I am going to hike the Dipsea

All last year I wanted to hike the famous Dipsea hike from Mill Valley over Mt. Tamalpais to Stinson Beach. It includes. The description on the Dipsea site describes it in the following way 

I am on my way and have been practicing with my friend and coach, Darcey. 

The scheduled hike is Memorial Day weekend!

It begins in downtown Mill Valley with a sprint down Throckmorton to the Old Mill Park, then up three flights of stairs as tall as a fifty-story building, and up some more through an old horse ranch to Windy Gap. Then it plunges down into Muir Woods across Redwood Creek and begins a tough grind up through the trees over trails named "Dynamite" and "Cardiac." At the top of Cardiac, the course levels out before it plunges down through the "Swoop", over the rocks and roots of "Steep Ravine" and the discouragingly steep climb up "Insult Hill." Finally, as the course follows the relatively gentle slope of The Moors toward the ocean, Stinson Beach is in sight a mile ahead.

Now for many people they run the Dipsea run and also the double dipsea. For me, to hike it is a major goal as my asthma has always made it more challenging than for the normal person. No excuses, I say, slow and steady.  About a year ago, I used the goal in a Leadership class of how to solve the problem of me being afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with friends, be the last one on the hike, and maybe take forever until the sun goes down (should be about 4 hours). In the class I used a variety of problem solving techniques, but it never kicked in until this past December when a friend said, "I'll coach you." A friend, I thought -- perfect. Someone to motivate, break it into parts, cheer me on, and provide a good training program. 

Each month we will do a part of the Dipsea to get used to the terrain and build up strength and take away fear of what is to come. Each week I have to hike the torturous steps to Panoramic Highway about 1.5 miles up hill. A doable weekly adventure in which my lungs scream after the second set of steps and my heart soars that I am doing it. 

Keep tuned to more on the training.  The goal is sometime in June!

First practice

Practice Week 2 with family!