Hawkwind's musings....er ...log!

[TRAZ]

Originally Posted by Hawkwind

Tired today after all the stress and worry of yesterday. No HIIT today. But I'm in the mood for some belly dancing...it helps my head and relaxes me.

But you don't really have a belly!

[Hawkwind]

Rotflmao! And I don't really have hips either...but, it's earthy and sexy and I feel great after.

Rissa came by for a visit this afternoon. Opening week was hectic, but Six Flags New England pulled off the smoothest opening for the week.

m 1: 8 oz rice milk, 1 scoop of ON egg protein, 1/4 c of yogurt, 1/2 banana, and 1/4 c of oatmeal
m 2: Herb & garlic tuna, veggie slice, spinach and honey mustard on a whole wheat wrap. 1/3 c of tropical trail mix. *I was craving macademia nuts and fruit.
m 3: Chicken, rice pilaf, broccoi and a thin slice of garlic bread*.
*Wish hubby would stop bringing that stuff home! It calls to me from the fridge...
"Amy...oh Amy...you want a piece of me! Come eat me!" Evil stuff that garlic bread!
m 4: Pork loin roast, spinach and corn. Orange
m 5: Evopro in 6 oz of yogurt before bed.

Calories: 1,604
Fat: 41
Carbs:170
Protein: 144

[Hawkwind]

Aight...I'm totally *****y this morning. My weight has inched up again. I'm getting so frustrated. If I drop my caloric intake I'll suck wind on the trails and in the gym. I'm not willing to give up lifting heavy (for me) as I'm really ecstatic with my gains of late. I'm beginning to suspect that this constant stress and tension of worrying about my family is really getting to me. I don't see things changing until I get back out to Idaho and Jer gets off that plane in Boise. Back to the plus side. I've never had glutes per se...yet they are coming in now. I've always had nice hams...but they are getting better. I want the body fat down...but my training is going so well that I guess I should just stop worrying about bringing the bodyfat down and keep my focus on my time in the gym and on the trails.

Upper body day:
*Shoulders/chest/bi's/tri's...decided to leave out lats and lower back today since I do Romanian deads on Saturday and pull-ups on Sunday, not to mention that backpacking with 30 pounds in my pack with a sore back is starting to get old.

Seated db press 8r/25#* 4r/20# Hooyah! Up 5#!
Incline db raises 12r/8#

BB flat bench 8r/ 60# 4r/60# Hooyah! Had to rest 15 seconds...but I got that last 4 in without dropping back!
Incline DB flyes 12r/15#

Alt. bicep c-curls 6r/20#* 6r/15# *Hooyah! Up 5#
Alt. incline curls 8r/20#* 4r/15# Hooyah! I did it! Up 5# here too! Now how long have I been b*tching that I should go up with these? So today I just said f-it and grabbed the 20's.

Triceps CG bench 12r/45#
Triceps rope press 8r/27.5# 4r/22.5#

m 1: 8 oz rice milk, 2 oz yogurt, 1 scoop of ON egg protein, 1/2 banana, and 1/4c oatmeal.
post w/o shake: Evopro in Gatorade
m 2: Chicken, spinach and red leaf, veggie slice, honey mustard on a whole wheat wrap.
m 3: 1/3c Tropical trail mix and 1/2c cottage cheese. *Craving nuts again!
m 4: Pork loin roast, rice pilaf and sugar snap peas. Orange
m 5: Evopro, 6 oz rice milk and 2 oz yogurt

Calories: 1,748
Fat: 42
Carbs: 187
Protein: 159

[Hawkwind]

Quabbin Hike - Gate 10

Well, I don't know what was up with me yesterday...but I had a serious attack of the giggles. No, nix that, laughing, and laughing and laughing...
It all started at the Blazer, right after I locked up I realized that I had left my trekking pole in the darn truck...and of course my pack was on and my keys were in the pack! Now at this point I had a jacket on, and I was pretty indecisive as to whether I was going to need it or not. But it was a bit chilly, so I kept it on. For the moment.

Unlocked the Blazer, grabbed my trekking pole, put my pack back on and we headed to the gate. Part way there Gypsy remembered that she left her energy drink in the truck. I stopped and asked if she wanted me to get the keys out to go get it for her. No..she said. I'm already in fits of giggles, we get to the gate and I decide that the jacket will indeed be too much. So...off goes pack, digging around the top for the stupid keys again, and I start breaking out into laughter. Strip off the jacket, trek back to the truck, toss it in the back. All the while I'm holding my breakfast sandwhich and can't stop laughing.

