Evan took a few tiny steps tonight before dinner. I held up one of the books about cows (he loves cows - moo moo!) and he stood looking at the pictures and pointing to the cows and saying moo moo. I moved back a little, distancing the book from him so he would move forward to continue to point at the cow pictures. He hesitated but then took two little steps all by himself before falling down immediately. I did this a few times, so in all, he probably took maybe 4 total steps!
This was not the first time he took a few tiny steps. He first took a step on his own in the park a few weeks back (8/21/11 sunday). I even jotted down the time (11:17 am). We were in a recessed cemented circle and another boy (maybe 3 yrs old?) was playing at the edge of the circle (we were in the middle). Evan was curious about the boy (i think he was riding a bike?) and started going in the boy's direction, forgetting that I wasn't holding him. He took a big step and fell. June and I were so excited and clapped to show our excitement. Evan was excited as well though a little confused about the commotion.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
08.12.2011 Pyramid peak 2011!
A few years ago, I would consider the hike up Mission Peak as a warmup for 'real' hikes like Half Dome or Mt Whitney. After Evan's arrival last September, even Mission Peak has become a challenging hike! So it was with a bit of trepidation (and excitement) that I attempted Pyramid peak yesterday. It had been months and months since I had even tried Mission Peak, nevermind something as strenuous as Pyramid Peak. In fact, the last time I did anything like Pyramid Peak was a year ago at Pyramid peak! I was not sure that I could actually finish the climb this time around. But I figured I will turn around if I really can't make it to the top.
I ended up finishing the entire hike, with lots and lots of breaks. Finally getting back to the parking lot around 4:40 pm. I had started at about 9am. This is close to 2 hours longer than I would usually need. I did end up spending quite a bit of time ascending a different route which (unbeknown to me) had several segments of extremely steep and loose terrain. At one point, I had to throw my hiking poles up a few feet, get on all fours and struggle to find stable footing up a tinsy bit at a time. The danger was the slaps of granite were not stable at all, they were resting on loose rock crumbs which were acting like lubricants among the larger pieces of rocks. I got stuck at one point (reminded me of the chimney below Red Banks of Shasta) and could not move up and was afraid to try to go down. I finally got past that point by getting as close to the ground (which was at some 50 degree angle anyway) as possible and basically 'crawling' up a little at a time while hoping nothing gets loose from above, below, or where my limbs were touching the terrain.
About 60% up to the peak, my calves started to cramp up and I immediately downed shots of Gu (concentrated carb/minerals gel) and Cheez-it to replenish sodium levels. The cramps didn't get worse, nor did they get much better for the rest of the hike. Summitting in such a state made me more appreciative of the view I was enjoying and as corny as it sounds, more appreciate of life and health as well. I made it to the top just before 2 pm (1:50) and stayed for about 15 minutes before heading down via the Canyon Creek trail, which was still surprisingly abundant of snow. I made it back home just after 8:30pm. Here's a clip of the views from the top of the Pyramid:
I ended up finishing the entire hike, with lots and lots of breaks. Finally getting back to the parking lot around 4:40 pm. I had started at about 9am. This is close to 2 hours longer than I would usually need. I did end up spending quite a bit of time ascending a different route which (unbeknown to me) had several segments of extremely steep and loose terrain. At one point, I had to throw my hiking poles up a few feet, get on all fours and struggle to find stable footing up a tinsy bit at a time. The danger was the slaps of granite were not stable at all, they were resting on loose rock crumbs which were acting like lubricants among the larger pieces of rocks. I got stuck at one point (reminded me of the chimney below Red Banks of Shasta) and could not move up and was afraid to try to go down. I finally got past that point by getting as close to the ground (which was at some 50 degree angle anyway) as possible and basically 'crawling' up a little at a time while hoping nothing gets loose from above, below, or where my limbs were touching the terrain.
About 60% up to the peak, my calves started to cramp up and I immediately downed shots of Gu (concentrated carb/minerals gel) and Cheez-it to replenish sodium levels. The cramps didn't get worse, nor did they get much better for the rest of the hike. Summitting in such a state made me more appreciative of the view I was enjoying and as corny as it sounds, more appreciate of life and health as well. I made it to the top just before 2 pm (1:50) and stayed for about 15 minutes before heading down via the Canyon Creek trail, which was still surprisingly abundant of snow. I made it back home just after 8:30pm. Here's a clip of the views from the top of the Pyramid:
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