Por Patricia Mooney

Happy New Year, dear readers! This is a time when the slate is clean. We can learn from past challenges and move forward in our lives with resolutions to improve our health, beautify our surroundings and strengthen our relationships.

But you don’t have to go overboard on the first day! Take it easy. Good advice, and yet not everyone heeds it.

The number of rescues on Cowles Mountain always balloons in January, according to San Diego Fire & Rescue. That’s because of the unrealistic expectations of people who are simply not cut out to climb the craggy — and potentially unforgiving — “staircase.” Right on schedule, a portly man twisted his ankle and had to be carried down on the first of January on a moonless night, by a cadre of rescue personnel. The man will be fine. And we can all take his misfortune as a cautionary tale. Don’t go up Cowles Mountain day or night — potentially engaging a dozen rescuers and three fire engines, which could be better served in a life-and-death situation — unless you’re in good shape.

If your dream is to soak in the amazing view atop Cowles Mountain, then work up to it slowly. Hike Mission Trails or Lake Murray every week. Enroll at a gym like TruSelf on Waring Road or 24-Hour Fitness at Navajo and Lake Murray and begin a stair-climbing regimen. There’s also a “back way” up Cowles Mountain that many people are unaware of. It’s a jeep track that is a bit less daunting. I used to ride my mountain bike up it to train for races back in the 1980s and 1990s. There are some steep sections, some erosion and slippery spots with “ball-bearing” rocks, so be careful. Be kind to your body. You only get one in this lifetime.

Troubadour and crowd favorite, Gregory Page, will perform on Jan. 17 for the Second Sunday Concert Series at Mission Trails Church, 4880 Zion Ave. The concert series concluded its 2018 season in December at Mission Trails Interpretive Center. Page kicks off the 2019 season in a larger venue with more parking. His show promises to be another glorious experience.

The SCAC January meeting was canceled due to the holidays. Our next meeting will be on Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the San Carlos Library, 7265 Jackson Drive. Local government representatives will present their reports on what’s new in 2019.

Our lineup of speakers in the upcoming months includes author of “Dangerous Delusions,” Professor Rolf Schulze; Josh, proprietor of TruSelf Gym; and a cannabis nurse who will speak to us about the healing qualities of cannabis CBDs. Join us, won’t you?

Follow us at twitter.com/CouncilSCA.

— Patricia Mooney is vice president of the San Carlos Area Council. Reach her at [email protected].