So, I went snowshoeing for the first time. And it turns out that I’m not permanently injured! Very happy.
OK, the before pictures (before the camera died, so sad) are slapped up at http://ramona.4101.org. My favorite is 100_1678.jpg … very creatively named, yes. We hiked to Mills Lake – if you do a Google image search for Mills Lake, you can see what we didn’t have the camera to take pictures of. We saw Alberta Falls on the way there. It was very lovely, though frozen solid and snowed over. But I hiked straight up the waterfall (in all the snow). That was fun.
And All Very lovely.
But here’s what happened to make it all so memorable.
About a 6 mile hike (round trip). It is Cold. My head is bundled up in ear warmer, fuzzy warm hat, and nylon hat-with-brim. And – key element – I have old glasses. Somewhere around mile 2 (just past half way point on the hike up) the cold, the pressure from all the head gear, and the age of those loosening screws came together and the left lens of my glasses popped out. Tried to put it back in .. 100 feet later, pops out again. Drops into the white snow. I decide I’d rather not lose the lens, and put it in a safe pocket.
OK. We’re more than half way there (we thought we were further along, actually). I know it’s at least 2 miles back anyway, and what difference is there between half blind hiking for 2 miles versus 4 miles? And that way the other folks in the party get to enjoy the destination.
So …
Snowshoeing (unfamiliar foot size and step pattern) in a wilderness with lots of trees looming on both sides, and relatively featureless white packed snowtrail. Hike that with one eye closed! If I kept the left eye opened, I was ok staring straight at the ground, but if I looked up (at those looming trees, say), dizziness is a nice way to describe it. Eye open or closed, I had limited (or no) depth perception. Did that for 4 miles. I didn’t exactly enjoy the scenic beauty. Sigh. I suppose it would have been worse .. the featurlessness of the snow meant I didn’t have dizzy vertigo when I just looked at the ground. That did help.
Anyway, because I had no idea where I was putting my left foot, it kept going slightly off trail or slightly off something, just flailing my hiking pole around, foot left to its own devices for placement and orientation. Very soon, my left hip began to hurt. But what could I do? Not like I had many other choices.
I was sort of scared Monday – the pain stayed, and by Monday I couldn’t lift my left leg more than 5″ off the ground, unless I assisted it. Getting dressed was not fun. Went to the doctor today, terrified I’d ripped a tendon or something. She twisted me around, though, and said it was ‘just’ bursitis, gave me some anti-inflammatories, and said it should be all better in two weeks, but to lay off the lunges and squats at the gym. I am very relieved. I have a new empathy for people with hip injuries. And bursitis.
Oh, and here at Tuesday night, I’m already seeing that it is getting better. I could almost get dressed normally today, I can almost walk normally .. I think I’ll be laughing about this trip soon, not rueing it.
I am sorry about the loss of camera. The only good thing about that is that the one you get to replace it will be so much better. 🙂
And sorry about your leg. I know it hurt. Feel for you about the glasses. There you are trying to be practical and not risk the good ones, and you end up one lensed. Rough on such a lovely hike.
I would especially have liked hiking up the falls, and that would have been a great picture too. It is good that you got the pictures that you did. Beautiful scenery.