Get back to the gate and toss the dayumed pack back on...laughing, need Gypsy to hold my sandwich...remember we always take a trail head pic. Try to gather it together for a moment, break down into fits of laughter all over again. Why the men in the little white jackets didn't show up is beyond me...

Right off we found a promising area for foundations. We found the well, the barn foundation and an old rake for a tractor standing against the barn foundation and lots and lots of old moose droppings. It seems the last crew in the area that was harvesting may have tossed the tree-tops and useless brush into the house foundation. That is a new trend and it's really bothering me that they are doing that. Many, many people hike the Quabbin hunting for the old foundations like we do...and like us, they don't move or take what is found in the foundation or around them. Finding an area that wasn't 'preserved' really bugged me and that was the end of my morning laughter...for the time being.

I was actually beginning to get frustrated. We found a lot of promising area's on the first part of the hike, but we were in old fields areas that have become heavily grown in. The new pine growth is so thick in places that even with our packs off you cannot find a darn thing and all you end up doing is bushwhacking around for hours and still don't find the foundation that you know has got to be hidden in that mess somewhere. So unless we can see part of a foundation in that stuff we tend to stay out of it now.

So we headed up to the gate 11 area (We've hike between gates 11 and 12 before), and take the road that leads down to the reservoir with the intention of taking a side trail that dead ends. Up at the end of that trail we found a nice barn foundation. But couldn't find where the house might have been located. The underbrush up in that area was coming in pretty heavy, so we very easily could have missed it. We did get some cool pictures of that foundation and area, turned around and headed back toward the reservoir, intent on having our lunch close to the water's edge. We found one more foundation, almost on the trail, so you couldn't miss it.

We stopped at an 'intersection' on the trail to check our maps and I could hear noise in the brush...I stepped closer to the noise to stop a porcupine feeding. We tried to get close to get pics but he was at that moment moving away from us so we headed down the trail to the reservoir only to find a washout...which when we followed it allowed us to get closer to the porky for some pics...I turned around and was pretty sure I spotted a large foundation, but we had to make our way back to the trail and go in from there. It was huge! But in trekking around in the underbrush we upset the porcupine who then decided to climb a tree. Gypsy got pics of porky and I was focused on that foundation.

The reservoir is up, leaving almost no 'beach' areas of late to sit and have lunch on. So we took a side trail we spotted, found an 'inlet beach' that was shaded but pretty and head up an embankment looking for a sunnier spot for lunch...we well started up the embankment...I noticed movement and jumped back. It was freaking snake. I am such a wuss when it comes to snakes! Gypsy took pics of the little fellow while I took an altered route around him. We followed the trail up and ended up in the spot we stopped in last year for lunch. What the heck, I grabbed my old yellow poncho/tarp from my pack and spread it out so we could eat and not worry about ticks climbing up us. We pulled out our maps and plotted our next area to hike and search. I also swapped out my sneakers for my hiking sandals. I've been saying for a couple weeks now that it was getting near that time.

We headed out, choosing to skip a trail that we will do another time in favor of an MDC/DCR road that quickly became noticeably unused. For that area that is really strange, but we found this wide rock leaning on a wall. It looked almost like a Star Trek insignia. I was seeing foundation type plantings and sure enough we found a really cool foundation. With what was almost like a rock cave down in the cellar. Trekking around in the woods I found not one, but three more foundation ruins in the area. After trekking around the area we headed back over the unused road to discover as we were coming down a hill that the stream the map showed was now a beaver pond!

The industrious little devils had not only blocked up the stream using the bridge that crossed the stream, they had built a long dam that was more than 2 feet above the original bridge! We figured that out when we decided to bushwhack our way through some thick brush to see if the stream could be crossed further down. We were able to not only cross part of the stream, that was now a couple small streams, but we were able to follow a gravel bed right up to the bridge, climb what was left of it and stand looking out over the pond. Now we knew why the MDC/DCR road was no longer being used.

So we had to make our way through that little mess the beavers made, it was pretty wet and marshy...and even using my trekking pole to check for solid footing...you do know that I ended up ankle deep in smelly, black marsh ooz. Yeah. Thank goodness for clear running gravel bed streams! I hate hiking with smelly muddy feet. So I was able to at least wash my sandaled feet off. So...hiking sandal season is now officially kicked off. Gypsy...bless her. Managed to keep her sneakered feet dry and mud free. She's no fun! Although, I was sorely tempted to go right back into the smelly oozy mud when she said, "man, what is that smell?" I laughed and said...it's the marsh the beavers made. I won't tell you what she thought she smelled...anyhow, we took a ton of pics at the beaver dam. It was pretty awesome.

