View Full Version : Up or Down or Around
Easyhiker
12-28-2002, 18:06
.
None of this pussy-footing around with switchbacks either. Down is bad for the knees. Going around requires one leg longer than the other :D
Easyhiker
12-28-2002, 19:34
LOL down kills my Knees, up kills my Lungs, and around gives me more time to Smoke. So I guess its up and over.
warren doyle
09-09-2003, 13:09
Wherever the white blazes lead me.
micromega
11-21-2003, 12:32
Nobody ever got to a great view by going down or around. Up, up, and away!
Mountains.....i'll take a steep climb, anyday.....those downhills kill this old man's knees after a few days on da trail. (even with a knee brace)
But, NO BLUE BLAZIN' fer me. ;)
see ya'll UP the trail in 2004!
Kozmic Zian
02-12-2004, 15:36
Nobody ever got to a great view by going down or around. Up, up, and away!
Yea....The Ole' Up, Down. Well, I tell yas guys (an dolls)...The ole' upper gets to this reformed smokers (smoked for 30 years, quit in 1990) lungs and body...and my knees are blessed w/ being strong. So you'll see me runnin' the downs sometimes, cause I love um so much. The truth be known, them uppers lay me out! Na, I make it to the top, every time....just seems like it takes longer. I always said, it's like Murphy's Law....'The Thing (in your pac) You Want The Most, Is Always On The Bottom'. Or .... if you're goin' up, you must come down....words to that effect.....KZ@
__________________________________________________ _________________
NICKTHEGREEK
04-02-2005, 19:04
whatever suits my mood at the moment, but down hill switchbacks simply annoy me.
Give me an honest trail, if it's headed up, let's go straight up, no need to go up, down, and all around. My hiking buddy James used to say that the worst kind of trail was one that had "English Muffin character," because it explored every nook and cranny, never getting to the point.
This is one of the beauties of the CDT. In many places, there is no trail, and you can take as direct a line as you like. In other places, there's a designated trail and a recommended trail or recommended bushwhack, so you can choose how directly to get from pt A to pt B.
There's no such thing as a purist on the CDT (hallelujah!!).
Both up and down. That is what hiking in mountainess terrain is.
Stoker53
04-03-2005, 08:35
Like most 50+ yr old I prefer the ups to the downs ( ouch my R knee ) but will galdly accept whatever the trail brings.
peter_pan
04-03-2005, 08:57
Old Boy Scout mantra...... " what goes down must go up, a hill of a lot farther". So true.
Pan
Like most 50+ yr old I prefer the ups to the downs ( ouch my R knee ) but will galdly accept whatever the trail brings.
i'll 2nd that motion Stoker53!
&..."a hill of a lot farther"... good one P.P.! :D
Buckingham
07-26-2005, 01:35
I only get to go once a year, for one week, so I'm just happy to be there, up, down, or otherwise.
jackiebolen
07-26-2005, 16:10
I'm all about the switchbacks...my favorite one was the climb up into the Smokies from Fontana Dam. A big elevation game, but a delightul climb because it wasn't torturous.
Going down kills my knees. I've always preferred doing long uphill hikes over long downhill ones. Just seems better to me.
I just worry about my ankle injury now whether its up or down hill. Not fun when you have plates, pins and screws in your ankle. Starting rehab next weeka nd Doc says no hiking until "maybe" late spring and no strenuous until this time next year:datz I am curious as to how it will hold up now. But only one way to find out! HIT THE TRAIL:banana
Gray Blazer
10-06-2005, 13:47
I prefer to go up and down.
Buckingham
10-06-2005, 17:50
I just worry about my ankle injury now whether its up or down hill. Not fun when you have plates, pins and screws in your ankle. Starting rehab next weeka nd Doc says no hiking until "maybe" late spring and no strenuous until this time next year:datz I am curious as to how it will hold up now. But only one way to find out! HIT THE TRAIL:bananaI have pins and metal all throughout my battered and bruised legs, but it will only hinder you if you let it, trust me, been there, done that.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
10-07-2005, 06:58
Joey, female dino here chiming in to echo Buckingham's sentiments. I have lots of leg and hip hardware and have to hike with two metal off-set canes to safely hike. While having hardware does mandate that I hike more slowly and take more rest breaks than I did in the past, it can only stop me from hiking if I let it.
I'll make some recommendations based on experience re: getting back to being able to hike: Start out by walking on pavement and gradually start walking on cleared land (like the grassy areas in city parks or pasture land). This will begin re-developing your muscles and strengthening your ligaments / tendons for the trail. Do your first dozen or so hikes on trails with good tredway and without serious elevation changes. Listen to your body - it will let you know what it is ready to do and when. Be sure the PT's know you plan to hike. There may be some exercises you can do that will help you get back more quickly.
I prefer going up these days because it hurts less. Going down is hard on my hip, knee and ankle. But I go where the white blaze leads regardless of how I feel about the terrain. To do less is not acceptable for me. Your mileage may vary.
Paul The Explorer
01-23-2006, 13:55
the view is on the top.....the "real world" is on the bottom....I'll go up
up is where the view is, and doesn't hurt the knees.
down really hurts these days...
Do you realize, fellow posters to this thread, that all of us posting thus far seem to be, um, in Lower Middle Age? :jump Methinks that is why we especially like them uphill climbs!
These knees no likey the downhills! Sue