Quick update!

So in my last post, I talked about what was going on with me, health wise.  Saw the rockstar surgeon, and guess what - I've been hobbling around on a broken hip the past two months!  So - now I'm making arrangements for hip replacement surgery.  Until then, I'm on crutches, with minimal weight bearing on the left side.  And those motorized carts at the grocery store?  Don't get me started...

However - my dream of climbing a 14'er is stronger than ever!  Doc said there would be no problem doing that... but maybe not THIS year.  Best to shoot for next summer.  But I can definitely hike, bike, camp - and continue training for that big mountain.  

Best of all - after the surgery heals - NO PAIN!!  Whoo hooo!!!!!

So - the blog will keep going, hang in there with me.  There will be lots of good stuff about the trails, campsites, bike paths - all that Colorado has to offer. 

In the meantime, it's April 29, and the snow is still falling.  Not planting any flowers this weekend.  Wondering if we'll get apples this year?  The lilacs aren't happy....

Even Texi is wearing a sweater today!  Does she have enough toys?

So until my next post... hobbling around the Springs... be blessed, and stay warm!

Springtime in Colorado!

Mercurial at best, downright confusing all other times!  Weather fluctuates from 70 and sunny, to 30 and whiteout in 24 hours.  The good thing about spring snowstorms is that they don't last.  So if you wake up to this - 

...have no worries, it'll be mostly gone by nightfall.  And if you're really lucky, a shot like this happens:

Not quite time to pack away the winter wardrobe.  I've been told to keep a sweater and a hoodie or two out all year, might get chilly on 4th of July!

Now for the update - I'm still really sore.  Walking more than a hundred yards hurts, big time.  But there's hope!  I was able to score an appointment with a top-notch rockstar orthopedic surgeon, for the 28th.  Lemme tell ya - when I hung up the phone after making that appointment, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off me, like there is hope, and that there is relief in sight.  I'm not afraid of needles or surgery - so whatever will make me feel better - let's do it!

Will I still make it to the top of a 14'er by the end of summer?  Don't know!  I may have to settle for a 13'er this year.  I'm ok with that.  There's still plenty of hiking, biking, and camping to be done.  And I can take long drives and lots of photos, like I did this past weekend.  

Isn't this glorious?

So now it's just a waiting game, see what the doc says.  Hopefully I can get away with just a needle full of cortisone, but if more is required, then let's get it done!

I think my next post will be a list of sites that are about hiking, camping, and mountain stuff in general.  Stay tuned!

End of March Update

It's been a few weeks, hasn't it?  A few things happened...

Back towards the end of February, I had plans to go skiing one Sunday.  As I step off the front porch when taking Texi for a walk - bam!  Some kind of awful pain went through my hip!  So much for skiing!  After a week of hobbling around, I finally saw the doctor.  No help, they wanted to take a scan - for the tidy sum of $650.  Sorry, on a budget, and it's starting to get better.

So between then and now, I did what any sane person would do - rest and recover buy me a bike!  Yeah!  So now I'm the proud owner of a Haro Heartlander.  Very comfy to ride on the paved or gravel trails in town, and has some suspension in the front so I can do some slightly rougher trails.  And look at that seat, nice and wide for my wide butt riding comfort.

 Soooo... once the hip starts feeling better, off we go to a local bike trail!  Gotta remember, I haven't ridden a bike since Nixon was in office!  They say it's like... um... yeah, never mind.

But then - it's springtime in Colorado, so Friday morning is this...

And this...

But by Saturday afternoon, most of the snow has melted, so Texi and I go on a nice, long walk.  Sunday, too!

Unfortunately, this weekend is supposed to be more snowy weather, with rain and snow almost every day until then!  Grrr.... and it's COLD out, too!

Until then, it's walking and stairs inside, researching trails and campsites, and waiting....

Hello everyone!

The weekend is here, and Colorado Springs has a dusting of snow!  The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and it's a beautiful day!

This past weekend was a bust - I had the flu or something like it, and just wanted to do nothing all weekend.   But now I feel like a million bucks, so... let's do something!

