Raising a Girl with Grit: a step-by-step guide

[Jen]

The knee swelling kept me awake for much of the night and in the morning it was really stiff and sore. It took the first hour our so and "several" vitamin i to get it loosened up. My plan "B" for Sperry was quite simply just to make it to Sperry. I figured once I got there I could just rest, eat and drink wine for the duration of the stay. I guess by now we all know that was not going to happen.

Shortly after we finished breakfast I heard Renee from the dining room banging pots and pans together. She was yelling "GET OUT OF HERE!" I came out of the rest room just in time to see a black bear go running up the trail toward the Sperry campground. The ranger was coming back down the trail as we were headed up. He said he had chased the bear out and threw a bunch of rocks but the bear did not seem intimidated. We were on high alert as we headed up to Lincoln Pass. We were all having a breather at the pass when Maia was the first to see the bear try to sneak up over the pass behind us undetected. He was almost tip toeing. He definitely had no interest in us he just ambled off toward Lake Ellen Wilson. I was fun watching him mosey down the trail as we hiked up Lincoln Peak.

The girl chillaxin on top.


HEYYY, MATTB!


Sharpening our map reading skills?


Step 8: Rise above it all



More later......

[Bruce]

Sorry Bruce and Matt but I was willing to risk ruining your trips for the sake of the girl. .

Ruin our trips???? Are ya crazy!?..... There wasn't a doubt in my mind that you would make it up to Sperry (and to Lincoln Peak and Comeau Pass for that matter)... I knew 1) you are a tough hiker and 2) you were just stubborn enough to do it... in a good way of course....

Edit: Oh, and this is the first I heard that we weren't even headed toward Thoma Lookout... we were actually headed to Idaho.... Well, besides your knee blowing up and us heading toward Idaho that hike was TEXTBOOK....

[July Guy]

Sorry Bruce and Matt but I was willing to risk ruining your trips for the sake of the girl. .

Ruin our trips???? Are ya crazy!?..... There wasn't a doubt in my mind that you would make it up to Sperry (and to Lincoln Peak and Comeau Pass for that matter)... I knew 1) you are a tough hiker and 2) you were just stubborn enough to do it... in a good way of course....

Jen is stubborn?

Huh. Who knew.

[Bruce]

Jen is stubborn?

Huh. Who knew.

Yah...NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!

[July Guy]

Jen is stubborn?

Huh. Who knew.

Yah...NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!

[Jen]

Jen is stubborn?

Huh. Who knew.

Yah...NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!

You call it stubborn. I call it tenacious, strong-willed and determined.

Potato. Potahto.

[July Guy]

You call it stubborn. I call it tenacious, strong-willed and determined.

Potato. Potahto.

I have a red wine stain on my carpet that is less stubborn than you.

[Jen]

You call it stubborn. I call it tenacious, strong-willed and determined.

Potato. Potahto.

I have a red wine stain on my carpet that is less stubborn than you.

That is a one very tenacious grape!

[Jen]

At dinner that night we nominated Maia to stand up and introduce our entire table. She remembered everyone's name and where they were from. We were all grateful to not have to stand up and slur our way through an introduction.



And there were finally goats (plural)

[Bruce]

At dinner that night we nominated Maia to stand up and introduce our entire table. She remembered everyone's name and where they were from. We were all grateful to not have to stand up and slur our way through an introduction.

She did a wonderful job and yes, we were very grateful......

[liketohike]

At dinner that night we nominated Maia to stand up and introduce our entire table. She remembered everyone's name and where they were from. We were all grateful to not have to stand up and slur our way through an introduction.

She did a wonderful job and yes, we were very grateful......

totally agree!

[Jay w]

Yeah, I think the whole room was impressed with Maia's introduction. I'm enjoying the report, photos, and the comments. Keep it coming. Bruce you slayed me with the "textbook" comment.

Jay

PS for Bruce, the guy's name is Roger Clark
http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/

[Jen]

Thanks everyone for the kind words thus far.

Here is another day of me skipping the "R" and "E" in the RICE equation.
Thankfully, Fuzzy had packed in a knee brace and LiketoHike kept bringing me an ice pack from the dining room. I love these people! It took me about an hour to get loosened up and then I felt pretty good.

Step something something: Let her lead the way.

After another amazing breakfast, we booted up and head for Comeau Pass with some of my favs! MissG, Heff, Bruce, and my new friends, Liketohike and Fuzzy side Down. A splendid Bluebird day! MATTTBEEE, Toddnick, and JayDub met up with us at the pass.
We left poor Bruce on the wrong side of this goat and he wasn't sure he wanted to sneak passed


Another Goat (for Maia) (Photo by Maia)


Our new friend, Jeanne, took this for us and emailed in later


At the pass, we had the infamous wolverine sighting. All of our pics are just a black dot in the distance but this was a definite highlight for the trip.

Maia and I headed off to find a disappearing glacier.




This was a most amazing day. Great friends, Wolverine, one last wine bar and another epic meal at The Sperry Chalet.








Maia and Heff936 circa 2009


G'Night, Sperry.

[PeteE]

Very, very nice Jen. I like the picture of everyone on the stairway.
And Maia's goat picture is really terrific! I love that shot angle.
Her artistic talent isn't limited to painting.
Well done Mother and Daughter!

pete

[Jen]

Update for those who have been asking:
Went into the OR at 12:30 this afternoon. My fantastic surgeon fashioned me a new ACL out of my hamstring tendon and did some repair work to both menisci. I was back in recovery at 2:30pm.
Botta bing. Botta boom.
Dr. Dunlap is on the sports medicine team for the Blackhawks and the US Olympic hockey team and has a reputation for his awesome ACL skills. I think I was in pretty good hands.
I feel pretty good and will be starting my formal PT on Monday.