Wholistic Fitness

this morning;  Dibé Nitsáá – 13,238′- (known to White Man as conveniently re-named, “Hesperus Peak”) standing as the North Sacred Peak of the Diné (known to the White Man as ‘Navajo”).

not only did your feeble ilg and his chi-ldhood’s bff Apache (a black Wolf hybrid) grow up as a kid on the Junction Creek drainage east of this pic?   Yet this Sacred Peak of the Diné’s 4 Sacred Peaks which literally has defined their native h(om)eland for eons?  anchors their Northern “post”.  ilg has long history with the Diné’s other 2 Sacred Peaks; Tsídóól (known to White Man as conveniently re-named, “Mount Taylor”), and Dokó Óóslííd (known to White Man as conveniently re-named, “Mount Humphries, beneath which ilgs own daughter was born”).

Today?  ilg finally climbed the closest Sacred Diné Peak of four to my h(om)etown!    There is a long list of reasons why ilg has not chosen to climb Dibè Nitsáá – yet, you’ll need to read my next book to find out why.

chose to hook up with these FINE FOLK from the CMC (Colorado Mountain Club) to enjoy a hike (not a mountain run as ilg usually does) up this most Sacred Peak.  Why?  Needed to directly experience (recon) the various routes up this most Precious Peak so as to safely run it one day (hopefully) with my daughter.   coming off a high wholistic volume week,  ilg knew the CMC would act as a governor to ilg’s c(om)pulsivity to just crush every peak ascent…proud of ilgself, quite frankly, to meet my pr(0m)ise to Dewa (the daughter that chose to come through ilg) not to do high peak solo efforts…

pic by Sandra Jean Lee
click on pic for actual dimensions

I KNOW RIGHT!??!!
how often in all of ilg’s 425+ Vlogs on YOUTUBE plus being with me since 1981!??!   have you EVER seen feeble ilg as part of a …. omg, can’t believe ilg is saying it… “GROUP HIKING” outing!??!    yeah, that’s Dibé Nitsáá behind this pic shot by my precious
partner (and, ironically, full blood Navajo of the Red Running Under Water  and TowerHouse Clans), Sandra Jean Lee of Beclabito on The Rez.  Had Ed Archuleta (aka on Strava as, ‘Mancos Man’) from back in the Mt. Taylor Winter Quad days and the co-leader, Dan King who
embarrassed ilg in front of the group by fanboying ilg and my history with American Alpine Club stuff, recalling a workshop ilg did for his corporate situation several years ago, and just being what he called – and ilg sheepishly recoiled at- “an absolute LEGEND in mountain athletics”… dude,  ilg just wanted to go for a hike with a local group of mountain lovers!

ilgs CMC friends navigating the second of 3 problem talus/scree field to gain the west ridge of Dibé Nitsáá… 

ilg is the first to admit;
DON’T DO WELL in GROUP HIKING situations… only done a few of them over the decades, and yeah… this broken back high mountain yogi cannot hike well… the slow pace just exacerbates my spinal injury and hiking just hurts.  let ilg run.  the pain is higher, yet the time frame is shorter..

so, ilg was like a human Dog Being;  constantly surging and frolicking ahead of the group, only to wait for them to catch up… ilg was not disappointed at this task and kept our group on target….

pic by ilg;  CMC slaying the “Green Slab” after 3 hazardous San Juan talus fields to gain the west ridge of Dibé Nitsáá… 

pic by ilg;  CMC gaining the West Ridge of Dibé Nitsáá…the “Sleeping Ute” in background 

pic by ilg;  CMC gaining the West Ridge of Dibé Nitsáá…the “Sleeping Ute” in background

ilg with my Hunter Season Cap leads the CMC group the higher slopes of Dibé Nitsáá… 

CMC Hikers follow ilg’s hunter red cap through  13,000’…

summit headwall…

ilg had a very sacred m(om)ent approaching the summit cairn of my 3rd of the 4 Sacred Peaks at age 64…
if you’re on my social and YouTube Channel?
you’ll see MUCH more!

after a precious summit m(om)ent with the CMC group, and a final re-group on the ridge,
ilg was granted liberty to solo back to the TH and oc?
ilg took the opportunity to full send the the infamous 40% “Black Streak”
which ilg now renames “The Cute Otter Slide”!
dropping nearly 1,000′ vert in a few minutes (*even faster if you lose your footing and tomahawk down this crazy shale chute!) 

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then, after a few tricky San Juan scree slopes to find the exact exit ramp back onto the West Mancos Trail?

driving out, looking back at what ilg just climbed… my third of the Four Sacred Diné Peaks…

Man can climb to the highest summits,
yet he cannot dwell there long..

– Shakespeare

Blessed Be Thy Practice Ever HIGHER!

HEAD BOWED, SPIRIT VOWED SINCE 1981…

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