Climbing Up the Mountain

Everyday, on my way to and home from work, I pass Towsley Canyon, which is a little local park just off of I-5 right as you come over Newhall Pass from Los Angeles. It's not the swing set and grassy field kind park, it the undeveloped hiking trails kind of park. Unlike a lot of parks in the area that bizarrely give a lot of preference to horses and discriminate against bikes, you can actually mountain bike on the trails here. In fact it was one of the first places I rode when I moved to CA a couple years ago. It's not a particularly long trail, 4 miles round trip, but it's challenging, the climbing is steep with sharp switchbacks, and unrelenting. At the top, you are afforded a view of the Santa Clarita Valley, not much to look at, but I wonder, if it was ever really clear, you might be able to see the southern tip of the Sierras.

For some months now, looking up into those hill caused a tinge of sadness in me. It made me sad, I that I couldn't, was unable to ride them. It reminded me that I couldn't ride at all. Then a month ago at my final biopsy, I realized that in all likelihood, my prednisone level (prednisone is a steroid) had reached its minimum dose. why is this important? Because prednisone can cause osteoporosis, in fact I'm on permanent calcium supplements, because I take it. Finally being, at the minimum dosage meant that my bones could recover, which meant that I could finally resume high-impact activities - like mountain biking. And I am back - Towsley is a long way off for me, but each day I pass it, and each time I ride I know I'm close. But honestly, Towsley is an intermediate goal. My true goal is this

Chumash is the trail that I road the evening of my heart attack, when all this started. I will never be able to leave what happened to me behind, but I think this may be a good start to moving on. So, on July 30th, 2009, exactly 1 year to the date of my heart attack, I plan to ride this trail again, and this time, I will survive.