Colorado

I felt apprehensive coming to Colorado. The weather is plugging to Arctic level -- the low for Monday is -15F. It'll be the coldest I've ever experienced. It's a good thing that snow accompanied the Arctic air; they got about a foot of fresh snow from the storm. But I was apprehensive that the road will be frozen and slippery. Another accident on the road will the last thing I'll need.

To make the matter worse. I fell in Park City. I was looking one way looking for the direction, and I fell like a log the other way and landed on my injured side. It was a pretty dumb fall to tell you the truth. And now my rib is worse off, again 

Yes, the season is not over. After the terrible morning in Northstar, the rib felt well enough to tempt me ski again. So I skied Northstar a couple of times before heading off to Utah. 

Park City wasn't in the best shape. I skied all over off Tombstone the last time I was here a few years ago. This time. The black runs along the lift was not skiable. I went down there anyway only to ski over tree branches. 

Dreamscape was better. It was nicely covered with adequate sized moguls perfect for practice and I had a hell of good time. Ninety Nine 90 was alright too. But the moguls was too big for practice. I thought about skiing one more day in Park City, but I was running out of time. I have airline seat to LGA reserved on 2/12, so I must be in Raleigh before then. Which means I have only up to 2 weeks on Colorado. If I were to do all 4 resorts ( Beaver Creek, Vail, Breckenridge, keystone), then 2 weeks will be barely enough.

So, Colorado starts tomorrow. For now, I'm sleeping in Glenwood springs Tesla station. I'll be up early tomorrow morning and get to Beaver Creek and try to score a parking. It's the weekend with fresh powder, so the competition will be fierce.

The Season Is Over

This morning, I couldn't even breathe. Take a deep breath, and the sharp pain caused chest spasm and contraction. I swallowed naproxen and waiting for pain to subside so that I can breathe again. 

I didn't count on the problem getting worse. I thought I could ski for the rest of the season with discomfort. But the skiing yesterday must've irritated the injury and inflamed the site overnight despite sleeping well with minimal pain. It's one of those pains that takes your  breath away.  I think it's safe to say that the season is over. When the pain subsides, I'll be driving east to NYC.

(It's been 30 minutes and Naproxen is already working; I can now breathe a little deeper).

Goodbye, South Lake Tahoe

Stay at one place too long, it becomes home. I made a reservation at Econo Lodge in Reno for tomorrow night because I was going to ski Northstar tomorrow morning. Which meant I should be going to Northstar this evening. Instead, I was on automatic pilot on the way back "home" where i was sleeping since I arrived in South Lake Tahoe 10 days ago. 

The parking lot of Tahoe Tube where Tesla chargers were located did become home. And it did feel like coming home whenever I came back after skiing and dinner. 

The sense of home is primeval. We are programmed to put the stake down, raise the family and then die. It's the central piece in Samsara. It's the place you have to leave to liberate yourself.

Leaving, nonetheless, makes you feel wistful, even if it is the home of 10 days, the same way I felt in Colorado in 2021. Back then. I spent only a few days in Divide commuting to Colorado Springs. This time, it's whopping 10 days. 

How about the home of 8 years? On the way to Northstar, I had an impulse to take I-80, the road that would've taken me back home to Sacramento instead of drive through Truckee downtown. The place was only 2 hours away. Yet, I was wistful as if I left there forever. I hope I won't dream about it night after night. That's what I did in 2000 when I left Santa Teresa, the home of 15 years. 

So, I wrapped up South Lake Tahoe by skiing Heavenly for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I'll now ski Northstar for a few days before trekking north to Whistler. I might first have to wait in Reno for snow storm in BC. Whistler got rained out a week ago and its snow is not in the best condition; It needs a fresh coat of powder to make it worthwhile for me to drive North a thousand miles. And Reno is the cheapest place to wait out.

A Broken Rib?

I'm still coughing. If  the past is any indication, it'll last a while. As if the cough weren't enough, I injured my rib. I was swinging down Ellie's Swing in Heavenly yesterday and something caught one of my skis. I feel l fell downhill face down. The pole got stuck on my rib cage and I ended up with what I thought was a bruised rib. There was some pain, but it wasn't bad enough. I finished the day just fine.

