I’m trying to get back into hiking shape; however, it feels like I have a long way to go. I had knee reconstruction surgery toward the end of March. I completed my physical therapy without too much squealing and crying like a ten-year-old girl. Please don’t verify that with the PA; the leg feels good and strong. My issues have been with the upper quad muscles and the IT band. The PA says I have misused the line of forces trying to keep my knee straight for so many years that it is rebelling when asked to work correctly. So far, the muscle spasms have been the worst part of the ordeal.
Unfortunately, in my endeavor to return to quasi-hiking condition, my training has been too hit and miss to be effective. The muscle was weak before now, and just returning from a two-week vacation sitting in a truck most of the time, and my upper quad was going into spasms after just a mile. So I stop and enjoy the scenery, cross my legs and try to perform a yoga stretch.
“Wildflowers on the Plateau” copyright BrickBarnBlog2022
It’s monsoon season here in the desert, and the high mountain plateau is green and covered in wildflowers. I finally feel a slight release, so I continue down the trail. The rain has brought unseasonably pleasant temperatures, and the outside reading is 70 degrees when I pull into the Wildcat parking lot. Very few cars are present. The Wildcat parking lot serves as a trailhead for the slot canyon, the Subway. However, with rains moving in quickly every afternoon, it doesn’t appear that many people are willing to risk being caught in a flash flood. Multiple injuries and deaths occur yearly as people get caught on the wrong side of the storms.
“Plateau walking” copyright BrickBarnBlog2022
The parking lot also serves as a trailhead for the connecting trail between the West Rim Trail and Hop Valley Trails, and finally, it serves as the trailhead for Northgate Peaks Trail. I’ll be hiking the Northgate Peaks Trail this morning. I’m immensely familiar with the trail, having walked many times along its path to climb the mountain peaks in the surrounding area. Today, however, I feel fifty years older (instead of ten) as I plod along the path. It is a beautiful day, and I try to focus on why I’m here. Slow and steady, long and level. I generally summit Northgate Peaks East mountain at the end of the trail, but today I sit on the lava rock, grateful for the sun, lightly cloudy sky, and the fantastic views of North Guardian Angel directly in front of me.
“Main Zion Canyon” copyright BrickBarnBlog2022
I linger perhaps longer than I should, and another spasm racks my IT band and quad; I curse the leg until I remember the call I received yesterday morning from a good friend. I asked how his summer was going. He said, “stage 4 malignant melanoma in my lungs, bones, brain, back, and liver.” Dang, was all I could muster. I lingered on the hot rock, thinking about my friend and his comment that all it took was “one trip to the doctor to change his life.” Pressing the edge of my water bottle into the quad, I finally feel it release again. I sit here and admire the beauty. Who knows? This visit, this beautiful view, might be the last time I see it in all its splendor. After all, none of us have a permanent lease on life or know precisely when the lease is up.
Written: August 2, 2022