I went to the climbing gym last Thursday. Right afterwards, the front part of my left shoulder hurt a bit. It didn't hurt that much the next day, so I went for a bike ride in the Verdugos and along the L.A. River. I went up behing the Brand Library, along the asphalt road that runs past the Doctor's House and becomes a dirt road after about a half a mile. It comes to a fork, and supposedly you're supposed to take the left fork. I was thinking of taking the right fork, but the road had collapsed. Once before I had, for the most part, carried my bike up the steep, stepped trail that leads behind the library along the firebreak that can be seen for miles, and then I had coasted down the road. I was trying to get over to that firebreak, which would mean taking the right fork.

Anyway, there's something creepy about the Verdugos. I mean, they only go up to about 3000', so there's no snowpack, right? So, when you're standing there looking at this fork trying to decide whether to go up the intact or collapsed fireroad, and you notice a little stream, and it appears that that little stream has recently started, one might wonder, where did that water come from? I saw some trucks further up the road, so maybe it was from a water truck. But, considering that I felt like I was in the middle of a toxic waste dump, and since pulling up on the handlebars was bothering me, I drove to the Zoo and took a flat ride along the river instead.

The next day, my shoulder hurt like hell, including a sore top part and pec. Today, I can almost lift my left hand above my head, but even so it's pretty painful.

I think I hurt my shoulder when I was trying to stem at the gym. I know I was really reaching for a hold with my right hand, and my right side didn't hurt afterwards, but, I think it was twisting my shoulder back trying an ill-advised stem move.

There is no lesson to this story, I'm just keeping you updated.