I was out flying today (great DS grove) and had to head down for a retrive. My second step my left knee turned sideways and pop out of joint. I fell down adn all the usual stuff but then I realized that I was about 1 mile from my pickup and 450' up a rock cliff. Needless to say I made it back. The only thing that saved me was a shovel that I hauled up to the slope for no reason what so ever.

I taped my knee up( bi directional is great) and started to limp and crawl down. I can make the walk in about 12 min with great weather but it took me 2.5 hours to make it today. But I am home safe and sound with all my gear. Just can't hike for awhile. I feel for all of you that have been layed up in the near past.

He is a pic of my pickup from the top of the butte. Not to be macho or anything but more for me. But I need to find a way to drive to the bottom of the hill. LOL

Dan (not hiking for awhile) ( and will soon own a cell phone)

Oooowwww..
Geez gary, thats a wicked hike back on a busted up leg. Looks like a nice spot though.
I always carry a flattened out roll of tape (duct tape, gaffer tape, or 2" strapping tape) in my pack where ever i go!. Just pull the cardboard tuube out of the middle and stand on it make it flat.

Its possibly one of the most useful first aid things anyone could carry ('cept maybe that cell phone you need to get).

You can fix your pack, or fix a plane with tape.
You can strap a twisted ankle, or dislocated knee.
You can splint a stick (or a EPP wing) to a broken leg.
You can close a nasty cut or gash with tape.
Geez, you can even tape the spoiler back on your car if you happen to bust it off on a nasty tire wall at 150!.

Good job on ggetting back safe though!

Remember: Gaffer tape is like the force... it has a light side and a dark side and holds together the universe!

Cheers.
Brett.

p.s. It doesnt hurt to have some big cable ties stashed in your pack either. They are sure handy items to have when you need them, and arent at all heavy to leave in the pack always.

Glad you made it back safely! Hope the leg heals completely and quickly... Don't be macho about NOT seeing a doc- they do good work most of the time- and if you have any ligament damage take an extended sabotocal. Once those things get torn up they take a long long long time to heal!

Never thought of using straping or Gaffers tape to hold an EPP wing to a broken leg- good thinking!

Gary- I think your next hobby expenditure should be a Jeep! You are one dedicated slope-head to make such a hike every time you fly! The only way I'll do a hike like that is if its 30-50 out of the north at North Table Mountain!

Cody

On this next trip to South Dakota, will definitely bring tape and shovels.
man am I happy you got out of there during the day, it would be cold and hypothermia time if you couldn't have got to your truck before nite fall.
A reminder of our vulnerability to mother nature.
kevin kavaney/ minneapolis, visitor to south dakota slopes.

glad you gonna be ok....

im SO glad everywhere i fly is park and fly.... otherwise i would seriously be nervous sometimes..... i fell good once going down at parker and stuck my arm and chest in a few places with a yucca plant... bleeding fairly good.... CA and tape and i was good.... and the kicker HURT! lol...

JOe

Seems to be a few slope flyers getting some bad injuries of late , broken & gouged legs e.t.c. Perhaps we can turn it into an extreme sport & have slope soaring at the Xgames

Wow.... sounds like an adventure in a fairly desolate unforgiving type of place. Glad your gonna be ok. I am totally down for the count these days.... and the ironic thing is, I was injured in the hospital, by the Doctor who was treating me!!!! Ill probably feel alot better when they can get my spine to stop leaking!!!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee

OUCH! Hope you get better soon!

The things we go thru for the love of sloping!

Originally Posted by KingOfTheHill

...i fell good once going down at parker and stuck my arm and chest in a few places with a yucca plant... bleeding fairly good.... CA and tape and i was good.... and the kicker HURT! lol...
JOe

GEEZ Joe! Those Yucca plants scared me just to look at them. I made a dork landing with the Moth once on Parker, dorked right into a Yucca. It took some effort to remove the plane from the Yucca. I just love Parker, but just looking at those Yucca runs a chill up my spine.

Joe, can you go flying at Parker on May 29? I'm going to PSS Fest on 5-28, and I'm camping at a site in Wrightwood. I hope I can finally meet you at Parker. I may try Vincent Hill on the same day.

Hey Gary, take it from Cody WIlson -- be careful. It's truly amazing that you did your own triage and still managed to get yourself back to safety. If memory serves me, Cody wasn't so lucky. Glad you're both back flying. I hope to visit CO and SD someday soon, and I wanna look both of you guys up when I'm there.

Happy Flying ;-)

John

The only thing positive about being injured is you have a whole lot of time to BUILD!

Been off six weeks now due to a crush injury and my hanger is getting full.

Good luck and glad to see you made it out okay.

Dan...............

MAN! what a hell trip back! good work, glad you made it. the pic sealed the deal, great story.

thats some rugged country. glad to hear you made it back dude.

Dan (not hiking for awhile) ( and will soon own a cell phone)

Great pict. Is there anyone or where to call out there?

Glad your telling the story and we're not reading about you in the paper.
Big Skies.
Jay.

owwweee , i did my knee in one day from a handthrow .... it still hurts like hell....

Congrats on surviving that, yikes! Good story indeed, glad you're around to tell it

ericm