CLIMBING AGAIN!!!!!!

This is the moment you've all been waiting for........

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!

In other words, I'M CLIMBING AGAIN!

Okay, before all you moms and dads and worriers freak out a little, IT'S OKAY, i'm being safe. Seriously. I'm taking it slow.

(pause: for you new-comers or forgetful people, i am recovering from a very serious heel injury. You can read about it here and you can hear about the surgery here.)

Here are a few pics of the x-rays and progress for you people who don't have facebook..... It's amazing that modern technology and medicine can put together a foot that was in 25 pieces. It blows my mind but I am also extremely thankful!!!

a couple x-rays: the first one shows my foot before the surgery. It appears to be in 4-5 pieces. However, when they did surgery they found that it was in about 25 pieces. The second xray shows the metal in my foot after surgery.


Here are a couple pics of casts i was in (just 2 of the MANY, i might add! and the art was done by me)


Here are pics of the incision healing up (first one was after they took off the first cast, second one is after the second cast. Now it is perfectly healed up... sorry, no healed up pics here... yet!)


....but that was SOOOOO 2 months ago!!!!!!....

Now it's time to climb! (don't tell my doctor! I hope he doesn't search me online! ha ha)

I have gone outside a few times in the past few weeks but my foot was still very weak and I had to bring my crutch out the first time as well as hike in my boot. It was still an awesome time, but I felt like I was over-doing it a little bit. Nonetheless, here are some shots from the first few times I went outside climbing again:





After 3 times of climbing outside (Pep Boys, Tim's secret boulders, and some other secret boulders near leda), i was blessed with an anonymous gift:

Someone anonymously bought me a membership to one of the climbing gyms in Chattanooga!!!! I think I know who it is, and I am very very thankful for it!!! Whoever you are, if you read this blog post I just want to say that I really really appreciate it!!!! You have really helped me take the next step in my healing process!

I have gone to the gym a few times now. One of the first times I went, I took it a little too far and it left me unable to walk for a couple days.... I took a week off and now i'm back in the game!!!!

This past weekend I went to a climbing gym both days:

On Saturday I climbed at Urban Rocks with my good old friend Dan Brayack. We climbed for a few hours and I ended the day with a v4, which wouldn't normally be saying much, but it is the hardest thing i've sent since my injury so I'm psyched and I know I am getting stronger.


Today it rained and snowed so we went to TBA (Tennessee Bouldering Authority) and it was totally badass. My hands were extremely sore from the day before but I still managed to get some good climbing in. There were a lot of my old climber friends there and the energy and vibe was absolutely amazing! It makes me smile just thinking about it! I love climbing so much and I love being around people who share the same passion!


My heel is truly healing up! Over the past week i've noticed:
-I can now stand on one foot (on the injured foot!) which is something i couldn't do for a while!
-I can begin to toe down while climbing... still needs a lot of work though
-I can put much more weight on my "injured" foot
-I can stand on my tippy toes
-I can walk on my heels

Things I need work on:
-walking on my tippy toes
-range of motion where my toes flex up
-need better bone density
-need more calf muscle

This past weekend was nationals. I was a little bummed that I had to miss it due to this mess of an injury, but you know what?! I am moving on to bigger and better things!!!!!!

But overall, things are looking very good and I'm so glad there is a light at the end of this tunnel!

You know, it's only been 4 months. FOUR MONTHS. The climber part of me thinks, "OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVEN'T CLIMBED IN FOUR MONTHS!!!!!" but the other side of me thinks, "PSH, four months!? That is NO time in the big realm of things!!!" You know, it feels like its been a year! In fact, a lot of my climber buddies feel like its been 6 months or more!!! But nope, just a measly four months! Things are looking good!