By the time I get my thumb spika splint off and everything is “healed” in my left upper extremity – enough so that I can start some serious rehabilitation and work toward climbing again – it will have been five months. Five months since I’ve climbed… Then, when I begin rehabilitating my left wrist, thumb, and hand again, we’ll see what pops up next. Hopefully everything will turn out to be healed finally, and I can resume climbing within the sixth month out. I’m looking forward to 01 Mar 2019, when I come out of the thumb spika splint and begin strengthening my left lower arm and hand again. I NEED TO CLIMB!
I talked to my doctor last night and he told me to look up this one particular peak in a national park here in Montana. I saw a photo of it online and fell in love with it. I want to climb that mountain! I ordered the climbing guidebook to that area and it’s supposed to arrive Monday, the day after tomorrow. I can’t wait to get the guidebook! It gives me something to work toward and to plan for. I have to plan out my recovery, my rehabilitation, my climbing progress, my training, my climbing partners, my timing during the seasons, my transportation, the permits to stay in the backcountry, my gear and equipment, how we’re going to get in, how we’re going to get out once we summit, what skills I’m going to need… There’s infinite planning to be done regarding this beauty of a peak that I want to climb! And my doctor knows that. He knows what gets me going and what will get my mind in a better place. “Do what you can do,” he said before he hung up. Plan! Plan to climb!!!
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 