Coming home... Kinda

For the past couple weeks this has been my walk to work... Not bad eh?

Thanks to Peter Hackett I've had a place to crash, a ski pass, and the opportunity to see some great high altitude pathology. Dr. Hackett is one of the pioneers in the area of high altitude medicine, and has experienced the effects firsthand on several occasions, most notably during his ascent of Everest. Elizabeth and I worked with the Institute for Altitude Medicine while living out here a few years ago, and I figured this would be a great pitstop on my ride from Denver down to Albuquerque.

It's been great being back, a few things have changed but many familiar faces remain. I fell straight back into the powder-hound mode, while also helping out in the clinic. So far I've been able to see and help treat some orthopedic injuries, several AMS patients, and a HAPE patient who sauntered into the clinic with O2 sats in the low sixties.

My folks couldn't handle me hogging all this mountainous beauty, and drove out here last week during their time off... We had a blast hiking, cross-country skiing, and barhopping around town. You guys are awesome; I love the spontaneity and I'm glad you made it out... the love of the mountains must be genetic.

As my time here grows to a close, the feelings are bittersweet... I love this town; the work, the people, the pow... at the same time I'm stoked about the wilderness medicine elective in New Mexico. We will be camping in snow caves in Taos, hiking the Grand Gulch in southern Utah, and learning how to provide medical care in some of the most extreme circumstances imaginable... It should be an awesome primer for the Himalayan Health trip in April, and should provide some good tales...

all for now

Lambo out