Vacation & Health; Part II

I don’t consider myself a liar but in my last post I may have stretched the truth a bit. I said something about getting back out and getting into some fresh powder while enjoying the last few days of my New Mexico vacation. I was wrong.

The bottom line is I got my ass handed to me. I thought I’d be able to rally from my cocktail of illnesses and get some more riding in but that was not the case. Instead, I got to spend the last three days of my vacation in the town of Taos. Honestly, that’s not as exciting as it sounds. Taos is at a mild elevation (about 6,900 feet) compared to Taos Ski Valley (where the actual slopes are) at about 9,500 feet so while there was no place to use a snowboard, it was better on my lungs and elevation sickness. Even though I didn’t want to spend my days in Taos, I didn’t really have a choice.

Each morning was a struggle for me to get out of bed. After spending the better part of the night coughing and puking, I would wake up (from the minimal sleep I managed to get) with a ridiculously painful headache, nasty fever, and nauseated feeling in my stomach. It was difficult to stand up and I would get winded walking up or down stairs. I figured my only options were spending the days in Taos or in a hospital so I chose Taos. Besides, it was on the way to the Ski Valley so I could get dropped off while my friends went on to make fresh tracks.

Yes it sucked. Yes I still feel terrible. Yes I missed out on the freshies at a world class ski location. Yes I was pissed off that I was sick. In the end however, the rest of my friends stayed healthy and didn’t have any issues. I guess if someone had to “take one for the team” I glad it was me. They all got to spend an amazing time on the slopes getting worked and I got to hear all about it.

Vacation & Health

So I finally managed to get out of town with the intent of enjoying a nice long week of snowboarding and relaxing in New Mexico. Myself and a few friends flew into Albuquerque and drove for three hours to the resort town of Angel Fire which is home base for the week (fortunately one of my travel companions has a friend with a house there). Our place of lodging is located about 9,500 feet above sea level which makes for a tricky time of acclimation.

Today is technically the fourth day of our trip and I started feeling a little “off” on the evening of day two. The morning of day two was spent slaying the groomers (no pow at this point). It was nice to be on real snow and lay down an edge that wasn’t going to let loose. We all had a great time getting warmed up but decided not to overdo things.

The next day conditions were poor and so was I. The group decided to go for a hike and spend the better part of the day in Taos with its reasonable elevation (comparatively speaking). The plan for day three was to ski Taos. When I woke up I wanted to die. My head felt like it was going to explode and I was a bit short of breath but didn’t want to miss the trip. When we got to the resort they only had one lift open because of the wind. We decided to grab some lunch and see if conditions improved. It was a great decision because they opened almost the entire mountain and there was plenty of terrain and fresh powder to go around. It turned into a bluebird day with spectacular conditions.

When I woke up this morning I knew things weren’t right. I had a wicked headache (for the third day in a row) but today my breathing was a bit labored. I figured I should go to the clinic and see what was wrong. As it turns out I managed to get myself a nice case of Altitude Sickness and bronchitis. That explained a lot of how I felt but also made me realize that I wouldn’t be hiking for many turns the rest of the week.

Tomorrow we plan to head back up to Taos because it’s completely worth the drive and they’re expecting to get dumped on tonight. I’d like to add some pictures in this post, but they’ll have to wait until later. Fortunately I have some good meds to get me back in check and plan to ride the hell out of my board the rest of the week, just a bit more subdued than I’d like.

Just Because You Can

This past weekend Brian convinced me it would be a good idea to load up the car and drive nine hours to Vermont. We were going to meet up with one of his friends from Philadelphia who was in Stowe to ski for the weekend as part of a bus trip. Our plan was to drive up to Stowe on Friday, ski the resort on Saturday, and hike for turns on Sunday before making the return trip to State College. I agree, this wasn’t the best plan in the land, but I didn’t have any other offers for the weekend so I figured a good ole fashioned road trip wouldn’t be a bad idea.

We departed about three o’clock on Friday afternoon in a pouring rain. The temperatures were in the mid forties so a healthy fog was setting in. The important thing to keep in mind is that it wasn’t just warm and rainy in State College; it was warm and rainy all the way through New England. You don’t need to be a meteorologist to know that warm and rain don’t mix well with snow. We decided to stick to our plan and rolled into Stowe about one in the morning.

Saturday morning we got up early. It was a bluebird day but wicked cold. We knew the rain made any back country options completely worthless so we decided to try our luck at the resort but weren’t too optimistic. As predicted, the warm air and rain made the snow virtually bulletproof. Heading home wasn’t an option so we made the best of it and did laps on the groomers with Brian’s friend and some of the others from the Philly contingent.

