I've been venting to friends here as I had some tough "career" front type decisions (as I do every year multiple times) and we have concluded that it is hard to live here without feeling like every adventure needs to be challenging. Sure there are days where you may do a short hike to a lake to swim in the frigid water, or the casual trail run on 3S__(insert 08, 02, or whichever Forest Service Road is to our liking), or a day of (gasp) reading by the creek.
Not everyday has to be a 27 mile epic day hike to Yosemite, or an elevation gain day of 3000' or more, or a mixed climb. Sometimes I wish I climbed more. Maybe I will learn. I should've learned more from Kyle in college when I had the chance. It doesn't mean I can't learn here someday. To some people here, bagging peaks via mixed alpine climbing is their thing, or doing some trad climbing route (now that we can get to Yosemite- yay spring!), or they did the classic
Bear Creek Spire or
Ritter and Banner in a day.
People do set the bar kind of high. I thrive from being active and get antsy if I don't. I do enjoy my leisurely days, which there have been a lot of lately, but I participate in sports that push me, where the concentration isn't quite as intense as with rock climbing, which is probably why I haven't gone more. I really wanted to get into climbing peaks and doing more cross country travel when backpacking this summer, but it isn't likely to happen this season.
You name the recreation, and we have it
here pretty much. I am sure I missed something:
Skiing and riding, ice climbing, mountaineering, backcountry skiing, alpine climbing, sport climbing, trad climbing, bouldering, fishing, OHV/dirt biking/general "motor-touring", backpacking, trail running, car camping, motor boat fun, mountain biking, cycling, paragliding, ski kiting, target practice, golfing, marathon/olympic runner high-altitude training, swimming, hunting, tennis, other developed sports, dance walking)--- I just made the last one up because there's a funny news reel about it I saw the other day.
So with this bar set high, after injuring myself again for the third time I feel a bit defeated. Good thing I took that sports psychology class in college. I want to set the record that in VT I got lots of bruises and scrapes but that was it. In college I got bursitis bad in my heel for xc skiing a ton and ended up getting surgery, but that was different. I did have knee alignment issues from cycling that the
Graston Technique helped take care of. I blame that on my torn meniscus last winter. Anyhow, it's been real.
Two weeks ago, I could hardly step over sage brush on our leisurely hike from North Fork Campground to Rock Creek Lake. This week thankfully I have more range of motion, thanks to Bryan Dennison at
Summit Physical Therapy! If I stub my toe, then I get a calf cramp like something fierce. The hike up along Rock Creek is along a well-maintained fishing trail (rock steps in one place). I never knew it existed. We all enjoyed taking it slow (or so they said), and can't wait until Pie in the Sky opens
Memorial Day Weekend. Dibs on Strawberry Rhubarb if they have it.
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| Old USFS Cabin along trail |
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| Rock Creek Lake melting out- the destination |
The past two weeks I can hike much better and extend my knee more, and cycling outdoors and not at the "spa" feels so much better. It is definitely the wind in the hair that adds the allure. That and fun socks. However, I commented to my cycling adventure comrade that I wasn't quite used to riding on a bike path and I "feel old, so we should take the road part of the way." But you know, avoiding the few cars there were and riding over patches of snow (yep!) was kind of fun. And of course the view is always great in the Mammoth Lakes Basin.
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| Biking by Twin Lakes |
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| Horseshoe Lake is quite dry this year |
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| Lake Maime |
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| Lake George and Crystal Crag |
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| Heading West on the trail |
Also set out on a leisurely McGee Creek hike recently. It's about 20 minutes South of Mammoth Lakes. I forgot to take a photo of the HUGE, broken log crossing. It is solid enough to cross, but at first it is daunting looking. Last spring's snowmelt was so great the bank eroded and the bridge folded in half. The bridge is composed of two HUGE logs (lodgepole? ) with some traction bars nailed on, and where it folded in half someone piled up a bunch of rocks so you can transition from one side of the V to the other. It was a little nerve-wracking for me to get across. Wonder if there's a budget to fix it. It sit so high up, and since it is broke in half it was a steep pitch for me to get down and back up the other side.
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| Back to the car |
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| Great beaver pond for fishing close after broken bridge |
Neither of us has ever gone backpacking where we've had to wade across, tie up a rope across for the gear and others to use to get across. We both have been in situations where we opted not to cross instead of risking it. Thankfully, we didn't have to do that, but I want to have to do that someday when I have a bionic knee.
So despite not doing "extreme" adventures, I've had more chance to appreciate what I can do. Having volunteered with adaptive sports programs for the past five years, I think it is important to see things from all angles. Although, a lot of clients I've helped have more emotional or developmental issues, any limiting factor helps you learn patience with yourself an with others.
Although I didn't make it over the pass at McGee Creek, or even to one of the lakes (other than the beaver pond), we went further than I'd had the chance to before. Thank you Mary for going around the bend a little further. Setting small goals and accomplishing them makes all the difference. I made it further than all the other times I've gone there for a quick hike. A day well-deserved.
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