I was looking for a sports bar to watch 49ers game this evening. The chill and excitement conspired together and I ended up coughing uncontrollably as I was getting into the car. I felt a crack on my rib and now I'm in pain. I can't twist my torso at all. Just what you need when you are sleeping in your car.  It was a pain enough to crouch and climb on to the back of my car. Now I can't wiggle around to make yourself comfortable. Can't blow my nose or cough without a struggle either.

I'll continue with the trip for now. I'll just have to be careful not to fall again -- another fall will kill me. If I fall again, then I'll probably stop the trip and head east to NYC.

Coming down with flu or Covid

Just great. My trip just got started and I'm coming down with something. The back of my nose is sore, a telltale sign of respiratory infection. And fatigue and ache to go with it. I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope that it won't last more than a week.

I meant to get vaccinations. I postponed it because I would struggle with packing and moving after vaccination. I planned to get vaccinated in South lake Tahoe instead. In fact, I have the appointment set up for tomorrow evening after skiing. Now I may have to cancel that.

Today is my day off, so I'm not in distress. I'll be checking in to Econo Lodge and rest till tomorrow morning while watching football game. It's a wildcard game been 49ers and Eagles. If I don't improve tomorrow, I'll have to skip skiing and just hang out in South Lake Tahoe till I get over it 

Heavenly Day 1

Little did I know that they now require $20 reservation to park on the California side. Ski resorts these days try to make money off parking, as if the lift tickets nearing $300 is not enough. I parked anyway and plugged in to Tesla charger. I got away without a ticket. Maybe I won't get as lucky the next time. I doubt if they patrol for unregistered cars though.

Up and down Ellie's Swing and Little Dipper all day long. They were perfect for moguls practice. For bonus, I rode down Gun barrel with style, well, at least till I got tired half way down, to return to my car. I think I'll be done with moguls by the end of the season.

It was a hard skiing today for almost 5 hours. Add 2 hours from yesterday, I should be pretty tired. I'm not. I took a rest for an hour I'm the evening and I feel like I could go another round. But I think I'll take a break tomorrow. I planned to take a day off after every 2 days of skiing and I'll try to stick it for now. But then I may change my mind tomorrow morning and go for a morning skiing for a couple of hours if I get bored doing nothing. I can't check into a hotel till the afternoon and there isn't a whole lot I can do in my car. 

I'll be around South Lake Tahoe till the 14th at least. I'm still waiting for my key l keyboard from Amazon that I'm picking up at Whole Food here. Then I'll move North to Northstar, spend a few days and then on to Whistler. So, I'll be spending at least another week around Lake Tahoe.

On the Road Again

Nothing ever last forever in this life. And chapters tend to be written about the places that you lived. Mine certainly does. Chapter 1, Korea. Chapter 2, North Carolina. Chapter 3, The Bay Area. Chapter 4, Sacramento.

We came to Sacramento in 2017 after 8 months on the road. Now that chapter of 8 years came to close, and I'm back on the road again, homeless. I stuffed so my belongings into a storage yesterday, did the move-out walk through with Dexter this morning and then drove to Kirkwood. Thus started my life of ski bum for 3 months. Now I'm at the parking lot of Tesla supercharged in Meyers after skiing 2 hours and then gorging on a burrito that weighed in at 2 pounds. 

In 2017, I was with my then-wife. This time I'm alone. Maybe that was why I felt nostalgic and maudlin. And feeling old too. Well, I'm old; I have received my Medicare card last month. But feeling old often does not have to do with being old. It's the feeling of being on the death bed more than anything else. The fatigue from moving and packing for the life in the road may have something to do with it. And having no home to go back to. Once I got on the slope, however, the melancholy quickly disappeared and I was grinning. The sight of white hills have that magical quality. And it proves what we are nothing more than our 3 pound universe.

Speaking of fatigue, the 8 years made a huge difference. In 2017, I wasn't even able to load the car with the stuff we were taking on the road. We had to then take 2 days off in a hotel to recuperate I got it all loaded, probably twice as much stuff this time. Then I drove to Kirkwood and skied for 2 hours. That's how far I came.

That is not too say that fatigue is no longer an issue. It still is. I skied for 2 hours 5 days ago. The packing for the move after that was a struggle. The struggle lasted till I got on the slope this afternoon. That was an excess fatigue accompanied with drained feeling that is a signature of CFS. It's not the complete depletion. But the feeling of excess fatigue was still there even if it wasn't completely disabling as it used to. It's the final 5% of CFS. That deleted feeling then disappeared when I got on the slope and now it feels more like regular, comfortable post-exercise fatigue.

