Using 4MM Cord for Running Huaraches

Well, I get to take back my preference of leather straps as the perfect Huarache lace material. Over the past several weeks as I started using Huaraches in running more I have noticed that the between the toes pain and cutting feeling wasn’t getting better so I have opted to try something different than Latigo Lace Leather.

I went to REI and purchased some 3mm, 4mm and 5 mm cord. The cost was around $0.35 per foot and later I found that I could get that at 1/2 price at The Trail House in Frederick, MD so shop around. I settled for now on 4 mm but may experiment later with the 5mm. 3mm seems marginal as a thickness and might cut into the toes.

The first thing I noticed was the knot between the toes was way too large and making it small enough was going to be a challenge so I came up with this method that seems to work well. After a few days of wearing the Huaraches. The pain between the toes is greatly relieved and there is no cutting feeling.

Starting with 6 feet of cord, more than enough for any style tying, the first step was to cut the line and lightly melt both ends. One end I melted to a point to assist threading into the sandal. The other end just a slight melt so I could pull out the center cord material from the nylon sheath.

WARNING: Be careful and if you can’t be careful, have an adult help you, even if you are over 18 and think you are an adult but don’t act like one. Hot nylon sticks to your fingers and will cause burns! You have been warned.

Lightly melt end of cord using a lighter, stove or other method – See warning above.

Pull back the nylon cord sheath and expose about 2-3 inches of inner twisted cord.

Cut away 2-3 inches of inner cord and melt the end to stop fraying

Melted end of white inner layer of cord after cutting

Pull the outer nylon sheath out over there the inner cord used to be. Make sure you grab the cord up a foot or so and slide your fingers as you pinch the line, towards the modified end. Grab the slightly limp modified cord end and give it a good tug so all the outer sheath is pulled tight. Melt the end of the outer sheath.

Now tie a figure 8 not in the modified narrow end of the line. This will create a large enough knot that it won’t slip through the Huaraches sole yet will be small enough to not be felt when wearing the huarache. I then gave the entire knot a little heat and melted it slightly. Probably not a necessary step. Once the inner cord material is removed, the knot in the outer material is very tight and won’t come untied.

The Final product. I am satisfied with how they feel show here tied in the slip on fashion.

The perfect Corn Tortilla | Barefoot Runners Society

I spend a decent amount of time in Central America and have grown to LOVE LOVE LOVE fresh handmade Corn Tortillas. However, creating them authentically at home has proved to be an elusive beast…. until today. I finally nailed the perfect Tortillas and man are they yummy and great nutrition too.

Made from Masaca Flour I use one cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp NoSalt (potassium) and the secret is extra water. Make the dough wet enough that it is very pliable and just short of sticky. Then divide into 4 even balls and let stand 10 minutes in a sealed container. This allows the flour to absorb a little water. then put a sheet of plastic down and press out the ball a little, Add a sheet of plastic over the ball and start rolling or spreading. To get good at this takes time… be patient. Or once you master this, go spend $9.99 on a tortilla press. I told myself no press until I mastered hand forming. I was close.

Once the patties are made throw them in the pan about 30-45 seconds each side. You will know when they have nice brown areas. The pan MUST be VERY hot like around 500 F. Use Cast Iron or Aluminum. Teflon Pans will burn and give off toxic gasses killing pets and possibly you.

Once the Tortilla is cooked, place it between two paper towels and aluminum foil. This step is very important to the flexibility of the tortilla. Basically you sandwich the tortillas between Foil and then Paper towels to seal in the moisture and continue baking them in their own steam. Every time you finish a tortilla, stack it on the rest and reseal the foil.

These have enough Carbs, Protein, Sodium and Potassium to be considered Runner Electrolyte Tortillas. I am now experimenting on eating them as I run. This should be fun!

Here is a picture of the final product, well what is left after my lunch Smile

via The perfect Corn Tortilla | Barefoot Runners Society.

