Day 531 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was a big day! We had a lot of "firsts" today.

The first "first" was arriving at Disabled Sports Easter Sierra (DSES) at 8:45 AM! This was the earliest we arrived all week. We put on boots and Grayson was ready to go before 9:00. Unfortunately Dad forgot that the REGULAR lesson times start at 9:30, not 9:00. After 4 days of trying to get there by 9:00 I was in the groove. I could have let Grayson (and I) sleep another 30 minutes. Oh well, at least Grayson was wide awake and alert for his lesson! He was also there and alert when his instructor "judge" presented him with a 100 year anniversary pin of the California Appellate Court. He is now wearing it proudly on his parka!

The reason we didn't want to be late this morning was that we had Zachary as an instructor. Zachary is one of the few professional instructors on staff and he is excellent. Our time with him today was no disappointment. After 1 run on Chair 11 (the Discovery Chair) Zachary determined that Grayson could use a bit more challenge and we headed up Chair 1 (the Broadway Express). Here is a picture of two more "firsts" today. One is actually finding the Burrito Snowcat, the second is being with Grayson at the top of Chair 1 for the first time in over 2 years. The picture shows Grayson and Zachary skiing past the Burrito Snowcat.

Shortly after Grayson got on St Anton he had speed control problems on the ice. At one point he lost confidence and couldn't move forward. Here is a series of photos showing Zachary leading Grayson down the steep part until Grayson regained his confidence. (Photo 1, photo 2, Photo 3, Photo4, Photo5.) After that we headed back to Chair 11 and stayed there for the rest of the day working on turns that have an edge!

Since Springtacular is over we had to go to the cafeteria for lunch. When we returned our afternoon instructors Kate and Mark were ready for us. I went two runs with them and determined that they had Grayson well covered and I took off on my own for a full hour – another "first"! For those of you have been to Mammoth, I managed a run down the Powder Bowl, Stump Alley, Solitude and St Anton before heading back to catch up with Grayson and his instructors just before the end of the day.

At the end of the day we changed out of our boots and headed back to the hotel. On our way through the lobby one of the DSES instructors that we have seen but not worked with all week came running after us and asked us if we had dropped a ski glove. Sure enough Grayson had dropped it. After thanks and hugs all around we went up to our room.

After being closed all week, the Yodeler Pub and Restaurant reopened for its final weekend of the season yesterday. Our last "first" of the day was to go to the Yodeler for dinner. The food was good and we enjoyed the experience – and the short walk from the hotel.

Tomorrow we pack up to leave this place after a great week and an even greater season. One more day of skiing!

Pax!

Brant

Day 530 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was the last day of Springtacular and it was a fun day. It was very cold this morning – low 20s – before getting into some range where I just kept peeling off clothes! I finished the day skiing in my shirt and ski pants while Grayson had on that plus a parka, and a vest.

During one of the morning runs we ran into one of the ski patrol members and his dog, Chief. Here is a picture of them just before Grayson throws a ball for Chief to retrieve.

This afternoon Grayson took a lesson from a cool instructor. He was full of energy and Grayson worked hard. At one point in the day, someone joined with us in the lift line to add a 4^th to our group. Our instructor said that he looked familiar and had he had ridden a lift with him earlier. The response was classic – the gentleman said, "No your Honor. I argued an appellate case in front of you!" Our instructor is an Associate Justice for the Court of Appeal! Here is a picture of Grayson following the orders of our Judge!

At 4:30 it was time for the closing Awards Banquet. Here are Grayson and I in our Springtacular shirts! All of the participants received an award, but Grayson did not know that. There are lots of schools and groups that participate in the program, but the "independents" were called out first. When Grayson heard his name he looked at me in surprise! They called him forward and announced that he had earned the "Amazing Grayson Award" for being the "Comeback Kid". Yes he has come back to Mammoth and is skiing again. Here is a picture of him receiving his award. I'm surprised that it is any good at all as I couldn't see much through my tears. Many, many people came up to us afterward and congratulated and hugged him. Here is a picture of the medal given to all of the participants.

What a day!

Pax!

Brant

Day 529 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today Grayson moved a bit faster and we made it to the Springtacular before 10:00 AM. Grayson went until the end at 3:30 today – a first! This was a full day of activity and, for the third day in a row, was asleep in minutes after he went to bed.

Today the instructors were primarily focused on improving Grayson's turns – moving him from a more sliding turn to using an edge. When he actually made a proper turn he appeared surprised because of the ease and speed of the turn. This is good!

At lunch it was music therapy day. Unfortunately for Grayson, it was really rhythm or drum therapy. During the entire lunch period there was a lot of drum pounding. Since noise is not one of Grayson's favorite things, I was worried. Fortunately he was good today and managed to not let it get him too edgy.

One of my favorite memories from today was when a fellow student, Joey, came up to Grayson and said, "See you tomorrow buddy!" then gave Grayson a high 5 and a hug. Grayson may or may not have been affected, but I certainly was. Through my tears I said thanks to Joey, a nice kid of what appears to be high school age.

This is a cool place to be this week!

Pax!