Anyway, my plan is to spend a week out two skiing Kirkwood, Heavenly and Northstar. Then I'll drive North to Whistler. Another week there and then I'll scoot over to Colorado and spend a month there. February will come to close then and I'll start trekking East to NYC. I don't know how long I'll spend in NYC yet. I could spend a year before coming back to the West Coast. But I have the storage contact for only a year, so I may have to come back and take care of it. We'll see how it unfolds.

Struggle after Skiing #5: Seasonal Pattern or Mistake?

 I'm getting there. I'm straighter and turning quicker. And I was able to ski both Castle and Lower Dynamite nonstop from top to bottom.  A huge improvement compared to the last time I had to stop and rest 6 times to complete Castle run. The snow being softer, not crusty like the last time, probably helped. But standing straighter certainly made the runs less tiring. Now I just need to add some more style.

The Sierra weather turned clement on Thursday, so I went up on Friday 2/9. I skied about as much as the last time, for the total of 5 hours, and I was less fatigued afterwards.

I figure it'll be the repeat of the last time: watch football on Sunday, crap out Monday, and then I'd be back on my feet. No such luck. I continue to have bad days. Maybe it was the bike repair work. I finally got around to put sealant in the new tire. Then I installed the bike mirror the next day. They were both minor works, but still an exertion. Then yesterday, I walked 6 blocks in the afternoon and did 2x8 pushups in the evening. I'm paying the price today.

I usually get weaker after #4 or #5 in January. It could be just the continuation of that pattern. Or it could be that I did too much after skiing. Can't tell which. One thing for sure, one week of probation is still valid. I'll have to lay off any exertion for a week the next time. If I struggle again, then it would be the seasonal pattern. If not, then it is the exertion in the days after skiing.

Bike Ride to Guy West Bridge

 I slammed the bike onto the curb a week ago and trashed the new tire that I installed only a month ago. I got the replacement, but I wasn't able to install it because I was in the probationary period after the skiing last Thursday.  I finally installed it on Tuesday and then took it out for the test-drive yesterday. I wanted to make it to Folsom for 40 miles, but the weather didn't cooperate. I decided to make it to Guy West Bridge and back.

I was planning to bike back on the south bank. I knew there was construction going on under Hwy-99, but I was able to sneak through it the last time. This time, however, they had fence around it. I had to backtrack to the bridge and bike back on the north side. That added extra 6 miles. To make the matter worse, it started to rain at noon, earlier than the forecast. I rode through cold rain for over an hour, nonstop at the speed of 12 mph. In all, it turned into 26-mile ride.

Dirt splashed all over my back, all the way up to my helmet. I'll have to install a fender if I'm to bike-pack this summer. I didn't feel the cold while riding, but my feet were numb when I got home and got off the bike. I got out of dirty clothes, grabs a quick lunch and crawled into the bed. I slept like a baby for 3 hours. Then I got up feeling like a million bucks. It's amazing how well a mild hypothermia works as sleeping aid. 

Today, I'm recovering from the ride. I'm fatigued, but it not much worse than regular post-exercise fatigue. I'll probably be under the weather for a week -- it was a strenuous exercise.  When that is over, it'll be the time to hit the slope again. The weather is supposed to turn sunny next Thursday after dumping a foot or two of new snow. 

Implication of Nicotine Not Working

For the first two days I was high, energetic and clear-headed. Then the effect faded in subsequent days as my body got used to nicotine. But I'm not using nicotine patch to get high; I'm using it to get me through the weather after heavy exercises. So, the question is: has it been effective in tempering my exercise-hypersensitivity while I'm under the weather? I haven't accumulated enough data for the analysis, but, frankly, I don't seem to need one. A glance at my activity log tells me that nicotine patch didn't make difference on my exertion-hypersensitivity when I'm under the weather. 

So, what does that mean to my dopamine theory? The theory is that dopamine tempers down the inflammation-hypersensitivity and, therefore, prevents PEM. Therefore, it necessarily predicts that nicotine will prevent, or, at least, alleviate the PEM. Was the theory disproven?

One could suspect that nicotine does not sufficiently raise the dopamine level. But it does. I know that because my cheeks get flushed and warm when I'm on nicotine patch, whether or not I'm under the weather. And I'm more energetic when I'm not under the weather. It's just that nicotine does not have the desired effect when I'm under the weather. It works when I'm healthy, but it does not when I'm under the weather, in other words. That makes nicotine patch useless for my purpose.

