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Still Time Left
Getting old is not always pleasant, but being old is a gift. The last few years have presented some health challenges that were starting to get me down. Shingles and then metallosis from skiing on my chrome/cobalt hips hit me hard; I didn’t seem to have the energy I expected I should have. Then, over the last month, I experienced colorectal discomfort that required a diagnostic colonoscopy. There is a diagnosis associated with this that you never want to consider, which definitely concerned my wife and even had me worried. The prep is very unpleasant; however, I needed a cleanout, so there was a positive takeaway. But what the heck was wrong? Thankfully, test results turned out good: some diverticulitis and internal hemorrhoids, but no polyps, meaning no cancer. OK, relief and a wake-up call—time to improve my diet.
I knew that Gracie would need a good hike the day after, and I was hoping that I would feel the same. We headed for the Lunch Loop Trails, where I chose the Third Flats Trailhead to hike my modified Quad Rocker Trail. This involves a steep climb to merge with the Quad Rocker while taking in some great views of the Grand Valley. At first, I felt tired, but something was different other than my gut not being clogged up. I felt like I was getting stronger as I climbed, and the weather was perfect.
I finished my Dirtbag Diaries Podcast and then decided to just listen to my favorite music to enjoy how great I felt.
I came to a fork in the trail offering me the normal route back on the Quad Rocker to the trailhead or a longer route on the Canyon View Trail. I opted for the Canyon View Trail because my body felt great. Plus, the views of the mesa behind the valley were awesome.
I could tell from my AllTrails app that I would eventually loop back to the trailhead, but it would require a vertical drop and climb. I still felt great, and this is when I decided to write this post to express how grateful I am to be able to participate in a hike like this at my age.
It was a long, gradual climb back to the car, but my body still felt great, even as I could tell that Gracie was wearing down. This is a Saturday, so it was good that we got on the trail early because the trailhead lot was full of mountain bikers ready to start their adventures. I will end this post with a big thank you, God.
Shingles Adventure
The night before I was set to go skiing, my arm was sore enough to question whether I could properly use my ski poles. The next morning, my wife immediately diagnosed the rash on my right arm as Shingles. Surprisingly, I was able to see my doctor who confirmed it was Shingles. Within an hour, we had the Famciclovir medication immediately thereafter. The week’s worth of pills, taken 3 times daily, seemed to keep the rash under control, and I never had much scabbing. I used Lidocaine for topical pain relief (this was critical) and ibuprofen offered the best overall pain relief. After about 3 weeks, I felt like the Shingles was receding so that I could return to hiking, but that has turned out to be an entirely different recovery journey.
If you have followed my Adventures, you know that I am going through a major life change which placed me in Indiana for about 18 months, and now my new wife and I are adapting to our final destination of Grand Junction, CO. Backpacking has become a memory stretching back to February of 2022 on the Lost Coast Trail. I did hike many of the Indiana State Parks and I had been aggressively hiking the best of the day hikes around the Grand Valley. I desperately want to get back to backpacking and I do have plans for building up to a bucket list trek of the Four Pass Loop Trail in the Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness next to us. I felt like I was on track for restoring my almost 70 year old body to backpacking shape, but then came this Shingles setback. No I did not get the vaccination, Shingles was not on my radar, plus I probably believed I was invincible. I will get the vaccination soon.
The visible aspects of Shingles was fading away so I began walking in the neighborhood, quickly realizing how out of shape I felt. But it was more then being out of shape, my body was obviously affected by the Shingles (Herpes Zoster) virus which was totally zapping my energy. I could barely walk a mile and if I pushed it further I paid the price with renewed arm pain.
This struggle continued for weeks as the winter ski season was coming to a close, and I had 3 lift passes that I needed to use. By March I was hiking the trails in our new subdivision where our house is being built and the ill effects were acceptable. Plus golf season was beginning and I wanted to join a Senior’s Golf League,so it was time to push the body. I went skiing doing about 7 runs with a few days of recovery. I walked 9 holes of golf a couple of times, barely able to finish. But now at the end of March, I had to get back in the saddle. I used up my lift passes and was satisfied enough to buy a season pass for next year.
I played 18 holes with the Seniors by using a riding cart. I did some aggressive 2+ mile hikes and returned to my Oculus SuperNatural workouts. On most of these outings I would come home and crash, but recovery was acceptable. Of course I made the mistake of believing I could walk 18 holes on my second Senior’s outing. I barely was able to finish, so maybe I better ride for a while longer.
This was not an Adventure I wanted, but one that taught me a lot about aging. I am not invincible and the body is wearing down. My priorities are adjusting, but I’m still gonna push for many more Adventures as I finish up the 4th Quarter of my life. Life is good and The Adventure Continues.
The Adventure Continues 