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.

Felted Wool Huarache Laces Take 2

After some trial and error I think I've finally got my perfect huarache lace. Simple, Soft, Strong, and beautiful. I changed the way I made them slightly, and I think I prefer the look of them this way, not to mention how much quicker they come together and it uses less yarn. A win in all categories.

Felted Wool Huarache Laces

 UPDATE HERE

 

Wool is one of my favorite things. I admit, I love the stuff. When I was visiting the Luna Sandals  'warehouse' the other day I got to take a look at the hemp laces they offer. They were really just a simple icord. So I went home and gave it a go. I opted to use a single ply merino wool for a few reasons. For starters, a single ply will be the easiest to felt. Perhaps more importantly, it will also be the softest.

There's a common misconception that wool is itchy and it's simply not true. Wool is actually considered hypoallergenic by the medical community. It's actually the chemicals used in the garment industry and the stripping of the naturally occurring lanolin from the wool that makes it itchy. All wool is not created equally. If you don't believe me, I'll send you a piece to prove it.

Felted wool icord - estimated thickness same as the hemp laces offered

  The first thing you'll notice is that knot on the end is tiny compared to the knot of the leather. I'm sure this makes a huge difference for people who complain of the 'pebble' feeling under their toes. The knot in this pictures hasn't even been smashed down with a hammer yet.

 I got to wondering though, if maybe a thicker cord would be better. After all, the leadville leather laces they offer are meant for the more rugged terrain, and are 10mm wide. I also began to think that the more surface area the lace was hitting between your toes, the less pressure it would create in a single area. To accomplish this I decide to try double knitting the yarn.

 

Pre-felted

 Knit things have a lot of stretch to them. Even this  icord- which I knit to 40 inches long, can be stretched to 50 inches. A little give may not be a bad thing with laces but too much is definitely a bad thing for running. That's where felting comes in. I only lightly felted this one - so if less stretch was desired it could be easily achieved by more rigorous felting - as it is currently this now measures 45 inches long when relaxed, 50 inches stretched.

I went back and forth on how to tie the bottom knot for these, and next time I make them I will start out with a smaller needle to create a slightly smaller cord that can be easily knotted to be an even less noticeable knot. I thought about knitting the end flat, and then perhaps applying some hot glue to make it hard enough to hold, but in the meantime I opted to fold it over and sew it back into itself. Smashed it with a hammer a few times, and beautiful. I'm sure it will flatten out more with walking.

It felt very secure, maybe even more so then the equus but wasn't even noticeable between the toes. It's definitely softer then the hemp laces felt. I'm curious how well/long they will hold up compared to what can be expected of the hemp laces. I'll definitely be making more and I'd be lying if I said I was just a little excited about being able to make them any color I want.

Tomorrow is the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, and I'm planning on going and sneaking a peak of it even though I won't be running (this year!).