Another possibility: Novelty Effect may not be mediated by dopamine. I did search for brain chemicals for Novelty Effect ("response to novel stimuli") and found this paper that mentions 3 chemicals: dopamine, acetylcholine and GABA. Then a search for acetylcholine and microglia lead to this paper: Acetylcholine suppresses microglial inflammatory response via α7nAChR to protect hippocampal neurons. But a7nAchR is a nicotinic receptor that nicotine binds. Which means nicotine patch, in addition to raising dopamine level, should have similar effect as acetylcholine. 

So, I'm back to square one. It's still possible that dopamine/acetylcholine work to suppress the hypersensitivity in ways that nicotine cannot induce. Maybe pharmaceutical intervention is not a substitution for the natural response to novel stimuli. Or combination of 3 chemicals somehow temper town the hypersensitivity in a way that nicotine cannot. I have no idea. All I can say for now is that novel stimuli work, and nicotine doesn't.

Ski #4 (No More Nicotine Patches)

The weather hasn't cooperated for 2 weeks. I had a small window on 1/25 - 1/26, so I went up on 1/25. The slopes were crusty. It didn't snow as much as I hoped for and it has been warm. It probably has been melting in the afternoon, only to freeze in the morning. I went to East About, a narrow and steep run and instantly regretted. The skis picked up speed quickly and I couldn't make turns quickly enough. I'll have to wait till we get a better snow to go back there.

The rest of the day wasn't bad. I spent most of time on Castle and Lower Dynamite off Grand View Express. I was having so much fun, in fact, I ended up skiing over 5 hours. I had to rest after about 1.5 hours because of the ordeal getting out of East Run. Then I spent another hour before taking the lunch break. I went to the West Bowl in the afternoon, but the black runs were closed. I came back to Grand View, spent more time and then I was ready to go home.

My skiing is progressing nicely. I did what I wanted to do this time: stay straight and fall into the fall line. Looking at the video, though, I'm still not straight enough. I'll have to correct that the next time.

I didn't use nicotine patch at all this time. The post-exercise recovery progressed fine for 3 days, and then I crashed on the 4th day. It might have been triggered by watching the NFC championship game with emotional ups and downs. SF won, but I was feeling crappy through the evening. I'll repeat the same thing the next time -- no exercise for 4 days other than 4 block walking -- and see I'll get away with not crashing. In any case, not using the nicotine didn't make it any worse, so that will be the end of nicotine patch.  I could use it recreationally every once in a while, but it no longer has any effect. I'll use up whatever I have left and that will be that.

Ski #3 and Aftermath (Nicotine Patch Doesn't Work)

After the ski #2, I crashed on the 3rd day. I did 2x8 pushups the night before and then I slapped on the nicotine patch on the top of the old one by mistake in the morning. So, the plan to stay on the patch didn't get executed. 

The mountains got another foot of snow, and I went back up on 1/12. Most of the lift were open this time. Castle run, which I remembered as Rook instead, was open too. It was great at the top, but then you have to paddle to get to the second half of the run. So I went up there only a couple of times. West Bowl Express was open too, but I didn't make it there. I got lost on the way there in the afternoon and ended up at Nob Hill instead.  I'm going back next week for #4 and I'm sure I'm make it to West Bowl Express then.

I stayed on the nicotine patch this time for 4 days. I still crashed on the second day. It wasn't bad, but it still was a crash: I ended up spending 5 hours lying down during the day.  So, I'm coming to the conclusion that nicotine patches don't help preventing crash. I'll stay off nicotine the next time.

Ski #2 and the Aftermath

18 more inches of snow from the storm over the prior week allow them to open up more lifts and slopes. Both Grand View Express and Nob Hill had sections of black runs open, and I went up those chairs and down the bumps all day long. 2 hours in the morning and then 1.5 hours in the afternoon were enough to tire me out. Maybe skipping lunch made me tire out quicker than I would have. I was going to come back to my car for my lunch, but it was a little too far. I had enough for the breakfast and wasn't hungry anyway, so I decided to skip lunch and just rest. 

