think it might surprise people that the number one place on my list of places to visit isn't a mountain peak (though I would love to also trek through the Zagros Mountains), but I have wanted to visit Iran for as long as I can remember. I was an International Studies major with an emphasis in the Middle East, and although I learned Arabic (not related to Persian), I have even made my husband promise to take me to Iran before I die. Explaining this one might be a topic for another blog post, but suffice to say, sometimes you don't choose your adventures. They choose you. And Iran has had a firm grip on my heart for as long as I can remember, not only for its historical sites - such as Persepolis - but also for its modern culture.

2. Landmannalaugar, Iceland

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Iceland seems to provide some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable. After seeing a friend's photographs from his time there, I just can't imagine my life will be complete until I go.

3. Krogerata, Telluride, Colorado

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The Krogerata is a via ferrata (iron road) that is accessible to even the most novice climbers. And what a backdrop you have as your make your way across the traverse! This is one that we have tentatively scheduled for June 2014 and I cannot wait.

4. Pichincha Volcano, Ecuador

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Who doesn't dream of bagging a beautiful mountain peak that doubles as an active volcano? With its most recent eruption being in 1999, Pichincha affords its hikers (who must double as rock scramblers) with incredible views and the thrill of coming face-to-face with a natural force to be reckoned with. I can think of no better way to feel small and powerless!

5. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Las Vegas, Nevada

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Red Rock represents a departure from the fast life of Vegas and a little piece of natural heaven. While others may want to indulge in all that the Strip has to offer, I dream of going there only to escape to a rock climber's paradise. There are multi-pitch routes here that are accessible to the beginner outdoor climber, but there are also opportunities to establish new routes and challenge yourself physically and mentally on difficult climbs.

6. Huashan Trail, China

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Another via ferrata-style hike that has been dubbed "the most dangerous hike in the world" by some, though that has to be taken with a grain of salt. I've read some reports that the local people do this one like it's a walk in the park, but I imagine myself struggling, crying, and trembling from fear the entire time. Check out some of the scenery you could experience here.

What places would you like to visit?

App Review: MapMyHike+

Although today's Blogember challenge is to share your five favorite apps, I'm going to have to start with one - I am taking a class at my local REI that starts in an hour! (Have you checked out REI as a resource for learning about exploring the great outdoors?)

MapMyHike+ is a hiking tracker from the same company that produces MapMyFitness, MapMyRide, MapMyRun, MapMyDogwalk, and MapMyRun. (The plus versions of each of these apps are $2.99 for the iPhone; the standard versions are free.) With MapMyHike+, I am able to determine how many miles I hiked, get stats about speed and elevation gain, and refer back to my routes. MapMyHike+ also alerts me throughout my hike when I've reached a new mile mark and lets me know my average speed (cumulative for the hike).

I've used both EveryTrail Pro and MapMyHike+ to log my hikes over the past year; I've chosen to review MapMyHike+ here because it's been my go-to app more lately.

You can name your hikes (as I've done with the 8-mile Lassen Peak hike, below) or leave them unnamed; the app will still save your routes.

Accuracy varies, but that’s not due to the fault of the app itself. Without a GPS booster for your  mobile device, elevation and mileage tracking in more remote areas may or may not be totally correct. I have done hikes with EveryTrail and MapMyHike+ running simultaneously, and the results are comparable even in their inaccuracies. For example, the Lassen Peak elevation change seems to be fairly solid. On the other hand, the Upper Yosemite Falls hike is clearly misrepresented in the graph below (although when I showed the graph to Mr. Petite Peaker, he said, "Well shoot, that’s sure what it felt like!"). It was a steep hike, but we weren’t climbing any 90-degree cliff faces! Clearly I lost GPS signal at one point, and it was picked back up at the higher elevation. (And yes, my phone’s battery was depleted before making the return trip!)

 

In general, I like being able to look back at old routes and see what I’ve accomplished. An app like MapMyHike+ can provide just the right amount of inspiration for going out there and doing what you can. With the option to add comments to individual hikes, I can also mark my favorites and challenge myself to do previously hiked routes with greater speed.

My Lassen Peak hike in MapMyHike+ appears below with my Pinnacles High Peaks hike in EveryTrail Pro beside, for comparison. The latter fell victim to incredibly spotting GPS coverage, but you get the idea.

