triage via tecumseh

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Condolences, Bryan, and best wishes for a full recovery! What a gut-wrencher it must have been to experience that break. I'm glad you had a good experience with those who helped. Hang in there and good luck being patient with the heal-up!

--Mike
 
It's hard to wait for healing, but it will be worth it and more appreciated when you get back to hiking.
Yesterday while hiking Chocorua we met with ice and wet slabs which were dangerous enough, but the real tricky part was going down through the deep , dry leaves. At one point both of my feet slid beneath a log across the trail, and only by luck did my forward movement stop.
 
This is really bad news. I was looking forward to a few good hikes with you during the "off season" (winter).
Hopefully the repairs are minor and the healing is quick.
Please keep us posted on your progress.
Under the current circumstances is there a chance I could keep up with you on the trail? :rolleyes:
Keep smiling! ;)

hey earl, i was actually thinking on the hike down about getting in touch with you about a hike sometime soon. was going to have a couple weekends off coming up.

kdt-i have actually seen doctor bear before, but couldn't come up with his practice name when they made me the referral. will definitely consider him if i don't like what i hear from access.

silverfox- i think we were just having a conversation about injuries, or lack there of, hiking down from the willey range a couple of weeks ago. about how you never know what will happen. sadly tucking into a roll and somersaulting wasn't going to save me on this one.

audrey- i think you're right about keeping the boot on. it seemed like it was able to keep things in line just enough to move on it. as soon as i took it off the ankle couldn't support the foot. this same thing happened to a friend of mine who suffered a more minor break a number of winters back. the doctor thought the high boot she was wearing helped her to "self rescue" rather than having to be carried.

bobby- i'm down with opp.

thank you all again.

bryan
 
Very sorry to hear of your injury and hope that you have a quick and complete recovery. You did all a service by posting this as a reminder. We all have had those "uh oh" moments when the outcome could have been bad. For us soloists in particular, and for everyone in cooler/wetter weather, even a "simple" accident away from a trailhead can have serious consequences sometimes.
 
Sorry to hear about your injury, hope you're feeling better soon.

This makes me think of a recent thread on another hiking forum where someone posed the question "How close have you been to needing a rescue?". I was surprised that a couple of people said that they had never even been close to needing a rescue. It seems to me that every time we go out hiking, we're all potentially close to needing a rescue. As your incident shows, all it takes is one little slip - luckily for you, you were able to get out on your own.

Also, I couldn't help but notice the irony in your signature line, given this mishap. ;)
 
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Hope all goes well with your recovery. Good job getting yourself out of there! Bet you were glad it didn't happen somewhere near Dry River Shelter #3!

(((Bryan)))
 
i did consider staying put, but when i tested it out and found it was possible to move decided it would be a good idea. hard to know if that was the right call or not. bryan

If it didn't cost the State Of New Hampshire money, it's "the right call". If you would have needed a helo, then you might be dealing with a person in a funny hat deciding that FOR you, perhaps writing a 10 page report with gems like...

Despite noting that "footing was a bit tricky with the wet slippery leaves", the hiker in question continued on his reckless quest to descend the dizzying heights of Tecumseh, putting rescuers and taxpayers in grave danger.
Would a "reasonable person" acted with such wanton disregard in light of such treacherous conditions?

Good luck with the healing process!
 
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Greenie-worthy

I hope you are OK, Bryan. And, I think your report is a good reminder -- that "anything can happen to anyone at anytime". I have a similar type of story to share. A few weeks ago I planned to hike the Wildcats solo, via the ski slopes, and do an out and back to grab both peaks. I was starting at about 1130 am or so, because I needed to stay home in MA to take care of some stuff saturday am before driving up.
I made REALLY good time getting up the slopes and was on the first summit within an hour. Another 45 minutes later and I was passing a group just before Wildcat A that were heading back and down the slopes. We talked. Nothing out of the ordinary. I felt great.
A minute later down the trail I slipped, quite benign slip on treadless trailrunners on some average rocks, and put my hands down to brace myself as a reflex action. But this time, my right hand went into a crevice of rocks and I felt/heard a *crack*.
"Oh shit" I thought, maybe even said aloud, "I hope I didn't just break my wrist". Adrenaline filled my veins and as I stood up, all I could feel was myself going back down, head was spinning, mouth went dead dry, couldn't see up from down, my feet felt like they were strapped to separate hot air balloons, and I knew I was near fainting. I sat down, and had the where with all to coach myself into taking out my rain shell and putting it on. It was windy and spitting rain that day above the trees, and the thoughts flittting through my brain were like this, "if you pass out, its likely that no one will come by here again today, you will be exposed to the weather, and that will be bad". After a few minutes rest I got on with tagging the peak, which was about a minute or two away (shameless, I know). Then turned back. Each step felt like an eternity, but within 15 minutes I was feeling strong again, and soon I heard the voices of those I had passed earlier. That gave me a boost and within an hour or so I was back at the parking lot at Wildcat, enjoying a PBR with some old guy who hikes alot and his friends who'd gone through to 19 Mile. I shared my story, which spurned thier stories of near misses. Wrist was bruised and swollen and tender for several days. Made for a good story at work. :) First time ever hurt hiking in 22 or so years out there, mostly solo. Really minor in comparision to you, but goes to show the range of injury that can take place. Hang in there!
Yup, anything can happen at anytime to anyone. Hope you are on your feet and the trails soon.
 