That was on Jan 4th. In the evening, something was cramping inside my knees. I don't know what it is exactly, maybe the ligaments or tendons, but it's been happening since last year whenever I ski hard. All the knee rolls that I've been doing on the slope must be taking the toll. I remember having to pull off coming back from Heavenly last year because my knees were cramping so bad that I couldn't drive. My thighs and calves then took the turn the next morning and became sore. The soreness turned into pain the morning after. Then they were all gone after 2-hour nap in the afternoon, and I seem to have fully recovered from skiing. Recovery from a hard skiing in 2 days? Not a bad aftermath performance. 

Anyway, I think I'll be able to get my 2nd degree black belt in skiing this year. I'm still hunching a little too long after the turns on steep mogul runs, but I'm getting straighter a little quicker. I'll have my back straight and be in the rhythm all the time by the end of this season.

I got on nicotine patch starting from the day 1 after skiing this time, and the bottom hasn't fallen out after 3 days. Being on the nicotine for at least 3 days may have prevented the week-long weakness like the last time. But then, it could be just that I struggled the last time because it was the first day of the season. I struggled after the first day last year too. Still, nicotine should've prevented the weakening, and it didn't. And the success this time could've been because it was the second time, not because of nicotine. So, the hypothesis that nicotine is not effective for hard exercises still stands. I'll keep using nicotine throughout this season and see what happens. If the aftermath performance becomes progressively worse, then it'll be same as the last year, or the year before. Which will mean that nicotine didn't make a difference. If the aftermath doesn't get worse, then it's either that nicotine made the difference, or I have made further recovery that I no longer get weaker as the season progresses.

Nicotine Patch Not as Effective for Strenuous Exercise (Aftermath of Skiing #1)

Sierra at Tahoe was known as Sierra Ski Ranch when I was there the last time. Which meant that I haven't been here since the 1990s. It's a minor resort off US-50 and that's probably why I didn't frequent it. US-50 is not as convenient as I-5, so I don't come this way for skiing too often at the first place.  When I come, I'd continue to Heavenly rather than stopping here. The exile to MECFS land for 15 years certainly didn't help either. But I got a season pass for it this year instead of the Epic Pass because the price for Epic Pass went up to $800. The first Saturday of December was the season opener. I went up on Monday the 11th.

The first day of the season, and I was lacking enthusiasm for some reason. I got up late -- the alarm didn't go off -- and I almost gave up. I was still tired from biking 5 miles and then jogging 4 blocks on the 9th and the thought of skiing didn't excite me enough to get me going. It must've been the been-there-done-that syndrome. It's the 5th season since I got back on the slope and the wonderment has been slowly fading since. This year is a continuation of that. But it sure felt nice to be back on the white mountains under the bright sky once I got on the lift chair.

Only one run was open. One foot of snow the week before wasn't nearly enough to cover up the rocks and other obstacles. But they managed to open one beginner slope with the aid of snow-making machines. The lack of challenging runs was a good excuse to work on my techniques and all that squatting to get my turns in shape was enough an exercise for the first day.  I skied for 2 hours in the morning and then 2 more in the afternoon before coming back. 

As usual, the morning after was fine. I had a bit of head pressure, so I swallowed a Sudafed pill. In the evening, I was full of energy. I was in the kitchen for a full hour rattling pots and pans, whistling all the while. I was in the best condition that I could ever be in. Then the bottom predictably fell out the next day. I slapped on the nicotine patch in the morning hoping that I'd stay on my feet, but that did not happen. The 1-hour nap in the morning didn't help either: I was groggy and horizontal all day long. I bounced back a little in the evening though. I stayed on my nicotine/Sudafed for 4 more days till the 16th. I was back on my feet on the 14th, with an aid of the patch and 2-hour nap in the afternoon, and then crashed again on the 15th. 

Back in 2020, I felt that getting knocked out for a day or two was OK. Now, getting knocked out even for a day seems too much. The more I improve, the more I expect, I guess.

So, is the nicotine patch losing its efficacy? Or was the skiing too hard an exercise to paper over with the patch? Taken together with the 40-mile bike ride after which I was under the weather for a week, the answer seems to be the latter. Nicotine patch helps, but not as much as living on the road or in the wilderness. I was able to backpack 75 miles through Yosemite in 7 days, but I'm keeling over after 4 hours of skiing. Which kind of makes sense. Nicotine is a powerful dopamine generator, but not as powerful as striving in places that you've never been before. But it is still more powerful than Sudafed.

40-mile Aftermath and 15-Mile Ride to REI

I was still a bit under the weather from the 40 mile ride the week before. But I had to test the new saddle. Well, I had to because I was itching to test it, not because of any exigency. 