After several hours of losing my edges on sketchy conditions I decided to call it a day. Some very dear friends of mine (Lisa & Amos) live about an hour from Stowe and I haven’t seen them in about two years so I decided I would pay them a visit. We ate dinner, talked about all the changes in our lives (which aren’t many) and reminisced about all the “fun” we had back in the old days when we all lived in Georgia. Even though it was short, visiting with them made the forget about the deplorable snow conditions.

Sunday morning we decided to forgo any exploration for powder (knowing there wasn’t any) and get on the road early so we could make it back home at a reasonable time. Even though the conditions weren’t great and we spent most of the trip in a car, it was nice to get out of town, see some old friends, and at least try to get into some good snow. I had a really fun time, even if I didn’t get to slay any powder dragons.

Clean-up on Aisle Two

I spent this past weekend on the slopes patrolling. We haven’t had much new snow lately but it’s been cold so we haven’t lost much either. I figured this would be a standard weekend with the usual run-of-the-mill injuries – a wrist here, a knee there, a few bumps and bruises. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

There are certain types of injuries that maybe occur once a season, maybe. This weekend however, saw several very burly incidents, one right after another. When I say burly, I mean broken bones, deep lacerations, and bloodshed. I found myself asking, “What will happen next?” but I was afraid what the answer might be.

Normally, I like to include pictures with my posts to help enhance the text. I decided to forgo images from this weekend because the gnarly injuries wouldn’t have looked very good next to the pictures of my nieces and nephews.

When It’s 25 Degrees and Snowing, Go Out and Ride

This weekend I did something I wasn’t planning to do for at least another month or two. I got on my road bike and went for a ride. Now, this wasn’t entirely my idea. This grand plan came from the mind of my housemate Brian. See, Brian likes to do things that bring about lots of pain and suffering and this ride was no exception. First, it was cold. The temperature was running about thirty degrees. Second, it was snowing. It wasn’t a nice fluffy snow but more of a wet mix of snow, rain, and sleet. This made the roads nice and wet which also made my feet and hands nice and wet. Finally, it was the middle of February. I think that should have been reason enough for me to think twice about getting on my bike.

I have to admit, I was cold. I knew I would warm up a bit as the blood got flowing so I was optimistic. There wasn’t any wind to speak of so that was in our favor. We didn’t really have much of a plan other than to ride for at least an hour (but I had a feeling it would be longer).

After about twenty minutes I was comfortable except for my feet. Snow was building up on my ankles and melting into my shoes. Also, water from the road was spraying off my tires and onto my feet. We managed to get to the town of Centre Hall and stopped to clean our glasses and warm up a bit. My shoes and feet were completely soggy. I tried to get as much water out of my shoes for the return trip but that turned out to be a waste of time.

The ride back proved to be slightly less fun. We were about six miles from home when the feeling in my feet started to go away. My hands were getting numb and the snow was starting to build up on my glasses making it very difficult to see. When we finally made it back to the house both my feet were frozen and I couldn’t feel several of my fingers. Needless to say, I was happy to get off my bike, out of my wet gear, and start to warm up. We managed to spend about two hours on the bike and covered almost 30 miles. I’m not sure if it was worth it, but at least I have a February ride story.

An Early Spring

This past weekend I was out on the mountain patrolling. It was unseasonable warm and sunny which usually means two things:

1. The snow softens up and makes for great skiing conditions

2. Everyone (regardless of ability level) comes out to ski.

While I think it’s fantastic to see lots of people out enjoying the snow, there are some individuals that just shouldn’t be allowed to go outside, let alone be on a pair of skis. As I watched the multitudes of skiers and snowboarders slide down the mountain (not always standing upright) it became blatantly obvious that the majority of these people only come out on these rare spring-like days.

Typically the snow conditions are best in the morning but curiously most of the crowds didn’t arrive until mid afternoon. I’m not sure why it takes the masses so long to get to out but I’m willing to bet it’s because they’re digging through old boxes marked “Rad Ski Gear.” This is where they keep the Scotch-Guarded jeans, itchy wool socks (nothing synthetic here), gloves that change colors when it gets cold, and full burglar-style ski mask. Of course no trip to the ski slope would be complete without a stylish jacket representing some kind of large patterned neon color scheme.

Even though the slopes get extra crowded on these days, it’s nice to take a trip down memory lane and check out all the great fashions that should never have been allowed to see the light of day.

A Response

Hey SL,

Sorry I haven’t talked to you in a while. I realize I’ve been a bit distant, but that’s had nothing to do with you. I’ve been busy with work and other obligations that have been out of my control. I should’ve at least called to tell you what was going on. That’s my fault.

I never meant to hurt you, but I realize now that I may have. Sometimes I just get so wrapped up in my own world that I forget I’m not the only one in this relationship. I guess I wasn’t aware just how much you cared for me, but I know now.

You’re more important to me than you may know, but I guess I haven’t done a very good job at expressing that to you. I’ll do everything I can to keep this relationship going. I don’t want to lose you.

For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, just don't give up on me.

Eric