Today I visited the University of Washington IMA. The University of Toronto's Athletic Centre, pales in comparison although the running track is only 1/9 of a mile (175m) versus the 200m track at the AC. The weight room, however, feels like it's as large as the entire field house at the AC so I'm going to enjoy getting a membership there (only $70 per quarter).
So today, for my 31st birthday, I did 31 laps on their track with my new running Pro Grid Omni 11s :D It felt good and I think I did it in decent time for my age...
I'm also surprisingly decent on my pullups still since it's been 3 months since my last visit to the gym. Didn't feel like benching after my run, but I'll pick up that term pass soon enough and then I just need to find a partner to go with me to do weights (in the mornings of course!)
Any takers?
On another note: Google Android 4.2 downloaded to my device last night (after a few forceful tries). The improvements have been rocking my world thus far. Good job elgooG!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Failing to Conquer...but Succeeding at Surviving
Putrid Pete's Peak is situated West-Northwest of Mount Defiance. I was invited by my labmate to climb it Saturday morning. Originally I was going to hit up Green Lake for a run as the weather was forecast to be clear and warm (enough). It was a great day for a hike.
We arrived early at the trailhead sometime around 7am with the clouds still out and just the smallest amount of snow coming down. My labmate, Dan, is a well-prepared climber and had all the right gear for a colder day, including some wicked looking (and apparently heavy) boots. I had my ailing pair of Saucony runners; Omni Pro Grid 9's for that extra stabilization - when you're running at least. He lent me a larger bag to help carry some extra supplies as well like Yaktrax, which are essentially snow-chains for your feet (just brilliant, by the way!). You just slip them on your feet and BOOM, you've got additional traction :) I didn't think we'd need them, but he thought they might be useful once we hit the rocky section.
So we set off from the trailhead to climb to the peak! The first half or more of the trail was within a forested area and despite a lot of switchbacks, the trail remained much steeper than previous hikes. We finally broke from the forest and ended up hitting a somewhat perceptible trail that climbed steeply upwards through rock outcroppings. It wasn't too bad, although the storm clouds had remained and now a little more snow was on its way down. I stopped briefly to take a picture of a tree stump, to show to my wife that I had gone "winter" hiking.
And then, the snow REALLY came down. And it wasn't flakes anymore but small, round, balls - not hail but more like small Lego men were fashioning their own snowballs in the clouds. We pushed onwards for a while thinking it would die, but we soon realized, the sparsely viewable path was getting covered in snow; just enough to be slippery and certainly not enough to tromp safely along.
Given my inexperience, the diminishing amount of visible path, and the continuing snowfall, Dan made the call to turn back and I totally agreed. No need to die to see a summit with the name "putrid" in it - even if we were just a few hundred feet of elevation from it. We navigated to some forested area and donned additional gear - more gloves (my pitiable mittens had soaked through and Dan had extras), walking poles (super handy for feeling out the snow covered ground ahead) and my borrowed Yaktrax! Did I mention how amazing they are? We roped up together with some harnesses and made a plan to head back down the mountainside through as many trees as possible. If one of us slipped (ie Me), then it would be a shorter tumble before hitting some trees rather than a long tumble down dangerous rocks.
We eventually made it back to the trail and I noticed the same tree I had already taken a picture of - except it was now buried. By then, the snow had also stopped. My feet were cold, wet, and we still wouldn't be able to see the path back up properly. Once we got back on the wooded section of the trail, I noticed deep footprints in the snow, headed back to the trailhead. Dan recalled the Jeep we had parked beside and we guessed that whomever it was, had gone up ahead of us and was on their way back down when the snow hit. They must've taken another path back down to avoid slipping on the rocks too. It made my life easier from there to just follow the mysterious footprints back down the path :)
So we survived! And frankly, it took a lot out of me to navigate down a partially snowed-out mountain. There were slips and I ended up engaging my calves and quads extra hard. Not to mention me being in runners, which means no ankle stability. All-in-all a fun adventure and I'm sure I'll have a chance in the spring to try for it again...
One last thing to note about the climb - when we arrived back in Seattle? A perfectly sunny day... not a drop of rain had come down in all the time we were gone. Go figure...
We arrived early at the trailhead sometime around 7am with the clouds still out and just the smallest amount of snow coming down. My labmate, Dan, is a well-prepared climber and had all the right gear for a colder day, including some wicked looking (and apparently heavy) boots. I had my ailing pair of Saucony runners; Omni Pro Grid 9's for that extra stabilization - when you're running at least. He lent me a larger bag to help carry some extra supplies as well like Yaktrax, which are essentially snow-chains for your feet (just brilliant, by the way!). You just slip them on your feet and BOOM, you've got additional traction :) I didn't think we'd need them, but he thought they might be useful once we hit the rocky section.