The Bontrager commuter saddle didn't work out. The padding nicely softened after the first ride and provided ample support. But the cutout was too narrow, and it still applied pressure on my groin. I kept finding myself lifting my butt when going over bumps. So, I got this carbon saddle with flat profile and larger cutout from Temu. It was a bit larger than my butt, but it was only $10, so I figured it was a good way to try out larger cutout. If it works out, I'll get a new one of right size and more padding. Selle Italia Boost Free-flow, perhaps. Turned out, it wasn't too big. It fit my butt just fine. 

I wanted to make it another 40 miles, from Guy West Bridge to Rainbow Bridge in Folsom this time. A better sense prevailed, and I decided to do a run-of-the-mill 15-mile ride. I swallowed a Sudafed pill to get me out of the weather and then rode at a leisurely pace of about 7 mph, with 5-minute break every 2.5 miles.

The saddle was a success. At last, I could leave my butt attached to the saddle when going over bumps with confidence. The saddle hardly had any padding, but that didn't matter: the cutout was THE culprit, not the padding. Now I'm itching to get back on the saddle for a long ride. I'll eventually make it to Auburn and back for 80 mile ride. For now though, the ski season is about to begin -- they got a foot of snow in the mountains this week. So I might have to put away the bike till Spring.

The day after the ride, I went on a nicotine patch. I've been up and running like a busy bee, relatively speaking, for the next 3 days. No crash, in other words, except for a 30-minute nap the day after. If that was a crash, it was the shortest one ever. 

So, 15 miles is a piece of cake with Sudafed and nicotine patch. 40 miles is a bit iffy. The patch 2 days after the ride prevented the crash, but I was left weaker and more susceptible to crash for the rest of the week. That is typical of hard crashes. They leave you weaker even after you recover from the crash, so you have to remain well below your baseline for a while. I managed to dodge the crash, but not the weakness that followed. I may have to be on nicotine/Sudafed for a week after a long ride. A lesson learned.

Here is what happened after the 40-mile ride on 11/27. (I recorded it as 35 miles because I didn't account for the detour through the city):

The "Total" column is the number of hours I spent lying down the following day. The total of 3 on the row for 11/24, for example, means that I lied down for 3 hours on 11/25. 

On 11/27, the day of the ride, I had to rest in the evening after 40-mile ride. So, I ended up with 4 hours spent lying down on 11/27. The next day, I only spent 2 hours lying down. That's an excellent performance. Then I spent 4-5 hours lying down starting from 11/29, 2 days after the ride, till 12/3. I colored 12/2 red because spending 5 hours or more (on 12/3) constitutes a bad day. That meant I spent 5 days under the weather. Again, I should stay on nicotine/Sudafed for a week after a hard exercise the next time and see if I can stay out of the weather.

40 Mile Bike Ride

Time to test the new set of Conti 5000S TR. Last Monday, I set out with the goal to get to Sunrise Recreation Area along American River. It would've been 45 miles round trip if it went with no hitch. But the construction work on the levy between REI and Guy West Bridge forced me to take a detour and get lost in the city. I ran out of time and had to turn around at Harold Richey Bridge. I skirted the construction on the way back by riding on the other side of the river. There was a construction around Hwy 99 overpass too, but I snuck in through the construction site and made it to Sutter's Landing on the other side. Including the detour, it was about 40 miles in 5 hours total.

I knew I'd be fine the next day. The dopamine from a heavy exercise would last another 24 hours. I slapped on the nicotine patch on the second day to prevent the bottom from falling out. It seems to have worked. I managed for 3 days without crash. But then, I had to pace for the rest of the week because I became more susceptible to PEM. I may have to stay on nicotine/Sudafed for a week following a heavy exercise, not just for a few days.

So, did I avoid crash with nicotine? It may have. But then, I usually manage without crash at the new season of any activity for a few weeks. So I can't tell with this sample of 1. I'll have to repeat a few times in a month or two and see.

Nicotine Patch Trial

It came to my attention that people's been trying nicotine patch for MECFS and long COVID. The theory goes: the virus antagonizes the nicotine receptors, impairing cholinergic transmission. I don't buy the theory. If the theory is true, people should recover once the virus is gone. Besides, no neuro-impairment does explain Post-Exertional Malaise. But nicotine turned out to be strongly dopaminergic. And dopamine is what downregulates activated microglia. So, I figure it should work at least as well as Sudafed. 

