My Conditioning Progress

This page will keep track of my conditioning progress, noting trails taken, weight carried, and the time it took.

Most of this I do in Griffith Park, usually starting around noon so as to prepare myself for, for instance, a Grand Canyon hike.

I usually carry some form of weights in my pack. This consists of a combination of the following:

• daypack: about 2.25 pounds
• drinking water: I usually carry 3 liters (6.6 pounds), although I usually don't drink all of it.
• dumpable water: usually 3 or 4 Shasta Cola plastic bottles, filled with tap water. Each bottle holds 3 liters or 6.6 pounds. Once at the "highpoint" (usually Mt. Hollywood) I pour the water out onto a bush for the return leg.
• weight plates: some combination of 5, 10, or 25 pound plates

The tables below list the routes taken (see the map and legend below for an explanation), the weight carried on each leg (in pounds), the time it took, and which type of boots I was wearing. I have a pair of light trail shoes, and a heavier pair of all leather backpacking boots. Unless otherwise noted, the trails are in Griffith Park, and trekking poles were not used.

On trails b and c (see map below) I try not to use my hands. That sometimes involves downclimbing facing backwards. That slows things down, but improves my balance. I also greatly enjoy jogging down the hogback trail (part of e). Like mountain biking without the bike. Yes, I pity the poor struggling uphill hikers who suddenly notice the 200+ pound monolith hurtling straight at them at 10+ MPH.

9/1/2001	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	Manker Flat to Mt. Baldy via the Ski Hut Trail	12	3:24	heavy	4.2 miles for the ascent, 3900' gain. Bad leg cramps cost me 20-30 mins. Should have drunk a sports drink before starting.
Descent	Mt. Baldy to Ski Lodge and the fire road	8	50 mins to get from Baldy to the Lodge

7/19/2001	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	up e to b, down b to d, up a to MH	34	105 minutes	light	slipped twice on first part of b; should have worn heavy boots
Descent	down e back to RS	6	33 minutes		took shortcut both ways

7/17/2001	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	BS to b, up b to e, up e to MH	39	41 minutes	heavy
Descent	down a back to BS	37	~15 minutes

7/15/2001	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	Lower Sam Merrill trail: end of Lake Ave. in Pasadena to Echo Mtn.	32	75 minutes	heavy
Descent	return	29	52 minutes		5.5 miles RT, 1400' gain. Didn't bring enough water, not feeling too peppy either, otherwise would have gone to Inspiration Pt.

7/10/2001	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	RS to MH	50 (4 Shastas + 10lb and 5lb w.p.)	64 minutes	light	took shortcut ("Ed's Bypass")
Descent	return	21	~45 minutes		didn't take shortcut

7/8/2001	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	TC to d, east on d, up c to e, up e to b. Down b to Vermont, up a to MH	~30		heavy
Descent	down e to c, down c to d, back to TC	~6			total trip took a little over 2.5 hours

recent	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	BS to MH	55	~35 minutes	?
Descent

recent	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	BS to MH	3.3	20 minutes	?	no pack, just a 1.5L water bottle
Descent

May 2001, Mt. Baldy trip	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Ascent	Manker Flats -> Ski Lodge -> summit	15+	3.5 hours	heavy	used trekking poles
Descent	Ski Hut Trail	~10	3 hours

April or May 2001, Old Mt. Wilson Trail (leads from Sierra Madre to Mt. Wilson)	Route	Weight	Time	Boots	Notes
Leg 1	Sierra Madre to Orchard Camp	~40 (15lb. pack + 25lb. w.p.)		heavy	cached the weight plate at Orchard Camp
Leg 2	Orchard Camp to Manzanita Ridge, and back down to Orchard Camp	~15
Leg 3	Orchard Camp back to Sierra Madre	~40			carried the weight plate back down and put it back in my car
Leg 4	Sierra Madre to Orchard Camp, and return	~15			total trip: ~18miles and ~5500' of gain in ~8 hours; used trekking poles

Legend

• MH: Mt. Hollywood
• BS: street parking on Vermont south of the bird sanctuary
• TC: tennis court parking lot
• RS: ranger station
• GC: golf course parking lot
• a: trail running from the bird sanctuary to Mt. Hwd. The last few hundred feet are steep and approach Mt. Hwd from the south (i.e., not one of the wider trails) Guess: <1 mile, ~800' gain
• b: transverse ridge trail which starts at d about 100 yards east of vermont and continues to the hogback trail. Last part requires big steps/some minor scrambling Guess: ~1 mile, ~800' gain
• c: transverse ridge trail which starts at d, but east of the tennis courts. Final part is rough, but not as rough as b Guess: >1 mile, ~6-700' gain
• d: the mostly level fire road which runs from vermont south of the bird sanctuary to past the tennis courts
• e: the route which leads from the ranger station, up to Five Points, and then over the hogback trail to Mt. Hwd. About 2.5 miles, 1100' gain
• f: the route which leads from GC, up to Amir's Rest via a series of steps, and eventually reaches Mt. Hwd. Guess: 2+ miles, 1100' gain