Bike Trip!

My residency program sponsors an annual trip to Colorado for first and second year residents, to promote team bonding, learning and comraderie. It's called "Bike Trip" because there is always a challenging bike ride up Vail Pass (15 miles uphill) and back. Of course, those who are less athletic can opt to do the downhill portion only - definitely a good choice.

Bike Trip 2010

I had a wonderful drive with two of the second-year gals, convoying with another group of first-years. The first morning was spent in team building activities (silly games - like making a team mascot from medical supplies - see photo) and continuing medical education lectures. Then we took a "short" hike to get acclimated. Basically, we hiked straight up for an hour, huffing and puffing, and had lunch on the top of some mountain. I got talked into hiking up even farther with some of my first-year buddies. It was, literally, breathtaking. The aspens were all turning yellow and orange and the weather was perfect with clear blue skies. So the scenery was a feast for the eyes and refreshing to the soul.

Day two was the bike outing. I got talked into doing the downhill portion of Vail Pass, imagining hurtling downhill at breakneck speeds on a rough mountain trail. Actually, the path was all asphalt and the slope gentler than I expected. So the ride was thoroughly enjoyable. After the 15-mile downhill ride, which was quite invigorating, I rode around Dillon Lake, about 10 miles. This was a somewhat more challenging ride, actually - although shorter, there were a lot of uphill sections. The crystal blue lake surrounded by pockets of golden Aspens was well worth the ride. On the third day, I kayaked around the lake. That's the first time I've ever kayaked. It was great, except when the wind kicked up. Dillon is at about 9,000 feet of altitude, so I feel pretty proud of myself for being up to several hours of rigorous activity in low oxygen conditions.

In addition to all the outdoor frolics, we had lots of social activities - games, pizza, medical pictionary (harder than you'd think - try drawing benign prostatic hypertrphy!), and even dancing. On the last night, we had a line dance with a real "caller" who led us through several line and square dances. It was loads of fun - good exercise and easy for those of us with two left feet.

I came back from the trip refreshed and ready to start my adult medicine rotation, which I just started on October 1st. It's going to be a very challenging month - but more on that later.

Sorry it's been so long between posts. I miss you all!