Super Sunday

My doctor told me not to get in the water until 3pm on Sunday, so that my incision could heal. But swim practice was at 9am, and after missing workouts on Friday and Saturday, I really wanted to swim. What was I to do?

Duct tape, of course.

I had no assurances that it would keep my wound completely dry during swim practice, and I looked like a dork with a big stripe of silver tape swathed across my neck. But since I always look like a dork, and also have substantial faith in the marvels of modern industrial adhesives, I decided to take my chances.

It was a good swim practice. Of course since my new neck accessory was hard to miss, I had to explain my stitches, which led to the longer story of my history of benign skin cancer from all those years as a sun worshiper...but those explanatory interludes did not detract from a pretty decent workout. I swam 1000 yards past what I needed for my "Go the Distance" swimcap freebie, and I got out of the pool feeling appropriately beat.

But if you've followed this blog for a while, then you know that for many of my friends, one workout in a day is simply not enough. My buddies Kim and Reynold would have run steps at Red Rocks before swim practice -- if the park weren't under a couple of feet of snow. But because of the conditions, they decided that we should all do some snowshoeing after swimming instead.

So, in addition to antibiotics and duct tape, I brought long underwear, extra shirt layers, gloves, a selection of hats & earmuffs, and of course, my hiking boots and snowshoes.

It turns out that none of that extra cold-weather gear was necessary. It was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day; a light cap and fleece jacket provided all the warmth I would need.

We went to Roxborough Park, and were pleased to see that the roads were easily passable (unlike the last time I was out there). We weren't alone...and in fact, the trails had already been beaten down pretty well. Snowshoes probably weren't strictly necessary, but they weren't a handicap, either.

I learned something about snowshoes on this hike, and may have to consider replacing the ones I have. Look at the photo above, and notice how Reynold's heel is up, but the snowshoe remains flat -- this allowed him to walk normally without flipping snow up onto the back of his pants. My snowshoes, on the other hand, are spring loaded to flip the tail up with each stride, flinging snow onto the back of my pants. In the photo below, you can see how this resulted in me having soaking wet jeans, almost from the very start of the hike. Fortunately, it was warm enough that being wet wasn't a problem for my comfort and enjoyment of the hike. It's just a little embarrassing to look like the only guy in the group who pees his pants. Oh well.



What a fabulous day, though! The red rocks and white snow provided beautiful vistas in all directions. The other hikers were unfailingly friendly, and we even heard the gobble of a wild turkey from somewhere off in the woods. We didn't go all that far--just a couple of miles--but we still felt like we got some good exercise. One of the scenic-view lookout point trails was closed, which was a bit disappointing -- but there was no lack of spectacular scenery to enjoy.

Even the trail itself was pretty; the snow sparkled with reflected sunlight, and the tracks from skis, boots, and snowshoes provided an eclectic mix of trail textures. There were places where we each went off into deeper snow (just because), and places where the rising slope made us work and breathe a bit harder. It wasn't really a workout, but it was a heck of a nice way to burn a few extra calories and enjoy the beauty of nature and the company of good friends. An excellent way to finish off the weekend!

I hope your weekend had its highlights as well. I'll leave you with two minor puzzles as my acknowledgement of the end of the football season. What's the link between the 4 pictures in these two panels? (And in a peripherally-related question, who's the moron that chooses the halftime acts for Super Bowls? I mean, really? Madonna? C'mon! Didn't they know that Blue Öyster Cult was available? Geez.)

Anyway, good luck, and have a great day!