Marcy dam

Marcy dam
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Did a short hike today. Well, that's not really accurate as I covered 13 miles or so. It was mostly easy walking and I was done by 3pm so it felt short. I did manage to get up two peaks so I still accomplished something.

I had planned to meet Mike and do something more ambitious but the prior Tuesday I tweaked some muscles in my back. Any movement resulted in blinding pain and I was forced to spend 24 hours flat on my living room floor(p.s. the ceiling needs painting). Strangely I was feeling much better the next day and by Saturday I 'felt' almost 100%. That said, I didn't want to attempt a huge trek deep into the bush only to reinjure my back. As a result, I opted out of Mike's plans and went for a shorter hike on my own. Phelps and Tabletop fit the bill. The route meant I was never too far from my car so, if I had a problem, I could always cut it short without spoiling someone elses day. Also the climbs aren't too fierce so I wouldn't be requiring a major effort. A further benefit was that the van Hovenberg trail is busy (really busy) so, should I require emergency assistance(hopefully not!), I'm not without the means of finding some help. The more remote trails Mike had planned on could mean a long, long... long wait before someone should happen along.

With the plan set I headed to South Meadow and walked up the truck trail to Marcy dam. This also gave me a nice stroll to warm up the back muscles before calling for more rigourous climbing. All went well. A nice morning and I was feeling good. Got to Marcy dam at 8:30 and the water was perfectly still. Made for a nice shot of the Avalanche pass in the background. From there it was off to Phelps and I was still ahead of the crowds on the van Hovenberg!