Happy 4th of July!

Hi all, you’re probably out partying or playing, but thought I’d blog a big Indy day greeting to all you blog readers out there. Thanks for visiting, and come by again! We’ve got lots of plans for interesting backcountry skiing blog content!

Meanwhile, a medical note. I’ve had quite a few orthopaedic issues with my legs over the years. No need to go into the gory details (scars are over rated, kids), but suffice it to say I’ve gotten pretty sensitive to what’s going on with my leg joints. Last winter my left knee started a bit more clicking and popping than normal, so I went and had a checkup. Doc said it was probably normal cartilage wear and to see how it went. I had to slow down a bit for most of the winter, but still got in a bunch of good backcountry skiing, then got more aggressive with fixing the knee as spring rolled around. A course of Orthovisc knee lube didn’t help, but an arthroscopy yesterday found the problem, a small flap of cartilage torn off the meniscus. Clip clip and I’ve assumed the usual position: Iced knee propped up on desk, keyboarding away and wishing there was a fly rod or ski pole in front of me instead of a screen. Oh well, soon to be. Lesson learned was if you’ve got some experience with how your knees behave, listen to them. I knew something more than “wear” was happening and should have had surgery sooner. Despite the delay in treatment everything is going well; I should be hiking and mountaineering in about four weeks and backcountry skiing as soon as the snow flies again.

Department of Hospital Review: Ever since we had our child at Valley View hospital in Glenwood Springs sixteen years ago, we’ve been impressed with the incredibly positive and friendly attitude of the Valley View staff. This time was no exception. Highly recommended.