Easy trail ride on our mountain bikes. My 13 year old son and I hit some trails in a local preserve just a couple of miles from home. Nice little wooded area with good trails, some hills, and set up primarily for pedestrians, but bike-friendly, as well. We had ridden it before. About 15 minutes into the ride, and about a mile from where we had parked, he was riding ahead of me about 50 yards. There was a little footbridge that was designed with an access ramp, followed by a 45 degree turn to the left. He went up the ramp at a moderate speed, didn't make the turn in time, and as I watched, he went off the side of the footbridge an instantly disappeared. I heard him yell once, and then nothing as I frantically rode up to where he went off.
I dropped my bike and saw him down, thankfully only about 8 feet at the bottom of a dry creek bed. He had crashed through undergrowth and was still astride his bike, leaning against the bank, trying to unbuckle his full-faced helmet. I went down the embankment and reached him after banging up and scraping my arm in the process. He was conscious and alert, but in a lot of pain. When he hit, the pedal and crank arm had slammed into his inside calf/shin. He couldn't put any weight on one leg, his elbow was cut up and bruised, he had scratches and welts from the brush all over him, and he was complaining of pain in his hip and ribs. I was able to get him off of his bike, after we had checked for any spinal injuries, as best we could. Pushing the bike up the bank and depositing it on the bridge to get it out of the way, I went back down to him and he was able to put weight on one leg. I straddled the creek bed and got him up on the opposite bank high enough that I could lift him up onto the bridge. I sat him down, did further assessment, and determined that he wasn't going into shock. I gave him my cell phone, then biked like a maniac back to the parking lot. Throwing my bike into the back of the truck, I drove it to a location about 100 yards from where he was. He tried to hop, but I ended up carrying him back to the truck. We stopped by our local fire dept where he was checked out thoroughly. A later appointment with his Dr. and full x-rays confirmed he had suffered only bruises and scrapes.
The moral to this story is two-fold. Had that ravine been 30 feet deep instead of 8, or filled with rocks and/or rattlesnakes instead of bushes, or had there been debris or old pipes, etc sticking up, this would have been an entirely different outcome. Call it whatever your belief system demands. He had good fortune that day. When you are going through life, keep in mind how quickly things can change. Don't leave the house angry at your loved ones, hug your kids, appreciate what you have. It could all go away and then you would realize what is important. I realize that now. That instant of horror, seeing him plunge off of that bridge to an unknown fate changed how I look at life. Little highs and lows are now meaningless.
I said two-fold. I am 65 years old. I have been fortunate enough to be healthy. I run, I bike, I work out. Sometimes I fall off the wagon and eat what I shouldn't. I've been on every one of my son's Cub Scout and Boy Scout camp-outs since he was in 1st grade, to include whitewater rafting on the Kern River in the Southern Sierras last summer, where we were both tossed out of the rafts numerous times in class 3 [4?] rapids. I intend for this to continue. Fortunately, I had the physical abilities to extricate him from that ravine on Sunday. Absent a level of fitness, I wouldn't have been able to do that, let alone carry him 100 yards to the truck. This isn't about my physical abilities. This is about OUR abilities. You don't know when life will begin to smack you around. It could be on the freeway, at home in bed, in the wilds, or on an "uneventful" Sunday bike ride. You..........WE have a DUTY to ourselves, our families, and everyone else to train our bodies and minds to have the ability to ACT in such situations. I made a commitment, as soon as the shock of seeing my son go off that bridge into the unknown, that I will train myself EVERY SINGLE DAY, to enhance my ability to deal with situations that arise. You must do this, too. Each minute that you put it off, you inch closer to being unable to rely on your body, mind, and spirit. Each must be trained. No days off. Find SOME way to train, everyday. It is my obligation to society, and yours...........
I dropped my bike and saw him down, thankfully only about 8 feet at the bottom of a dry creek bed. He had crashed through undergrowth and was still astride his bike, leaning against the bank, trying to unbuckle his full-faced helmet. I went down the embankment and reached him after banging up and scraping my arm in the process. He was conscious and alert, but in a lot of pain. When he hit, the pedal and crank arm had slammed into his inside calf/shin. He couldn't put any weight on one leg, his elbow was cut up and bruised, he had scratches and welts from the brush all over him, and he was complaining of pain in his hip and ribs. I was able to get him off of his bike, after we had checked for any spinal injuries, as best we could. Pushing the bike up the bank and depositing it on the bridge to get it out of the way, I went back down to him and he was able to put weight on one leg. I straddled the creek bed and got him up on the opposite bank high enough that I could lift him up onto the bridge. I sat him down, did further assessment, and determined that he wasn't going into shock. I gave him my cell phone, then biked like a maniac back to the parking lot. Throwing my bike into the back of the truck, I drove it to a location about 100 yards from where he was. He tried to hop, but I ended up carrying him back to the truck. We stopped by our local fire dept where he was checked out thoroughly. A later appointment with his Dr. and full x-rays confirmed he had suffered only bruises and scrapes.
The moral to this story is two-fold. Had that ravine been 30 feet deep instead of 8, or filled with rocks and/or rattlesnakes instead of bushes, or had there been debris or old pipes, etc sticking up, this would have been an entirely different outcome. Call it whatever your belief system demands. He had good fortune that day. When you are going through life, keep in mind how quickly things can change. Don't leave the house angry at your loved ones, hug your kids, appreciate what you have. It could all go away and then you would realize what is important. I realize that now. That instant of horror, seeing him plunge off of that bridge to an unknown fate changed how I look at life. Little highs and lows are now meaningless.
I said two-fold. I am 65 years old. I have been fortunate enough to be healthy. I run, I bike, I work out. Sometimes I fall off the wagon and eat what I shouldn't. I've been on every one of my son's Cub Scout and Boy Scout camp-outs since he was in 1st grade, to include whitewater rafting on the Kern River in the Southern Sierras last summer, where we were both tossed out of the rafts numerous times in class 3 [4?] rapids. I intend for this to continue. Fortunately, I had the physical abilities to extricate him from that ravine on Sunday. Absent a level of fitness, I wouldn't have been able to do that, let alone carry him 100 yards to the truck. This isn't about my physical abilities. This is about OUR abilities. You don't know when life will begin to smack you around. It could be on the freeway, at home in bed, in the wilds, or on an "uneventful" Sunday bike ride. You..........WE have a DUTY to ourselves, our families, and everyone else to train our bodies and minds to have the ability to ACT in such situations. I made a commitment, as soon as the shock of seeing my son go off that bridge into the unknown, that I will train myself EVERY SINGLE DAY, to enhance my ability to deal with situations that arise. You must do this, too. Each minute that you put it off, you inch closer to being unable to rely on your body, mind, and spirit. Each must be trained. No days off. Find SOME way to train, everyday. It is my obligation to society, and yours...........
3 comments:
Wow! I am so glad your son is ok... I can't imagine. But you make some excellent points.. I spent several years in the Scouts with my oldest son... learned a lot, but mostl.. always be prepared :-)
Hi Bob.......glad you had a good outcome. To some extent, you can make your own luck through simple situational awareness, not walking around in a prepper/grayman/tactical sense,but just keeping your eyes and ears open, and not floundering into risky scenarios.
Just got my Xero Terraflex...WOW....no further need to buy the Prio!
Always enjoy your posts...Bob G.
Thanks for the comment, Bob. It did turn out ok, fortunately. Glad you like the Terraflex. I wear mine a lot! I was wearing them that day, as a matter of fact. I'm sure their aggressive tread helped me get my son up that embankment!
Post a Comment