I don’t know if I mentioned out plans for a backpacking adventure to summit Mount Whitney. We struck out in securing our choice dates in the lottery but managed to nab dates in October. As luck would have it, the government shutdown eliminated all hope of taking on this adventure. Needless to say, I was bummed. After all, the upcoming trip gave me one more reason to work hard towards recovering from the latest body challenges.

Sadly, we were not able to make the planned trek as the shutdown is still in effect in California National Parks. Instead of backpacking in the back country, we went for day hikes in a couple of parks in the area.

My body thanked me for it. National Parks have been shut down but NOT ME!