On The Road To Recovery

I had my toe worked on last Friday and hopefully it'll clear up the ongoing problem I've had with ingrown toenails. If you've never had ingrown toenails it probably doesn't sound like that big a deal but it's very painful. It's like having a toothache in your toe. Two nights before I went in to get it fixed I was up at 2:30 in the morning because the pain wouldn't let me sleep. Here I am trying to do something to alleviate the pain just so I could get back to bed. It was very annoying.

I also went to physical therapy for my back and that's getting better, too. I'm hoping 2012 will be better than 2011 and I can get back out on the trail…or off it.

My Next Endeavor

OK, so the hiking into shape thing didn't quite work out. I got a couple of injuries that really set back my progress and I'm finally going to get the fixed. I'm seeing a physical therapist today about my sciatica and I've got an appointment with a podiatrist about my ongoing problems with my toes. I hope to be good as new but the first of the year.

I've got some great adventures planned for 2012 if I can get my health under control and will have no other objectives than to enjoy the best hikes possible. No hiking every day again, no let's hike for health, no big plans other than to just enjoy myself and to share some of the great places I explore.

Amazingly, this blog still gets over a hundred hits a day even though I stopped adding hikes to it almost two years ago. I have to think of a name for whatever blog I do next but I'll give that some thought as I'm undergoing my recovery. I'll let you know what I figure out.

Hiking Into Shape

My new blog, Hiking Into Shape, is now live.

I haven't quite started the Into Shape part of the equation yet but I've done a few hikes that I thought were enjoyable enough to share.

I'm waiting until after the first of the year to start the full fitness aspect of my endeavor because who wants to start a fitness regimen during the holidays?

Once I get that started I'll give fitness assessment and updates on any hikes I do.

Hope you enjoy it!

Hal

Change In Plans

I'd been hoping to finally get moving on my Palm Springs Hikes blog but during a 16 mile hike this past Saturday I came up with another idea.

Last year I was able to accomplish my goal of hiking every day. This year I've been far less motivated and have paid the price, mainly in weight gain and a loss some of the fitness I attained by hiking every day.

SO, next year I have set forth a new project for myself: Hiking Into Shape.

I hope to chart my progress toward greater health and my hiking experiences all while losing weight and returning to my role as an inspiration for millions. OK, maybe not that last part.

Bookmark my new site: Hiking Into Shape and there will be more coming in the next few weeks. I promise.

Favorite Pictures of Animals--Reptiles and Birds

One amazing thing about the desert is the amount of wildlife. Most people think of the desert as a dry and lifeless, sandy and remote area of land but it is really an incredible wellspring of life. There were very few days that I did not encounter some type of animal and often the creatures I did come across were the highlight of my adventure. Here are a few of the birds and reptiles I saw on my outings.

I saw a lot of hawks this past year but couldn't get any real good pictures of them. They fly high and fast and I wasn't able to get the camera on them but they are a pleasure to watch.

Roadrunners are a different matter. I could probably take a hundred pictures of them. In fact, I have a pair that live on my street that I see almost every day. They are fun to watch and when you see one you know you're in the desert.

Hummingbirds are another desert bird that are difficult to photograph for an amateur like me although they are plentiful. These guys move FAST and when you think you've got a good picture they're gone. I was lucky to find this one actually perched for a second while I got my camera ready.

Hummingbirds are usually seen around flowers as this one hovers near this Palo Verde.

One of the best bird sightings of this year for me was this juvenile Great Horned Owl that Carl Garczynski and I saw on a hike in Joshua Tree National Park. He showed very little fear of us and Carl suggested that we were probably the only humans that he had ever seen and didn't know what to make of us.

Here he is just a bit closer.

Probably my favorite bird sighting this year was this Falcon that I saw near the start of the Art Smith Trail. He had a freshly killed Chuckwalla in his talon and had must have had a nest nearby because he hung around for a while even after leaving this spot.

Lizards were the most frequently spotted animal during my year of hiking. I probably spotted lizards on at least 75% of my outings. Most of the time I just let them be but Nikolas wanted to catch one so I let him. He also wanted to take him home but I insisted we let him go.

This Desert Iguana was lucky to get away from being caught. He was spotted on a hike when I had three boys along but he managed to escape.

Banded lizards, like this one, were the most plentiful and easily recognized.

Other than running under rocks the most frequent thing I saw lizards do were push-ups.

I saw a couple of Horned Toads (or Horny Toads as we called them when we were kids) and of the lizards I spotted, I most wanted to take on of these home.

I know frogs aren't really Reptiles but I didn't have enough amphibians to up them in their own category so this one goes here.

One of the most frequent questions I got about hiking every day was, "Have you seen any rattlesnakes?". Hiking hundreds of miles over three hundred and sixty-five days I saw one. Amazingly, I saw it on an evening in August when I thought it would be WAY too hot for a rattler. It was way too hot for me and I had Gatorade.