Today I went for a short hike. Last night I was thinking that since I have Monday's off, that I should make a habit of doing something outdoorsy/mountain-y every Monday. Everyone else is stuck inside at work, so I should be out enjoying myself in honor of the rest of the working world (how very thoughtful of me)! I recently purchased a guide to "easy mountain hikes" for Colorado Springs. So Sunday night I sat down with the book and assessed the list based on a) mileage (I'm still not used to the altitude, and somewhat out of shape, so best not to push it) b) location (I had "things" to do today too, so I didn't want to drive an hour to hike) and c) difficulty (see parenthesis for a). Other things I considered - I am hiking alone (not really recommended) and generally going to carry little with me (not a long hike so not bringing a ton of emergency essentials). So generally I decided to pick an easy little day hike that your average tourist or grandpa could handle.
And I know... every hiker should have with them an emergency/first aid kit, and every female should have some sort of defense mechanism like bear spray, for example, (and no, Lisa... you spray at the bears, not on yourself like deodorant! yuck!) But of course, I have not gotten any bear spray (it's actually quite expensive and hard to find) and really, not going to go to the trouble for a first aid kit. And so thinking through things before I left this morning, I think well maybe I should be on the safe side... so I grab some athletic tape and a pocket knife (first aid and self defense!), a granola bar and some water. Thinking that of course I have my cell phone if things get crazy. So maybe I wouldn't make the best boy scout... but it's just a short hike, right? I picked a little easy 2 miler that's only about a 5 minute drive from my apartment.
I walk outside and it is FREEZING! well, not literally, but 49 degrees is too cold for shorts and t-shirt, and it also looks like rain. So I layer up, grab my bag, and head on my way.
I brought my camera, and at the base of the hike is a little bubbling brook, so I take out my camera to take pictures for all of you, and of course the battery is dead because I never recharged it after the wedding weekend. (next time I will have lots of pretty pictures!)
So I'm freezing, no camera, but damn it all I'm going on my Monday hike! I start trucking along happily for about 5 minutes before I am wheezing and gasping for breath. Meanwhile a 72 year old man passes by my on his way down with his little Yorkie puppy. So I keep on moving despite my breathlessness. The views were gorgeous, the green/gold/red of the other mountains in the fall, the glimpse of hikers on other peaks, the view of the city skyline, and once again I could see my apartment! So I get to what I think couldn't possibly be the top, although it was at the peak, but I could have sworn I remembered that there was supposed to be another trail that collided with that one. So I kept going, down what I thought was a passable if yet steep trail. Well I slip and find my footing for a while and then realize that I am at the edge of a cliff, and not really anywhere to go. And then I think... well this isn't "easy" and there's no way that Yorkie puppy could have climbed this (I like to give the older gentleman a little bit of credit, i mean there are lots of amazing active older adults in Colorado). I'm staring down the cliff edge wondering if there is a way to climb down there, or if I've missed something...
When I suddenly had these images of a) me sliding down and breaking something on the way b) getting attacked by a bear and being too stupid to bring bear spray (I remember that you are supposed to not run away from bears, but back away slowly... but do you yell loudly at them to stop and threaten them, or whisper quietly and calmly to them to tell them you are a friend??) and c) lost in the mountains with only a granola bar, a pocket knife, and some athletic tape. (I forgot to mention, at this point my cell phone battery has died) So after these fleetingly horrifying thoughts, I turn around and climb back up to the peak again. But I am stubborn, and I want to keep hiking, and not believe that I've reached the point where I have to turn around and go back. (I had a map, but it was really mostly useless besides telling where the trails meet and trail heads are off the road, of course the detailed book was left behind in the car). So I decide to follow another path that was less steep down the other side of the peak. It got kinda grassy, still these tiny gravelly rocks that I am slipping and sliding on, but then I discovered a very gorgeous overview. Also at this point am starting to feel kind of dizzy... altitude? dehydration? sheer excitement at my adventurousness? so I stopped to enjoy most of my water, a granola bar, and the beautiful view. Feeling much better, I continue to pick my way down (stooping under tree branches and avoiding scraping prickly looking plants) and I saw this amazing bright blue winged bird, that turned out to be a Stellar's Jay. It was gorgeous!!! Finally somehow I find my way back to a solid, flat, even, non prickly or slippery path... the original path I had climbed up! I am very happy I am back on track, but sad that this obviously means my hike is over and is a sign that I should just head home.
So I begin my trek back, and find another path that I decide to follow. I climbed up to the top of the ridge (ducking again for tree branches and climbing up precarious rocks), and once again realized that my path went nowhere. I decided my extra little adventurous path picking was enough to satisfy my craving to hike more, and returned to the beaten path and back down to the trail head where my car was parked.
Thankfully I did not get lost (mostly), break anything, nor was attacked by wild animals. I think next time I'll at least bring another person, and a better map! Maybe I just need to pick longer hikes so I can satisfy my hiking craving and not have to make my own trails.... Next weekend, I may try to convince a friend to go hike with me, there are a couple that are longer and "moderate" difficulty that I really want to do before it gets to cold/starts snowing.
Other good news - I went running on Saturday through the running trails at a nearby park. It was a gorgeous day, and I ran through all these wild fields (on a path) and I actually made it almost a mile before I had to stop! I'm finally somewhat adjusting to the altitude! As I was running I realized the empty field was absolutely covered in dead sunflowers... I can't wait to see it in the spring!
On the PT front - we had a student start today (I wasn't there, but today was supposed to be his first day). He's a 3rd year student on long terms, so it should be interesting how that goes. I feel like a glorified student... finally getting paid... but still there is so much I'm learning and re-learning! I am very proud of my new taping and manual skills i've learned in the past 8 days though. And I have two patients who told me how wonderful I am and how they will be sending people to us (so already I'm earning my keep!) So things are looking good on the real-world front.
Time to read and crash before hitting the grind tomorrow! Thanks as always for reading!
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