Devil's Head Fire Tower

(Geez, two days in a row I forgot the camera! Thankfully this is a great shot I found!!)

This is Devil's Head (Fire) Tower! Dan is my witness that I climbed all the way to the top! Yes, that is all the way, including 143 steps that lead from the bottom of these rocks up to the tower!!

What an awesome day we had for a hike! The temperatures were already in the low 70's when we drove about 45 minutes west of home along winding roads to reach the road that leads to the Devil's Head campground. At this time of year, the last 1/2 mile to the campground and trail are closed to cars, so you have to hike it in! No big deal - at least the road surface was smooth! There were still several patches of snow with the first one at the very beginning of the trail! I strapped on my trekking poles and away we went!! I am surprised at how much the uphill trek kicked my butt! I was pretty winded from the beginning but I kept on going! I was also sweating like crazy! The black brace and black wristbands of the trekking poles didn't help with the hot Colorado sun! We only stopped a few short times before we reached the Fire Tower cabin just below the stairs. This is where I stopped to fuel up on water and snacks!

The fire tower is the last manned tower in the state and has someone living on premises from May-October. From this tower is where they spotted the Haymen Fire that destroyed over 138,000 acres on Colorado's Front Range. This was the biggest fire ever in the state and started just a few weeks after we took possession of our house here in Castle Rock 6 years ago. At one point it was headed straight for us, but thankfully for us (and Denver in general), it turned around and went the other way.

Once rested, I started up the stairs to the top where the building stands. Up wasn't bad at all - 143 steps gets you there! The views at the top were awesome today! We could very clearly see Pike's Peak, about 30 miles to the South still covered with lots of snow. Then off to the North West was Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstadt! All around us were more hills, rocks and lots of trees! Too bad there were pesky bugs too! So down we went... 143 stairs! The down was a bit harder on my knee, but I took it like a brave heart and used both legs all the way!! Then down the trail to the bottom! Again, tougher than up, but not unbearable. I just took my time, put one foot in front of the other and made it safely!!! What an awesome feeling to conquer 4 more miles!!

As expected, I crashed when I got home! It is exhausting and all that fresh air!!! But I had a great nap and now I feel like I can conquer the world! OK, maybe just Arches and Canyonlands in Utah now, but that's all I'm interested in right now! I promise, I will remember the camera for that trip!!!

I hiked it!!!

This is Castle Rock.... picture taken many moons ago long before the highway! Today, the railroad is still there, but there are churches, houses, roads and a highway running alongside of it. And there is even a park and established hiking trail up the hill to the rock! Since 1936, from November - February there is a giant star on top that is lit every night guiding the traveler to our little hamlet between Denver and Colorado Springs! You are not allowed to climb up on the rock itself, as a few who have did not return. It is a wonderful symbol for this great little town that we live in!

Today I conquered "The Rock" as my first hike after my surgery!! It's a little bit over 1/2 mile to the top of the hill with about 500 feet of elevation gain. It is a good thing they do not allow you to climb the actual rock - I don't think I could have handled that quite yet! But I did handle the hike fairly easily. The only stops we made were to let downhill people pass us and when I got to the top, my knee felt great! The downhill, which I suspected to be harder, was fairly easy. I felt great when I got to the bottom! I'm still trying to master those trekking poles, but I'm sure I'll get there soon!

So challenge one complete, tomorrow we're going to try Devil's Head (Fire) Tower! This hike is about 1.5 miles one way, but I think I can make it easily as far as the stairs to the actual fire tower! I'm not so sure I want to try those! There are well over 100 of them! I'll check in tomorrow with my results!!!

Great News!

What a fun week this has been! I went to the doctor and got my stitches out on Monday. The doctor was very impressed with the progress and said that I looked great! He told me to keep moving, wear the brace for 4 more weeks and come back to see him. That was encouraging. The best part was that I could FINALLY take the compression socks off! They said Tuesday, but I peeled them off on Monday night when I got home!!

