I have been driving back roads for over 2 decades... camping, hiking, biking, exploring. Matter of fact, I love it so much, I created a web site because of my love for nature. My truest passion, vision with technology working on my side, I have built a very popular California site to aid travelers who seek off the beaten path.
Nothing can slow you down better than a good foot injury. Just as my life was getting off the ground, as a new home owner & growing dot com biz, I managed to push myself a little too damn far. As usual.
In mid summer 2004, a drinking glass broke & the heaviest shard fell on top of my right foot. Seemed like a minor scrape to me, a bad bruise perhaps, so I iced it for 3 days. Then, I took off to Mammoth for the July 4th weekend. How bad could it really be - this was a luxurious condo trip, after all?
A small group of us climbed up the north side of Laurel Lakes - over to Lake Genevieve, a 10,000' alpine elevation lake in the high Sierra. Afterwards, I took Advil & continued to ice it hourly. I was leading another group, in the Sonora Pass the following weekend, & wasn't planning on missing it. I took it easy & researched some big creek near Bridgeport. Nine days after my initial injury, I literally limped home to Los Padres.
The following month, I was off to the Santa Cruz Redwoods for Firedance.org festival, where Total Escape had a merchant booth. Needless to say, these silly decisions to stay on my foot cost me dearly.
X-rays determined no broken bones, but I had nearly severed a major tendon. I spent the next few months on crutches with a very long winter ahead. With one awfully tired foot, I forced myself to stay put for one full season & work on the computer.
Managing to loose excess weight with better diet & yoga, Springtime was looking better than ever. Summer came not soon enough, but brought with it major landscaping & much physical labor. The abused foot was not healing properly. My arch was falling & I still had swelling. Back to the doctor for a fourth visit. Finally after a 6 months wearing custom orthodics/insoles, I can feel the healing curve is starting to progress.
No way... Nature girl cannot get cabin fever! I moved here to enjoy the forest, to re-create my life. Staring at a computer for too many hours can really bug me out, so I must spend time outside - daily. I will hike in the moonlit meadow; Stroll thru the warm forest with a solo picnic lunch; Drive the curvy mountains roads, watching the sunsets, as I please. This active outdoor babe has tripled her business, built a 100' long retaining wall & lost 20% of her body weight - all in the last year.
Now, after many of my hardest months behind me, I am healing my foot back to normal. Short hikes often, on level ground, has helped me recover in a slow but steady progress. The flattest trails in the forest, the old lady hikes, are now my favorite strolls. Places I would normally shy away from, I seek as refuge. Next, I plan to increase my canyon hikes, plus get back to mountain biking - to give my ass the real workout it deserves, along with much needed cardiovascular exercise. My lessons are long, my travels many. Slowly, but surely, I am healing.
