Heading outdoors for an adventure should be a treat, not a miserable experience that ends in hunger, dehydration and uncontrollable shivering. But this being Colorado, it’s often easy to take the fickle nature of the nearby mountains for granted and end up this way.
I should know. I moved here from Dallas five years ago to enjoy these Rocky Mountain vistas. And as you would expect from a flatlander, I’ve made, and fortunately survived, countless backcountry blunders. I was notorious for my ability to turn an hour run on a Front Range mountain trail into a three-hour slog and scramble as I kept searching for the most breathtaking view; for getting lost while exploring new trails (always well after I’d run out of food and water); and for ending up above tree line in a T-shirt during a summer snowstorm. Truth be told, I enjoyed none of these mountain adventures.
Finally, during one particularly nasty outing in which I ended up miles from the trailhead, drenched from a thunderstorm, and without food or water, I had an epiphany: My overzealous concern for not burdening myself with food and gear in order to avoid the perceived misery of hauling that extra gear often led to just that – misery.
Well, enough of that. My motto now is “Be overprepared!”
Now I overpack for my trail runs and mountain-bike rides. And if you don’t think you need as much stuff as I do, I suggest you ride and run in town where food and water is readily available. Or move to Dallas.
* Food: Stop being a weight-weenie. In my previous life, I carried exactly what I thought I needed and not a calorie more. But when my runs turned to jogs and then to slow walks because of my fuel-deprived state, I realized how I would have been back at my car by now if I had had another PowerBar to eat. Now I always carry an extra energy bar or two.
* Water: Invest in a Camelbak or similar hydration pack and fill it full every time you head out. And consider pouring in a sports drink that adds back carbs and electrolytes. It’s like carrying an extra energy bar.
If you plan on staying out from dawn to dusk (or have a hunch that it could turn out that way) take along your hydration pack and a water filter or iodine tablets to purify some Rocky Mountain stream water and refill your it.
* Shelter: I’m talking clothes here. Even if it’s a blue-sky day and I’m only going for a trail run after work, I also pack a water-resistant shell. Weather happens pretty fast along the Front Range, and with the gossamer weight of high-quality shells available today, there’s no legit reason not to carry one along.
Jason Koop is a coach at Carmichael Training Systems in Colorado Springs. For more information on the latest in training, fitness and nutrition, go to www.trainright.com/newsletter.
