Wow Bill, glad you made it out relatively ok. Good luck with the recovery!
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Mahoosuc Notch NH, An Unfortunate Trip Report, 7/15/09
- Thread starter billski
- Start date
severine
New member
Wow! Glad to hear you're doing well now, Bill, and expected to have a full recovery before ski season! Be careful! 
bigbog
Active member
....Those mountains don't give much dude!!
Glad to still have you aboard Bill,
I know it's torture missing the outdoors in all this beautiful summer weather:roll:, but rest up.
*Here's to a assured recovery!....don't rush it!
SteveD
Glad to still have you aboard Bill,
I know it's torture missing the outdoors in all this beautiful summer weather:roll:, but rest up.
*Here's to a assured recovery!....don't rush it!
SteveD
Last edited:
ComeBackMudPuddles
New member
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wow! you're famous! i've never been in the newspaper.
here's to a speedy recovery. glad it all turned out ok.
here's to a speedy recovery. glad it all turned out ok.
billski
Active member
It was scary after-the-fact. During the event I had no clue how close it was to not making it.
I'm involved with some other discussion boards where the participant age is significantly higher. We lose people every year, kinda strange experience. Enjoy your good health while you have it!
Docs down here have re-confirmed body is in self-heal mode, but I must live life as a slug (no cardio, no lifting or anything to risk-reinjure for 3 months.)
I'll be cleared, but entirely out of shape for ski season!
Thanks for the thoughts.
I'm involved with some other discussion boards where the participant age is significantly higher. We lose people every year, kinda strange experience. Enjoy your good health while you have it!
Docs down here have re-confirmed body is in self-heal mode, but I must live life as a slug (no cardio, no lifting or anything to risk-reinjure for 3 months.)
I'll be cleared, but entirely out of shape for ski season!
Thanks for the thoughts.
riverc0il
New member
Damn, Bill. Glad you are okay and had such great help getting you out of there. It can happen to any of us, any time, any where. Hope you are back to 100% as soon as possible.
Breeze
Member
Bill,
Truth of the matter is that somehow the gravity storms get more serious as the years pass.
We don't bounce as well? What's up with that? Isn't gravity a constant? OR has physics changed since we were 20 and <immortal>?
I'm thankful that you ARE recovering. There isn't any other acceptable alternative. Stick with the program and come ski season, you'll be thankful you didn't check out in advance on an adventure.
Same nick on VFTT? Heheh I'll take your advice on Mahoosuc Notch. I Promise not to sue.
Breeze
Truth of the matter is that somehow the gravity storms get more serious as the years pass.
We don't bounce as well? What's up with that? Isn't gravity a constant? OR has physics changed since we were 20 and <immortal>?
I'm thankful that you ARE recovering. There isn't any other acceptable alternative. Stick with the program and come ski season, you'll be thankful you didn't check out in advance on an adventure.
Same nick on VFTT? Heheh I'll take your advice on Mahoosuc Notch. I Promise not to sue.
Breeze
billski
Active member
Even as a victim, I don't think I'd wear one unless there was an overwhelmingly good reason. I've been whacking my head on the apple tree in our yard every week when I mow. On one end, walking in the park, nada. Now, look at climbers, that's the other end, helmets are pretty much mandatory. Third, depends on your past injury history. fourth, If you've had a concussion, it's much easier to get the next one. fifth, its the trail particularly unstable or slippery? Then, maybe. Statistically, there are more broken limbs on the rocks trails than brain injury, it's just how most hikers fall.
Strictly from an odds point of view, the odds are against you getting a head injury on most trails in the NE. They are also not so comfortable when you're hiking and dripping sweat. No easy answers here.
No, there are no easy answers to that one.
Helmets in other sports or outdoor activities are much more common now than just a few years ago. Should that trend continue? Odds are........well, maybe playing the odds isn't the best thing, as Natasha Richardson certainly didn't think there were any odds on her being fatally injured on a beginner ski slope. Experiences such as your own do make me think that the inconvenience of head protection just might be worth putting up with for the one in several hundred thousand chance that you slip on a rock and fall on your head hiking, or suffer a Jens Voigt-like Tour de France Stage 16 crash (ouch - did you see that one) while out on your bike. Is there a chance head protection would have lessened the severity of your injury on what has been called the most difficult mile in the whole Appalachian Trail? Does make one think. I'll say this for myself, I won't leave my bike helmet in the garage any more, even for a nice easy road ride around the neighborhood. Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying you should have been wearing a helmet. But I do appreciate the wake up call as to what can happen even in what one considers a low risk environment. Do think about keeping the noggin protected on future high degree of difficulty hikes, and stay safe.
