I guess everybody is supposed to break a bone as part of growing up... generally on a nice civilized playground close to home, right? And at an early age, when such damage heals quickly?
Well, this past Sunday afternoon, I was out at Arroyo Seco, having a bit of a guided tour of the upper gorge (120 miles from home, maybe 4 miles from the road)....
Nice scenery, as we hiked in along the fire road.

(As usual, click fer bigger.)

OK, so now we're off the fire road, at the end of the trail along the creek, and about to get wet.
Nice creek.


Snake! (But no mushroom, and definitely no badger badger badger.)
As you can see, it was a fine day for a hike/float/swim up the creek there.
Then, without warning, while strolling through ankle-deep rapids, I was attacked by a gang of rocks!

They had me outnumbered! One yanked my feet out from under me, another hit me on the left ring finger, while a third hit me on the right little toe!
The afflicted finger seemed to be moving in directions it shouldn't... before it stiffened up and didn't want to move at all. The toe seemed to be in likewise bad shape.
With considerable assistance, I made it downstream to the trail, where my companions came up with a splint for the finger, which by this time really seemed to need one. Then a 3-mile hike back along the fire road to get back to the car....
Then, back to the Bay Area, and a long evening in the emergency department at Kaiser, being pushed to & from the X-ray department in a wheelchair (c'mon, three miles of fire road, and then they're worried about my ability to walk around the hospital?). Diagnosis: a dislocated finger and a broken toe. Home with a splint, and bandage, and a bottle of narcotic painkillers, most of which seem to be going unused (Monday morning, the pain was in the less-nuisance-than-narcotics category).
Today, off to the sports medicine department. The doctor says I won't be doing any hiking for several weeks. I get a less cumbersome splint for the finger, and nothing for the toe (I think a sandal with the toe-strap loosened will be at least as good as one of those clunky post-op shoes). Maybe I'll try milling a slot in an old sandal, so the toe can dangle unbothered.
I now know that my bones aren't unbreakable. Also that last year's sandals no longer have good tread, and that, for exploring Arroyo Seco, a lower-profile flotation device than an inner tube would be better. Maybe a kickboard, or a smallish air mattress.
Typing is still slow & inaccurate, and that's enough of it for now.
Recent Comments