We found one more foundation area a ways up from the beaver dam. It had three foundation ruins. Gypsy was starting to have to wait for her camera battery a bit more at this point so we didn't hang around too long and it was getting late and we had made a late start so we decided it was time to take a trail back up to the Blazer. Taking a break on a cool stone wall at one point so Gypsy could put her legs up.

I've been talking about hi-lighting on my map the areas we've been hiking. I finally did that this past week. On the way home yesterday it dawned on me that I should bring a pencil and mark in approximately where we find foundation ruins. The area we were in this time is not mentioned in my Quabbin book and there are no markings on the map. So that is my new project...mark where we find the ruins. Found sign of that dayumed moose all over the place again. Still have not seen said moose! We had a great hike today

Oh...and when we were almost back to the Blazer...it was then that Gypsy remembered that she had wanted her drink..before we took off hiking! We broke down laughing again. Yeah, we make one hell of a team.

Saturday:
2 sets of 12 reps Romanian deads/100#

Cardio: 10 minutes with the heavy bag. 22 minute self-defense.

[Hawkwind]

m 1: On egg protein with yogurt.
m 2: missed it
post w/o shake: whey in gatorade
m 3: Herb & garlic tuna on spinach with cottage cheese
m 4: 1/3c of nuts and cottage cheese
m 5: Pork loin chop, peas and corn.
snack: 2 tbsp natty peanut butter
m 6: Evopro in rice milk

Calories: 1,330
Fat: 40
Carbs: 107
Protein: 137

[Hawkwind]

Hooyah! Eastern Mountain Sports is having their 20% off everything in the store gear sale...ends at mid-night tonight. Gypsy and I are heading out after lunch so I can buy my new trail runners. I looooove EMS/outdoor outfitter supply stores. And dayum....I have to remember only trail runners and GU...

The pullup work continues:
8 reps...I was able to get past the half-way point! Got my forehead to the bar.
(Decided that it's past 'experiment' and now 'work'. )

[TRAZ]

I want some of your new smilies! I am a little pressed for time, but probably tomorrow I will catch up on your last two log entries.

I have a log planned pretty soon that will start as I get my supps in. I will be doing a review of X-Factor...I am pretty excited and there will be lots of dramatic pics! I look forward to your input!

[Hawkwind]

Hehehe...I snagged them from one of my other logs. Very cool that you are starting a log.

Full body day:
Back extensions 12r/135#

set 1 Squats 12r-8r/65# set 2 Squats 8r-4r-8r/75# *up 5 on the second set.
Leg extensions 12r/70#

Seated calf raises 12r/140#
Calf machine 12r/140

Machine # 5 row 12r/70#
Machine #19 row 12r/70#

Machine bench 12r/30#
Machine flyes 12r/50#

Concentration curls 8r/20#
Alt. Incline curls 12r/15#

Machine # 7 triceps 12r/50# outter setting
Machine #16 triceps 12r/35#

No abs...too tired.

Aight...had a bad day yesterday. Decided not to track my diet. Missed a meal...no biggie. Also decided that it is time to back off on some of the weight. I'm backpacking longer and having a sore back carrying a 30 pound pack is getting old. I hit some of the goals I set for myself. I'll go back to lifting heavier when my backpacking season winds down.

m 1: 1 scoop of ON egg protein, 8 oz rice milk, 2 oz yogurt, 1 banana, and 1/3 c oatmeal
w/o shake: Evopro in Gatorade
m 2: Turkey, rice pilaf and spinach topped with a bit of ranch.
m 4: slept through it
m 5: Steak, peas, corn, a slice of garlic bread
m 6: ON ProComplex

Calories:1,864
Fat: 38
Carbs: 238
Protein: 147

[Hawkwind]

Today's diet:
m 1: ON Egg protein, 8 oz rice milk, and 2 oz yogurt.
m 2: 2/3 c oatmeal with cranberries
m 3: Lemon pepper tuna, on spinach with a dash of ranch and cottage cheese. 1/2 serving Wheat Thins.
m 4: Pork loin, rice pilaf, and broccoli with honey mustard.
m 5: Chicken,'cheesey' broccoli, hash browns.
m 6: Evopro in 6 oz yogurt.

