Most of the snow has melted from the lower elevations on the northeast side of Lake Tahoe with only a few stubborn patches remaining around the neighborhood. The last week has been downright balmy here--spring has definitely arrived! With it comes some big changes; most notably the move to South Lake starting just over a week from now. I've been feeling a whole lot better, getting out and walking the dog every day and slowly increasing my time spinning on the trainer several times a week, though not riding bikes outside yet mainly because of upper back issues still needing to be sorted out. I'm still sitting upright with hands off the bars to avoid aggravating my neck too much. Physical therapy has helped loosen things up a lot but there is a balance between strengthening the neck & back muscles and causing them to seize up again that I have not quite found yet. Really looking forward to getting the old cruiser bike out to pedal around the new neighborhood in Meyers and the nice flat bike path.
Yoga has been so helpful, giving me an opportunity to work on becoming more flexible and de-stress my mind, so I got a monthly unlimited membership at the Lake Tahoe Wellness Center to motivate myself to get to class 3 or more times a week until the big move. I even tried the new Pilates mat class offered there and I think I'll stick with it as part of my rehabilitation. It sounds like the yoga studio in Meyers has a great variety of classes as well, only a short pedal from the new house. All of this is proceeding at a very leisurely pace because I really don't want to mess up again--I'd like to be able to race by early June but if it's not feeling right it won't be worth it at all. My #1 goal for this year is to get healthy and STAY healthy, and though I'm yearning to shred the singletrack ASAP we all know how well that worked for me last time. Yeah...it worked for about 3 weeks and blew up in my face, so here we are again. I could use some good karma this year as well as a touch more restraint!
Although the weather in Tahoe was supposed to be amazing this past weekend, Kit and I decided to take another last minute camping trip to the Black Rock Desert to check out the bouldering at Purgatory just to the south. Night time temps were supposed to be in the mid-30s, instead of below 20 like the last time, so much more friendly to being outdoors after sunset.
Arriving at Purgatory there was nobody else at the boulders but a few cows... surprisingly, because this area is somewhere around 1 1/2-2 hours from Reno and not a bad drive at all. The rock looks like sort of a mix of the thin crimpy Buttermilks and the pocketed Happy Boulders of Bishop, but all granite, and lacking the beta-spewing hipster crowds of both areas.
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| Our four-legged bouldering friends. |
After getting pulled around by an overexcited Pork Chop last weekend at the Snowfest parade and beach my back had been very angry, so I was still in rest mode and didn't try to boulder. While Kit was happily exploring and trying problems that seemed safe to do without a spotter, I wandered among the rocks and took pictures instead, with strategic rests/naps interspersed on conveniently positioned boulders. This is probably the longest hike I had done up to this point, up a steep hill, so I'm excited to report no ill effects afterward but feeling verryyy tired that night. Soon I hope to be able to climb, if even just some easy slabs that use the legs more than upper body. Just getting out and being among the rocks and in nature is awesome right now!
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| Kit tops out on a boulder, the multipitch climbing of Purgatory is high above. |
After climbing we had a thought about trying to get to the Soldier Meadow hot springs on the northwest side of the Black Rock Desert, but adding more than an hour of driving time for just one night seemed a bit excessive so we headed to Trego hot springs again. The moon was just rising spectacularly as we made dinner BEFORE soaking this time around. The timing all worked out great and several others had their turn in the springs while we cooked and ate. We even remembered to bring wood for a fire to warm up by after the hot spring soak. At first I insisted we should camp far away from the train tracks after last time's experience, but our gear was scattered around the truck and the bed was all made up, so in my supreme tired-ness I agreed that moving elsewhere to sleep was too much work. One of those times that I miss having a van! Fortunately there was only one train in the middle of the night, and my neck was the only thing keeping me awake, but at least it didn't shock me out of a deep slumber like the racket of freight trains and I was able to catch a few winks.
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| Moon! |
The next day we didn't have much of a plan, deciding over a leisurely breakfast to go take a look at some more rock on a nearby hillside and see if there was anything worth climbing. I spotted it taking photos of the moon the night before and there appeared to be large chunks of granite scattered around; quality of said granite would have to be determined by closer inspection.
Enough adventure was had that we decided to head back home, and stop in Reno to pick up a canoe from Kit's co-worker. That will be yet another adventure--it has no leaks and is pretty solid but the seats need replacing and the wooden trim could use a refinishing job. We're both looking forward to paddling and fishing in the lake this summer in it!