Brant

Day 528 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson had a slow start this morning – slow even for Grayson! I got him up at 7:15 AM. He was stiff and he looked at me in shock when he took his first step because his legs were sore and not doing what he expected. It took me a long time to get him down stairs from his sleeping loft and when he arrived he sat in a chair! It took us until 10:45 to get to the Disabled Sports center (a walk across the parking lot). Most of that time was spent having him walk and stretch. When he was able to motor along sufficiently we went to meet up with his instructor.

His instructor today was an old friend – Kathy – who was with Grayson on his very first lesson at DSES in January. Knowing the situation, her plan for the day was "easy and fun". We arrived at the center and she took him on the Scenic Gondola up to the top for some lounge chair sightseeing while I got to get in a few runs in on my own. I arrived back to meet up with them for the group picture in front of Wooly (here we are assembling for it) and lunch. During lunch three therapy dogs came to visit and these calm, friendly and furry animals visited with us as we waited in line for the lunch buffet.

After lunch Grayson wanted to hit the slopes, so Kathy took him to Chair 11 (the Discovery Chair) for some easy runs. He managed to get in 7 runs and was moving much better by the end of the day. Here is a video of one of those runs.

After our day ended on the slopes, Grayson and I decided to go into town to see what trouble we could get into. We went to Footloose Sports because of their big sale sign, but there was nothing we wanted. Then we went to explore the Village, something I had never done. Well, after Canyon and Eagle lodges have closed I don't recommend it. It was dead! Most of the places closed at 6:00 PM, and we arrived at 6:15. It is lovely, and I can imagine that it is quite a hopping place mid season!

We had a superb dinner at Petra's Bistro and Wine Bar before heading back up the hill to the Mammoth Mountain Inn. When we left town the temperature was 51°. A few minutes later at the Main Lodge where Mammoth Mountain Inn is located the temperature was 40°. I understand why Main Lodge remains open when all else closes!

Today is the second day in a row that I have put Grayson to bed at 9:15 and he was sound asleep before 9:30. That boy was tired – again!

Pax!

Brant

Day 527 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was the opening of the Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra annual Springtacular – a four day ski and snowboard event for the cognitively challenged. We arrived at the Mammoth Mountain Conference Center at 9:00 this morning to a room full of participants, parents and volunteers determined to make this a great week. We were treated to a Sweet Adeline group performing the National Anthem and a few other favorites, before we hit the slopes.

Grayson had a (mostly) great day. He started out at the Discovery Chair to get his "ski legs" under him and to break in a new instructor. Before lunch we took a run up the gondola to McCoy Station and skied some more challenging runs.

Lunch was back in the conference center and we dined on Mexican food. After lunch we went up chair 6 and Grayson skied down some even more challenging terrain. Grayson was doing really well! He was in control, going where he intended, able to stop when he needed to and moving at a pretty good clip! We wound up at the Stump Alley Express and rode it up before starting back down to the main lodge. Grayson was starting to run out of gas, or so we thought. As we came down, he was suddenly falling a lot, and we determined that he was tired. I discovered later that the more challenging terrain was too much for his muscle tone and he was just shot. We knew something was amiss when he wouldn't get up. In just a few minutes we had 5 members of the DSES staff there. After a bit a ski patrol member came by and offered a ride down the hill – that was a no brainer! Grayson took a ride to the bottom. The staff stayed with him until I collected all of his gear from the conference center then we went back to the hotel (viewed here from where we were stopped with Grayson). It was then I discovered that he was sore and not tired or dehydrated or adjusting to the elevation – he had difficulty walking! We ate at the hotel tonight to minimize movement!

Tomorrow will be a very easy day to let Grayson's legs recover. The best news of all – this was without a doubt the most physical work Grayson has done since his incident. Sore muscles are really, really good!

Pax!

Brant

Day 526 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was travel day! Grayson and I left home at 10:00 AM and drove to Mammoth Mountain – arriving at the Main Lodge in record time for us – 5 ½ hours! It was an easy and uneventful drive and we arrived in time to fit rental skis to his boots before the big shindig starts tomorrow morning.

After dropping the skis off at the conference center where all of the activities will originate (Grayson is part of the "Meteorites group") we drove across the parking lot to the Mammoth Mountain Inn to check in. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting settled and then we were off to dinner. We ate in the hotel as I was trying to get Grayson to bed early. It will be an early morning for Grayson, and I hope that I can get him awake enough to enjoy the morning skiing!

The view out our window is amazing and we spent time watching the snow cats grooming the slopes this evening. We are looking forward to our day tomorrow!

Pax!

Brant

Day 525 – Grayson’s Journey

Happy Easter, dear family and friends

Grayson was more alert than he has been in weeks – great news after a hospital stay! There was of course a LOT of activity this weekend, and today we were still flying around. But after services this morning, we had a bit more relaxed day. We prepared Easter dinner for the four of us then we set about packing for Grayson's and my adventure to Mammoth tomorrow. The hospital on Saturday and a vacation to Mammoth on Monday – quite an answer to prayers!

Easter always fills me with the joy of rebirth, and today was no exception. A wonderful morning at church followed with a day with family. What could be better?

He is risen. Alleluia!

Brant