Margaret Lake - Take Two

 

First trip to Margaret Lake Here

So we decided to try our luck at Margaret lake again with hope that most if not all of the snow would be melted. We got a nice typical mid afternoon heat of the day start to our hike. The trail was much easier to follow sans snow, and much greener too with the wildflowers finally starting to bloom.

Well that looks a little familiar

We were able to follow the trail and were pretty surprised by how far off trail we had previously been, and happily surprised when we entered into the wooded area. There were points that were semi hard to follow but someone had gone through and marked the trees with some duct tape that let us know we were still on track.

I started getting blisters on the back of my heels (stupid shoes - but I didn't know if we would encounter snow or not) so I took them off and hiked the wooded area bare. The ground was surprisingly cool and very refreshing to the mid-day heat. At some point I hit my arch on a rock (even after I couldn't see it) and got a small bruise but no big deal. We started encountering some snow so I put on my huaraches but as the snow started getting more dense so back on went the shoes. 

We made the switchback descent down to the lake and by the time we got close there was nothing but snow.

The lake was crystal clear but with no where to sit and eat our lunch because of the snow we headed back up the trail to a clearing where it split off into two separate trails (the second goes to Lake Lillian). When we got there we encountered two barefooters! We chatted momentarily and let them know there was a substantial amount of snow on the trail, sat and ate our lunch before heading back down the trail.

All in all, I don''t think we'll be doing this trail again.

Pete Lake

Pete Lake

We are rather notorious for getting late starts. We don't ever really rush, take things at our own slow pace and do things when we feel like it. So it's not surprising at all that we got a late start on our adventures today. We were originally going to head up to Rachel Lake but the trail book we have said that it is always exceptionally crowded on weekends. Crowds + hiking is a no go for us, so we headed up to Pete Lake instead.

It's a bit of a drive for us. Once off the highway we started our adventure by not being able to find the turn off. We went back and forth down the road about 3 times before we found the proper road. By the time we got parked and settled, it was around 3:30pm (see, I told you we got a late start).  Exceptionally late for a 9 mile hike, but I regress.. 

We lathered up with sunblock and headed in. I decided to wear my Luna Sandals on this hike and I'm glad I did. There were quite a few cars at the trail head which was a little worrisome, but we'd find later that most were camping in. We only encountered a few people along our way, including  a group of 5 on horseback. There was a fairly large handful (somewhere between 7-10) of water crossings. Some were about half way up my calf in depth. As I watched other hikers precariously balancing on logs and stones to cross, I just splashed right in. I was wearing sandals after all, and knew they'd dry right out.

The horses had left muddy sections of the trail a little worse for wear. We also ran into a few areas where we had to climb over huge trees that had blown down. The mosquitoes were out in force and would only get worse as time went by. Parts of the trail is covered with large rocks. When we finally made it up to the lake, we thought we'd sit down and enjoy some sandwiches we had brought, but soon discovered by doing so the mosquitoes thought they'd have a snack of us.

We didn't hang around too long since we wanted to make sure we got out before sundown. This area has a population of bobcats, cougars and coyotes. I'd much rather never encounter any of these out of a controlled environment. When I lived in Arizona, I once had a too close for comfort run in with a rattlesnake while hiking. I'd like to keep that my only too close for comfort wildlife encounter.

As we headed back the mosquitoes got down right nasty. Close to the aggression of the Montana mosquitoes (they will bite you during the day, while you're moving, even if you're moving at 20mph on a bike), but with the population of the Minnesota or Wisconsin mosquitoes.

We ran parts of the trail trying to keep the mosquitoes at bay and also trying to get out of the forest before we became a giant bug bite. I think I only got about 3,000 bug bites. I've decided that trail running really feels more natural than road running. Perhaps I just think about it less, but when I run on a dirt trail I run and hop, sometimes I increase my stride to make it over an obstacle, sometimes I reduce it to make it up an incline. There's no thinking about it, it just happens. I'm not concentrating on running, I'm concentrating on not tripping over that root, or landing in middle of the mud. 

 

Nine miles was likely farther than I should have went in my Lunas. By the time we made it back to the car, my feet were a bit tender. I did a quick inspection (the best I could, they were pretty damn filthy) and decided that they were fine. I found one area that looked like it had blistered and popped under one of my small toes. I'm guessing that it was from the wet dirt trapped between my foot and the sandal. I scrubbed them off when I got home, and as I sit here and type this they feel fine. The wool laces did great, didn't bother me the entire hike. Even wet I had no problems with them. 

PS - I ended up with a lot of nice photos from this hike. You can click the picture below to view them

More Wool Huarache Laces

I think I have this wool lace thing down to a science. I'm still experimenting with different types of yarn and how tight I need to make them prior to felting, how long they need to be to account for the shrinking when felting, along with efficient felting methods. I'm sending a few of these off to new homes so I can see what other people think of them.

