Post Polio

I only want to write this one time. So here is what's going on with Dorothy.

Dorothy had polio when she was 18 months old. It affected both of her legs, but especially her right foot. She had surgery at 5 and wore a brace. Polio destroys muscles and tendons. The remaining muscles are then overworked. In short, by the time she was 50 her walking was unstable and she was prone to falls, sprains, and fractures.

We took daily walks for our cardiovascular systems. This turned out to be the worst thing she could have done as it stressed her already over-worked muscles.

This is the reason we bought a Jeep. Our adventure needs could no longer be met by hiking so we needed something to get to off-road attractions.

The daily pain and swelling increased quite a bit this year and her stability was markedly down. She was a hip fracture waiting to happen.

She elected to have some very painful surgery to help stabilize her foot. This was done yesterday.

For those that can comprehend medical terms, this is the laundry list of what the surgeon did.

Right subtalar arthrodesis, bone graft from the tibia, percutaneous Achilles lengthening, osteotomy first metatarsal; exploration of peroneal tendons.

Three incisions were made on her foot and another on below her knee for a bone graft. Think plates and screws.

She was in surgery a little over 2.5 hours.

Her spirits were much improved today.

They will keep at the hospital a second night and then release her to a rehab facility for 7 to 10 days.

Recovery will take three months. The first 4 weeks will be in a no-weight cast.

She is going to be damn tired of my cooking before she can walk again.


We are in the process of lifting the Jeep to access the more difficult trails. Just hoping she will be able to get in and out of the higher Jeep.

My Energy Level

For the last decade, my "energy level" has dropped every year. It was not great when we retired, but I could still hike 4-6 miles and stay up past midnight.

In the last 3-4 years, less than 2 miles has been my limit and I might start yawning at 6pm and will be asleep before 9.

I started using a CPAP during this time and it pushed my "energy level" way up, but the good effects wore off after three months.

I took CoQ10 and again my "energy level" went up for a month, then it went back down. I continue it as my doctor says it a good thing for anyone on a statin.

I had all sorts of tests done, even a heart cath. My heart and lung functions were considered normal. 

Meanwhile, my doctor was looking at my blood platelets. I don't know but guessing this is not a normal part of a blood test. They were low but on a roller coaster. After three years the trend, even with ups and downs, has been down. I am not to the required treatable threshold, but getting there.

Anyway, this is the reason for my complaint of fatigue.

Second Rant

This and the last post have been on my mind for several years. Maybe posting my thoughts will put them out of my mind?

My second rant about public lands concerns the self-appointed protectors. Those that want all public land to themselves and who will not share information except with vetted friends. They compound their sense of entitlement by resenting the federal agencies who administer the land. 

So, on the one hand, they will not share information with those that are not physically able to hike with them. These types need constant validation that they can still cut the mustard on the trails and having people with lesser abilities is repugnant to them. All the while they deeply resent park rangers for any restrictions that are placed on them.

We have met a few of these folks over the years. I will home in on a couple in Colorado. We met them through a mutual acquaintance. We wanted to know some Jeep trails that went close to the summits. At the time, Dorothy could hike 2 to 3 miles round turn.

I took maps with me so he could point out trails that would meet our criteria, but on two occasions he declined to respond to my questions.

Reading his blog I later figured out that he would never drive all the way to the trailhead. He would park farther down the mountain so the hike would be more vigorous for him and his wife. That's fine. But, I think selfish of him to require everyone to do it his way or not at all. I suppose it increased his self-esteem.

If you can not handle rock scrambling above 9,000 you are just not worthy of his association.

You have to be able to do this. Even when the snow is above your knees.

Fuck em!

Enough Wilderness Areas

In case you don’t know Wilderness Areas are federal lands that are off-limits except to hikers, boaters and horse riders. If you have a physical disability, tough, no access for you. Only those with the best genes in the prime of fitness are allowed in. Sounds discriminatory to me. But probably not to those want a private experience on public lands.

Few movements are better funded and coordinated or more messianic than the environmental left.

Wilderness Areas are very popular with the greenies. Many are established by You Sue, We Settle technique. All you need are folks who want to control access to federal lands managed by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, etc. A suit is filed to restrict access to the land. The agency agrees and settles.

There are also Wilderness Study Areas. These are BLM lands that someone wants to put off-limits to the unwashed - those who are not able to hike. They make their case to the BLM who thinks it's a great idea. BLM erects signs announcing it's now off-limits to vehicles. Congress is not involved. It's done by administrative fiat.

Here is a pissed off disabled woman being denied access to hoodoo's in southern Utah. Too bad she can not handle the 7.2 mile round turn hike. See the tire tracks that remain from decades of access.

Since mechanized vehicles are not allowed into WA’s, there is no need for roads. Fires in Wilderness Areas cannot be fought with mechanized means. Many Wilderness Areas border on National Forest and Parks, so fires easily spread from one to another.

It's not just land, some of the most scenic rivers are off-limits to mere citizens. You can raft the Colorado and Yampa rivers, but you will have to go with a guide who has a permit. No way you can get a permit. This is a most effective way of preserving the rivers as the Feds need only to control a few guides who are responsible for controlling you.

How much land is already designated as Wilderness Area’s? This 2004 map is the latest one I could locate and so it’s out date. The more saturated colors are Wilderness Areas. See legend.

Blow up the map in Colorado and see how effective the Greenies are there.

Here is a list by state. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._Wilderness_Areas

Colorado has a nifty deal. You can apply for a grant from the revenue collected from marijuana sales to purchase public lands and have your own wilderness area. Just you and your best friends behind a gate.

Outdoor equipment companies support Wilderness Areas big time as the people that can hike them buy their expensive equipment to be able to fully enjoy their experience.



Sarah Margaret "Sally" Roffey Jewell is a British-American politician and businessperson who left REI to serve as the 51st United States Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Barack Obama. 

The lovely Rose Marcario is the CEO of the outdoor apparel company Patagonia. The company is suing Trump over the administration's reversal of making half of southern Utah a part of the already existing Bears Ears National Monument. [You may recall that monuments are birthed by the President signing a paper] Obama pissed off the local Indians by making it a monument. But, you would not think that to be the case for the Indians supporting it were from California.