2009 February

Near Tierra Amarilla, NM

It feels like it may actually be a little chilly today, but by the time we drive up to Ghost Ranch the weather is once again sunny and the perfect temperature for hiking. We hiked through Ghost Ranch on our CDT hike, and it’s interesting to come back and be disoriented, seeing things differently from the memories. We didn’t do the hike up Kitchen Mesa before, and it may be the best one here. This mesa hovers over the dining room complex of Ghost Ranch, and tops out right in a strange, moon-like layer of gypsum. Everywhere you look there’s a new color, or something out of the ordinary to jostle the mind into greater appreciation of the place.

Knee notes: no real problems today, just some very minor twinges at the end. Now that I’m stretching a lot, it’s hard to tell what’s sore from stretching and what might be related to the knee acting up. Definitely felt my left hamstring today.

We attend a pre-sale party at Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works. One of the recommendations I’ve read for iliotibial band syndrome is stiffer, more supportive shoes. My tendency has been to go with shoes that minimize interference, usually Chaco sandals or soft trail runners. I try on a pair of Salomons (XA Pro 3D Ultra) with “ortholite” innards that fit the bill. They feel good and at 40% off, I decide to give them a try.

Near Santa Fe, NM

The Dale Ball trail system is an intricate network of trails that cover the lower foothills east of Santa Fe. They’re nice little trails, well signed, wending through the backyards of the posh hillside neighborhoods of Santa Fe. There are nearly endless variations possible. My hike today hits 24 separate trail junctions, out of 41 total in the system. Once again the day is sunny and warm, like I’ve been transported through time to early summer.

There’s no improvement in my knee today, but I didn’t really expect it yet. Instead I pay close attention to it, where it starts, related sensations in my hip and back, and its response to stretching. It’s a documentary outing for the knee, but probably a little too long, as I’m walking unevenly when I return.

Near Taos Ski Valley, NM

The balmy weather continues as we make our way up to Taos Ski Valley. This is much more of a resort area, and the general steepness of the terrain gives it an adventurous feel. We figure that the sense of adventure might extend to an embrace of backcountry skiers, but on our way up we encounter a “NO UPHILL TRAFFIC” sign. We’ve seen a few ski patrollers who didn’t seem to care, but we decide to attempt to comply by climbing out of the ski area bounds. We’re soon skiing through the yards of empty trophy houses, then bogging down in a snow-filled creek. Eventually we give up and return to the ski area. At the Phoenix Grill we find signs for the Williams Lake trail – apparently the correct method for backcountry skiers is to drive this far and start up the trail here. I do go up a little ways to get a short backhill run through tight trees, the steep bumps of the ski area ridge still looming above me.

Split boarding doesn’t seem to bother my knee. That seems fortunate, but this warm weather is taking away the snow. Taos reports more snow than most other areas in the state, and even here it seems like the more exposed runs are starting to suffer. If we don’t get some real snow storms soon, I think this may be our last outing on the skis for a while.

I try mounting my camera on my waist belt for my run today. This seems promising, the footage is definitely smoother, but I maul the camera when I crouch down to go through gaps in the trees, and my arm randomly floats through the frame now and then.

Near Penasco, NM

Stuffed with delectable victuals from my friend Capn Bill in Dixon, we continue our freeloading tour of New Mexico ski areas with Sipapu. This is a very small, low-key hill. You can get an RV site with your lift ticket here. We’re tempted, but we stick with our hiking MO. These slopes are definitely the most ethnically diverse we’ve experienced, but there is still no diversity in skier’s response to the sight of us climbing the hill. “You’re going the wrong way!” is the sole exclamation. A few other people briefly join our hike when one of the small Pomerelle lifts derails (a Pom lift pulls skiers up the hill on the ground). It’s almost ridiculously warm and sunny. Our run is short and sweet, broken up by some chatting with a pair of friendly Texans.

The stiffness in my left knee has been getting gradually worse on my longer hikes. My internet self-diagnosis so far is that it’s one of the outer knee varieties of runner’s knee, but I felt the need for some kind of consultation on this. I was reluctant to go to an orthopedic doctor, mostly because I still hope that some kind of self treatment will allow me to avoid the expensive medical establishment. So instead I made an appointment with a sports-oriented physical therapist to see what I could learn. I feel fortunate that I landed in Christine’s hands. She took a lot of extra time with me and I became aware of a few new things that lead me to refine my self-diagnosis to iliotibial band syndrome.

She observed my stride carefully and felt the movement of some muscles and tendons when I lift my legs. After a quick bridge to align my hips, she noted that my left leg extended further than my right while sitting with my legs extended straight in front of me. She did some range of motion tests, and noted my extremely tight hamstring, piriformis, and quadriceps. The iliotibial band on the left was tighter, and my lower back was tighter on the right, probably compensating. After some gentle stretching and adjusting my legs evened out in the sitting position. She prescribed a number of stretches and massage of my IT bands with a foam roller.

Obviously this problem could have a huge influence on my lifestyle. I’m going try everything I can to reverse the trend over the next couple of months with self treatment.

Near Bandelier National Monument, NM

Today the sun is luxurious. It’s almost too hard to get going in the drowsy warmth, but we make it up to Pajarito for an afternoon run. We climb lazily, and I forget to take pictures of the bright day. The snow up here won’t survive many more days like this.

My camera experiments aren’t improving much, but a few pieces of the run are nice abstract art at least

Near Santa Fe, NM

Ann and I drive up the hill under partly cloudy skies, hoping she’ll finally get a run a run with a view. The clouds grow as we make our way up, but visibility is still good when we top out. At last, Ann gets to see where she’s going! I get a few decent clips of my run, but I’m still having trouble keeping the camera pointed ahead, especially when I hit the bumps.

We thought we’d have some friends and associates over to see the new office and home, but T-Rex made it clear these visitors were in his domain:

Near Santa Fe, NM

My exploration up the arroyo behind our building was fruitful, so today I figure I’ll see where it goes in the other direction. It’s a different world this way, a tour of highways, dumping grounds, barnyards, and arroyo flotsam. Most significantly, it’s all sand and gravel, which makes for tougher hiking than I expect. I make it less than eight miles down before turning around at a fence across the arroyo, and yet once again I’m hobbling by the time I make it back. This time I have some really icky blisters to show off.

Also posted at EveryTrail.