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| At the trailhead to Putrid Pete's Peak. Although it's not listed because the trail breaks off from the main section early on. |
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| See - just a little snow coming down. Nothing to worry about! |
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| And then the snow started coming a little harder... |
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| Check out all that snow! And we were sooo close to the summit. |
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| You can see the upper ridge in the top left corner. I'm not sure if that is the true summit, but it must've been around there somewhere. |
We eventually made it back to the trail and I noticed the same tree I had already taken a picture of - except it was now buried. By then, the snow had also stopped. My feet were cold, wet, and we still wouldn't be able to see the path back up properly. Once we got back on the wooded section of the trail, I noticed deep footprints in the snow, headed back to the trailhead. Dan recalled the Jeep we had parked beside and we guessed that whomever it was, had gone up ahead of us and was on their way back down when the snow hit. They must've taken another path back down to avoid slipping on the rocks too. It made my life easier from there to just follow the mysterious footprints back down the path :)
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| Our snow covered stump. Notice the clear skies way in the background? |
So we survived! And frankly, it took a lot out of me to navigate down a partially snowed-out mountain. There were slips and I ended up engaging my calves and quads extra hard. Not to mention me being in runners, which means no ankle stability. All-in-all a fun adventure and I'm sure I'll have a chance in the spring to try for it again...
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| This crazy long felled tree will probably still be there next year. |
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Friday Explorations!
So having been in Seattle for a little more than two months now, I finally made it up close for a to the Seattle Space Needle. I was volunteering for the Life Science Research Weekend down at the Pacific Science Center which is just adjacent to the Needle itself. So my trip began with a ride down Aurora and I exited at Denny Way. Lo and behold, I found myself face to face with this fine beauty!
It was quite interesting and I guess I'll have to explore more into the lore of this pink elephant, but on with the exploration! Unfortunately I hadn't thought to bring my camera with me for this visit, so I ended up taking everything on my phone. Next up? I meandered my way underneath the "vast" heights of the Space Needle. I guess the name was appropriate at the time, since they didn't expect the CN tower to burst onto the scene a decade later :D
If you live in Seattle, have kids, and want a nice weekend afternoon, definitely check out the Pacific Science Center. Some fun times could be had there although I'm not sure of the price. The Life Sciences Research Weekend is part of an annual event that exposes the public to science research groups from around the Seattle area. It was definitely a fun morning representing the UW Department of Genome Sciences! Our exhibit was on Genetic Diversity being the Spice of Life.
The adventures don't end there! I also visited Bob's Corn Maze Friday night.
Two things to note: it was my first time in a corn maze, and it was the last weekend of the season. Let me just say that at the end of the season, when the rains have been coming down for a week, a corn maze retains it's shape but it's base is not longer stable dirt, but gooey, dripping, life-sucking, shoe-swallowing mud. Meanwhile you're trying to navigate this crazy maze (which comes with a map!) while trying not to slip or sink into the mire surrounding you. Still, it was an adventure!
The maze entrance and exit are directly across from each other so you pretty much come out where you went in. Overall, we managed to actually make it out in a decent time except that we exited from the entrance without realizing it. It goes without saying that the condition of the maze allows for some mistaken shortcuts to be taken in the dark.
One last thing: there's a pit stop in the middle for you to rest and relax at a nice bonfire. I spoke with some of the workers there and they gave an overview of the entire process. Basically, Bob (yes there's a real Bob), will plan the maze for a couple of months. In the spring, he stakes out the entire field into a grid system, spray paints the maze and then plants the corn. After a bit of growth, they trim down the fields and keep the paths cleared. They'll maintain it a few more times, before they open late September or early October. Eventually when they close the maze, it all gets turned into mulch as it's made of field corn, which may be fit for some types of human consumption but not worth processing I guess. They do make $12 a head on the maze anyways!
One last thing: they have a general store open all year long. I bought some delicious pickled beets, a jar of raspberry jam (to pair with my peanut butter and toast!) and a mysterious item called garlic ketchup.
Next year I'll go back to check out the maze, at the BEGINNING of the season :D
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| What is this Elephant's story? |
It was quite interesting and I guess I'll have to explore more into the lore of this pink elephant, but on with the exploration! Unfortunately I hadn't thought to bring my camera with me for this visit, so I ended up taking everything on my phone. Next up? I meandered my way underneath the "vast" heights of the Space Needle. I guess the name was appropriate at the time, since they didn't expect the CN tower to burst onto the scene a decade later :D
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| Not quite the CN tower, but 1/3 the height is not a bad effort... |
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| Yes the chairs really are that big. |
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| Here there be dinosaurs!... Yar... |
Two things to note: it was my first time in a corn maze, and it was the last weekend of the season. Let me just say that at the end of the season, when the rains have been coming down for a week, a corn maze retains it's shape but it's base is not longer stable dirt, but gooey, dripping, life-sucking, shoe-swallowing mud. Meanwhile you're trying to navigate this crazy maze (which comes with a map!) while trying not to slip or sink into the mire surrounding you. Still, it was an adventure!
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| Looks like this maze consumed yet another sole... probably not its first nor its last. |
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| Pumpkin-tossing at the end of the night's trek. |
One last thing: they have a general store open all year long. I bought some delicious pickled beets, a jar of raspberry jam (to pair with my peanut butter and toast!) and a mysterious item called garlic ketchup.
Next year I'll go back to check out the maze, at the BEGINNING of the season :D
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