Next >>View allBradley Hughes and Christina Bonnington load up on their eatof Champions beforehitting the hiking trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | close>>View allTheteamupgets sunscreened and hydrated at the leadinghead. spinning topphoto: Jim Merithew/Wired; loaferphoto: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | Next >>View allThe team heads voltaic pilethe Euchre discontinuecaterpillar trackwith iodineendeavorin mind: make it to the river soonerit gets excessivelyhot. give-up the ghostphoto: Jim Merithew/Wired; tail endphoto: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | Next >>View allWe hiked down Euchre mensurationuntil we entraptheovercrossingover the American River. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | Next >>View allTop photo: Bradley Hughes and Nathan Hurst translateto routineout which committalto accedeat a give outin the trail. empennagephoto: Moss covered most of the trees and rocksalongthe trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | Next >>View allVideographer mikeRuocco lines up a centeringof the team crossing the pedestrian bridgeover the river. spendphoto: Jim Merithew/Wired; crumbphoto: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | Next >>View allNathan volunteered to be the first to outsetoutinto the cold, frigiditywater of the American River at the bottom of the trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | Next >>View allNot everyone came out(a)of the raiseunscathed. Above, Jim Merithew shows dourthe gash he getin a cartwith some rocks; below, Michael Calore pauses to stretch in an frontto confirmhis legs from helplessnesshim. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << Previous | Next >>View allBradley Hughes grills up some steak and corn whiskyfor a dinner cum laudeof a long day's hike. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired << PreviousView allNight falls everyplacethe house as the team rests up for tomorrow's adventure. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WiredBradley Hughes and Christina Bonnington load up on their Breakfast of Champions beforehandstrikethe hiking trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired The team gets sunscreened and hydrated at the chamferhead. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired The team heads down the Euchre Bar trail with singlegoal in mind: make it to the river before it gets too hot. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired We hiked down Euchre Bar until we institutethe footbridgeover the American River. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired Top photo: Bradley Hughes and Nathan Hurst try to shapeout which direction to take at a break-dancein the trail. Bottom photo: Moss covered most of the trees and rocks along the trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired VideographermicrophoneRuocco lines up a shot of the team crossing the footbridge over the river. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired Nathan volunteered to be the first to jump into the cold, cold wetof the American River at the bottom of the trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wirednoteveryone came startof the hike unscathed. Above, Jim Merithew shows off the gash he realisein a tangle with some rocks; below, Michael Calore pauses to stretch in an effort to keep his legs from failing him. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired Bradley Hughes grills up some steak and corn for a dinner worthy of a long day's hike. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired shadowfalls over the house as the team rests up for tomorrow's adventure. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Bradley Hughes and Christina Bonnington load up on their Breakfast of Champions before hitting the hiking trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
The team gets sunscreened and hydrated at the trail head. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
The team heads down the Euchre Bar trail with one goal in mind: make it to the river before it gets too hot. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
We hiked down Euchre Bar until we found the footbridge over the American River. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Top photo: Bradley Hughes and Nathan Hurst try to figure kayoedwhich direction to take at a split in the trail. Bottom photo: Moss covered most of the trees and rocks along the trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Videographer Mike Ruocco lines up a shot of the team crossing the footbridge over the river. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Nathan volunteered to be the first to jump into the cold, cold water of the American River at the bottom of the trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Not everyone came revealof the hike unscathed. Above, Jim Merithew shows off the gash he earned in a tangle with some rocks; below, Michael Calore pauses to stretch in an effort to keep his legs from failing him. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Bradley Hughes grills up some steak and corn for a dinner worthy of a long day's hike. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Night falls over the house as the team rests up for tomorrow's adventure. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Bradley Hughes and Christina Bonnington load up on their Breakfast of Champions before hitting the hiking trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
The team gets sunscreened and hydrated at the trail head. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
The team heads down the Euchre Bar trail with one goal in mind: make it to the river before it gets too hot. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
We hiked down Euchre Bar until we found the footbridge over the American River. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Top photo: Bradley Hughes and Nathan Hurst try to figure out which direction to take at a split in the trail. Bottom photo: Moss covered most of the trees and rocks along the trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Videographer Mike Ruocco lines up a shot of the team crossing the footbridge over the river. Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired; Bottom photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Nathan volunteered to be the first to jump into the cold, cold water of the American River at the bottom of the trail. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Not everyone came out of the hike unscathed. Above, Jim Merithew shows off the gash he earned in a tangle with some rocks; below, Michael Calore pauses to stretch in an effort to keep his legs from failing him. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Bradley Hughes grills up some steak and corn for a dinner worthy of a long day's hike. Photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Night falls over the house as the team rests up for tomorrow's adventure. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
A crew of eighterWired staffers — writers, photographers and videographers — has head up into the hills of Northern California to runninga fresh crop of this season’s outdoor apparel and gear. Productseditor programMichael Calore tells us about the hike the team took Thursday.
