Busy weekend, not as long as hoped
9/05/2006 08:10:00 AM
Note: I did not take this picture. I have not yet bothered uploading the awesome ones that Hutch took this weekend.
So as luck would have it I ended up having to work all day Friday because of a stupid problem at work (that was, incidentally, entirely my fault). Sigh. But we were really busy this weekend. I'll let Hutch give all the details (since he never posts), but here's an outline:
-Fish Creek Falls hike
-Devil's Causeway hike
-major drinking
-mountain biking
-trip to the ER (me)
-more mountain biking (Dana and Hutch)
-MAJOR drinking self-medication
-greasy breakfast
-Steamboat Lake hike
-Hahn's Peak Lake hike
-offroading in new car
OK, at least I can fill in the blanks on the ER visit. I have a big hole in my left hand and a big gash in my left forearm (along with various scrapes and bruises between) from a header I took off the mountain bike on our first run down the mountain. Tried to get up right away, before I could feel it (and sent Dana and Hutch down so they weren't hovering and I could wipe the dirt off my bruised pride), but the chain was turned 90 degrees and stuck between the little chainring and the bottom bracket - a feat I'm not sure how I accomplished. About five or ten minutes after I struggled with it (and got blood all over the bike - cool!), they came walking their bikes back up the trail and Hutch was able to un-stick the chain. But since it was bent sideways we couldn't get it back on, so I started to coast down (which is a very interesting and probably extremely dangerous way to do things on a mountain). Braking was a bit of a challenge due to the hole in my hand, but the injuries didn't bug me too much until after we finally got down to the bottom (it was a five mile trail and the wreck probably happened at mile 1.5). Found a first-aid dude (off-duty paramedic) who helped me clean the wounds and told me to go to the ER where they could clean it well and stitch me up, so we had some lunch and they dropped me off at the ER.
Really, the pain isn't that bad (the hand is no longer wrapped up, the arm is still), and if you're really interested there are some pictures I took yesterday when cleaning it for the first time post-ER. But some of them are kind of gross, so you may not want to look. The worst pain was rinsing out the arm yesterday (not soaping it up, surprisingly).
Anyway, I'm fine and we had a blast this weekend. I am also, however, sore. So today will be a nice rest day for me. Hutch won't get home until about 3 this afternoon and then has class, so expect him to use that as his excuse for not posting for a couple weeks.
--
In other news, our adventures this weekend revealed to me what Dana's birthday present should be. She had a blast mountain biking (was like a kid at Christmas) and was talking about taking her green bike (no suspension) down the mountain until we get proper bikes next year. Well, I basically told her no as the threads on her steerer tube are mostly stripped (which I realized when I took the bike apart and put it back together), so this week we're going to head to the bike shop and ask them about getting a nice fork for her old POS bike as a temporary measure. That is, if they think that's a reasonable thing to do. (and for all you who are curious, her birthday is Wednesday. Which is tomorrow.)
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5 Comments:
Ouch! At least it sounds like you guys had a blast otherwise! I somehow never had a major spill while trail-riding in MI. Of course, I'm sure the trails are a bit different in CO! I'll have to come and find out for myself!
I didn't see a: "Hutch impressed one of the CO ladies at the bar" in your list... hmm...
posted at 8:54 AM
ER visits are never fun...but self medicating always is!
posted at 9:02 AM
Forgot to ask - I'm sure you were wearing a helmet, how did it hold up? (I think you are supposed to replace helmets after they have been impacted?)
*shrug* just curious!
What bikes were you and Hutch riding?
Oh - I always go to Pricepoint for great deals on bike parts!
posted at 9:26 AM
I hope it scars up nicely for you, scars make great stories. I fully expect in 3 years that the story will be as such, "Hutch, Dana and I were riding down the mountain in a torrential downpour when Hutch thought he saw a hot mountain woman and ran into me, knocking me off the trail." I managed to avoid the first dozen trees and rocks, but I hit a mountain lion and knocked the front wheel off and killing my brakes. After a 1/2 mile of riding unicycle style, I jumped a gorge, but the cliff I landed on gave way. Luckily I was able to grab onto some pointy rocks, thus giving me these two scars."
posted at 9:31 AM
The helmet fared pretty well, actually. I'm not sure I hit my head at all. And I think that's part of the problem. The trail was really rocky, and I think that helped stop me from moving pretty quickly. My arm took almost all the damage. Frankly, I'm probably pretty lucky I didn't break my collarbone (a very common cycling injury).
Also, the trails won't be open much longer, I think. As soon as it starts to get wet (snow, etc), they'll probably close them down. They don't let you ride when it's muddy, either - ruins the trails.
Hutch and I were on two rentals - "Rocky Mountain" was the brand name. Pretty cheesy, and probably half the reason we both went down (he had a nice one later in the day, I guess). The bikes didn't inspire much confidence.
Joter - I like your version of the story. But I might change it to say I was with the Crocodile Hunter when he died, and the scars are from my trying to save him.
posted at 12:10 PM
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