Mount Teneriffe – Mountaineering Journey

Stats:

Roundtrip: 8 miles
Gain: 3,937′
Summit:4788′
Temperature: 40F
Wind: 10 MPH

Trail & Map View Here.

Gear:

I brought my normal hiking gear items. I didn’t bring the snowshoes as it didn’t snow that much the previous night. Hence, I just brought the microspikes which were really helpful, especially going down. In addition, I also got the mountaineering boots again to break them in. However, this time around they broke my legs in.

Food & Water

I discovered the secret of drinking water before the hike. This will save me time and energy during the hike. No need to stop and drink water or to go to the “bathroom”. So I usually drink 1L of water at home as soon as I wake up.

In terms of food, I brought a sandwich (cheese, avocado, tofu, lettuce – lots of fat to keep me warm). I also had almonds (that I didn’t eat), power crunch protein bar, Belvita breakfast biscuits. I still don’t know when I need more salt or more sugar, so I tend to have both and decide on the trail.

In addition, in the morning I drank a smoothy: banana, milk, peanut butter.

Comments and learnings on the gear:

Bandaids

Scrambling upwards for a long time gave me blisters, especially on the mountaineering stiffed boots. Hence, I had to stop and put some bandaids on. As I didn’t bring any, I had helped from the group. However, I should have known beforehand and bring some or tape my feet before the hike. I didn’t do it as I didn’t have issues the previous time I hiked in these boots. However, this time around the trail was more vertical and the heal was rubbing in the back more.

I was impressed on the type of bandaids each one had. I used benzoin tincture and different type of bandaids.

Poles for scrambling

I totally recommend the poles if it’s a steep scramble. They really help going up and pushing your weight in the upper body. In addition, going down they can be helpful too, especially when there are many rocks and wet roots. Having multiple point of contacts can save you from falling. Twice, I would have fallen if it wasn’t for the poles.

Microspikes

Great addition to any terrain. I would have wore them all the way down, not only on icy sections. Wet roots and dirt can be a pain while going down. I definitely felt more stable having them on.

TODO:

Buy:

moleskin
duct tape
safety pin or knife
alcohol or antiseptic wipes

Train to strengthen the lower back.

Here is a list of exercises to strengthen the lower back. It is crucial for carrying big backpacks.

Comments and learnings on hiking:

Pressure breathing

Focus on long exhales and inhales so that aerobic breathing is produced, not anaerobic one. Anaerobic breathing promotes the buildup of lactic acid that contributes to muscle fatigue. Read more hot to prevent this buildup here.

Resting foot

When you go up, push with the back leg instead of front one. So that you can rest your quads muscles.

3 points of contact

Always have 3 points of contact on steep sections. Poles come in handy if you don’t want to be on your four.

Navigating exposed areas

Look where you step, instead of looking down or around. Use poles to balance. Place your foot strong in the ground. Check/avoid moving rocks.

Hike Highlights

This is a great hike in both winter and summer. We took the old trail, as it’s shorter but waaaay steeper! The scramble part is on the ridge, hence there are less chances of avalanches. Great conditioning workout. Be prepared to scramble almost all the time up. Coming down is fairly fast. Views ontop supposed to be amazing. Unfortunately, we had a foggy day with no views. This helped me to navigate through the exposed sections without fear.

I’m trying to increase the load I’m carrying. I had 15 pounds on me. Way lower than what I should carry on a big mountain and still my lower back started to hurt a lot. So I will have to do those lower back strengthening exercises.