I was in a bit of a pickle, but give me a month.

 Greg and I were noodling about something fun to do this past weekend. He called me and asked, "do you think you would be able to handle the stairs at Red Rocks?"

Later, when I told Zeke about this, he laughed and said, "Damn, I love that guy."

And truly, his confidence in my ability to do just about anything is wonderful, and one of my favorite things about him. But in this case, it was too much. 

Now, for those of you who aren't from these parts (or have never been to Red Rocks), it is nothing but steep stairs. The seating is set into the rocks on a steep incline. You climb endless steep uneven stairs to get to the upper entrance, and then walk down steep stairs to get to your seat. If you go in through the lower entrance, you climb endless steep stairs once you pass through the gates. You walk up the hills from the parking lot, and then climb steep stairs from there.

So many stairs. So much steepness.

Red Rocks is a truly magical place to see a show. But three weeks out from knee surgery, I didn't see it as being anything but a miserable, grueling experience. 

"I think it would be really difficult for me," I said. "I can still only climb stairs one leg at a time. Getting up and down the stairs of my house is a pain in the ass. I love Red Rocks, but I don't think I'm ready yet. Give me a month."

So instead we went and drank whiskey (with pickle juice chasers) and listened to rootsy bluegrass at a funky general store in this mountain town up in the hills west of Boulder. 

I have long felt that as a society, we don't take enough advantage of pickle juice. It's great for replenishing electrolytes. It has a bright, tangy flavor. I grew up eating sour kosher dill pickles made with plenty of garlic and spice, and I would always suck the juice out of the pickle before eating it. It's the best.

What I didn't realize is that pickle juice chasers are having a bit of a moment. I googled it and found numerous recipes and articles singing its praises. Who knew?

Anyway, it's delightful.

As is hanging out in a small town general store, drinking, eating pizza, listening to bluegrass, and chatting with the locals. 

Everyone was super friendly and down-to-earth. It was a blast. It also did not require me to to climb any stairs.

But I wasn't kidding when I said to give me a month. The progress, she is steady. 

Every week when I go to rehab, the PT checks my range of motion and my stability, and gives me exercises for the coming week. I do the exercises as assigned. The next week, I've made improvement, so he gives me more and different exercises. I do them. The next week, I've made more improvement, so he gives me new exercises. 

Lather, rinse, repeat. 

I can now walk unassisted (no crutches or brace) with a barely perceptible limp. Today I started climbing up stairs with alternating legs, and it felt pretty good. I can't quite go down stairs with alternating legs, but I'll get there soon. I'm able to do short rides on the Peloton. I do wall squats and leg extensions with resistance bands to strengthen my quads.

When my injury happened, and when I was in my initial days post-surgery, I lamented that summer was coming up and I wouldn't be able to do all of the outdoorsy things I love to do in the summer, like hikes and bike rides. it was overwhelming and felt impossible. 

Now I think that I will be able to. I'm fairly certain I'll be able to climb a 14er for my annual Emma climb in September. I'm confident I'll be able to ski next season. 

And apres ski, I'll be sure to order my whisky with a pickleback.