The muscle spasms are now significantly more intense than they were in 2008. Apparently such a progression is not that unusual. I’ve given Alicia quite a hard kick in bed on several occasions. My physician prescribed clonazepam for the spasms and it works pretty well for me.

I’ve peed myself countless times by accident since writing the original post. However, I have a good system pretty well established and incontinence pads take care of the accidents.

I have not any further bowel incidents of even a slight nature. Consequently I am not convinced that the one described in the original post had anything at all to do with the SCI.

Some months after writing the post, I visited an orthotist for the first time. Without me faking it, he was convinced that I had some weakness in the left ankle. This surprised me because I have no sensory loss there. I followed his recommendation for a semi fixed ankle on the left KAFO. While that did in fact make walking easier, I’m still not convinced of any nerve damage in the lower leg.

I wrote the original post prior to presenting as a PWD most of the time. The minor SCI has made my life particularly easy in terms of explaining my wheelchair use. My physician realised that my spikes of stage 2 hypertension are related to spikes in back pain from the SCI. Since being in the wheelchair substantially reduces my back pain, she recommended that I use the wheelchair as much as practicable. I don’t have to make anything up! I have lisinopril on hand to take if the blood pressure shoots up high enough to cause a headache.

I had not given a thought to the idea that I would have such splendid views of the exact location of the seminal event. I stopped and did a double take as I realised what I was looking at. I took out my binoculars to make sure. Yes, there it was, leading straight off the top of the Becker chairlift; a single black (advanced), not difficult, a straight shot, steep but not too steep.

I had an emotion as I looked through space and back in time. It was one of fond nostalgia; not the usual emotion of recalling something so physically painful I suppose. But then, the obligatory limp had been present for hours, thereby linking the present with the past. I think you understand.

From the top of DeMoisy I scrambled down the ridgeline to the entrance of the double black chute where the reinjury had occurred. I stood at the top in disbelief. It really did start out with a 25-30 ft vertical cliff. I figured that it would not be quite so daunting in winter. Snow would be piled up at the bottom of the cliff, and the lay of the snow would take away a little of the sheer verticality. Still…I well remember trembling at the top prior to launch.

Before heading home I visited the top of the nearby Strawberry Express gondola. I did another double take at seeing the wheelchair sign on the restroom door. It’s just not what I usually find after six and a half hours of hiking. It was not locked so I went inside and turned on the lights. Everything was immaculate. The accessible stall was beautiful. The toilet flushed automatically. Soap was in the dispenser. The automatic faucets worked perfectly. There were paper towels and kleenex. I am very unaccustomed to such luxury in the middle of a hike. Among other things, Snowbasin is renowned for having the best toilet facilities of any ski resort in Utah.

Thank you for everything, Snowbasin!

Best to ya on your path with hopes you get where you want. I have had many injuries that have only fell short of the “Someday” wish of my own set of HKAFO and a need for them.