Heart Condition Part XI
6/14/12
As we climbed the center portion of the hill the grass away from the path that had been made was about two feet tall. It was tall enough that if dogs were to stray from their masters and hide in the grass they could perform this with ease. The grass was beautiful though it was uniform in size and color and moved with the breeze that was coming down from the top of the hill. The entire hill had this type of grass which only gave way in its existence to the trees and the trails up the hill.
Many sounds were coming from all directions and most of them were man made. When a person stopped and looked around the hill one could see humans completing an array of tasks. One family was having a picnic on a small knoll with their kids running around their belongings having the time of their lives. Another couple was bringing their down a trail and the sound of a four wheeler was slowly making its way on a path somewhere in the near vicinity. Everywhere you turned you could hear some type of human activity and the one thing that all of us had in common was that we all were having a good time with our respective company.
The girls were having a blast running through the tall grass which basically the same size as they were and it was hard to keep an eye on them while they were doing this. It kind of reminded me of the old television program “Little House on the Prairie” where the scene of one of the girls running down a hill in a field of grass. But they were having fun and that was the sole purpose for us being up there, but even then a parent’s job still has to be maintained. The trek to the top of the hill was about three hundred to four hundred yards from the base of the hill and with the slope of the hill really let me know how bad of shape I was in when the top was conquered.
The girls were up to the top first and had listened to our instructions about them waiting on the rest of the family. Bear was with Bonnie and I but he was not phased with any form of tiredness for him reality had not hit him yet. As for Bonnie and I it was a short but vigorous climb and we were anxious for a quick break before deciding which trail to take. I found a large boulder and promptly placed myself on to its side.
I heard something approaching us from behind, it was a slow and methodical sound which the girls did not recognize until the figure appeared out of the trees. The top of the Grand Mesa is open range for cattle, it has been this way for many decades in which ranchers will bring their cattle up on the Mesa during the summer to escape the heat and for them to have plenty of grazing access. The cattle usually stay up on the Mesa until about mid to late October, which was vastly approaching and at that time they would gather them up and take them back down to the original areas for winter. The girls were surprised to see a cow up in the mountains and I told them that they would not see that every day.
After explaining the presence of the cows to the girls I turned and looked back down the hill across the road and up on the other hill. At this height I could make out some of the yellow aspen leaves that were mixed in amongst the pine trees. The green and yellow colors made for a beautiful picture and as I was sitting there looking at the scene across the road Bonnie came up and sat down beside me. I then turned my focus on the hill that we had just climbed. I noticed a large rock in the center of the hill and then a few more scattered along the face of the hill. The rocks were not numerous by any means but they were large enough for one to see when given the right angle. We had totally missed the rocks on our climb and until the conditions were right. Now I remembered what made all of those bumps that we hit when we are sledding down the hill.
About that time Bonnie looked at me and asked me how I was feeling. I had not even thought about it I told her because I was feeling great. I had no pain and I was not overly tired when we reached the top of the hill. She said I looked ok but she thought she would ask me anyway. When I took a closer look at my inner self I confirmed my feelings, I was ok but at the same time I was a bit concerned because for what reason was I now feeling good after a few days of pain; I had no definite answer which was causing me to second guess my so called healthy state.
I took one more good look at the reservoir and its surroundings and panned my eyes around the remaining scenes of the area before returning to my feet to begin the process of choosing which trail to take. If you have noticed I have not mentioned taking any pictures on this afternoon trip there is a reason for that, we did not bring it. On this side of the Bishop family we have a real problem of totally forgetting our camera on trips of this sort. Now the long vacation trips it serves no problem in remembering but the short trips the majority of the time we do not even think about the camera until the first spectacular view or some other event provokes our thoughts. So, I am sorry not to be able to include pictures for this portion of the story for they would have been great to include as a visual aide.
The girls were having a blast picking up sticks and then running around the trees and watching them expend all of their energy made me tired for them. They were having a blast and had not a care in the world at that moment which was one of the purposes for which we made the trip. A took a quick look around and noticed a trail head up the way about twenty yards or so, Bonnie and I walked over to the group of trails and signs indicated the name of each trail and how long they were. Another sign had all of the trails and the routes they took on the mountain and if they connected with other trails or just ended at some point. The trail we chose to take was about five miles long but we knew that we would not come close in finishing it but it looked great on the wooden sign.