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well, for anyone interested i now have a time frame for recovering from this little mishap.
first i have to get the swelling down (endless elevation in front of the mind numbing television). then surgery will happen early next week involving the placement of screws, pins and a metal plate. assuming a standard outcome and no infection, etc. it's then 2 weeks in a splint until sutures are removed then 6 weeks on crutches and another 6 weeks in a "walking boot". then comes physical therapy and a slow easing back into regular use. the time frame is most daunting to me as by nature i am not one to just sit around and it is going to cause many problems with work, home maintenance with winter coming, etc. definitely a lesson in learning to accept what i can't change. there is, of course, a laundry list of possible problems even with surgical success and the best care. trying not to think about those.
tim, thanks for the fs "quote". very funny. that was about the last thing i would want to be dealing with right now.

take it easy all.

bryan
 
well, for anyone interested i now have a time frame for recovering from this little mishap.
first i have to get the swelling down (endless elevation in front of the mind numbing television). then surgery will happen early next week involving the placement of screws, pins and a metal plate. assuming a standard outcome and no infection, etc. it's then 2 weeks in a splint until sutures are removed then 6 weeks on crutches and another 6 weeks in a "walking boot". then comes physical therapy and a slow easing back into regular use. the time frame is most daunting to me as by nature i am not one to just sit around and it is going to cause many problems with work, home maintenance with winter coming, etc. definitely a lesson in learning to accept what i can't change. there is, of course, a laundry list of possible problems even with surgical success and the best care. trying not to think about those.
tim, thanks for the fs "quote". very funny. that was about the last thing i would want to be dealing with right now.
For my distal (lower) femur fracture and femoral neck (hip) fracture it was 11 weeks before I was given the go-ahead to put weight on it. (And I had a broken wrist so I had to use a modified walker rather than crutches.) Couldn't even get out of the house without help because I couldn't negotiate the steps. (After a while, I figured out how to crab-crawl down the steps and hand my walker down...) After the go-ahead it was 3-4 more weeks before the leg was strong enough for me to walk on it at all without aids. (I used a cane for distance for a while longer.) PT ran til 10-11 months post accident. (I am still having some muscle weakness problems 2 3/4 years later.)

I figured my primary job was to heal, put my regular activities on hold, and just lived a somewhat different existence until I could gradually reintroduce the activities as I became able.

You will get through it, but it will probably be easier if you focus on what you can do rather than on what you cannot do.

Doug
 
Bryan, Best of luck with healing soundly and thanks for sharing your enlightening report! One thing that is always in my mind when I head out on the trail and debate whether to bring trekking poles is how useful they could be if I twist an ankle. Did that pretty bad in the past, not nearly to your extent but still two years of healing to be full strength. I have even kept on microspikes when I came down below spring snow because they offered better traction on wet leaves. Not that I'm promoting something that would cause extensive trail erosion but in some cases an advantage.

Last time I was in Speare Memorial they hung me upside down, slapped me on my arse and sent me on my way. Been making footprints ever since!;)
 
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I am no stranger to ankle injury. Needed the right one reconstructed (twice)
after I took a graceful spill going down the Liberty Spring trail. ( I hiked out on it, Speare was great). Not sure which hurt worse: the ankle or my armpits from the crutches:
Try this. Looks like a fun way to scoot around!!

http://www.rolleraid.com/

Best of luck.
Sandy
FWIW: almost EVERY hike I go on puts me at high risk for rescue:eek:Just ask anyone who has hike with me.
 
Hey Bryan,

I am so sorry to hear about your injury...I'm sure you will heal up quickly and be back on the trails in no time.

-MEB
 
Best of luck with a speedy recovery. Nice work getting yourself out of the woods! May this TR act as a reminder for all of us. Thanks for posting and Godspeed!
 
The quicker you heal, the quicker you get out of there! So hurry up and heal!
Very best wishes for a very speedy recovery!
 
had "successful" surgery on monday morning. elevation and pain pills have been the story the last couple of days. if all continues to go well i may be back out on the trails, to some degree, this spring.
happy thanksgiving everyone.

bryan
 
had "successful" surgery on monday morning. elevation and pain pills have been the story the last couple of days. if all continues to go well i may be back out on the trails, to some degree, this spring.
happy thanksgiving everyone.

bryan
Bryan - Best of luck with the recovery.

Every cloud has a silver lining - I'm still looking.

Enjoy the day, stay comfortable, and I hope to take a walk with you in the spring. :)

Earl
 
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