Then on Tuesday I went to the Physical Therapist (PT). He too thought the knee looked great and started me out on the bike pedaling away! Then he taught me more difficult exercises to add into my routine. I suppose that is the only way it’s going to get better! At least he said I could do them just 2x a day, since they'll now take me about 30 minutes each time. That's a long time in the morning when I have to leave at 6:30 a.m. and I'm NOT a morning person! He also told me to stop limping and to wean myself off the brace by taking it off at home and work! I'm happy with that! The brace can be a real pain!!! I should still wear it when I go outside though - it is really their to stabilize my knee on uneven surfaces. When I asked him if it was OK to hike around Moab over Memorial Day, he said sure! Wow, really? That was really encouraging! Then I pushed my luck even further and asked if I could climb Mt. Sherman on June 7th and he said ABSOLUTELY since I’m the proud new owner of trekking poles!!! Wow, I really like him now! I stopped there and didn't bother to ask about Mt. Huron on May 31st!!! Figure I'll see how well I do in Moab and maybe just use Mt. Huron as a warm up, with little expectation of making it to the top, but at least getting some trail under my boots! So see Ed, I am well on my way to the 14er in August!!!

I applied this week for an internal Payroll Manager position at Peliton, but didn't get the position. That is OK though as they have given me an opportunity to work as a Project Manager in HR and supervise our consultants through the HR projects. This will give me some more exposure to HR areas that I have drifted away from during my stint as Benefits Manager. Anything to get well rounded in HR again! Now if I could just get some more $$!!

Dan has been in Atlanta since Sunday morning. Melanie and I really miss him and look forward to his return tomorrow! I think he'll be around for a few weeks before he goes off again. And since our summer is about to start with camping, this is a good thing! Just 10 days or so until we go to Moab! That will be really fun to see Arches and Canyonlands again! It's too bad that we can't stay inside the parks - they were booked. We have a family campground booked just outside of town. That shall be interesting to say the least! They are usually very small sites and with all these kids, shall be cramped! Oh well, at least we'll be in the great outdoors (and with a shower right there!)

Off to finish up a CJ! Have a great night!

Finally Friday!

I'm glad that this week is finally over - it was a long one! My first full week back working! For the most part it was good except for yesterday when I was just tired and sore and overwhelmed! I left work early and rested, just what I needed! Today I was ready to go again!

I an working hard on my exercises every day and walking around more and more! No more crutches either! Good riddens!!! (Next thing that needs to go is these stupid compression socks!) I see the doctor on Monday for my first visit since the operation and to have my stitches removed! I think I will get good news - at least that is what I expect! Then on Tuesday it's back to the therapist for more exercises! I feel very confident that I will be able to accomplish some light hiking in 2 weeks when we go to Moab! It may take me a long time, but I think I can do it!!! Let's see what they say! Besides, I'm getting Trekking poles for Mother's Day!!! How lucky can I be??!!

Here is a card I made for my sweet niece who turns 21 next week! When I stayed at her house last February, I spent the night in her room. There were Disney Princesses everywhere! I wanted to use one on my card, but never found one that I liked. The paper is at least Disney! I think the 21 turned out great and that she will love it anyway!! She better or else!!

Enjoy your weekend!

I went back to the office on Monday and boy was I exhausted when I got home!!! I felt really good all day while I was there and I took the therapists advice of walking around a lot... oops, probably too much!! Anyway, I really mastered the crutches while roaming the office floor, including how to carry things! Then when I left, I ventured off on the bus to Moira's office! Yep, I was able to climb up and ride the bus!!! I told you, I AM STRONG!!! When I got home though, I was exhausted and my leg was quite swollen! I spent just enough time in my home office to read my email and then up to the couch to relax! I was in bed before 10 p.m. - that's a crime in my eyes, but it was a necessity!!!

As has been the norm, I did not sleep very well. I don't like sleeping on my back and it's getting old having the legs elevated. And these compression socks SUCK! I can't wait to shed those!!! When I awoke today, I was tired and bummed but I went into the office again. At least I had therapy to look forward too. Therapy lasted about 2 hours today. They did an evaluation first, then stuck me on the bike! Yep, I can already pedal the bike! Then they added some additional exercises to my routine before hooking my leg up to this Popsicle maker! When I asked the therapist if I'd be able to climb mountains this summer, he said as long as I have hiking poles... I said, if you say yes, I'll BUY hiking poles!!! So maybe my Summer isn't shot after all!!! Just the first few weeks!!!

Last night I tried the saran wrap trick on my leg to protect it in the shower. It failed miserably, although the stitches didn't get wet thankfully! Tonight I thought I'd give it one more try! (The garbage bag is just too awkward!) Anyway, lots of saran wrap, lots of duc tape and I was DRY!!! What a relief! I can't wait to get these stitches out and have a proper shower!!!