 

Everything recorded in the app also syncs with the MapMyHike website, which provides more detailed (and larger-screen!) information and statistics. (See below.) There is also a whole networking side to the app, similar to EveryTrail, which allows you to view others' hikes (and use them as guides if you wish) and share your routes with friends or the public.

The bottom line: Like a food diary, any type of exercise diary can provide motivation for developing healthy habits. If you are a hiker – casual or experienced – I recommend MapMyHike+ for tracking your routes. If you are serious about hiking and do a lot of it in more remote areas with poor cell or GPS signal, you may want to consider purchasing a device to boost your phone’s signal, as any tracking app will record inaccuracies without consistent service.

Post-Workout Protein Recipe: Avgolemono Soup (Egg-Lemon Soup)

I am once again linking up with A Happy Girl for her Blogember challenge. When it comes to sharing a recipe, I wanted to share something that is delicious AND great to have after a hike or gym session, especially during the colder winter months when you may be snow shoeing your way up mountains (or taking a lift up them and skiing or snowboarding down)! Try making some ahead of time and storing in a thermos to warm up later over a camp fire or in a cozy ski lodge or cabin.

My mother-in-law was an amazing woman who made her own cheese, kombucha (before it was a fad), soup, family clothes (including Mr. Petite Peaker's underwear - yes, I just went there - and snowboard pants), and more. 

Mr. Petite Peaker's parents lived on a farm. They were not wasteful people. Everything in their home, everything on their kitchen table, was wrought from their labor. From the first bite I had of this soup, I was in heaven and could taste the love. It was tangy, creamy (without a drop of cream!), soothing. My mother-in-law looked on with pride as I had seconds and then thirds. I noticed Mr. Petite Peaker wasn't eating his. "I've never liked this soup," he said. I think my jaw literally dropped to the floor, but I quickly recovered it and ate what was left in his bowl, too.

And with that, I'll offer a disclaimer that this soup isn't for everyone. Mr. Petite Peaker doesn't like it. I love it. My mother-in-law - who copied her recipe card for me that very night I had my first bite, not realizing that I would inherit her original card five years later - said it was one of her favorite soups. It's a MLL dish - Must Love Lemons.

Recent research has shown the benefits of consuming at least 10 grams of protein post-workout in order to promote muscle growth at a time (about 30 minutes post-workout) when your muscles are primed for it. Ideally, you want to have at least 20 grams, split into two - pre- and post-workout portions. This recipe is a protein-rich one, with both chicken broth and eggs. Because consuming carbohydrates post-workout helps slow the breakdown of protein and thus speeds muscle growth, the added rice (which could be replaced with orzo or something similar) allows you to kill two birds (no pun intended, though this is a chicken soup!) with one stone.

So without further ado, here is the recipe!

8 cups chicken broth [My mother-in-law made her own, of course...I used the cardboard box variety from the store!]
1/3 cup rice, uncooked
2-3 lemons
4 eggs [My mother-in-law's chickens hatched 'em when she made it...mine came from Trader Joe's hens.]
1/4 lb butter [8T; I used unsalted]
1/4 cup arrow root powder [I used flour]
salt and pepper to taste

I halved the recipe, which serves 6-8, because I knew I was cooking for one and I wasn't sure it would turn out well.

Here are the steps:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan...

and mix in the arrow root powder or flour.

In a separate large pot, bring broth to a boil, add rice, and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Lower heat. Add butter mixture to the broth and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Beat together eggs and lemon juice.

(I know - all of my mixtures are looking very yellow.) Now for the hardest part: tempering the eggs! Add a spoonful of the hot broth to the egg/lemon juice mixture and stir in thoroughly.

Repeat a couple times before adding the mixture to the broth, slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Then salt and pepper to taste.

That's it! Super simple, although I have to admit that I had a few bits of scrambled eggs in mine because I wasn't totally successful at tempering. But it tasted wonderful!

So how did I do? Well, Mr. Petite Peaker had a few bites to humor me and his response was, "This tastes just like Mom used to make. Now, where are the leftovers from lunch?" So while I wouldn't call this recipe a unanimous hit in my house, I would call it a universal success! It is so good - even more so because it makes me think of my mother-in-law. Give it a try!