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Every day when I have some free time I load up mountain project and skim its slideshow for fun climbs. Or I read some cached article about some mountaineer summit and then explore the mountain range to find its treasures. I’ve found a rock climb that ends with a crawl through a tunnel behind a waterfall, a summit requiring climbing a wild knife-edge ridge like Matthess Crest topped with snow Gargoyles deep in the BC and I’ve gazed into amazing dihedrals with dreams of routes on Devil’s Tower. …and thats it. I dream of the future because in the present I’m injured.
Six weeks ago I severely damaged my shoulder on a hard ski fall onto ice. I could barely move my right arm immediately after. I heal quick and had trips planned so I rock and ice climbed on it for two weeks. It was really sore and no more healed after ice climbing and backpacking a heavy pack in Coldstream Canyon so I finally went to a doctor. I was told no over arm movements, i.e. climbing or yoga, until it healed.
Its now a five weeks later and it still shows pain. But, its not just my shoulder. I injured my right eye last Spring solo mountaineering Casaval Ridge on Mt. Shasta and my vision is again starting to slightly deteriorate in it. Finally and probably the worst. After a heavy day of climbing really pushing myself to haul my way up a 5.11 finger crack in the gym my index fingers started hurting. That was four months ago. I haven’t been able to finger lock with them since and they still hurt from sideways pressure even after these last five weeks of no climb resting…
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This last month has been hard. One of the hardest in a while given the undetermined amount of time until I recover and which leaves me with no near term goal to work towards. Motivation has been difficult, frustration has been high and my spirits low. Every day, I think about climbing and I can feel the time ticking away. Every weekend I choose to do something in the mountains seems to add another week of recovery to my shoulder. Every week I’m not climbing I’m likely dropping a grade. …and I have no idea what to do about my fingers which could take months to heal. Last time I had an injury like this I had stress fractures in my shins and had to take over a year off running.
…but it could be worse. I could have seriously injured myself this season where I couldn’t walk or have a many certain months of long recovery ahead of me. Those injuries are not uncommon in the mountains. I am grateful nothing that serious has happened, but this is the first real time injuries have held me back from doing things I wanted to do since I can remember. Being outside is about pushing boundaries with your body and its hard to know the line. I obviously crossed it and I’m sure made some of these injuries worse by ignoring pain. So, for everyone out there who is injured and unable to do what you want. I feel yah. You aren’t alone. Keep moving in whatever ways you can, stay positive, and keep dreaming.