Revelations at 12,000 Feet
Aug. 7th, 2008 11:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liralenHm.
I now have visceral information that a simple diagnosis doesn't actually mean that I'm any worse off than I used to be with respect to what I can do.
Just about once a year, when some of John's family comes to visit, we go up into the Rocky Mountain National Park in order to see what there is to see and then go to the visitor's center and climb the 250 vertical feet up the path to the marker that you see here. There are steps to start, and then a dirt path. All of it is in the whipping wind. Before it had an attendant marker that said, "You are now at the same altitude as the top of the famous Mt. Hood in Oregon".
Perhaps it wasn't so famous.
But I made the climb today and it was actually easier than it was last year. The meds may just be doing their stuff, but I may also be in better shape with just constantly doing *something* up and outside. When other tourists were just wheezing, gasping, or just stopped by the side of the path, I just stayed behind Jet and we trundled our way up without too much trouble.
Even in the parking lot everyone was feeling the lack of oxygen, but that's normal. And it was fun to just push myself and find that it wasn't bad at all. The wind was pretty cutting and it was actually cold up there, and the snows are still in shelves and packs up at that atltitude.
I got a ton of good pictures for twisted pine trees and many more interesting rocks than I painted last. It will be a relief to be able to paint them without the dozens of tourists in the way. *laughs* But it's typical of this place.
Anyway, that's Jet, David (John's brother), John, and I.
We had a good day up on the mountains, then had ice cream in Estes Park, and then came down and had dinner with Bob and Mai at a local Asian restaurant that was pretty good. We talked until it was Jet's bed time, and then we packed like frantic things as we're off on a plane to San Diego tomorrow. Whew...
I'm going to be so glad when Jet's back in school.
I now have visceral information that a simple diagnosis doesn't actually mean that I'm any worse off than I used to be with respect to what I can do.
Just about once a year, when some of John's family comes to visit, we go up into the Rocky Mountain National Park in order to see what there is to see and then go to the visitor's center and climb the 250 vertical feet up the path to the marker that you see here. There are steps to start, and then a dirt path. All of it is in the whipping wind. Before it had an attendant marker that said, "You are now at the same altitude as the top of the famous Mt. Hood in Oregon".
Perhaps it wasn't so famous.
But I made the climb today and it was actually easier than it was last year. The meds may just be doing their stuff, but I may also be in better shape with just constantly doing *something* up and outside. When other tourists were just wheezing, gasping, or just stopped by the side of the path, I just stayed behind Jet and we trundled our way up without too much trouble.
Even in the parking lot everyone was feeling the lack of oxygen, but that's normal. And it was fun to just push myself and find that it wasn't bad at all. The wind was pretty cutting and it was actually cold up there, and the snows are still in shelves and packs up at that atltitude.
I got a ton of good pictures for twisted pine trees and many more interesting rocks than I painted last. It will be a relief to be able to paint them without the dozens of tourists in the way. *laughs* But it's typical of this place.
Anyway, that's Jet, David (John's brother), John, and I.
We had a good day up on the mountains, then had ice cream in Estes Park, and then came down and had dinner with Bob and Mai at a local Asian restaurant that was pretty good. We talked until it was Jet's bed time, and then we packed like frantic things as we're off on a plane to San Diego tomorrow. Whew...
I'm going to be so glad when Jet's back in school.
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