What I saw and what I see

What I should See

Bad Eye Morning 1/4/2010

What I am seeing today 1/5/2010

Someone Save my Eye Tonight!

Well, I learned a very important lesson and one that may have cost me big time.

For several weeks I have had some Sinus troubles and finally Last Tuesday I went in to get some antibiotics for what appeared to be a growing sinus infection. Then I awoke Wednesday morning with a pink eye. It didn’t hurt at all but it was red and by the next day it was vbery sore to the touch. I decided that since I was on a Z Pack I would just wait it out. (I tend to play doctor)

Well, Friday night I started seeing Halos around lights and the eye was worse so I went into one of those Urgent care places and they placed me on an eye antibiotic and said it should clear up. Well, Sunday it started to throb and Sunday night when I went to bed I had decided that I would see an ophthalmologist first thing Monday morning. Well, that was the right decision to late.

At about 3 AM I awoke and realized something was very wrong with my eye. Everything was hazy and the pain was rapidly increasing. I took some Motrin and that calmed the pain and I fell back asleep. At 5AM I awoke to screaming pain and was unable to see out of the eye except slight shadows and colors. I started making calls and talked to my POS insurance plan. Yes, the actual name of the plan is POS that should have been a warning. They stated this wasn’t an emergency and top be honest, there is probably nothing an ER could have done but refer me to a specialist anyway.

At 9 AM I camped out on the front door of an ophthalmologist and demanded he look at me. The minute he took some pressure readings I could see his affect change and he started whispering to his assistant and showing her things in my eye. That was the first indication this was a House type thing. The Pressure in my eye was 54 mm Hg and the normal is 17 mm Hg with 20 being high. After an two and a half hours, he was unable to relieve the pressure and I was off to a Glaucoma specialist. The pain was now off the charts and I truly believe I have matched childbirth, some may argue but I will stand my ground. My contractions were 50 times per minute because that is my heart rate and every heart beat felt like I had a butcher knife in my eye, forehead and temple and every beat signaled the knives to take a quarter turn. This continues for over 8 hours and meditation was my only escape. Finally the pressure was dropped to 15 and the pain started to recede and by 9PM last night I was feeling somewhat better although I am still experiencing fog in the eye.

What happened?
The Eye inflammation started from an unknown reason and snowballed due to the design of the eye, they don’t handle inflammation well. The eye, very much like the brain has a barrier that separate eye fluids from blood. When the eye gets inflamed, these barriers break down and the eye converts the leaking blood to proteins that are very sticky. The proteins stuck the Iris of my eye to the lens and that blocked the eyes ability to release fluid and pressure through the angle (valve) of the eye. The pressure builds up and then presses the iris even tighter to the lens. This is a snowball effect and as the pressure increases the optic nerve starts to crush and this is called acute Glaucoma and is a true eye emergency. Duh!

The drugs they used are slowly freeing the iris, it might take days or even surgery and steroids in the eye to eliminate the inflammation. The most interesting drug they used is Diamox.
Acetazolamide (Diamox): This is the most tried and tested drug for altitude sickness prevention and treatment.
I just thought that was ironic in some sense. What might save my life someday on high mountains may save my eye today.
As I know more, I will keep you informed but my warning. If you ever get pink eye, red eye or any eye issue, screw the general practitioners and ER’s and call an eye doctor. This went from a red eye to dangerous in less that a few hours I feel Sunday night, it is nothing to mess with.

Let’s see some facts!

So I really have to question the statements below based on my own personal experience. I received a Tweet from CoolRunnings that directed me to a FAQ on Active.com Newbie Runners: Answers to Your FAQs. Who exactly is it that determines that they can make claims like “running shoes are designed to help your foot strike the ground properly”? Can they actually prove this claim and where is that proof?

I ask, not because of what I am seeing in the press books and media lately but personal experience. For several years I ran using old NB 880 shoes that had smashed down padding, were very neutral and virtually no arch support. Then I was told I needed support shoes with more padding and that is when my troubles began. Suddenly I went from I love running to why do my legs always hurt and why is my knee so messed up? Shouldn’t better shoes have helped?

