Bloated Skiing: October 2016

Oct 17, Forced Relaxation

Unfortunately, my fibula fracture on May 20 decided to never grow back together. Although I was pretty mobile and only had a dull ache, it was recommended that I get it pulled apart, scraped, and pinned back together. Downside being six weeks of non weight bearing on my left leg. Surgery was super smooth and easy. Foot pain and swelling is less than the original break. Hopeful for a quick recovery.

Kevin gets goldfish
in the recovery room

Freshly plated fibula

October 12, Miller Peak

Last ride of the year. Scheduled for Monday surgery on my broken fibula that never fully healed from my May 20 tipover. Couldn't have had better trail conditions, and it was a great ride to finish my dirt bike season. Got out with my neighbor Scott and my co-worker Eric H.. Recent rains and even a little snowfall had made the trails primo.

Kevin near the top of Miller Peak. Mt. Stuart in the distance.

October 1, Coyote Offroad Dual-sport ride, Cashmere, Wa.

Scott

Hit the road at 4:45, in the morning, to make it to the second annual Coyote Offroad dualsport ride in Cashmere, Wa. With little rain last month, the trails were extremely loose and dusty. The first couple hours were quite challenging on fresh cut singletrack and roads covered in flour like dirt. As the day progressed, the trails got better and the roads even improved. Good challenging ride of 95 miles for the day.

Mike

Scott

Mike Greene

John

Kevin

Mike

Sept. 28, Whistler - Lord of the Squirrels

Yeah!!! We made it to the lake up high

We had an exciting night. Tom thought for sure that Kevin got up in the middle of the night and was loudly crunching the fritos bag and crunching super loud while eating fritos and the crackers in the closet. Lori thought Francine got up to pack the cooler and her food. They weren't quite sure what to think when they heard snorting in the living room.

Francine, however, woke up to crunching rocks and snorting. She thought for sure there was a bear on the gravel rocks below our 2nd floor balcony. While running out to the balcony to look at the bears, she realized there was something in our unit. All this woke Kevin, who went into the living room and made banging noises and tried to scare whatever out of the unit. He got our patio door closed, which we had purposely left wide open. It wasn't long before we heard an animal back on our patio. It was a raccoon, eating the crackers dropped on the chase out of the unit. He didn't seem concerned about us, shining a light thru the window.

In the morning, Francine went to the front desk to report the wild animal that was in our unit. She thought it was a bear, while Kevin thought it was a raccoon. The girl asked Francine if there was a mess and if anything was broke. No, only a trail of empty baggies that had held gorp, crackers and fritos. She confidently said it was raccoons then, and that they also get up to the 4th floor. They snort when they get full and sleepy. So, no bear. Kevin did speak to a maintenance guy who said that yesterday a bear did get into a unit, and made a big mess.

Tom and Lori went home after breakfast. Francine and Kevin had to hit the new descending trail, Lord of the Squirrels (L.O.T.S.), built by the bike club, WORCA. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is building a climbing trail, which isn't quite finished, but it seems the locals were doing the loop, and hit the climbing trail and then descended on LOTS.

It was quite a grunt going up a descending trail, but was worth it. This is the first high alpine trail that bikers are allowed on. 20 mile day, and Google Earth said total elevation was 5800 feet today, starting in Creekside base area.