I set out to hit the Y in Provo for the first time this year.
A little rusty, but it seems like I'll make it..
Knee acting up a little bit. This is a theme that will be ongoing.
I find a patch of snow on the trail, hoping that the upper trail doesn't get too sloppy.
This hike isn't particularly difficult, but the vertical slope is fairly daunting: 1200 vertical feet in just over a mile. Its proximity to the city makes it a popular little jaunt. In 2009 I hiked this trail 24 times.
Upon reaching the slab, I rest a little. There are some paraglider guys up there trying to catch a wind.
I do my usual routine: get a drink, eat a bite of food. Rest my aching bones. Try not to talk to anyone.
I head down. Down is usually harder on me, as my foul knees don't hold up to the stresses of the trail that direction. Usually after a long descent, I find myself stumbling and leaning on things. Hiking sticks help. A few minutes sitting helps. But the fact is, I almost always have a moment or two where I feel like a wobbly-kneed baby giraffe- or in this case a hippo.
Driving off the hill, I see one of the paraglider guys coming in for a landing.
Through a strange turn of events, his landing doesn't go as planned. An hour later, he's still clinging to that tree like a cat escaping a pack of wild dogs.