What do you think?

Red Rocks Canyon?

No - I want to go to Painted Mines!

The colors that naturally occur in the rocks are incredible.

Tomorrow has plans already, and it's going to be cold and windy.  Next Saturday looks to be about 60 degrees and sunny - all systems go!

Before another hiking trip, I shopped for some new hiking shoes.  Went down to Sierra Trading Post and picked up some new kicks.  Because I'm a beginning hiker, I didn't want to spend much on boots, so I picked these up for about $38 out the door.  So far I've worn them around the house, and on a walk with my dog, and I'm happy with how they feel.  Not so thick that I can't tell the terrain underfoot, not so thin that I feel every pebble.

Click Here to See

I'm also thinking of a ski trip the next day.  I scored a great Craigslist deal on some Rossignol S7s and a pair of Salomon 660 boots.  See?  

The graphic design is not my favorite, but hey, $60 for the set - I'm not complaining!  Next year I'll get "pretty" skis.

Now, there is no way on God's green earth that I will ever be a double black diamond skier - I'm happy right now on the bunny slope!  And that lift pass is only $22.  Can't complain!  And to be honest... the chair lift kind of scares me.  Another fear to conquer!  I'm just so thankful to live where it's only a few hours drive to go skiing, instead of a flight, van ride, hotel, yadda, yadda....

In the meantime, it's lots of walking (makes my dog happy!), stair climbing, and other indoor activities - at least until it warms up a little bit.  So until my post from Painted Mines, enjoy and be blessed!

Hello again!  Welcome to the beginning of my blog.  Let me introduce myself to you, and tell you why I'm writing this.

My name is Cynthia, and I'm a somewhat overweight, out-of-shape, 56-year-old woman who moved to Colorado in June of 2016.  I had less than $2 grand in my back pocket, no job, and a Craigslist roommate (didn't quite work out how I thought, but never mind).  I came here because I love the outdoors, snow, mountains, rivers, wildlife... all the wonderful stuff Colorado has to offer.  Colorado also has altitude - which means it's harder to do any kind of physical exertion, and it takes awhile - up to 3 or 4 months - to get used to the thinner air.

After looking at the mountains, driving through the mountains, and after being a passive participant in what the mountains have to offer, I decided it was time to DO something!

Just a simple, 3-mile hike was all that was needed to get me hooked on hiking.  Those 3 miles in the Red Rocks Canyon Open Space, were enough to tell me that 1) I was way out of shape and needed to get out more, and 2) there is no reason to stay inside when such beautiful places exist in my backyard!

As I huffed and puffed my way up Mesa Trail - hey, it's a pretty steep incline - the thought occurred to me - "Honey - seriously?  You're a myocardial infarction waiting to happen."  

That was my "ah-hah" moment - that it was now or never - get out there and get moving, or sit on my butt and rot.

Some history - I'm a cancer survivor.  My left knee has been rebuilt twice (stupid horses) and the same hip is starting to deteriorate.  I fight an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  I don't exactly fit the description of someone who should be walking around the block, much less climbing mountains.

But I uprooted everything I spent a good part of my life building - all because of something I loved, something that called to me.  Those mountains are my happy place, my peaceful place.  Am I just going to look at them from the car?

Thus, this blog.  It will contain photos from my adventures, some informational stuff about hiking and Colorado life in general, and my fragmented musings.  It's not a hard core fitness blog, or hiking blog.  I hope it will be entertaining and amusing.  And hopefully it might get YOU out there, moving, following your heart.

Until next time, here are some photos of my hike at Red Rocks.  Enjoy!

Looking towards Garden of the Gods

What a view!

Mesa Trail - it's steeper than it looks!

Stunning rock formations

I wonder how many have noticed this profile?

Beauty in the rocks

Precarious balance

Hello everyone!

I'm Cynthia, and this blog will document my journey from couch potato to the summit of a Colorado fourteener - a mountain over 14,000 feet in elevation.

Stay tuned - lots to come!