Oracles and anti-inflammatories

Another successful training day today walking up Mount Olympus. Not "The" Mount Olympus in Greece (I wish, how fun that would be?) but the fake one here in Salt lake City. Not sure of the connection but I do know you won't find Zeus inhabiting this

mountain, but perhaps the Mormon Moroni blowing his trumpet? (sorry, couldn't resist, hope I haven't offended anyone).

I have never understood why Americans can't make up their own names for places. For example, why would you bother to take the perilous journey across the Atlantic from Plymouth to escape a place of persecution only to name the place of arrival Plymouth as well? How utterly uncreative.

But I digress.

Curt and I know this mountain very well and have summited it several times over the last 22 years.

It is a good mountain for

early spring as most of the hike is

south facing and gets way too hot in the summer. It's not very high at just over 9,000 feet but it is steep and ascends 4,800 feet in 3.1 miles. There is a fun scramble to the summit and once on top you get the most amazing panoramic views of the Wasatch range and the Salt Lake Valley.

Despite having to negotiate steep slippery snow, it only took us 2 1/2 hours to summit and this seemed like a fairly decent, about normal time for us. Interestingly enough we didn't begin to notice our age until we started to descend. That is when we realized that we were indeed middle aged. Knees and ankles started to creek and our pace slowed tremendously. Gone are the days of running down to get to the pub quicker.

This seems to be an appropriate time to put a plug in for "CHANDLER'S WALK SHOPPE". If you are ever in Salt Lake City and in need of a pair of shoes, visit Skip and he will fit you with a pair or modify any pair of shoes in the shop to fit your feet - even bizarre contorted feet such as mine. Today I was wearing my new Keen gortex boots kitted out with custom-Skip-made inner soles . I am happy to say they were fantastic. And they really do need to be fantastic because I have a major problem. A recent CAT scan of my foot showed my bones resembling chunks of Swiss cheese, nibbled rather severely along the edges (joints) by a large family of hungry mice. Even my untrained eye could tell that this was not good or normal and that my Rheumatoid arthritis was having a hay day - and potentially ruining my long walk this summer. Lovely Dr Rhodes (great podiatrist at the Salt lake clinic) gently suggested I take up an alternate sport other than running or walking, something like "water aerobics or knitting".

He told me my feet are not meant for walking. Bit of problem really, considering I am planning on using these feet to walk 1200 miles over the length of Britain this summer.

So this summit meant a lot to me today because I proved to myself that I am still capable. I won't be needing that swim suit or those knitting needles, just my Keen boots and inner soles from Skip! Oh and handfulls of anti inflammatories, a cortisone shot and various other pharmaceuticals.