HikeArizona.COM

There's a blog called "Hiker Hell" --it's quite entertaining and sad and funny with what can and does go wrong, from mainly US but other countries like New Zealand, areas in Europe etc.

I've been thinking about my little disasters over the years. Some coulda been bad but fortune favors fools---or so they say.

Flash Flood--- Paria Narrows--just out of Buckskin. Unplanned overnight bivouac after cliff climbing out and ending up on the East Clark bench. I'll never forget sunrise and listening to the coyotes' sing and how sweet that was---

Falls-- Black eyes in Anza Borrego, skin tear with bone exposure in Anza Borrego on a solo hike and a three mile hobble out. Impaling cholla in hand leaving it non functional in Anza Borrego with bouldering to get out. Pulled 52 spines out with 4 requiring pliers to get them out. Fell in Utah and almost had my runaway pack pull me over a cliff. Fell in the Dirty Devil River with a heavy back pack. Ruined my camera on that one. Then I started using trekking poles but still fall.

Heat stroke or exhaustion--once in Anza Borrego which I really think was hyponatremia instead and once in Utah. The Utah one I ended up hitchhiking back to my car thank goodness for a nice couple from France.

Out of water---a couple of times. Lost--no
Equipment failures---nothing duct tape could not fix.
Clothing failures--Lost the skin on my heels a couple of times with poor/cheap boots. Once in Death Valley and once in Anza Borrego--fix--better fitting boots.

Caving-- rappel device incorrect rig--fortunately discovered this at the top of the drop.
Rapped into pit in cave with bad air. Good to know your rigging when your trying to ascend when addled with high C02.
Almost hung myself sliding down a crack when my helmet got caught and my body weight was hanging on the chin strap, fortunately the guy behind me helped me out quickly.
Stuck upside down, partner put rope around my foot and hauled me out.

Other--- shotgun in face with irate rancher thinking I was trespassing to do "bad deeds" we settled it with border patrol a few minutes later.
Guy giving me a little trouble at a TH. He almost got the business end of my "little friend", fortunately he backed down.
Dodging some gun toting drug runners in the Huachucas.

Animals--seen a few and no troubles, unlike the humans.


What other tales, experiences are out there???

Vaporman wrote:LoL, u moved them... That's probably for the best, they are pretty nasty!

Ouch! I'll stick with the blunt force trauma and dancing with snakes. That's gonna leave a mark!
I hope it heals up quick.

wallyfarak wrote:[Ouch! I'll stick with the blunt force trauma and dancing with snakes. That's gonna leave a mark!
I hope it heals up quick.

Thanks Wally, try not to get too big of a lead on me mileage wise.

Yea, I'm thinking about dropping some extra $ on some vented neoprene shin guards with a Kevlar front panel and D3O for shock adsorbsion. You can search google for Sixsixone 661 EVO Shin Guard with D3O to check them out.

Get well fast! That rhyolite is sharp stuff, as my old boots clearly demonstrate.

I believe that type of wound is called a "Terminator" after the original movie where he was messing with the machinery under his skin...

Wow Brian, that is pretty intense! Hope you heal up soon and get back out on the trail (with your new shin guards)!

wow, Vaporman, you weren't kidding. take care of that thing. then come down to Tucson and let's hike something wicked

Weather - About maybe twelve years ago I took the kids on a hike up into the Huachuca's and it started to rain. We got pinned down in short order by lightning hits. It was like being in a war zone. We crouched down and waited but soon one of the nearby trees got hit and started to smoke. At that point we decided to brave the lightning and RUN down the mountain praying the whole way.. I still thank God for letting us survive that day. These days, I stay off the mountain trails during the monsoons.

Blisters - We took a church group of kids on a six mile mountain hike once. lesson learned, Kids NEVER have shoes that actually fit (unless they are yours). We had to carry a few out.

Allergies - Took my kids on a hike early in the spring one year that set off an allergic reaction in my youngest one and we had to do an immediate retreat. Her eyes felt like they were on fire.

Forgetfulness - Got to campsite once and realized NOBODY had packed a flashlight.. Darn! Once we forgot our pots and pans... (car camping).

Food - There were a few times when I was on the verge of collapse from hiking on an empty stomach. I eat a LOT when I am on the trail. If I cant have food when I need it, I wither. Luckily I learned this a long time ago. It is especially great to go out with my wife on a hike because she is the queen of trail snacks.

I've forgotten if anyone has mentioned this, but ... muscle cramps! Ever went down on one knee to tie a bootlace and gotten a cramp in your hamstring? Yeeeeoooowww!

I had a first this last weekend... very swollen feet that lasted for two days, and I am not certain the exact cause. I hiked for around 8 hours in snow (wet) in porous running shoes without gators and the feet stayed soaked for the entire time, but it was not all that uncomfortable during the hike, but they did feel a bit frozen that evening... and for two days I could not see the normal bone/tendon configuration in either foot. fine now. Did I do it wrong?

No see ums. I've been exploring canyons around Bluff, Utah this week, and I'm covered from head to toe with no see um bites. Apparently, they don't bother the locals ... I guess the little buggers know fresh meat when they see it.

desert spirit wrote:I've forgotten if anyone has mentioned this, but ... muscle cramps! Ever went down on one knee to tie a bootlace and gotten a cramp in your hamstring? Yeeeeoooowww!

Have had that a couple of times. Most notably when hiking Sabino to Romero, which is over 20 miles a few years ago, when I was not completely in shape for it. I did have a "charlie horse" one time when doing that. I try to remember to take vitamins, eat my veggies, raisins and bananas, etc. The cramp has always been in my calf, not my hamstring, wherever the heck a hamstring is. (I should be more up on anatomy, but I always forget that stuff, it goes in one ear and out the other. I am studying medical transcription and can SPELL everything just fine, though!) I have legs and arms, elbows, knees, thighs, calves, ankles, feet, arches, heels, etc. I don't have hamstrings, quads, pecs, biceps, triceps, Achilles tendons, or any of those other things that athletes all seem to have. I just don't have them, see? And no troubles with them, either!!

I think a "charley horse" is the same thing. Your hamstring is the back of your thigh.

I looked this up, and I had it wrong in my post above. The hamstring is not a muscle, it's a tendon that connects the hip to the knee. So the cramp is not in the hamstring, it's in the muscle on the back of your thigh.

quadriceps

Or, in my case, in the back of my calf. (Probably what you athletes might call the peroneus longus.) Stopped me cold for several minutes. An Irish guy who was hiking with us said to me: "You arrrre not eating yourrrre VEG-eh-ta-bles. (Four syllables, not three.) I never forgot that, so now I eat more fruit and lots of VEG-eh-ta-bles. R.I.P., Sylvester, I'm still taking your advice! (He passed away recently. Long time SAHC member.)