Riding buses with Japanese tourists - long road to the Eiger

Last summer after a long vacationless period I went to the Switzerland for two weeks of pure fun: just Alps and nothing else.
Preparing the trip I used (surprise, surprise) computer to locate best routes, equipment and accommodation advices and any general info. Main and highly accurate source of information was Summit Post.
Looking back I have to say that equipment choice was almost one hundred percent accurate (my back was keeping quite different opinion especially during beginning of the trip).

This is a story about two first days of the vocation (speaking in the language of mountain tourists and climbers: acclimatization period).

This was my first time in Switzerland and my first encounter with the railroad system was pure pleasure: it worked like a Swiss clock. I changed the train after train after train and finally after short stop at Interlaken was in the Grindelwald village, the starting point of my acclimatization hike,

Interlaken Station

The plan was to hike from the Grindelwald (elevation ~1000m) to Kleine Scheidegg (elevation ~2060 m.).
According to the internet guides: easy hike of about 5-6 hours top.

After buying topology map and finding the trail I was on my way.

Almost from the start I started to feel: something strange is happening both to me and to the surroundings.
I was going up on an easy trail but my advance was slow and painful: I was have to rest every 200-300 meters, my 35 kilogram backpack was making me fill like I'm carrying my own weight. The light time-to-time raining following me all day stopped but the clouds started to concentrate into something intimidating.
I suddenly realized: all my near computer information gathering and trail running trainings are not good at all. All this mountain climbers are made from another material, all my planning (new summit almost daily) is just a dream and I have to get a grep of myself, to get down to the Grindelwald and start riding buses with Japanese tourists. Yes, I told to myself this is the place for You: the tour bus.
At this point rain started, and this was a heavy one. Strangely, completely wet and cursing myself I still continued up. Rain stopped and snow started to fall. The water was coming from all directions, both me and the backpack contents absorbed amount of water enough to give life to average desert.

About eleven hours later some strange man entered Klein Sheidegg Railway Hotel; he was looking like some ship crash victim rescued from inhabited island, pools of water marked each his step. Quietly he asked for accommodation. This men was me, my plans for making tent camp ruined, I was not sure if I want to stay at the Alps at all.

View on Mt. Eiger from Klein Sheidegg

Next morning I was out for the trip to the Mt. Lauberhorn, it was just small acclimatization walk listed in my plan. To my surprise I was walking up-hill in steady rate not like yesterday. When I reached my destination (the summit) and double checked the time it was about fifteen minutes less than listed in the Guide book; hard to describe the feeling: it was like winning Olympic race (actually I never won any Olympic race).

Day after I was running on the Eiger trail, but it already another story.
My breakdown nightmare "riding buses with Japanese tourists" not looks to me such a nightmare today but I do met some Japanese climbers near Grindelwald afterward: they placed tents next to my in the camp, I have to say: excellent neighbors.

White Ghost in fog above Taipei

I worked in Taipei for about a month and the most memorable day of my journey is the six hours run in the Yangmingshan National Park.

It was my first weekend in Taiwan and at the start I was hoping to go for some more serious mountain climbing but after realizing that I have no climbing permit, no gear or clothing and my Chinese vocabulary ("hello" and "thank You") not going to help in solving any logistic problems I decided to settle on mountain run in the Taipei area.
After some googling Yangmingshan was discovered and so the plan was created: I'll catch the bus to the park from the street close to my hotel. On the day before the weather was not very favorable to my plan: it was almost constantly raining. Tolerable to one more crazy customer demand hotel's concierge draw the park name in Chinese on the peace of  paper (chances to find someone speaking English at Taiwan's street are close to zero) and provided me with instructions on finding the bus;  look on his face was saying: "this crazy guy looking for troubles".

On Saturday I waked up early and after quick breakfast I was on my way.

I was not equipped for mountain climbing and not for mountain or trail running as well: I was dressed in long training trousers (not wanted to shock Taiwanese people on the bus by running tights), t-shirt and light rain jacket. I was also wearing road running shoes and NorhFace DogFish backpack with some runners jells and water bladder (I think this backpack was the only piece of suitable equipment).

On the way to the park (I just spelled to the bus driver "Yangmingshan" and was welcomed aboard hoping for the best) it was rainy and I was getting cold, so when we finally arrived I started to run almost from the bus door just in order to get warmer.

The scenery around was amazing.

