We are all walking pieces of mortality. If we are really active throughout our lives, and live long enough, breakdowns take place. Fortunately, in the world of modern medicine, some of those breakdowns can be repaired, giving us a new lease on active life. Such is my case as I had both knees replaced in 2024, three months apart - the first in early May and the second in early August. Four months later I started skiing with the new hardware.

A very active lifelong outdoor life led to the circumstance which led to the decision. In most of history, there was no alternative. People were stuck with their circumstances and had to live their lives with the unalterable fact.

My love for skiing, walking, hiking, gardening, fly fishing, photography and adventuring made for an easy decision. I was tired and a bit worn out from walking and skiing bone-on-bone in both knees. Everyday movement became somewhat of a chore. Skiing Whistler last March was limited to a few hours a day - basically until the over-the-counter pain meds wore off. Skiing is about having fun and pain was not fun!

THE OPERATION and PHYSICAL THERAPY

Knee replacements have become commonplace. My recommendation is to do your research to find a surgeon that you have complete faith in. In the social media world, it is easy to find recommendations from friends and others. One friend in particular recommended Dr Yaser Metwally from Southern Oregon Advanced Orthopedics. My friend had both her knees replaced by Metwally and she said that the surgeries gave her a new lease on life. In 622 Google reviews, Metwally has 4.9 out of 5 stars. I selected him because of my friendʻs recommendation and also because this surgeon does the knee replacement aided by robotics.

My Google research yielded this about robotics: “Reviews for robotic knee replacement surgery are generally positive, with many patients reporting significantly reduced pain, faster recovery times, and improved knee function compared to traditional knee replacement surgery, often citing the precision of the robotic system as a key benefit, allowing for better alignment and less soft tissue damage.”

Metwally and his staff gave me a printout with strengthening exercises to do months before the surgery. My advice? Do them! They’ll make a difference in your recovery. Surgery is only a couple of hours, followed by an hour of recovery, then one is allowed to go home accompanied by a pre-arranged driver. My son Steen drove me home from the first replacement and my sister Nancy from the second.

Once you get home, this is where the ‘fun’ begins. Not! The first two weeks of recovery will have you saying: “They shoot horses, don’t they?” Even with pain meds, I’ve never experienced pain like this. After a month, you’ll finally see the rainbow around the bend. Physical therapy begins just a few days after surgery. Stick to it. It will be worth it. As I write these words, I’m half a year away from the second replacement and I am skiing and hiking - though not for any great distances.

AUTUMN JOURNEY to MONTANA

Less than two months from my last knee replacement, I packed my car and journeyed back-roads to visit my son in Columbia Falls, Montana. I took a special padded mat/bedroll along to do my knee strengthening exercises every day. Unfortunately, I developed a severe case of sciatica in early September that I had to deal with, along with the knee recovery. Walking has always been my tonic to strengthen my back and to ward off sciatica, but the knee replacements severely limited my daily walks. While driving, I made sure to make plenty of stops to walk. Being a photographer makes that easy to do.

Starting from my hometown of Malin—that lies a mile from the California border—I drove north, and spent the first night south of the Washington border with new friends in Pendleton, Oregon. The following day, I met my dear friend Frank Millar (we were Oregon State FFA Officers our first year out of high school) at his Blue Mountain cabin near Tollgate off Highway 204. I ended up spending more than a week at the cabin.

My life long love for skiing began here in 1966 as Frank, Mike Charley (our State FFA Sentinel, Naval Academy Grad, and the first test pilot for the Cobra Helicopter) and I skied nearby Spout Springs which no longer exists as a ski resort, though the buildings and slopes are there but now show signs of slow decay. 

HELLS CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
and IMNAHA RIVER CANYON

Explorations from the cabin included the Blue Mountain breaks (accessed by a four wheeler from the cabin), the bucolic Wallowa Country to the east and a wild excursion to a remote cabin in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, as we followed the sometimes harrowing Imnaha River Canyon. One day, Frank treated me and his brother Andy to a guided salmon fishing trip to the Columbia River near McNary Dam. I was fortunate to land one salmon.

Autumn was just coming into its own in late September/early October during my cabin sojourn. Several times Frank and I, and sometimes myself solo, drove into the enchanting Wallowa Country, crossing the heavily forested Blue Mountains in Umatilla National Forest, spilling out into the old lumber/ranching town of Elgin. Soon after we crossed the lovely Grande Ronde River, we made our way to the little bird of a town Minam where the namesake river meets the Wallowa River, both noted for fly fishing. Check out the Minam River Lodge http://www.minam-lodge.com/, a Wilderness Hideaway. The Lodge, eight and a half miles away, is accessed only by foot, horseback or charter plane.

Leaving the cabin to continue my journey to Montana, I passed through Walla Walla, Washington, and took back roads to the Idaho border, seeing new country for the first time. Highways 127, 26, 195 and 278 led me to the border and eventually Interstate 90 in the Gem State. One notable place that I slowly drove through was Waverly, Washington, the home to my late boyhood friend Bob Crawford and his beloved mom, June. I remembered the many childhood adventures that we had while growing up together in our little hometown of Malin, Oregon.

I crossed into Montana and drove to my son’s Columbia Falls home, arriving just after midnight.

FLY FISHING, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

SKIING WHITEFISH MOUNTAIN RESORT and BLACKTAIL MOUNTAIN

I write these words on February 25, 2025, from Whistler-Blackcomb, Canada: Yesterday was my 18th new knee ski day. I even skied mogul fields. My buddy John Paulson and I will be here skiing until March 19th. I may have a 40 day ski year before everything is said and done! Not too shabby for bionic knees and 77 years of age!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry Turner is a productive, respected regional, national and international photographer/writer. His work has appeared in countless magazines and books, including Browntrout and Avalanche Publishers' calendars and books, American Heritage, National Geographic Traveler, Travel and Leisure, Sunset and many others. He is the co-author of the book Mount Shasta Reflections, and his photographs have appeared on covers of many books and magazines.  He is an active skier, gardener, fly fisherman,  and adventurer. His greatest love is spending time with his son Steen, Chef de Cuisine of the Cafe Kandahar in Whitefish, Montana. Click for Larry's Facebook page.