Pre-felting

Post Felting

Hiking in Luna Sandals

Today we hiked Cedar Butte again. We wanted a quick hike, and rattlesnake ridge still seemed overly busy, so we opted for the familiar. I wore my Luna sandals with the felted wool laces and it's amazing how different of an experience it was and how much more you notice the terrain.

There were more rocks then I remembered, and more tree roots. It was amazing how much the plants had grown since our last visit. My feet were comfortable and protected enjoying the air between my toes. On the way down I had burst of trots down the trail, bending my knees and allowing my feet to navigate the ground.

On our way back we crossed paths with an older couple, and the women asked about my shoes.

"How do you walk in those, they're so flat!" 

I just smiled and replied that was the point. To be able to feel the ground beneath and have natural foot movement. My feet felt great at the end (which is more then I can say for after our last hike when snow on the trail forced me to wear shoes, which blistered my heels and made my toenails sore) and I was delighted to see my footprint wearing itself into the sandal - all the wear exactly where it should be, a perfect footprint.

On a different note, yesterday I got a pair of racing flats (fairly minimal, about a 4mm - 5mm heel drop, no inside support) to have as a transitional shoe. Lately in my normal everyday shoes, my heels have been going numb. My body isn't ready to full transition yet, so when my feet start feeling fatigued or sore I make sure to give them the support. I decide to try running in them, to see if I would be able to maintain a forefoot/midfoot foot strike ( I have tried in 'traditional' running shoes to do so, and failed pretty miserably).

In the flats I as able to maintain my forefoot/midfoot strike, and so I ran - a mile - and I timed myself .. for the first time in 10 years, I ran a 7 minute mile - and I wasn't even pushing that hard. As a matter of fact, I probably could have kept going. My biggest obstacle to running hasn't been muscle fatigue or injury in the past. I've still yet to experience any muscle soreness. It's always been my lungs - even after biking across the country I couldn't go far without getting winded- so to be able to feel like I could keep going is a huge achievement for me. Afterward I took my shoes off and walked most of the way home because I want to make sure I don' t over do it - but I sure did feel good.

Luna Sandals

On the left is the Recyclado on the right is the original Luna
(Yes, my skin really is that fair)

Today we went to pick up our Luna Sandals. I had mentioned in my previous post that I ordered a pair for myself and for my two year old son. Well, it turns out there was some confusion when the orders went through and they had made both pairs (one was the original luna with 1/2 inch equus elasticized laces for me and the other was a Recyclado with 3/8 elasticized laces for him) in my size. They won't be offering the Recyclado version of the Lunas any longer. 

They were very nice and simply offered to make it right then while we were there, and so we went for a little stroll around the neighborhood. Their sale was apparently a big hit, and they were currently out of supplies and awaiting the arrival of their shipment to get working on the hundreds of orders they had to process, but able to make his tiny sandals out of the left over scrap pieces. They also let me take the extra pair that they had made custom to my feet.

The littlest Lunatic?

While there at the front were the first pair of sandals that Barefoot Ted Mcdonald made in the copper canyons (as told in the book born to run). I can't even imagine the amount of running you would have to do to wear those things out, but one thing is for sure, you wouldn't be getting poked by any rock through those.

The 'factory' is located in a beautiful space with a lot of natural light. It's a simply room that  consists of little more then some tools for cutting and gluing (which include a tree stump), a few computer desks, a rack for raw supplies, and a table with a fruit bowl in the center.

My first impression of the sandals were that they were different then any sandal I had ever worn. They hug your feet and continue to when your foot bends. The leather almost immediately begins forming to your foot. When I took them off after our short walk around the neighborhood, you could already see the indentations from my big toe, and my forefoot. The toe divider is going to take some getting used to for me, but after some fiddling around with it this afternoon, I think I have figured out my comfort zone.

Original Luna (left)  Recyclado (right)
Also, notice the ever so slight difference in the arches of my right and left foot.

The knot underneath the original lunas didn't bother me at all. I can feel the one under the recyclado more, but even so, not really bothersome. The different thickness in laces makes a huge difference in the feel of the sandals and makes me want to experiment with different types. I was thinking of making some out of a felted wool icord - I think that would hold up fabulously, be cheap, easy and any color I want. Wool has the benefit over other materials like hemp in that as the fibers break, friction and heat will make them fuse together (felt) and become stronger. Its’ often said that a single fiber of wool is stronger than a single fiber of steel of the same diameter. 

My tendons have been feeling 100% better for the past two days so tomorrow I am going to go for a short (very short) run.