Life and Its Mountain Challenges Are Beautiful Teachers

Today I'm linking up with A Happy Girl for her blog every day in November challenge. (I may not post every day, but I love all of her prompts!) Today's challenge is to share one of the best lessons life has taught you.

It is only in the past few years that I've really taken to hiking. Words that come to mind as I consider a new challenging mountain hike are exhilarating, satisfying, healthy, and happy. But more than anything, hiking is humbling.

Being in the great outdoors has taught me one of the most important lessons I need to embrace daily: I am small. There is this great big glorious world out there, and I am but a tiny speck. As in life, mountains can seem insurmountable precisely because we are so small and insignificant next to them. Starting at the base looking up, we have to embrace the fact that what stands before us is a challenge that will be a lot of wonderful things - but easy won't be one of them. Not if we're aiming for an incredible view at the end. (Around here, a mole hill doesn't provide a lookout above the city smog.)

Mountains have been used as a metaphor for life's challenges for millennia. Without offering some cheesy Miley Cyrus quote here (it's the climb?), I'll just say that mountain pursuits have given me the opportunity to see life in all its fullness more clearly. While putting one foot in front of the other to make my way to the top, the beauty of the hard stuff (an uphill climb, for example) comes into focus. At the same time, I am humbled to realize (for the umpteenth time) that I share this world with such tremendous natural majesty, which in turn makes the hard stuff pretty insignificant. For thousands of years, people have struggled with minutiae, not realizing that that's what it really is. Meanwhile, the mountains look on - changing little - and demonstrate that there is nothing new under the sun, and if we would just extend our gaze upwards and take it all in, much of our anxiety would melt away.

So hike your mountains, be they real or metaphorical, and take comfort in the fact that you are small.

Off-Season Half Dome Hike: Reaching the Top When the Cables are Down

Half Dome is certainly the most well-known trail in Yosemite National Park and probably one of the most famous and most photographed rocks in the world. Every year, from Memorial Day until Columbus Day, steel cables are held up with poles and wooden planks offer security for the multitudes of feet that carry hikers to the top each day. It looks something like this and presents a unique challenge:

In order to get to this point, you must first hike about eight miles and gain approximately 4,800 feet in elevation, so you generally arrive tired. (Or at least...I do!) It's a strenuous hike, averaging about 10-14 hours round trip. And it is so worth it.

In the off-season, though, the poles and slats are removed, and the cables lay flat on the rock. Reaching the top becomes a very difference experience and one that requires special planning and endurance. You have to lift the steel cables off the rock and essentially pull yourself (while walking your feet) to the summit.

When Mr. Petite Peaker and I decided to attempt this, we took with us certain equipment to make the task safer (though not necessarily easier, unfortunately!). What I recommend:

A harness. I used the Black Diamond Alpine Bod Climbing Harness, and although this is not a harness I would particularly recommend for serious climbing, it served this purpose well.

A standard carabiner.

Two rope loops made with about three feet of rope.

[to be continued]

Indoor Rock Climbing

Trail Mix

About

Gear Review: Osprey Manta 28

I recently purchased an Osprey Manta 28 to replace my previous day pack, a CamelBak L.U.X.E. When I first started hiking, I tired easily and lacked the strength to carry even a small pack on steeply graded hikes. There's a great picture of Mr. Petite Peaker at the top of Half Dome, carrying not only his own pack but also my L.U.X.E., because I just couldn't manage it. Bear in mind that the L.U.X.E. is a small pack, primarily designed to provide easy-to-carry, compact hydration to mountain bikers.

It is the L.U.X.E.'s size that led to it being replaced. Carrying heavy trail necessities is no longer the stumbling block it used to be (especially after backpacking up Whitney with 30 pounds on my back!), and my hikes have increased in distance and difficulty. Because the L.U.X.E. felt cramped after just putting my DSLR inside, I knew I needed a pack designed for longer day hikes and more gear.

{climbing shoes attached to front loop with carabiner}

What initially drew me to the Osprey Manta 28 was its look and its brand. It's probably a girly hiker thing, but appearance is important to me; there is also little risk in prioritizing look with the liberal REI return policy and Osprey's All Mighty Guarantee, the latter being my primary reason for switching from CamelBak to Osprey.

