THR Nerdgrrl has a new hip!

[nerdgrrl]

Thanks stargirl and nellsbells

sissy46, yes it is! Even if it is in town, in the fog (like last weekend). I am looking for some lowland hikes, since many of the mountain ones I enjoy will be snowbound until later in the spring or summer.

One thing I forgot to mention that seems pretty significant, is that I am much less irritable. It is probably a confluence of no holiday stress, and other things, but I think the hip doing well, and not having that constant low level of pain must be contributing as well.

 

[bellaroma]

Great report, I am offer to help you by taking any pastries that come your way. For hiking glad you are looking for the low lands as I think the hills would need some building up to.

 

[stargirl]

I hear you nerdgrrl about the less irritable part , my family have commented several times on this attribute to me
Don't know what thier blabbing on about I've always been lovely

 

[nerdgrrl]

Wow, work and the rest of life have been so busy, I have barely had time to read posts on bone smart, much less post anything. However, I thought I would report another major milestone. I have the happy news that I went on my first "official" hike last weekend. That means it was more than just a local park, and I had my full day pack with the 10 essentials plus a ton of water. Not that I actually needed the water, but I wanted to see how I did with the weight. It went great! Distance was about 3 miles. Net elevation gain was 500 feet, but it was probably more actual climbing and descending because of the up and down on the trail. The weather wasn't the best, but it was misty and cloudy. Not bad for February here. We were probably a few hundred feet below the snow level. Here are some pictures from the day

This is actually a picture from my back deck, with a bit of zoom on. View of the Cascades where we were hiking (well in the foothills, anyway).

"Main" waterfall at the end of the trail. It was an out and back hike

Wow! The more spectacular falls viewed from a spur trail

The rest are a view of the river near the first part of the hike, then we were lucky enough to find a pair of bald eagles and their nest. Final is near where we ate lunch. That is Mt. Si in the back. If you are a Twin Peaks fan, you will recognize this mountain...

Anyway, it was a great day, and showed me that I will soon be able to do full out (longer/steeper) hikes, but not quite ready for that yet.

 

[stargirl]

Unbelievable!!! And such beautiful pictures thankyou for sharing ! We're you walking unaided ?

 

[nerdgrrl]

Hi stargirl - Thanks! I had my trekking poles, but I pretty much always use those, even pre-knowing I needed hip surgery. They really save my knees on the downhill.

 

[sissy46]

Hey, reading your report was a great way to start the day here! And those images, wow! You live in a beautiful part of the country. Do the eagles have young yet? The ones here are almost fledged. They start early.

Trekking poles are great stargirl. Poppet uses two for her Nordic walking. I use one, hiking in the Florida flatlands, but when I get to the mountains this summer, definitely two.

I'm so thrilled for you, nerdgrrl!

 

[bellaroma]

nerdgirl it know what you mean, it was so hard to read posts, work, do housework, I was so happy to see your pictures from the hike. How beautiful , not just the nature but that your hip is taking you thetr.

 

[puddle fish]

Stunning pics and thanks for sharing wow wow wow must have felt so good to get out. So how are you feeling now?

 

[dede62]

Nerdgrrl, so glad you've gotten back to hiking! Those are some awesome pics. I know it had to feel great getting out there in the cool but fresh air! It's so cool to see each of us recovering and getting stronger and almost "back to normal". It's been a long road for each of us and how cool has it been that our journies have converged together?! Congrats!!

 

[bottomshollow]

Absolutely loved the pics. So good to hear you're hiking again. Ain't it wonderful when life is getting back to normal and you can enjoy it!

 

[nerdgrrl]

puddle fish I felt great after the hike! So great that I forgot to ice that night, then I worked out pretty hard on Monday. I Kind of paid for it a little bit. Not really any pain, but some swelling that didn't really want to go down until I really rested and iced. Since the hike was Sunday, I should have iced when I got home and done an easy workout Monday or maybe even no workout Monday. However, I am back on track now. Just my body reminding me not to go all out quite yet. I took it pretty easy this weekend, but at this stage that still means walking the dog and usual activities, but no other extended walks and no working out. If this week goes well, I will do a slightly longer hike next weekend. Longer hike but less elevation gain.

 

[puddle fish]

Sounds a great plan .

 

[nerdgrrl]

So for this weekend's hike, my hiking buddy and I decided to go to the dry side of the state. Very different terrain, but there was a trail I really wanted to try that fit the bill difficulty-wise. 4 miles, 700 feet of elevation gain, but it was all pretty much right at the beginning, the rest was a walk along a ridge. We saw all sorts of wildlife, most of which I wasn't quick enough to get the camera out. The highlight was seeing a badger about 20 feet away! We also saw magpies, some hawks, 3 bald eagles, redwinged blackbird, ravens, and mule deer. It was too early in the year to see rattlesnakes, which we were thankful for ;)

We started out down by the river

There's a person in there for an idea of scale

My hiking buddy checking out some rocks

Mule deer in the distance as we were driving back to the main road

Another short hike to the base of some columnar basalt. If you are a geology buff, these are the flood basalts of central Washington. We are near the edge of the Channeled scablands that were formed by the catastrophic Missoula floods. The river in the pictures is the Columbia river.

Sunset on the way home, back to the wet side of the state

 

[nerdgrrl]

...and for sissy46 some bird pictures from the weekend I was "taking it easy"

Harlequin Ducks

Horned grebe

Brandt's cormorant

 

[Vida]

Wow NG, that is gorgeous. Your hikes are spectacular. I am in awe of your achievements. Our surgical dates were close but there's no way I could do more than a couple of miles on flattish terrain. Congratulations!

 

[nerdgrrl]

Thanks Vida! You have had a lot more issues with your hips to begin with than I did. I pretty much had straight up arthritis, with cartilage worn through, but no other big issues. So, I have had a head start on healing. It sounds like you are doing great with your healing, you just have farther to go than I do.

Right in this area is some nice walking that you could probably do. This wildlife preserve is mostly on a flood plain with some great wildlife viewing areas and some decent access roads. Actually, even better is an area called the gingko petrified forest that has quite flat trails - and some neat petrified wood. Just in case you want to come down for a visit

 

[Poppet]

Fantastic photos, thanks for sharing

sissy46.. My poles are special Nordic Walking poles, different to hiking poles which can be a lot heavier... Incidentally, I have just purchased a second set to leave at work.. Picture this, full business clothes (black of course) and off I will go at lunch time for a 20 min walk around the city... 216 actual working days, need to improve my fitness levels for retirement. If only, I could sort out my hamstring on my operated leg, I would be happier..

Well done nerdgrrl more photos.. Spectacular!

 

[sissy46]

I love your pictures!! So totally different from the scenery I live with, but equally beautiful. Love the birds, too. I've never seen a horned grebe.

You make a good point in your post to Vida (#317.) Sometimes I feel bad posting about my cruise recovery when all have not had it so easy, but the fact is I didn't have long standing problems with my hip, just suddenly bad OA and cartilage gone----and like you, was lucky enough to be able to have the anterior approach, so all of that jump-started recovery for both of us. No one with congenital dislocation and multiple previous surgeries should compare with us. I am in awe of how well many do after a lifetime of problems.

 

[octopus]

Wow! Lovely photos Nerdgrrl! What kind of camera do you use? You certainly have some beautiful areas to hike and explore. Looking at the pics tugged my heart and makes me yearn to get back out there myself. The ones of waterfalls, mountains and bush remind me of ours. Just think in a few short weeks and I can get someone to drive me up into the nearby ranges for a look and maybe a short walk into the bush. We have a visitor centre in the bush that has wooden walkways and viewing platforms that will be an easy start for me.