My fork arrived @ PUSH on Wed. 2 days ahead of the scheduled Fri service. I eagerly checked my email and checking account to learn of the charge amount that would tell me the work was finished and the fork would be shipped. All weekend, no funds transfer. I called early Mon AM. I might ride this weekend. Work not started due to lack of capacity. No “how can I make this better for you” offer. It is what it is: no repaired fork.

I checked 2 shops to learn of rental bikes: $60 for 1/2 day on an Ibis. Too expensive. I want to ride a bike close or better than my Spot which I suppose drives this rental rate. I don’t have to ride just to ride. Instead, I spent double that rental rate on a pair of fabric hiking boots. Today I am driving over Stanley way for a backpack overnight Wednesday to the base of Elephants Perch, apparently a famous rock climbing piece of rock. A shuttle the length of Redfish Lake then a 3 mile hike to Saddleback Lakes. I am having post partum blues over giving up my stiff heavy full leather boots. The trail to the lake is a climbers’ way trail which will give me feedback on my boot choice.

I will remember my reading glasses and bring a paperback book that I will select. I started reading Kent Haruf’s new book: Benediction. I have read his previous works and had been looking for his new work. Prolly won’t carry the hardcover.

I bought a 6er of canned Moose Drool, one will find its way into my pack, the empty will be turned into a pipe.

My former across the road neighbors asked if I wanted to house sit their house the week of Sept 8. I said “yes”. I now have a when and where goal. I will schedule my dental appointment. I need to create a travel and ride plan to arrive.

Off to the Idaho hinterlands where digital communication is in the Digital Divide.

Friday afternoon ortho DR visit. New X-rays taken. He put me thru some rotator cuff health tests which I passed indicating that the cuff is all together. My pain comes from the collar bone not healing in alignment which stresses the supporting muscles. Strengthening exercises will help. If the pain becomes too unbearable, then surgery is next step: refracture the bone then screw on a plate connecting each end. I started exercising in earnest.

Sat I hiked up democrat Gulch, past the established road to the ridge line separating next gulch over to Deer Gulch, 90 mins of constant hiking gained about 1500′. The big peak over my camp is 8110′ and on the same ridge where I stopped @ road’s end. I was in my low tops great for the road but lacking ankle support for off trail bashing. I turned around. Over time beaver have created numerous dams along the creek. Several places the ground was like a park caused by the silting of the ponds drying them up.

I returned to the van. I stayed put, didn’t drive back into town. Finished up Haiison’s Bad Monkey novel. I watched episodes of Justified that Steve turned me onto.

Today I pick Pioneer Cabin trail that bikes hardly ride. I thought about riding it however, after hiking it, I  have no desire to ride it. The cabin is the opening pic, built in’37 sits @ 9460′, the highest i have been since when? My breathing cooperated. 2300′ climb in 1 hr 40 mins. Don’t know the mileage. Mountains are beautiful.

My brake was bled, Jeff found air in the master cylinder and the caliper, he says it is cleared to stop me. It is in UPS, I should get it Tues. I haven’t received notice from PUSH about my fork. My plan has it arriving via UPS on Tues. I put the bike back together and I get to ride Tues evening. Come on PUSH, push it out the door.

This was my bedroom last night:

Two days ago Kyle suggested a back pack trip on the far side of the Pioneers as there would be no fire smoke and if even just the drive over and back was worth it. So I bought  freeze dried meals and some back packing food @ the grocery store.

Yesterday AM I drove up and over Trail Pass topping @ 7881. The road on the Ketchum side in the Sawtooth FS is rough as it gets hacked by the elements more than the Salmon Challis NF which is mostly well graded and a dust palative applied. After the pass I found a place to pull off the road. I dug thru my backpacking equipment. Big issue would be if the MSR Whisperlite didn’t run which would mean just cleaning it. It ran satisfactorily. Next was observing the self inflation of the thermorest which showed potential that it would protect me from the cold ground and bulging objects. Gear is go. I drove the rest of the way to the Falls creek TH. Kyle suggested Moose Lake a 3.5 mile hike. The  Lake appeared to have less steep shorelines in places for camp sites. While I was creating my back pack a group of maybe 15 jr high kids show up. I asked and @ learned they were going to Moose also. And there were maybe 8 other cars whose occupants might be there also. Next choice was to head up to Surprise Valley. First part was on same trail heading to Moose and the trail showed the wear. At a junction Moose went right and Surprise went left. The trail then became almost a climbers’ way trail: fractured granite, sand, steep, faint in places until the trail popped out into the valley where a small shallow tarn fed runoff into a creek that joined another one then dropped over the edge down to Falls Creek. I scouted around and picked the above spot.

Trail climbed 2100′. I figured from the map that it would be a hump. The few boot prints indicated few hikers had gone or go this way.

This has become my annual backpacking trip and caused by lack of bike. Last year it was the AT in rocky PA. I needed to know if I could still hump a pack. I learned that my right shoulder still has issues that cause pain. I only forgot my reading glasses left back on the stove. And I packed the hard copy to Bad Monkey, Hiiason’s new book. I am unable to make the print come into focus. Going to be a long stay as I planned on reading. I took 2 vicadons for my shoulder and crawled into my sleeping bag w/ my head out of the tent. I laid there not sleeping. High clouds filtered the full moon. I finally fell asleep about 4 then jerked awake @ 6. I bolted from bag and tent. Plan was to by mid AM be back over on the Ketchum side for cell phone coverage. I made it. The drive was well worth the effort. Lots of slow minutes on gravel roads.

One voice mail was from the local ortho from a referral. I called and scored a cancellation appointment for tomorrow. The other was from the ortho DR in Flag saying call back. He called me late in the PM and told me the 2 week ago X-Ray shows still broken ends. He said it is not unusual nor harmful, just painful. Plating is the only surgical solution. I just need to deal w/ the pain and lack of full functionality.

Shower @ the Y. I back stretched on a balance ball that was just heavenly.

Bought a 6er of canned Moose Drool. First one tasted right on.

Back out beyond Sun Valley above Trail creek, the road to my camp spot is paved.