This is the mid-size model in the men's Manta series, with Osprey also offering 20- and 36-liter versions. I purchased the S/M size, which (despite being a Manta 28) actually has a slightly smaller 26-liter capacity according to manufacturer specifications.

Pros: Pack rests comfortably on the hips. Built-in rain cover allows for all-weather use. The hip belt provides comfort even when pack is at full capacity. The dual vertical zippered pockets on the front panel are entirely separated from each other internally, though they efficiently overlap. Compression straps allow for productive packing. The front helmet attachment allows me to easily transport either a helmet or hat (with carabiner, purchased separately). Trekking poles can be stored via the Stow-on-the-Go feature on one side. Osprey's All Mighty Guarantee means that this pack will be repaired at any time, for any reason, free of charge.

Cons: As is the case with many packs featuring a hydration system, I find the main compartment limited as a result. I wish the zippered hip belt pockets wrapped more toward the front of my body for even easier access. The stretch woven front pocket is slightly awkward to secure closed if very full.

Bottom Line: An excellent pack for any length of day hike. I was able to store all my items (water, extra layers, snacks, camera, various miscellany) for a seven-mile hike without experiencing discomfort or painful weight distribution while on a steep trail.

 Rating: 4 out of 5 Peakies

Ayinger Weizenbock

I will be the first to admit that beer drinking, even when done in moderation, isn't the healthiest habit to develop. On the other hand, I have yet to meet an ardent hiker who doesn't love a good brew at the end of a long, strenuous trail. So in the name of being a good hiker, let's add beer to the list of relevant topics, shall we?

In the summer of 2012, I went cycling through the Bavarian region of Germany. In an area where beer was nearly as cheap (and sometimes cheaper) than water, I came to appreciate this bready drink. (No, sorry, classifying beer as bread doesn't land it a place in my Nutrition & Wellness section.) Given that it was warm and humid in the area where we rode and we were traveling 40-50 kilometers each day, beer also held some additional appeal in the fact that it was always colder than the water at the little biergarten eateries we ended up at after a day of cycling. (In less touristy areas of Europe, such as where we were, a request for ice water is often met with strange looks; in more touristy areas you might be teased for asking for "American champagne.")

Long story short, I came home with a new-found love for German beer. It remains the case that my favorite local beers are ones that mimic either the German or Belgian style (I'll save the distinctions for another blog post).

Petite Peaker's rule #1 of beer drinking: It should be done in moderation and ideally in conjunction with rigorous exercise completed during the same 24-hour period. Remember that you are consuming a huge amount of carbohydrates, even if beer typically has less sugar than wine, liqueurs, and mixers. Even worse than sugar? Some domestic beers contain high fructose corn syrup, and no one has to tell you about it. (See Food Babe's post on the shocking ingredients in beer.) If you are unable to acquire an ingredients list, you are safest with beer from countries that have strict purity laws (such as Germany).

Petite Peaker's rule #2 of beer drinking: When you follow rule #1, you shouldn't feel the least bit guilty about enjoying a quality beer, especially at the end of a strenuous and satisfying hike.

Speaking of quality beers, the focus of my first beer review is the Ayinger Weizenbock. This is a wheat beer that is both refreshing and hearty, and it should not be mistaken for a hefeweizen, typically much lighter. Bock refers to a strong lager style that originated in Germany and can be applied to a variety of beers (most commonly not wheat).

This beer has strong flavors of banana and clove, and it pours dark for a wheat beer (though it's considered a light-colored bock) with a frothy head. As an unfiltered beer, it coats the tongue nicely and has an appealing mouthfeel. Its tart but yeasty taste means that it compliments meat well.

When I'm in the mood for a fresh-tasting wheat beer after a long hike, the Ayinger Weizenbock is my go-to drink.

BONUS: Mr. Petite Peaker's rules of beer drinking:

1. Drink because it's good, not because you want to get smashed (unless it's vodka).

2. The food, drink, and company should all compliment one another. If one is out of sync, it can ruin the others. (Good friends get good beer, bad friends get the skunk.)

3. Drink outside the glass. Just because you like a beer doesn't mean you only have to drink that one (unless you are a bad friend, in which case you get the skunk, every time).