Helmets in other sports or outdoor activities are much more common now than just a few years ago. Should that trend continue? Odds are........well, maybe playing the odds isn't the best thing, as Natasha Richardson certainly didn't think there were any odds on her being fatally injured on a beginner ski slope. Experiences such as your own do make me think that the inconvenience of head protection just might be worth putting up with for the one in several hundred thousand chance that you slip on a rock and fall on your head hiking, or suffer a Jens Voigt-like Tour de France Stage 16 crash (ouch - did you see that one) while out on your bike. Is there a chance head protection would have lessened the severity of your injury on what has been called the most difficult mile in the whole Appalachian Trail? Does make one think. I'll say this for myself, I won't leave my bike helmet in the garage any more, even for a nice easy road ride around the neighborhood. Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying you should have been wearing a helmet. But I do appreciate the wake up call as to what can happen even in what one considers a low risk environment. Do think about keeping the noggin protected on future high degree of difficulty hikes, and stay safe.
billski
Active member
Update
Well, it's been a bit over three weeks. Most of my outward symptoms have resolved and I'm tooling around the house independently. Most of my balance has returned, but with the ear still blocked, there remains significant hearing loss and balance issues associated with fast movement. The only other issue is that I tire after about 6-8 hours, both mentally and physically. Still taking naps, but the doc says that's good, it's healing.
I may try driving a car this weekend, but not ready for a commute to the office. Lucky to have a job that can be done with a phone and the internet, I'm pretty much full time productive.
I'm not pushing myself, the doc says it's essential to not raise my blood pressure right now. So no cardio, nothing that might risk a bang to the noggin. That really limits things. I don't want to jeapordize ski season! I'm on track to full recovery, the big steps happened first, now it's little steps and a lot of patience.
My brother in law and I have already committted to taking a 2-day wilderness first aid course this fall. If it's not be that gets hurt, what happens if I encounter someone. For my BIL, it was extremely frustrating to want to help, not know what to do and have no one to ask. We aim to fix that problem, at least for us.
So I'd suggest that y'all think about a Wilderness First Aid Course. It's not Red Cross First Aid. It's what to do when you're a loong time away from having trained first responders arrive.
I'm also looking much more seriously at getting a personal locator beacon. I heard Santa brings them sometimes
Someone wrote me recently, "It's every hiker's worst nightmare." Ain't that the truth.
Thanks everyone for asking and caring.
Well, it's been a bit over three weeks. Most of my outward symptoms have resolved and I'm tooling around the house independently. Most of my balance has returned, but with the ear still blocked, there remains significant hearing loss and balance issues associated with fast movement. The only other issue is that I tire after about 6-8 hours, both mentally and physically. Still taking naps, but the doc says that's good, it's healing.
I may try driving a car this weekend, but not ready for a commute to the office. Lucky to have a job that can be done with a phone and the internet, I'm pretty much full time productive.
I'm not pushing myself, the doc says it's essential to not raise my blood pressure right now. So no cardio, nothing that might risk a bang to the noggin. That really limits things. I don't want to jeapordize ski season! I'm on track to full recovery, the big steps happened first, now it's little steps and a lot of patience.
My brother in law and I have already committted to taking a 2-day wilderness first aid course this fall. If it's not be that gets hurt, what happens if I encounter someone. For my BIL, it was extremely frustrating to want to help, not know what to do and have no one to ask. We aim to fix that problem, at least for us.
So I'd suggest that y'all think about a Wilderness First Aid Course. It's not Red Cross First Aid. It's what to do when you're a loong time away from having trained first responders arrive.
I'm also looking much more seriously at getting a personal locator beacon. I heard Santa brings them sometimes
Someone wrote me recently, "It's every hiker's worst nightmare." Ain't that the truth.
Thanks everyone for asking and caring.
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