One of a string of pools
This was a 4.5 mile round-trip on the Romero Canyon Trail to see the Romero Pools, which are about 2.2 miles from the trailhead. I was fortunate to have my daughter with me. Her house is a 30-minute drive from the trailhead. Elevation gain, if memory serves, was 800 or 900 feet.
This is rugged and wild land. I’m sure there are bears and mountain lions here.
There were not many people on the trail when we did this on May 14. At the pools per se were 10-14 folks, including a couple topless women.
My hiking buddy
This trail is difficult due to the rocky footing and steepness. It was a good workout. We never came close to losing the trail, and we never had to scramble over large boulders.
View from first part of the trail
Trail-side flower
My beautiful daughter
I saw about five pools clustered together but there are probably more
Uh Oh: My Knee Hurts
I’ve developed over the last month some bothersome pain in my right knee. It’s not interfered much with my actual hiking, but I pay for it over the subsequent day or two. I’m starting to think this may put the kibosh on my Humphries Peak trek next month.
The pain is mostly anterior (front part of the knee) and is most noticeable after I’ve been sitting for a while with the bent knee, then get up to walk. The pain improves greatly after walking for a minute or less. It also hurts bit when I step up on something using my right leg. If I sit with my knee straight (in full extension), it doesn’t hurt when I get up. The joint is neither unusually warm nor swollen. Ibuprofen doesn’t seem to help it. These pain characteristics seem classic for something, but I don’t know what, yet. Possibilities include degenerative joint disease, chondromalacia patellae, patellar tendonitis, or an internal derangement such as a torn cartilage or meniscus. My twice weekly hikes always include a fair amount of elevation gain. I suspect an over-use syndrome, basically a training error. I plan to take an entire week off from hiking and Bulgarian Split Squats, and taking ibuprofen 600 mg three times a day.
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 