getting over that first big fall

[12ersRule]

10 years ago, I fell about 30-40 feet trying to get all fancy on Navajo Peak and not following the standard route. I smashed up my face pretty good. Brian C (did a first class job patching me up and helping getting me mentally back in the game), EagleVu (carried a 1st class medical kit), and a few other people were there to patch me up and help me get down safely. I woozely walked out under my own power as they all talked to me and tried to help me stay alert.

Got stitched up in Boulder. There wasn't a surgeon available, but there was an ENT who had worked on plenty of people who fell off various rocks in the Boulder area. I think he did a helluva job, actually. Barely any scarring resulted from it.

Mentally, I was pretty banged up for a while. I went on a solo hike the next weekend on the west side of RMNP, it was all class 2 peaks, but it definitely helped with my psyche.

EDIT: per my loj info, after I summited those peaks on 9/2010, it wasn't until 3/2011 that I recorded any other peaks on LoJ. I guess I needed about 6 months to determine where I was with this hobby. My next class 3 peak was a full 11 months after that, Snowmass.

Also, I felt like a total gaper who was unworthy of the mountains I was in. Eventually, that feeling passed as I accomplished more and more.

The big takeaways from it were - stuff can go wrong fast in the mountains don't let your guard down. Also, I made a rule to myself to not try to make any routes harder than they already were, stick with the plan. Feel fortunate that I had such strong partners that day.

[TomPierce]

Amags: I've had several falls over the years, I empathize with your situation. But when I read it was a scree fall, well, we're all challenged by scree! I liken it to walking on ice: do it often enough and eventually you'll take a slip, hopefully minor. Part of the game, IMO, so don't beat yourself up. Stuff happens. But as one poster noted, always think about average vs. high consequence risk and plan accordingly. Fwiw, I hate all that scree/talus crap, I really like solid rock, even if steeper. If I can avoid scree within reason I will. If not, tread carefully. Oh, and finally: I find trekking poles help a bit on scree with balance, not traction.

-Tom

[GA_peach]

I will let you read through this from 5 years ago,
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47834

This ended the season for me that year since it took a month for my head to fully heal. But the following summer after a few warm up climbs I was on Crestone Needle in early July. Followed by nine others of equal and increasing difficulty to finish my list. I did get a better helmet and kept it on and tried to be more careful, that's all you can do.

There is no shame in falling, professionals far better than us weekend warriors get taken out all the time by events beyond their control, its not a spectator sport.
Alan

[amags543]

Also, I felt like a total gaper who was unworthy of the mountains I was in. Eventually, that feeling passed as I accomplished more and more.

That really speaks to how I felt this weekend and how I am still feeling now. Thank you for voicing that thought and for saying that it passed with time.

The responses to my post were helpful and interesting. To be honest, they were also not what I expected, for the most part. I was expecting more war stories ending in "...and after all that horror, I STILL got out and climbed again the next weekend anyway." Instead, a number people have suggested, albeit not in these exact words, that I should rethink my goals in the mountains altogether and stick to easier trail walks for the future. Again, it is all helpful fodder for thought and I am not complaining. It is simply interesting to hear this particular response from numerous members of THIS particular community.

Thank you all.

[amags543]

And GA_Peach -- thanks for sharing your story and your successful return!

[dpage]

I had an accident not doing something very basic in a small climbing gym breaking my sternum, a couple of lumbar vertebrae, and tearing the deltoid ligament in my ankle. I went by ambulance to the ER to ICU had surgeries to repair things and then to remove hardware. Since I've returned to everything except lead climbing which may change on the very near future because there are mountains I'm motivated to get up and help friends get up. Mentally my gym accident is in my mind when out scrambling or the few times I've followed routes as I have family to care for and help grow into responsible adventurers. I think it has made me more safety conscious and respect my comfort levels for whatever the current situation is as that is a more dynamic based on conditions, mental state for the day, motivation to accomplish whatever the goal is. It also means I joined the American Alpine Club, donated more to COSAR, and remember what is truly important each day out. The injuries are improving although the ankle likes to remind me how not perfect things aren't but I'm breathing on my own, don't have a head or spinal cord injury, and deal with mostly minor pains that improve the stronger it get. Returning to familiar terrain has helped boost my confidence too.