Think about it, who told me to replace my shoes… The shoe store. I feel like such an idiot.

Here is the claim that I would love to see Active.com, Runners World, Men’s Health or the manufacturers back up with some form of solid evidence, some form of scientific review and most of all facts that specifically support the statement

“running shoes are designed to help your foot strike the ground properly, reducing the amount of shock that travels up your leg”

Please define “foot strike the ground properly” then , Back it up folks!

Do I have to wear running shoes, or are sneakers fine?
Running doesn’t require much investment in gear and accessories, but you have to have a good pair of running shoes. Unlike sneakers, running shoes are designed to help your foot strike the ground properly, reducing the amount of shock that travels up your leg. They’re also made to fit your foot snugly, which reduces the slipping and sliding that can lead to blisters. Visit a specialty running store to find the right shoe for you.
From: Active.com and reportedly originally on Runners World and By Alisa Bauman Men’s Health

The Honduras Mess

A dangerous standoff that the U.S. helped to create.

A break from my normal routine and a statement of

WHAT THE HELL!

Why is it that our government is supporting a red flag waving commie socialist wantabee?

Zelaya needs to be ousted from the Honduran Government
Finally, someone gets the story right. CNN and Obama, stop supporting the Socialist Zelaya

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574427403985118892.html

Mr. Zelaya was deposed and deported this summer after he agitated street protests to support a rewrite of the Honduran constitution so he could serve a second term. The constitution strictly prohibits a change in the term-limits provision. On multiple occasions he was warned to desist, and on June 28 the Supreme Court ordered his arrest.

Every major Honduran institution supported the move, even members in Congress of his own political party, the Catholic Church and the country’s human rights ombudsman. To avoid violence the Honduran military escorted Mr. Zelaya out of the country. In other words, his removal from office was legal and constitutional, though his ejection from the country gave the false appearance of an old-fashioned Latin American coup.

The U.S. has since come down solidly on the side of—Mr. Zelaya. While it has supported negotiations and called for calm, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both insisted that Honduras must ignore Mr. Zelaya’s transgressions and their own legal processes and restore him as president. The U.S. has gone so far as to cut off aid, threaten Honduran assets in the U.S. and pull visas to enter the U.S. from the independent judiciary. The U.S. has even threatened not to recognize presidential elections previously scheduled for November unless Mr. Zelaya is first brought back to power—even though he couldn’t run again

If the U.S. didn’t know about Mr. Zelaya’s stealth return, it ought to feel deceived and drop its support. Now that he’s back in Honduras, the best solution to avoid violence would be for the U.S. to urge Mr. Zelaya to turn himself over to Honduran authorities for arrest and trial.

Source: Washington Post Online (Link Above)

No More Zelaya

It Couldn’t Be Done

 It Couldn’t Be Done
Edgar Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

Back on the Snow! 25 years too late

So last Friday I did something I have not done for (I am ashamed to say this) 25 Years. I went Skiing.

When I was 5 years old my father taught me how to ski and by the time I was 12 I was a pretty good skier. In my teens I was completely unstoppable and then there was the “M” word. I was confined to a life of servitude and skiing was not in the plans. The last time I put boards on my feet was maybe 1983.

Now I had went Snowboarding twice in 2003 and that was totally different. The first time was OK but nothing I really got excited about and the second time put me in the hospital with a collapsed lung for a total of 12 days. But Skiing, that was my childhood passion. Man did I love to ski.