So my adventure in therapy has begun and I just will keep reminding myself, I AM STRONG! Hey Ed, you won't be carrying ME up any mountain!!!

I AM STRONG!

This is the image of me and my BRACE that you will see for the next 6 weeks! But it's OK because I AM STRONG!!

Friday was a pretty good day. I worked for several hours despite not being able to get my leg under the desk! It was an awkward position, and after awhile my back hurt! I took a quick afternoon nap and was refreshed by the time Mel got home from school! Friday night went from good to tough though. We did our usual Friday night date with dinner and Wal-mart! I was strong and opted to walk Wal-mart instead of taking the motorized wheelchair! I am not that crippled!!! Anyway, after awhile, I just stood at the front of the aisle and told the family what to buy! When we got out of there, my leg hurt a bit (but still tolerable) and I was tired! Earlier in the day I had emailed my therapist asking if I could bend my leg at all and he never responded. I was so sad, I still could not bend it even slightly. The "kids" were making fun of my immobility and it got on my nerves. I ended up crying myself to sleep. I was happy to get into la-la land!

Saturday I awoke, did my exercises and headed to read email! Surprise, the therapist had written me back on Friday night - I just didn't see it. He said that as long as I could bend my leg 90 degrees and could keep it straight when I was laying down, I could add some bend to the brace!!! My life suddenly got a whole lot better!!! Now I could finally get into the front seat of the car, could sit with my legs under my desk and reach the bottom Velcro strip on the brace without straining! Wow, I AM STRONG!!

I spent the rest of Saturday putzing around the house! You know me, I cannot sit still!! I did some laundry, watered the plants and worked on an ATC swap! It felt so good to be closer to normal!! I am religiously doing my exercises 5x per day and cannot wait to get into the therapist again on Tuesday!

Today I plan to enjoy a little bit of the outdoors because it will be in the 70's! Don't worry Ed, my training for the 14er has just begun!!! You will NOT carry your little sister up there - she is STRONG and will do it all by herself!!! Happy Sunday everyone!

And the results are...

The ACL won!

My surgery was scheduled for 2:15 and we arrived at the surgical center 2 hours early. They went through all my prep and the doctors came in to discuss the procedures. We all agreed that if the ACL was bad enough, that they had permission to take care of that. Now I was scared. If it was the ACL my summer would pretty much be in rehab - not what I wanted. I just kept praying it would just be the meniscus. After they left, we waited and waited... And finally around 3:45 they wheeled me away! I remember moving to the surgical bed and then I was out..

When I finally woke up in recovery, the nurse explained that they did the ACL after all. The meniscus was torn in such a way that they just removed that portion, they did not repair it. Then they found the ACL was worse than they thought, so they repaired that as well! They took my hamstring to replace whatever they needed - lucky me!!! I did great in recovery, moving from the bed to the chair fairly quickly. Had some juice and crackers (I was starving) and then finally was allowed to go home about 8:30. It was a really long, long day!

When we got home, I had something to eat finally! (I could never be in a religion that fasts, I'd never make it!) Then I worked my way upstairs and into bed! The bathroom was the trickiest! When I woke up at 1 a.m., Dan was on the couch. I managed to get to the bathroom on my own, but felt like passing out once I was there. I laid down on the floor. Then when I felt better again, I slid across the floor into my closet where I found my step stool! I used this in the bathroom to prop up my leg so I could do my business! So much easier!!! Then I had to wake Dan to fix my dressing. Poor guy, he was pooped!!! We woke up this morning to SNOW!!!

Went to the doctor for my follow up. She changed my dressing and showed me what to do. Then it was off to rehab! I got my first exercised to do along with lots of other instructions. Then I learned my insurance wasn't going to cover therapy there, so I would have to find another place to go. Ugh - what a pain! The rest of the afternoon has been spent with cat-naps, short stints on the computer and my exercises! As you can guess, I'm not very good at sitting still!!!

So what does this mean for my summer hiking season.... well it's pretty much shot! Maybe by late summer I'll be able to get on some tougher hikes - only my therapist can tell me! I'm still going to get outside and enjoy the sunshine - I mean come on, you just can't stop me!!!

Ta ta for now!