lions and bobcats and fog, oh my!

i had posted an early morning trail run on the orange county trail runner's website for friday.  so when, after getting up at 4:45 to make it to the trailhead in time, i realized no one else was going to show up, i came THIS close to heading back home to crawl back into bed.

common sense [sorta] took over and i figured that i shouldn't waste a morning where i'd actually been able to crawl out of bed at the right time.  it was still before sunrise as i headed down the canyon to the trailhead.  as i jogged along, i noticed just how dark it still was.  there was heavy fog hanging in the canyon and was seriously limiting visibility.

as i hit the trailhead and turned up into wood canyon, i remembered that there had recently been a report of a mountain lion attacking geese at the regional park across from the main parking lot.  the thought of being safe in my bed again crossed my mind and i realized that my 'common sense' decision hadn't been so wise after all.

i started paying real close attention to the surroundings, scanning the brush, the trail and looking at all the tracks in the dirt.  i was confident that i was the first person in the canyon this morning and the sense of being very alone washed over me.

and then i spotted them.

cat tracks, in the dirt and they were FRESH.  they ran up from the creek next to the trail and there were still droplets of water around the prints.  each pad print was more than an inch across, so i was pretty sure that they were mountain lion prints.  i decided to change my route and just run up mathis instead of further back into the canyon.  the route up mathis being very exposed and offering lots of visibility.

and then i spotted more cat tracks.  smaller, this time, though.  these were about an inch across or so, so i figured they were bobcat prints.  the bobcat prints didn't worry me so much, but still, it was a very vivid reminder that i was definitely not alone this morning.

and then more.  this time, fresh dog tracks with more droplets from the creek.  coyotes, this time.  i was coming across lots of proof of recent predator activity.   i wasn't freaking out much, though.  i was seeing lots of bunnies on the trail, so i figured that anything that was out looking for breakfast had a plethora of smaller, easier prey to work with.

before long i was climbing up mathis and out of the fog.  as i hit the sunny ridge, i looked back down into the canyon and was rewarded with a wonderful sight of the sun rising over the distant mountains and the canyons below completely shrouded in fingers of fog that were firmly clinging to the still shadowed places.  it was beautiful and so worth the early morning rise and somewhat risky run through the canyon.

by the time i turned around and headed back down mathis and into the canyon, the fog was burning off and the first of the day's many mountain bikers were riding up the trail.  each rider, runner or hiker's tracks would slowly obscure any evidence of the early morning activity.   it was spooky, but a privilege to have been witness to it.  next time, though, i'm not doing an early morning run solo.  i don't want to turn into cat scat!

it's not my fault. it's genetic.

i'm not crazy on my own.  no, it was passed down to my by my loving parents.  here is just the tip of the iceberg:

tc's chariot

pamela, i present pictures, thus, proof, that a running event did occur with tc and his famed chariot.  we had our final visit with our adoption case worker today, so last night i headed out with tc and his chariot to give smsmh a chance to clean the floors of our place.  parking at the baseball fields along the aliso creek bike trail, we saddled up and headed out for something between 4-6 miles.

without thinking, i ran the usual direction that i usually do when running this section of the trail.  what i failed to remember, though, is that the outbound portion is all uphill.  not steep, but constant.  i'm beginning to have serious respect for the likes of brit and other moms who push their wee ones in an effort to keep running.  it's hard work!  initially, i was feeling that i'd need to turn around by 2.5, but by the time i hit 2 miles, i was feeling really good...so, i kept going.  by the time i hit mile three, i realized how close i was to the house of a couple that i hadn't seen in a while.

i headed off the trail into the track of homes, popped in to say hello to clifford and shirley.  tc had been sleeping the whole way up the trail, but started to wake and get a little cranky, so i kept my visit short.  back on the trail a couple minutes later, tc was wide awake, but loving the ride.

i picked up the pace and had a blast running fast with the jog stroller on the downhill.  tc and i had a great time flying along the trail.  we finished up the run with just a tad under seven miles and a content tc enjoying the whole ride.  here's a quick video snippet of us getting ready and then finishing the run.

good enough proof, pamela?

the maiden voyage

a couple weeks back, tc and i headed out to our local road runner sports and picked up his chariot.  yes, we purchased the baby jogger that you all donated towards.  i hadn't had the opportunity to take him out running in it yet.  i did get out and walk him a couple times in it, and he seemed to be big enough that i could safely take him for a run.

last night, smsmh and her friend j headed out to aliso creek and wood canyon wilderness park for a walk, so i decided to pack tc up and take him out there to run the aliso creek trail and meet up with them as they came out of the canyon.

we saddled up for the maiden voyage and tc was all smiles and giggles.  i wrapped his legs in a blanket and popped a baby bush cover on his head and off we went.  it took me a few minutes to get used to running and pushing the stroller.  after a few minutes and a couple failed attempts at the strollers wheels to trip me, i had it down and we were flying along the trail.

we headed up the trail to the baseball fields where we quickly stopped for a drink of water.  i checked in on tc and he was still awake and all smiles and giggles.  i was dripping with sweat, so he tried to make like daddy and drooled copiously so he'd have liquid dripping off him, too.  aww.

we turned around and headed back to the wilderness park and met up with smsmh and j at about the four mile mark.  by the time i met up with the girls, tc was racked out and snoozing like a baby.  because, well, you know, he IS a baby.

anyway, tc's chariot's maiden voyage was a big success!  it rode smooth, handled the corners okay and seemed nice and comfortable for tc.  tc and i thank you!  i'll have pictures of him riding in style soon.

fueled by Red Rabbits by The Shins from the album Wincing the Night Away

neurosurgeon?

yup.

a neurosurgeon.

that's who we were referred to after last monday's follow-up appointment with tc's pediatrician. at three months, he'd wanted to see tc again to check on the flat spot that had developed on the left back of his skull. our doctor had said that tc was in the grey area and wanted to let someone who specialized in the area make the call on what we should do with him.

flat spots, or plagiocephaly, for the uninitiated, are not uncommon in infants these days. since 1992, the american pediatric association has been pushing a "back to sleep" program to get parents to put their children to sleep on their backs. this program has had the amazing success of reducing SIDS by 40%. the only problem is that plagiocephaly has increased by 600% as a result.

two types of flat spots can occur. the first, craniosynostosis, is a result of the cranial sutures closing too soon and can only be corrected by surgery. craniosynostosis is usually accompanied by other genetic syndromes and, left untreated, can cause brain development issues as pressure is placed on the brain during growth. the second type of flat spot is a positional plagiocephaly. this is typically a result of the infant sleeping with their head to one side and a flat spot developing on the spot that they sleep. the second is, obviously, much more benign and can be corrected by simply repositioning the infant's head.

much to our relief, our neurosurgeon immediately identified that tc's blockhead was a result of the later. since he's only three months old, we've got plenty of time to correct the condition. treatment needs to be aggressive, though, and we get to participate in such medieval torture procedures like the linda blair head spin, the gravitational pull side carry and the nightshirt pinned to the bedsheets. the other option is a helmet. which, of course, i'd glue horns onto. i'm thinking that smsmh wouldn't be digging on that option.

so, if you see us about town, cranking on his head or letting him hang all over the place with his head lolling about, don't report us to social services, m'kay? thanks!