Overcoming Limits: Hiking the Rocky Mountains with an Injured Knee

I stand here, perched on the edge of a rock overlooking Emerald Lake after attempting a Rocky Mountains hike with my injured knee. With the heavy camera bag on my back, I glance down. A once-white knee support is now grubby and well used, but still doing its job. 

We are halfway through the 3.8 mile round trip, with around 700–800 feet of climbing already behind us. Standing on this rock, sheer cliff faces all around, it would be easy to pretend this is just another hike. 

But two weeks earlier, I wasn’t standing at all. Four days before our ten hour flight, and a planned 2,500 mile road trip I injured my knee. 

The details matter not, but negative thoughts crept in. Is the trip to be cancelled before it’s even begun?

Every Cloud……

After a sleepless night spent wondering whether a swollen knee could survive ten hours at 35,000 feet, I was wheeled through the large glass sliding doors of Heathrow Airport.

Used to being in control and the typical “Airport Dad”, it is difficult to find myself at the mercy of others.  If ever an example was needed for the saying “Every cloud has a silver lining”, this is it though.

Airport queues disappear, and we glide through security. The feeling of helplessness though, lingers. 

For someone that loves to travel, there is no greater contrast. The confines of the wheelchair and the airport restrictions. The reliance on another. All of it a world away from where I stand now  

Two Weeks Earlier

I stand on this rock, deep in thought. Two weeks ago our trip started and I ease into the passenger seat of the car. My wife lifts my injured leg to join the good one inside. Our road trips are usually the opposite of slow, intentional travel. Sight after sight. Jumping in and out of the car before moving on and doing it all again.

This time, we follow the same format, albeit more arduous and careful. The wheelchair stays in the car, as I limp from car to attraction. Each step measured but steady.

The first five days test me. Slopes seem steeper, pavements longer. If I am not looking for something to lean on, I am using a knee support adjustment as an excuse for a brief rest. Occasionally frustration kicks in, but I push on.

The days tick by, and suddenly we are facing  the biggest challenge to date. Seven days ago and Grand Prismatic is not to be missed if you visit Yellowstone.

The overlook is a 1.5 mile round trip from the car park. Within thirty minutes we are staring down at the deep blue pool from above. The knee is holding up, and at this stage, I am finally independent again when it comes to getting in the car. Yet, is tackling a Rocky Mountain hike going a bit too far?

The Challenge – The Lakes Hike Begins

Which brings us to this morning. It’s 6am as we pulled into the car park a few minutes after sunrise. Looking back across the near-empty tarmac, a golden glow begins to creep out from behind the silhouetted Rocky Mountains. Four lakes await us, and Bear Lake is the low-hanging fruit.

By now, I am getting out of the car unaided. There’s discomfort, but it isn’t stopping me! Within minutes we’re lakeside. The sun, now at our backs, casts a warm orange glow across the treetops that surround the water. 

Squirrels scurry. Ducks paddle, one performing a composed landing. The lake holds a mirror finish, briefly disturbed as the day springs to life. The odd person comes and goes from the small overlook we find ourselves standing on.

A circuit of Bear Lake gives us confidence, and we decide to take on the other three. Almost four miles round trip, climbing up 800 feet of elevation. A strapped up knee and relatively pain-free, for now. I am ignoring the fact that it occasionally gives way. A problem for future me.

I put the camera back in my bag. Out of nowhere, the weight becomes telling. 

The Mental Battle – Rocky Mountains Hike

I feel confident and Nymph Lake is next. It’s 7:30am, and the early hour means the sun is still low. Pine trees cast shade across much of the trail, and one mile and forty-five minutes later we reach our second lake of the morning.

The reflections here would rival Bear Lake were it not for the lily strewn surface. Despite the nagging doubts, the knee is holding. Pain is minimal but I know the slightest stumble, twist or mis-step would cut the hike short.

On we go, Dream Lake is next. A similar distance, but a with a slightly less elevation gain. Even so, the steps feel harder now. 

As we climb, the Rocky Mountains stretch as far as the morning mist allows. Pine trees adding to the layers.

The trail turns rockier. By 9am, and we reach lake number three. 

Shadows shorter, air warms, the bag grows heavier. Worst of all, the knee feels vulnerable. The views on the way, and those we find on arrival make it worthwhile, but they don’t quieten the doubt.

There’s one more challenge ahead. The final chapter. Emerald Lake awaits and with it, the doubts creep in.

Every step forward and upwards is one that will need repeating back down. If the last two weeks have taught me anything, it’s that the descent can be just as challenging as the climb.

The Breakthrough – Reaching The Lake

Decision made, we press on. Two hundred feet of elevation and almost a mile still lie ahead. With Dream Lake behind us, the trail rears up and the climb begins. 

The mild spring in my step that carried me around Bear Lake some two hours ago has subsided. Doubt remains, but so does the realisation this is a challenge I can conquer.

“I didn’t come this far to only come this far”

This famous quote pops into to my head. Uninvited but apt.  

The calm quiet of Bear Lake at sunrise is a world away. The trail is busy, and families and hikers pass me as I shuffle closer to victory. 

Then the change comes. The anxiety that has been sitting with me for the last three hours starts to fade. With each tentative step Emerald Lake feels closer. I pause, and my attention that has been so focused on the floor in front of me is now straight ahead.

The Euphoria — Completion of our Rocky Mountains Hike With Injured Knee

The cluster of people standing on rocks, cameras in hand tell me I have made it. The bag feels lighter, and the sense of achievement settles into a smile. The knee has behaved impeccably. I realise the main weakness may never have been physical at all.

I stand lakeside. Over 10,000 feet up overlooking lakes formed in mountain tops. Their pinnacles cut skyward reaching for the clear blue above.

This contrasts sharply with the misty view I saw an hour earlier. It is, however no less freedom inducing. 

If I am honest, the sense of wonder is overshadowed by the sense of achievement.

I am hot. Tired. My left leg aches. Two miles of climbing, while compensating for the weaker one has taken its toll. But I am here

Reflection on My Rocky Mountains Hike – Why This Moment Mattered

I stand here now, the sense accomplishment settling in, and my mind drifts back two weeks. Confidence has returned. Bear Lake to Emerald Lake hike done!

The injury that defined the start of the trip with wheelchairs and helplessness has transformed into something else.

There is still the return hike to tackle. But I will start it with more certainty than I had as I looked out over Bear Lake some 4 hours ago.

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