Climbing Cowles Mountain
A Date With Love
Climbing Cowles Mountain (pronounced like the word “coals”) is one of San Diegans’ favorite pasttimes. Cowles is San Diego’s tallest mountain and hundreds of people climb it every day.
We call Cowles Mountain, as seen from this angle “The Sleeping Lady;” here she is, lounging beneath cascades of clouds
Baby steps
That’s what it’s all about. When you think something is too big to even address, let alone accomplish, think about the baby steps. Case in point….. When Mark and I first met, we did a lot of hiking, backpacking and camping together. Our treks in Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, New Zealand and Australia – among other places – were defining moments for us. Gradually, degenerative arthritis took my strolling abilities away, my knee began to bow out, and I could no longer climb up rocky mountain trails with a 45-pound backpack on my back.
Tipping Point
The “tipping point” occured while trekking on the Incan Trail of Macchu Picchu in 1998. The agony of bone on bone (no cartilage remained) was something I knew I never wanted to repeat. Fortunately, I could ride a mountain bike. So I shifted from legs to wheels, and even won a few races along the way. Mark and I grew so passionate about mountain biking – a sport we first discovered while hiking in Canada – that we even produced a series of mountain bike videos that won awards and stood on every true mountain biker’s video shelf.
In late 2009, I underwent Total Knee Replacement surgery on my left knee. The many doctors whom I had seen over the years had all warned me that it would be prudent for me to wait as long as I possibly could to replace the knee. I was 14 when my knee first started buckling and I began my long road of pain endurance for the next 40 years. So I was more than ready to step into a new bionic knee. Then, in May of 2013, I had my other knee replaced.
The recuperation was a challenge to be sure. But finally, after intensive Physical Therapy, I was able to trek again. The following photo essay is by my husband and partner, Director of Photography Mark Schulze, who accompanied me in climbing Cowles Mountain the day someone had posted these signs about the nature of love (and love of nature).
It’s a perfect blog post for February, the month of Valentines and Love.
Lover never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful…
Love is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out
Patty Mooney stands next to a sign – Love does not demand its own way
The Importance of Nature
I think that far too many people just sit around in cubicles working and then they die. They rarely if ever gave themselves any time in nature. And these are people with perfectly good legs! As the owner of a San Diego video production services company (Crystal Pyramid Productions), my schedule can get pretty wonky at times. The trick is to be adaptable and flexible.
Patty and Mark, partners and producers at San Diego video production company Crystal Pyramid Productions
Don’t let another year – or day – go by without loving yourself. Remember, it’s all about the baby steps! The Mission Trails Regional Park now offers a “Five Peak Challenge” to intrepid hikers. Cowles is one of five tall peaks in San Diego: Cowles, Pyles, South Fortuna, North Fortuna and Kwaay Paay. Climb all five, and prove it to the volunteers at the Interpretive Center (in person or by email) and receive a cool pin.
In this world of hatred, anger and seemingly endless negativity, it’s up to you to stop and smell the roses, and enjoy Nature resplendant with the Birds and the Bees.
