Celebrating the recovery

It was a good week; the motivating reason for the trip was a follow-up visit to the clinic where I had the summer ankle surgery.  It was a wonderful time to visit: warm, clear weather, blue skies, and brilliant warm autumn leaves.

The surgeon was pleased with how things had gone.  The calf bone was mated straight onto the ankle and the joint had opened up to give more movement than expected.  Things had healed well and there was good evidence that I was walking flat on the foot.  I managed to break one screw (thank you, Zumba or Power Plate), but that was no big deal.  He said that the main thing was to build strength in the next couple of months.

“I have just the thing,” he said.  “Bathing in salt water and walking in sand for a month would do that foot a world of good.  Do you want a prescription?”

  St. Maartens, please…

I headed over to Cinque Terre for a few days: I’d visited there a year ago but wasn’t able to walk the cliff trails because of the ankle weakness.  I’d hoped to come back after the surgery and hike the route.

The reserve is out of season this time of year, and wet weather can make a mess of the trail.  The route rises from sea level over 250 meters to the bluff tops traveling south from Vernazza, often just a jumble of steep rock steps and narrow walks along sheer drops.  It brushes the village of Corniglia, perched high on a promontory against the sea, before dropping  along the sea again to reach Manarola.

Yes, that is me in the green top and jeans…

 

Maybe it’s a silly alpha way to celebrate a recovery, but it was hugely satisfying and a fun experience.

Note: About.com has a good guide to the trails: I did the Blue.