John's Guestbook

Hello John! Great photos! Paddling and skiing are two of my passions. Especially solo paddling. I'm 64 and had a Ross procedure done 16 months ago. Here's an idea of how recovery and return to activity has gone thus far: 1) I was doing 3-5 km. of walking in 2-3 outings every day within 2 weeks of op 2) Some relaxed xcountry skiing 3 months post-op 3) Some light resistance training 9 (elastic tubing) 4 mos. post-op 4) Day-trip solo paddling on local ponds as soon as ice came off including solo carrying boats from car to water 5) 10-15 km. day hikes in Frontenac 7 mos. post-op 5) 9-day tandem canoe tripping in Temagami 10 months post-op 6) 10-day solo canoe backcountry trip in Temagami 11 months post-op 7) Past few months: min. 10 000 steps per day every day tracked by an app on my phone, mostly walking, and light resistance training 3x per week These are some of my markers during recovery. Naturally, I also had a few setbacks along the way. I usually sensed that I was holding myself back out of an abundance of caution. No regrets there, though. Got this far! Covid fear and restrictions also played a role in tempering my ambitions. Every person's recovery will be somewhat unique. You may engage with activity much sooner or indeed more slowly. I'm happy to report that I'm enjoying xcountry skiing, paddling and the outdoors as much as ever, and appreciating it even more than before. I've not yet ventured to use ski lifts as I'm still very cautious around issues of Covid transmission. I'm also hesitant about venturing out into high altitude, i.e. above 6000ft, but haven't yet had the opportunity to do so anyway. Conclusions: John, it's reasonable to hope that you will return to enjoying those outdoor activities you've always loved. Nonetheless, consider treating this next phase as an opportunity to take a detour into uncharted waters, i.e. a new interest or activity that is a departure from the old path. Please let us now how the operation and recovery go. As a paddler and lifetime outdoors and fitness person, I'm particularly interested. Best wishes!