So there I was after 25 years, Laying in bed visualizing the slope, the skiing, the curves, the turns, the smells, the feels, Everything and it was as if I was there and never came down from the hills. The next morning I stopped by my buddies who owns a rental shop and he hooked me up with the best gear. I was nervous but the memory was all there. I could feel the slope. As I drove up the canyon in SLC I was very aware and bleeding of nostalgia. I was headed to the resort, Solitude, where I first learned to ski over 40 years ago. The hill had changed but a lot had remained the same. The little shack that stood at the end of Inspiration Lift (Long gone) was still there. The smells were the same and the sounds were all crisp. As I walked from the jeep to the hill the crunching snow gave me chills. All those years skiing came rushing back like a freight train and there I stood, at the lift line ready to climb on the lift. 25 years of talking myself out of liking snow melted like a snow cone on a hot summer day. I sat back and I was off.

The plan was to take a very easy beginners hill and make a few turns. Got to get the feet under me I kept saying but what I meant is I got to get the fear under control. I talked a lot on that first ride up the mountain, nothing much to do but talk. It cools the nerves, It defocuses from he fear. Then the top came and reality set in, It was time to deliver and I skied off the lift and stood at the top of the run. I looked at my friend that was there for me and off we went. I made a few turns and suddenly as if I was injected with super human memory, every cell in my body remembered and I started carving up the hill. Before i knew it I was hammering moguls, cutting the slope and tucking for speed. I WAS BACK!

By the end of the day I was exhausted, every muscle was burning and we made an intense 14 runs. All were on Blue or harder slopes and several were Black Diamond. In the end I had to fight back a tear just as I am doing now because I look at 25 years I went before I took this wonderful gem back into my life. I realized that all the years of telling myself I hated the snow were a cover for the pain of something I had purposely given up and now that pain is gone and I have moved one step forward. Another step towards the top of the world…

Into the Wild

Yesterday on a plane I watched the movie Into the Wild. Then today I saw this quote from Chris McCandless AKA Alexander Supertramp “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” — Chris McCandless It really hit home as to why I do the things I do. It isn’t that I am another Chris McCandless groupie, hell, I just heard about the guy and as messed up as he was, his views on adventure and life seem very clear. He knew what he wanted and in the end realized what he was missing. More to come Here I am into my own Wild!

My intention for this site.

I find myself a bit at odds today. Maybe a little overwhelm and maybe a bit of excitement. Yesterday I found myself launching a new web site or should I say creating the initial blog and page. I feel like a painter or author standing in front of a blank page. There is so much to say but I haven’t a clue where to start. There is just so much to do and only 24 hours in a day. You would think 24 hours would be more than sufficient to accomplish such a meager task.
All my life I have been a bit of an adventurer. My very first book I remember reading was about Louis and Clarks adventures down the Grand Canyon. I remember sitting and reading that book and there was just no way I could put it down. I was so involved in the story that I could see the red canyon walls, hear the water rushing underneath and smell the smells of sage in the air. What a wonderful journey it was and how it so shaped my life. My father was also a major role in shaping me as and giving me the heart of an adventurer. He would my brother and I into the mountains above Salt Lake City Utah and we would hike to wonderful areas like White Pine and Red Pine lakes, Lake Blanch and lone peak above cool springs. We also trekked the Uintah Mountains on so many occasions scrambling up rocky faces and onto mountain tops. I remember the first time I stood on top of Bald Mountain (11,943 ft) and looked down on Mirror Lake. The skies opened up and you could see heaven from up there. It was so magical.

So what do those lovely childhood experiences have to do with this web site and me? Everything!

This is a story about the life of an adventurer and the tales will be told about the Past, the Present and the future. The story is still unfolding and you can be a witness to the outcome. In fact, you may have ways to shape the outcome itself. I will tell stories of past adventures and link you to pictures and more information. As I perform new adventures and feats I will update you about what I am doing and how I am doing it. And lastly I will talk about future treks and what I am doing to make them reality.
I will talk about equipment, what I use it for and how. There will be talks about Camera equipment, mountaineering gear, clothing, travel and any other thought or whim that pops into my mind. There will be days where I do not post. And there may be days where I post so often even I can’t keep up with it all. I want to figure out a way that you, the readers and the reason I do this, can be updated or notified when new events happen. As I figure this out I will give you’re the option to opt in and be notified.