My Appalachian Trail partner Dick Simons asked how my new hip was doing. I replied, “that’s my good hip.”
We were off to climb Mt. MacKenzie, one of six in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondaks. Dick had done five of them, and MacKenzie was said to be the toughest.
We set off about 9 a.m. on a warm day with Dick’s wife, Pam, my wife Toni, and Bo, Dick’s Corgi. After an hour-long hike into the base of the mountain, the pitch steepened. For a second hour we pushed up through a dirt track liberally punctuated with rocks and roots. At some point we realized we’d wandered off the main trail, as had eight or ten other hikers who overtook us. Dick’s GPS device estimated the main route was 50 yards to our right, where he found it. Shortly the dirt hardened to slabs of rock that required more careful climbing and occasional boosts to get the Corgi up the rocks.
By noon we seemed to be approaching the top, but it was a mirage. We climbed on and again the peak appeared, but proved illusory. On the third false peak, we sat down and ate lunch. We could see the final, and highest, peak ahead, but it required us to descend a steep slope and climb more. We were reluctant.
I was beat, and voted to return the way we came, but Dick persuaded us that once we reached the top, we could continue on and descend the far side on an easier slope. White-haired, overweight hikers passed us, sealing the deal. We went on–to find ourselves descending an even steeper rock face, then climbing again.
Fortunately, Dick was right. After we summited, we found our way down the far side with few rock faces and a gentler slope. My “good” hip never complained, and the other, which may need replacement some day, didn’t either.
Thank you Dr. Moschetti.
GetHip! 