[ker0uac]

Also, I felt like a total gaper who was unworthy of the mountains I was in. Eventually, that feeling passed as I accomplished more and more.

That really speaks to how I felt this weekend and how I am still feeling now. Thank you for voicing that thought and for saying that it passed with time.

The responses to my post were helpful and interesting. To be honest, they were also not what I expected, for the most part. I was expecting more war stories ending in "...and after all that horror, I STILL got out and climbed again the next weekend anyway." Instead, a number people have suggested, albeit not in these exact words, that I should rethink my goals in the mountains altogether and stick to easier trail walks for the future. Again, it is all helpful fodder for thought and I am not complaining. It is simply interesting to hear this particular response from numerous members of THIS particular community.

Thank you all.

From my perspective, you just became a more experienced mountaineer than most of everyone here. You are not a real mountaineer until s**t hits the fan and it's life or death. That's what sets you apart. That's what makes you the climbing partner I would want to have. If you get back on horse, you will be an ever greater inspiration.

And I agree, some of the replies here were quite interesting

[Wildernessjane]

The problem is that many of the insecurities and newly resurfaced fears are very legitimate. It's a dangerous sport.

I agree. So why do you want to get over that fear?

Fear comes in two flavors, the rational and the irrational. The first thing to do is to figure out which one you're dealing with. The rational one I listen to, the irrational one I try to overcome. If the fear is legitimate (in other words the danger is real), then you don't really want to overcome it. It's one of the things that keeps you alive.

I couldn’t agree more. As a culture, we tend to look at fear as something to feel shame or embarrassment about. However, I believe fear is our body’s way of signaling us to pay attention, to be on guard. As long as it’s not incapacitating, that’s not a bad thing at all. Last year, I witnessed firsthand two extremely close calls in the mountains involving partners who were both pretty experienced. Either incident could’ve easily resulted in a fatality. While these were not my experiences directly, I do think about them often and it has definitely impacted how I evaluate risk. If it’s important to you, my suggestion is to ease back into things gradually and be easy on yourself. It’s understandable that you are experiencing more apprehension.

[JChitwood]

I’m quite certain I have not gotten past the mental insecurities. On Thunder Pyramid in 2016 I took a bone rattling fall forward onto steep rocks while descended the summit pitch emerging banged and bruised with a dented helmet but amazingly nothing worse. Then 15 minutes later a bad slide on steep snow into rocks which probably should have been some kind of fracture at least. I’m lucky the rocks formed a bottleneck in the snow because I fell on my pack and accelerated quickly and doubt I could have arrested the slide before going 1,000’ to the bottom. It was only a badly sprained ankle but many thanks to a great climbing partner who talked me down the bottom gullies on Thunder and back to the valley for the long hobble out.

I was able to hike toward the end of that summer but only easier class I peaks like California. The next season 2017 even easy class II made me nervous. I attempted Ice and turned around just after tree line. A month later same with Meeker half way up the Loft. I was hoping to finish the Centennials some day but was biding my time with the easier peaks knowing that there will be harder climbs eventually.

After not attempting anything over class II for three years, I went to Telluride last September to give Gladstone a shot. And turned around before the summit pyramid. Went back on Oct 8 and actually gained the summit. Not sure what was different perhaps it was just time.

I do some things different now since the fall. I rarely head out solo and then only on super easy terrain. I carry a SPOT even when hiking with a partner since you might get separated. And I really slow down in steep and loose terrain testing holds and foot placements. And I avoid snow not sure I will ever get past that. I hope to get back on easy snow some day but that might take some time.