I was switching between running and walking from time to time' most of the trails was rock, clean or covered by mud both equally slippery for road shoes, so I was constantly using my hands in order to keep balance (can only imagine how strange I looked for local tourists).
Thanks to bad weather the trails were almost empty from visitors and higher up the mountains I advanced less people I met (passing someone while running on mud trail was not an easy task).
Thanks to the map I checked at the entrance to the park navigation was not a problem, I was going to spend entire day running in the park so getting lost was not an issue (the only thing I cared for was getting running mileage).
The scenery was constantly changing, on some stage I was running on so called "Bamboo Trail". 

Eventually I started traversing of the highest peaks (Seven Star Mountain).
Mt. Cising highest peak (1120m) was one of the coldest places during my adventure:

But on the next peak the wind was so strong that I was going forward constantly using hands just to grasp something solid.
Strong sulfur odor reminded me of the volcanic origin of the  Taiwanese mountains

From time to time I was meeting some other tourists, most of them equipped good enough  to climb Everest; in heavy boots, face masks and Polartec jackets, they looked at me jumping on them out of fog with complete disbelief (I not met too many westerners in Taipei, I guess big bold guy in t-shirt suddenly appearing out of nowhere looked completely out of place).
Most trails in Yangmingshan maintained in precise manner (my knees would like to meet less stone stairs) but still everything was amazingly clean and some nice surprises like the building on the picture below were pooping from the mist.

Everything went just fine, at the end of the day I was down from the mountains after summiting most of the peeks.
I survived a couple of controlled falls in the mud and eventually dirty, hungry and happy was allowed to board the bus back to the hotel.

Desert running - safety tips

Using very simple rules can keep You out of trouble or even save Your life when running or hiking in the desert (the same rules applies doesn't matter if You are running/hiking alone on in a group).

1. Make sure that someone knows when and where You are going to run. Schedule control times for contact with the person "on watch" after the run. Make sure that this person knows how to call rescue services if You are not making the contact.

2. Bring at least forty percent more water than You need (yes I know it not easy to run with all this weight). My recommendation: use a backpack with integrated water bladder plus extra bottles. I personally use Osprey  Talon 22 for such adventures (I own and tested a couple of different backpacks but found only this one suitable).

3. Use a water bladder for constant hydration during the run/hike. My personal favorite is Source (very easy to clean/dry and highly durable).

4. Use salt tablets in order to balance loosing minerals due to the desert heat and long physical activity. I'm using Saltstick Caps and can say that it definitely helped me to prevent muscle cramping during long runs.

5. Take with You emergency medical kit.

6. Basic hiker/survival kit including knife, tools for making fire, "space" blanket.

7. Navigation tools: compass, map, GPS (optional).

8. Extra clothing: socks and warm clothes (it can be surprisingly cold in the desert during the night, so it better to be prepared; one fleece can do the job).

9. Make sure that Your trail running shoes will be comfortable after extra swelling of Your feet in the desert heat.

10.  Sunscreen - must in any desert except the Dead See area (it situated below the see level - lowest place on the planet, so almost no sun radiation).

11. Sunglasses is a must. Sun especially in combination with desert sand (effect of mirror) can do a lot of damage.

12. Food. Make sure to bring some extra for emergency. My personal favorites: dry fruits and energy gels.

13. Cellular phone. You can't depend on it, be ready that it will be no reception in the desert.

14. Make sure that You are not sleepy before driving home after the run.



Please do not leave behind You any garbage. The desert is amazing part of nature, hopefully next generations will enjoy it like we are.

Upcoming version of Google's Android OS is being developed with tablet computers in mind

If You have to deal with huge amount of reading like I do (both technical and fiction) getting tablet PC sound like a good idea, but it better to wait a little.
http://www.tabletpcreview.com/default.asp?newsID=1730

Running in the desert

My last trip to the desert in Dead See area was a couple of weeks ago and I already want to go back.
I was out for about 24km run at the quite tolerable for this area conditions (around 34 C at the sun) and the desert was beautiful.

Moon landscape:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Yesterday at work I summarized all my open tasks handled simultaneously (writing technical proposals documents, projects at customer sites, performing lab installations, handling support cases...); stopped counting after about forty.

I gave up idea of participating in Tveria's Marathon this year (too under-trained this time) and have to start gaining running distance volume again.

Last week while driving from customer to customer more than once day-dreamed about running in the desert...