Everyone then gathered at the sign and we explained which trail we were taking and one of the girls asked which trail it was so Bonnie pointed to one of them that led a path that was straight in front of us and when the girls saw it they immediately took off down the trail. Bear figured out which direction we were heading in and followed suit right behind the girls’ dust. It seemed like the thirty second rest for everyone rejuvenated the young girls and Bear only but since Bear was on a chain Bonnie was soon being dragged behind him, the rest of us could have stayed at the trail head for a few minutes longer but that option went by the wayside. The rest of us began to follow the girls and Bear along the trail.
The trail was well groomed and wide enough ensure good footing while going up and down the small hills that the trail offered on a constant basis. The mix of aspen trees with no leaves on them and the pine trees with their green branches was a refreshing site to see and a good reminder that even though some of the creations in that area “died” for a season that there are still others that represent “life” all year round. Every so often we would have to step over a downed tree that really should be cleared but it did not look like anyone was going to get to that process anytime soon, plus some of these downed trees looked like they had been there for some time.
The trail provided every type of scenery that a small trail could, it had everything from trees to small ponds and many, many small critters running in front of you your steps startling us some times. These creatures gave Bear fits because when one ran across the path and he saw it, it was time to start the chase and the curious Pomeranian syndrome was well in effect that afternoon. It was good to see Bear expending a good amount of energy that day see he had been having seizures for quite some time back then and the medication that he was on continually made him sleepy and hungry so his real exercise program was basically nil.
At times you just had to stop and take a panoramic view of the area and just stand in awe of the majesty that the area provided. There was really not much I could say to describe the scenery because I would do the scenes a grave injustice with my description. The only thing that I could say is that God knew exactly what He was doing when he put forth His plan for the creation of the Grand Mesa. It was hard to keep the girls still long enough for them to do the same type of activity but they were very young and were more interested in moving about the trail which was fine in all ways.
When all of us approached approximately half way on our trail, it met up with another trail and it was at this point that we decided to turn back around and towards the original trail head, some of us were getting hungry. I have always found it interesting that when you travel in one direction the scenery and sights represent a certain view but when you take the same route in return the sights and views seem totally different somehow even though nothing has changed except the person is traveling. This is exactly what happened to me on our way back to the trail head, which to this day gives me something to consider about people when I talk with them in different situations.
When we reached the trail head we stopped for a second to grab another glimpse of the reservoir and opposite hillside. This stop is another example of how time and colors change the scenery even though the subject has not changed or moved. The girls then took off down the hill seizing an opportunity to run a bit and ignoring the “be careful” shouts from the adults. Bear took off as well chasing the girls which meant that Bonnie had to be next with the chain in her hand. I stood there for a few more seconds and realized that I continued to feel great with no pain. I also told myself that if I had climbed this hill and walked on a path for a total of a few miles that my pain was not from my heart but something else. I started down the hill following the same path that I had taken going up the hill. We all know that going down hills is just as tricky as going up them and the muscles that we use in both cases differ, God even took into consideration of that detail.
At the time of this afternoon trip I was continuing to try and convince myself that nothing serious was occurring in my life and by this time the next day I knew something else was going on inside my body. After all of the entire heart attack episode was over one of my physicians came in and asked me about my events the few days prior to my heart attack. Most of the topics that I mentioned really did not stand out to him very much because you knew that he had heard almost everything in the book. However, when I mentioned that I went into the mountains for an extended period of time and told him of the activities that we did, this got his attention quickly and he made it very clear to me that heart problems and altitude did not mix well, which I already knew.
I cannot argue the fact that God had His hand on me that Sunday afternoon. When I learned just how much my heart vessel was blocked I knew then that something should have happened to me up there and theoretically I should have never made it down from the mountain alive. But God did provide protection for me and I am eternally grateful for this act of love, mercy and kindness from me.
DLB
Part XII to follow…..
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