Most of the group had already arrived and were off skiing the local trails. I soon met my room-mate, John. Originally from the UK, he now lives near Ottawa where he and his wife run a Bed and Breakfast. We elected to go to lunch rather than ski, despite that the day was fine and the groomed trails very nice. A most interesting, considerate, and entertaining fellow indeed.
Sunday was given over to local skiing and Monday found us getting ready to board the bus, checking our gear, packing our lunch, and cleaning up. The next five days we skied hut-to-hut under the competent supervision of our leaders, Cathy and Ed. What an adventure... getting to know eleven strangers, finding out who are the snorers, discovering a beautiful part of the Canadian wilderness, and much more! The others in the group were practiced Sierra Club trippers and we soon fell into a pleasant routine. Ed was also our cook and prepared really great meals.
Some might think the huts a little primitive (like having to use an outhouse) but were in fact well maintained, clean, and most comfortable.
We enjoyed light snow most days with the conditions underfoot soft and slightly wet. Ultimately, this led to my downfall (several) on the second to last day when my skis proved too narrow to manage the deep, soft snow. My final fall resulted in a badly bent knee and I decided to turn back to the hut after three kilometres, on the way discovering that another in the party had similar problems with the conditions. We got back to the hut in time to catch the snowmobile transporting our stuff to the next hut. My ride on the snowmobile was probably the most exciting part of the entire trip! So that was the end of my skiing but I was more than satisfied with the trip as my osteoarthritic knees had stood up to the conditions much better than I had anticipated. Now I look forward to some knee parts replacement a little later on this year.
On the way home, I visited with my friends Richard and Gina. Richard is a drinking buddy from our Portland days. Nowadays they have an association with the local Friends (Quaker) group and I was privileged to visit with this group. They are creating up a small settlement with a dozen families near Chatham.
It is ever a renewing experience to visit with Richard and his family and I was most interested to learn of their modified approach to diet and to excise (ever heard of the 'slow burn' exercise program?). It seems to be working...Richard has lost weight and looks totally trim and well-muscled while Gina, previously very slim, has put on some useful mass. I confess, having seen Richard work out at the local gym, I am a convert to the slow burn approach!
Since returning to Painted Post, I have concentrated on completing my research on partial knee replacement and am looking forward to meeting with the orthopaedic surgeon I have selected in mid-April.
This osteoarthritis in my knees has been developing for more than five years now and has been, at times, particularly debilitating. However, these episodes have passed and I have not been too much affected by it. Now the situation has changed (the fall while skiing may have ramped things up somewhat) and I really feel hemmed in by it. My first experience of a painful and chronic condition. Quite the antidote to my inherent arrogance and a test of my good humor.
I will comment on the knee replacement adventure from time to time as this is quite a story to tell, if you are interested in the process of finding a surgeon to get a new knee.
Sorry, no pictures this time...
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