I bought a box of no-name nicotine patch from Amazon and tried 35mg for 6 days. As expected, the effect did not last long. It was effective exactly for 2 days. It was super effective though, while the effect lasted. It's not a viable long-term treatment, but I could use it tactically: with Sudafed, I may be able to keep PEM under control for up to 3 days. My PEM these days usually last less than a day. 3 days at the most after a backpacking, which resembles a normal recovery. (It's more like between normal recovery and PEM). If I can keep PEM under control, I should be able to exercise to my heart's content at home. I already tried it after biking to REI on the 21st, and it appears to be successful. I'll continue the tactic and see if I can keep PEM under control for good.

Bike to REI

The bike stood standing all Summer long while I was busy backpacking Yosemite, Trinity Alps and South Yuba. The tires went flat and wouldn't inflate because the tire beads went off the rail. I took the wheels to the shop, and they wanted to $80 to get them cleaned, reseated and inflated. I figured I might as well get a new set of tires instead spending money to fix the old ones. I've been meaning to upgrade them to 28mm anyway. I got a set of Continental 5000 S TR for less than $100 on sale on Amazon and got them installed myself. I was all set to take out for a test-drive. Then the front derailleur broke. I turned the LH adjustment screw too far and it went off the metal plate. The plastic underneath it wasn't able to hold up the tension without the metal plate and it broke. So, I got a new derailleur for $35 and now it rides like new. I was on the roll: I figured I'd get a new saddle as well. REI had Bontrager commuter saddle on sale, so I went to pick it up yesterday. 

15-mile bike ride in 2018 was a milestone. Now it's a non-event. I just hopped on the bike and I was back home 2 hours later. Back in May, I still struggled for a few days after the same ride. This time, no post-exertional struggle. The difference? probably the pollens. I was struggling throughout the Spring pollen season and the ride did not help. 

Oh, I almost forgot: I slapped on 3.5mg of nicotine patch on the second day. I'm usually flush with dopamine on the first day after a heavy exertion, so I didn't need an aid on the day after. I just took 30mg Sudafed just in case. I got off nicotine patch on the 3rd day and I felt a little sluggish. Nothing I'd classify as a crash though. So, maybe it is the nicotine that prevented the crash. 

Anyway, it's been a while since I wrote. I haven't been writing because I've been distracted with video. I decided to document my trips with video this year and have produced a few. It takes quite a bit of work to produce video, though. Not only you have to film, but you also have to spend a lot of time editing and narrating. It may get easier eventually, but for now it's been sucking up a lot of my time. 

I'll probably go back to writing after this season. Writing, not film making, is what I enjoy after all. It's also something you can do just with your laptop. No camera, no script, no narration. But films definitely have an advantage in documenting your life: you will get to see how you were, years from now.  Your life on YouTube will still be there with the way your look when you turn 80.

Yosemite Waterfalls Trip

I didn't quite make it to Clouds Rest. I got showered with ice water for 30 minutes on the way to Vernal Falls and I was hypothermic by the time I got to the top of it. I knew I was going to get soaked but I severely underestimated and left my waterproof jacket in the car. I was shivering and cramping all over while laying in the sun at the top of the fall. Shivering stopped only when I started moving again. That took a lot out of me, and I decided to turn back at Nevada Fall. I had to get to the summit by 3 PM at the latest in order to get back before the sundown. It was already past noon, and I was still miles away from the Clouds Rest Trailhead, let alone the summit. Slogging through the snow at above 8000 feet would've added a couple of hours to the trip as well. So I had to turn back. I took a detour via Clark Point on JMT on the way down to avoid getting soaked again. It's the route I'll take the next time on the way to Clouds Rest.

I was going to take a rest the next day and then attempt Clouds Rest again on the 3rd day. But I ended up doing 10 miles again. In the morning, I went to Mirror Lake following Merced River to North Pines campground, and then Tenaya Creek up to Mirror Lake. The trail adds an extra mile to 1.5-mile Mirror Lake Trail, but it was more scenic. It ran along the creek through the woods from the campground and then joins Mirror Lake trail at the Tenaya Creek bridge. It is a beautiful path and I highly recommend it over the regular Mirror Lake trail.

Normally sedate Tenaya Creek was roaring too. It was a full-blown river, not a creek.  I wonder what it would look like in a few days when they expect the rivers to crest once again, thanks to the warming weather. June has been unusually cool and that kept the snow melt to the minimum. Record snowfall and slow snow melt; It's been a perfect combo to quench California's drought. 

