Most people close to me know I'll always be a bit lost. I'm a floater...a dabbler. The only things I have a steadfast commitment to (at the time) are athletics and Dr. Hottie. If it's not either of those two things, I may dip my big toe in to test the waters but will eventually run for the hills. But this post isn't about why I'm a lost soul...it's about how I was literally lost in the mountains last weekend.
Dr. Hottie & I wanted to run a loop connecting two ski resorts (Alta & Brighton) in neighboring canyons (Little & Big Cottonwood). It was supposed to be a quick 10ish miles. The first half of the loop was amazing. There was only one trail to choose from, we saw hikers & lots of lakes, and we even bagged a peak.
Dr. Hottie & I wanted to run a loop connecting two ski resorts (Alta & Brighton) in neighboring canyons (Little & Big Cottonwood). It was supposed to be a quick 10ish miles. The first half of the loop was amazing. There was only one trail to choose from, we saw hikers & lots of lakes, and we even bagged a peak.
The second 1/2 of the loop quickly went south. We had a map with us, and would most certainly still be lost if we had neglected to bring one. We expected to take a left off the main trail- the problem was there were four options all in the same area. Our second try was the correct one. Ok, not bad. We were now walking on ski runs trying to find another trail turn off. It was surprisingly difficult. It was impossible to know the difference between a service road and ski run; or between a trampled turn off leading to a dead end and an actual trail. After more than an hour of testing out routes, we finally found the ridge leading back to Alta. Whew, that was frustrating but now we're definitely in the home stretch. Well, I'm sure you know how these stories go.
Yet another wrong turn led us up, up, up to where we could see the car- but it was SO far away! At that point I angrily stuffed the map away & started going with common sense. The car is down & to the right, so let's go down & to the right- duh! Eleven miles and almost five hours later, we were finally back at the car. The only motivation to do the loop again is to get the biggest PR ever.
The take-away of this long story is that I'm crap-tastic at dealing with the unexpected. My quads were screaming at me, Dr. Hottie kept having to slow down for me (which I can't stand), and we were lost. If I want the chance to finish a 100 mile foot race, I've got to learn how to stay calm in the face of challenges. Hell, it should probably be more of a life goal vs. an athletic one. Dr. H is great at this- I don't think you can be a surgeon without dealing with the unexpected. Long term goal- set. In the meantime though, I'll do things like blog instead of going to swim practice...because my quads are still mad at me.
Yet another wrong turn led us up, up, up to where we could see the car- but it was SO far away! At that point I angrily stuffed the map away & started going with common sense. The car is down & to the right, so let's go down & to the right- duh! Eleven miles and almost five hours later, we were finally back at the car. The only motivation to do the loop again is to get the biggest PR ever.
The take-away of this long story is that I'm crap-tastic at dealing with the unexpected. My quads were screaming at me, Dr. Hottie kept having to slow down for me (which I can't stand), and we were lost. If I want the chance to finish a 100 mile foot race, I've got to learn how to stay calm in the face of challenges. Hell, it should probably be more of a life goal vs. an athletic one. Dr. H is great at this- I don't think you can be a surgeon without dealing with the unexpected. Long term goal- set. In the meantime though, I'll do things like blog instead of going to swim practice...because my quads are still mad at me.