Calories: 1,736
Fat: 53
Carbs: 171
Protein: 144

[Hawkwind]

Cardio: 5 mile brisk walk.
Kat has been wanting to walk with me. So I slowed it down a little today she can do the mileage

Upper body day:
Seated DB presses 12r/15#
Incline DB raises 12/8#

DB bench 12r/15#
DB flyes 12r/15#

Concentration-curls 12r/15#
Alt. Incline DB curls 12r/15#

BB CG bench press 12r/40#
Overhead Triceps press 12r/30#

V-ups 15r/bodyweight *Got a twinge in my lower back on the last rep
Hanging leg raises 12r/bodyweight

No back today...backpacking tomorrow...a rather challenging climb/hike across the state.

m 1: ON egg protein, 8 oz rice milk and 2 oz yogurt
m 2/3: On ProComplex
m 4: Chicken bacon ranch with Gatorade
snack: Cottage cheese. Was still hungry so I had a kiwi with a tbsp of yogurt.
m 5: Turkey 'burger' with veggie slice and honey mustard. Spinach
m 6: Evopro

Calories: 1,954
Fat: 52
Carbs: 196
Protein: 180

[Hawkwind]

Yesterday's hike at Mounument Mountain was great.

Today's cardio: 4 mile loop, 6 sprint intervals. 1 hour.

[Hawkwind]

So Gypsy and I took off to the Quabbin today...to check out a short series of gates. We spotted G-4 and noticed there was not enough parking. No worries, the trail didn't go up into the area we wanted to hike anyhow. We parked at Gate 5. The map showed a short hike to the Reservoir shore, but no trail up to the G-6 area. On our way down we spotted a couple side trails not marked on the map or mentioned in the book. So...we took off up them.

One went along the shore and up a stream coming down into the reservoir, then up to powerlines, at the powerlines we spotted a trail that went across and one that led back to the trail we came up...we took the other trail...come to find out, it was an old rail bed. We found old ties running up the trail for quite a ways. At one point we bushwhacked up a wild wall and found the old town marker for Belchertown and Enfield. Enfield being one of the towns the state dismantled to build the Quabbin.

That trail led back to the brook we had seen earlier. According to the map the stream went up to the road that leads out of gate 6 to gate 7 and 8. We decided to bushwhack our way up the stream as it looked like there was a trail up...the trail didn't last long and the brush got heavy and so did the gnats. I'm wicked allergic to gnats...so as much as the route along the stream was absolutely gorgeous I couldn't stop long. I don't have my bug-net to protect my face yet and I didn't want to risk getting my face all chewed up.

We only bushwhacked uphill through the brush for a little over a half mile...but it seemed to take forever since we had to pick our way carefully due to our packs. They snagged up on brush quite a bit today.

Here is a picture of the brook we followed up to the g-6 road:


Once we hit the road the going was pretty mild and the gnats thinned out considerably. We found another trail not on the map, followed it and ended up on the powerlines again. Turned back and followed the trail up to the intersection with gate 7.

Gypsy had to get back...so we trekked back down to gate 6 and took the road back to gate 5 where we left the Blazer. All in all we got in 5.5-6 miles. Hard to figure it accurately since we took a couple trails not on the map. We found a couple foundations and a well, as well as spotted on old vehicle wreck out in the middle of the woods and an old bucket someone had hung on a tree.

[Hawkwind]

Full body day:
Back extensions 12r/135#

set 1 Squats 12r/75# 8r/85#* set 2 Squats 12r-8r/85# *up 5
Leg extensions 12r/70#

Seated calf raises 12r/160# *Oops...remembered after I did them that I wanted to drop back until I get back from Idaho!
Calf machine 12r/140

Machine # 5 row 12r/60#
Machine #19 row 12r/60#

Machine bench 12r/50#
Machine flyes 12r/50#

Machine curls 12r/30#
Alt. Incline curls 12r/15#

Machine # 7 triceps 12r/50# inner setting
Machine #16 triceps 12r/30#

Machine Abs 15r/30# *Yeah, yeah, yeah...I did them...

[Hawkwind]

Upper body day:
(Trained at home today...I have sooooo much left to do before I leave next Thursday...hooyah! One more week!)

Good mornings 12r/40#

WG lat pulldowns 12r/60#
Straight arm lat pulldowns 12r/30#

Seated DB presses 12r/15#
Incline DB raises 12r/8#

Flat BB/BP 12r/40#
Incline DB flyes 8r-4r/15#

Concentration-curls 12r/15#
Alt. Incline db-curls 8r-4r/15#

CG Bench 12r/40#
Overhead tri-rope press 12r/30#

V-ups 12r/2 sets ....eh, yeah...I did my abs.

[Hawkwind]

SLDL's 2sets/12r 100#

[Hawkwind]

The pullups... 8 forehead to the bar...pulled like hell for two more, didn't make it to the bar. Ppppbbbbbbbbttttttt! So, eh, 10 sorta.