In the afternoon, I went to document Yosemite Falls and I got soaked again. Not nearly as bad as Vernal Falls, however; it was more like a spray than shower. I was going to take a shuttle to Yosemite Falls from Trailhead Parking Lot walk to Happy Isles bus stop.  The stop #15 between Curry Village and Happy Isle would've been closer, but I wanted to get some water and use the bathroom at the Happy Isles stop. There was a long line for the shuttle. Happy Isles is one of the most popular hiking areas in Yosemite and people were returning from their hikes in droves. I walked back to the parking lot and took my car to Yosemite Village. I ended up parking at the far end of the village, a couple of miles from the falls. After all was said and done, my fitbit registered 32,000 steps for the day. I was pretty tired and didn't think I was going to be able to walk 20 miles up Clouds Rest the next day. I returned home instead waiting till the next morning to see how I feel.

I went to Yosemite to make my first film, about the epic snow year. The snow on Clouds Rest would've been the highlight. Since I didn't go to Clouds Rest, I'll have to make do with waterfalls and raging rivers. I have no idea how long it'll take to complete it. I'll have to start processing the footages and putting them together into a coherent film. I hope I'll finish it before I go back to Yosemite on the 25th, for a 50-mile backpacking this time. 

I originally planned an 80-mile trip circling Yosemite, but Tuolumne Meadows is not accessible because Tioga Road is not open. I stopped at the Wilderness Center and rejigger the permit away from Tuolumne Meadows and circle the west of Yosemite Creek instead. But I may change the plan yet again and go down to Tuolumne River Canyon. You can move freely in the wilderness as long as you enter through the entry reserved on your permit.

There is non-zero chance of an accident or worse, of course. This is a high snow year and the snow is melting. Which means walk on the snow will be treacherous. It may crumble under you and you may slide into something that you didn't plan on sliding into, possibly into a creek or cliff. I'll go as far as I can safely and then turn around if I feel unsafe. I'll certainly turn around if I encounter a creek that I have to cross. You can pretty much count out fording creeks since the water will be raging. I'll just have to play by the ear. 

15-mile Bike Ride and the Aftermath

I'm still struggling, but I can't escape this slump because my car is still in the shop. All I can do is go out for a walk when I feel restless and listless. It is a good thing then that the neighborhood is walkable. The tree-lined streets make it easier to walk out and ramble on whenever I feel like. It doesn't bring me the Novelty Effect -- I've been in this neighborhood for over 5 years now -- but it still improves my mood, however briefly.

It's been over 2 months by now since I ran the car into a ditch. They finally got all the parts they need and about to begin the repair work. But they are not in hurry. They have all the business they can handle, and they are taking all the weekends and holidays off. Then they shut down the shop for 2 days last week to remodel the floor. The upshot is that I'm not likely to get my car back for at least another week.

I've been doing my best to stay in shape with 4x1 block jogging ever since the ski season was over in April.  I had to give that up because I was struggling through the pollen season. Then I finally got out of the pollen-induced struggle in the middle of May, and it was time to over-do as I usually do whenever I feel better. I went on a biking, thinking that I'd go Tower Bridge by the river. Then I remembered that REI had a sale, and that was a good excuse to ride all the way. I kept going with only one break in Discovery Park. I returned with nothing to show for it, again with only one break. The 15-mile ride took only about 2 hours. That's about 3 times as fast as the first 15-mile ride I did back in 2018.

The recovery from the ride was typical of the recent pattern: I stayed upright and functional the next day, and then the struggle started day after. On the 3rd day, I got tired of the struggle and went out for a walk, thinking that maybe I could exercise my way out of the post-bike PEM hole. I ended up walking 2.5 miles. Then the struggle continued for 3 more days after that. The more things change, the more remains the same: it was obvious that I still can't exercise my way out of PEM. That extended my Spring struggle from April to end of May with only a few respites.

I'm eager to get back on the road. I'll hit the road running, hopefully, as soon as my car comes back from the shop. I have already bought most of the things I need for the new season -- no idea why I need more stuff every season, but I do -- and now I'm debating if I need a drone. I'll be telling my story with film this time and drone footage would add a visual interest to the story. Investing $1000 just to tell a story seems an overkill though. I still have a few more days at least before my car comes back. I'll think some more and decide.