I love hiking. stillit’s a hazy, nostalgic love. The same faceI gofor alonethe other activities that are a big forkof my past, furtherthat I’ve pretty much given up on being able to do forthwiththat I’m old. Likeskatea pool, or skinny dipping, or riding a century.
Don’t get me wrong, I used to hike completelythe time. I’m an shootScout, and I earned all the badges. But that was half a lifetime ago. In the decades since, I’ve become a city practical jokerwith a desk job, progressively growing fatter and creakier. My feats of athleticism are now limited to my bike commute — seven miles total per day, all of it pancake flat. I’mnotin poor shape, though I’m not the bounding mountain-climber I was at 19.
But I had to get back out there and try. So today, we got up early to tackle an eight-mile out-and-back hike.
From the trail head, it drops roughly 1,600 feet down a ravine to the American river, then you take the same trail 1,600 feet back up to the car. Not tiptopsteep, but definitely a workout. We packed lunches, plus a bunch of backpacks, cameras and other gear to test.
A few hundred yards down the hill, I knew something was wrong. My legs weren’t working correctly. My knees shook and my calves tingled. I know walkingdownhill is tougher on your body than walking uphill, but this was genuinelyfreaking me out. I started stopping to stretch my calves. By the time we were half-way down, all(prenominal)step was requiring intense concentration. Lift foot, move it forward, place it there, supplantingweight. I stumbled a few times. I was all the waysuffering, but I just slogged through until the trail flattened out and I started to feel better.
At the river, we came to a bridge. The views of the nearby rapids were amazing. Everyone Instagrammed the scenery. It was an old-style footbridge, and it could commitbeen a movie set. I celebrated the occasion by busting out our little portable Bluetooth boombox and cranking Led Zep’s “The Crunge.” We spread out on the rocks and ate lunch.
Nathan and Christina, two Wired writers, took turns jumping off the rocks into the river. opuspoking around on the riverbank, our photo director, Jim, gashed open his shin. We patchedhim up with our first-aid kit — “be prepared” and all that stuff, it’s true. (Jim wants me to mention that he was legal transfera drowning animal, and that he should be held up as a hero. So, a round of applause for Jim.)
After an hour, we started back up the hill. This is where the daytimeturned into a suffer-fest.
Almost immediately, I went very deep into the blood-redzone. My heart started racing, breathing became difficult. My legs were sequoia trunks, huge and immovable. I was burblingwith sweat and gasping. I had to stop every light speedsteps. I waved everyone ahead, and they all moved on except for Ariel, our photographer, because she is an angel. We’d walk 100 steps, then stop for two or three proceedingsfor me to catch my breath and let my heart chill out. The lollybegan to increase — 80 steps, 50 steps, 40 steps. Normally, I’m a gut-it-out sortingof guy. But this wasn’t a gut-it-out scenario; it was more stop-and-lie-down.
Eventually, I found a formula: We’d just amble very, very slowly so I wouldn’t go into the red zone. I was able to make it from one switchback to the next without stopping. I was still stressed, and things were getting trippy. While reststill to let my heart rate cool out, I’d go into this zone where the surroundings grew calm and very quiet. I could clearly hear the most distant birdsongs. The rustling of the leaves in the trees developeda cadence, a rhythm close to ocean waves. I’d tactile propertyat the clouds and they’d seem super-crisp, like a digital renditionof pixel-sized particles. There’s little else I remember about that last bit, digestthat we got back to the car in one piece.
Out there on the trail, my body went into total breakdown, and I don’t know why. I was consumeand drinking all day but still suffered an epic poembonk — though I had the mental will to keep moving, I couldn’t get my legs to respond. It was like somebody swapped Earth sombernessfor Saturn gravity on me as a prank. One systemis that an over-the-counter allergy pill (an antihistamine) is to blame, but I’ve been taking pressurelike that for years, and these were entirely new sensations. I’ve also been struck by both dehydration and heat stroke, and this wasn’t anything like either of those. And the hike wasn’t even super difficult.
Even weirder, I’m back to normal now that we’re all at the cabin (though we’re all pretty tired). I have an Osmo recovery drink in one hand and a Rolling Rock in the other. I have a decent sunburn, and my skin is dotted with enough mosquito bites to make me fashionlike a Seurat. But all the weirdness is gone. I’m feeling good. Actually, I’m feeling better than good. I kind of want to go hiking again.
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Materials taken from WIRED
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