Motivators

“You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things-to compete. You can just be an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.”

-Edmund Hillary

Life here is all about the uber athlete. You have to be careful.  “Wanna play tennis?” means let’s meet an hour beforehand and run 6 or 7 miles to “warm up.” Skiing? Whoosh-they’re gone. (No one waits for the girl from Chicago.) I’m not sure if motivated people come to this part of the country or if this part of the country motivates people, but there are lots of motivated people motivating to do lots of fun things here!

Caught up in the wave, I attempted to hike up to the gondola before the mountain opened Friday morning.  Clad in layers, micro spikes and poles in hand, I set off shortly after sunrise with a cousin–newly arrived from  sea level– and a seasoned veteran-of-a-Baldy hiker. Somewhat needless to say, my cousin and I retreated at about 7,000 feet, which wasn’t terribly impressive given that we parked at 6,000 feet. No pictures to prove our defeat, just sore joints and lots of laughs about our failed summit attempt.

Recently Peter called asking me to take him and his friend to Penny Hill after school. A favorite local sledding spot, it also happens to be a couple hundred feet high, slick as ice and covered in bumps. I agreed and then realized the friend he was going with has a broken arm. Not a chance I told the 13 year-olds, who were completely dumb founded at my call. Take a thirteen year-old and submerge him into this go-for-it culture and let’s just say sledding off a hundred foot face of ice in a cast sounds like a great idea. Fortunately I talked them out of it. He found another friend the next day and off they went-helmeted at least. Notice the sledding “hill” in the back of this picture. Ouch. No wonder I got kids in casts…

I know it’s my age –and just the beginning–but the wheels are starting to fall off the bus. Regularly. The good news is, you get ‘em put back on and you keep going. I skied with a friend over New Years who separated her shoulder; she called to tell me her doctor tells her she needs knee surgery too. In town, about every fifth person is donning a crutch, a cast, a sling, or at a minimum is hurrying off to get poked prodded, and cracked by their therapist of choice. Luke and I frequent the walk in Chinese reflexologist. Anything to promote his healing, and for me, well there is that “glutton for comfort” nickname to live up to.

People get after it though. It’s inspiring to see. Eighty year-olds in their waders, ninety year olds cruising Baldy… No question youth is a state of mind, just save a few dollars for the acupuncturist while you chase it!