Hiking alone

[OreCart]

I am not saying this is right, but all my life I have always done things alone. It started when I was a kid, often snowshoeing, then camping overnight in shelters I made for myself. Why my mother was never worried about me is beyond me?

Two years ago though, I was logging (something else I always did alone), and hit a spring pole with my chainsaw. My saw was driven into my face at full force. I woke up with the snow COVERED with blood. The skidder was hooked to a full twitch of wood, and so there was no way of driving it out, so I started running. I passed out half way to the road, woke up, realized if I did not keep running I would not make it, and started running again. A short ride in my truck to the house, and I was soon on an ambulance headed for the hospital.

It took 20 stitches right between the eyebrows to close the gap, a concussion from the impact (MS 461 Stihl) and 4 day stay in the hospital.

I thought I would return to cutting wood in just a few days, but I was pretty gun-shy for a few weeks.

[creskol]

OUCH!! Glad you lived to tell about it!

[Mackaydon]

For the same reason scuba divers should dive with a partner.
Don......

[Joanne]

I am not saying this is right, but all my life I have always done things alone. It started when I was a kid, often snowshoeing, then camping overnight in shelters I made for myself. Why my mother was never worried about me is beyond me?

Two years ago though, I was logging (something else I always did alone), and hit a spring pole with my chainsaw. My saw was driven into my face at full force. I woke up with the snow COVERED with blood. The skidder was hooked to a full twitch of wood, and so there was no way of driving it out, so I started running. I passed out half way to the road, woke up, realized if I did not keep running I would not make it, and started running again. A short ride in my truck to the house, and I was soon on an ambulance headed for the hospital.

It took 20 stitches right between the eyebrows to close the gap, a concussion from the impact (MS 461 Stihl) and 4 day stay in the hospital.

I thought I would return to cutting wood in just a few days, but I was pretty gun-shy for a few weeks.

When I was in college I had joined search & rescue. We had a situation much like yours, only the saw bucked back across his juggler. He was dead when we found him. It was the first time he had ever gone out cutting wood using a saw he borrowed from his friend. Glad your story ended differently!

Joanne

[OreCart]

When I was in college I had joined search & rescue. We had a situation much like yours, only the saw bucked back across his juggler. He was dead when we found him. It was the first time he had ever gone out cutting wood using a saw he borrowed from his friend. Glad your story ended differently!

Joanne

In 30 years of cutting wood I have been bit three times, in the chin, in the thigh, and in the face. The last one was the scariest, but when they did the MRI for the concussion, they ultimately found my brain tumor and cancerous thyroid.

Because of the brain tumor, I have not cut wood in over a year.

I have to say though, in the hospital I promised myself I would "get right back on that horse" and get some wood cut, but it was well over a week before I stepped back in the woods again, and even then did not go crazy. As I said, I was pretty gun-shy for awhile.

[OreElse]

Holy Cow OreCart! I don't know what to say other than I'm glad you survived that ordeal and I hope the subsequent medical findings have been dealt with successfully. You're one tuff cookie!

[Hikerguy]

We cut timber 20 year ago on a us forest service track that I found tons of arrow heads the forest guy did not want to see them or talk about them . So all my live I've hunted this stuff and after 20 years decided to hike back into this site and look around again . So I here dogs barking as I get near by the site here someone talking and realize it's a house near by and they start firing a gun through the woods. I get my whistle blowing it hoping they will stop . They never payed me any mind at all so I had to run behind trees between shots to get out of gun reach of the gun . After that day I always told someone the location I'd be hiking .

[OreElse]

Welcome to T-net Hikerguy. Glad you got out of the way of those careless shots being fired!

[OreCart]

Holy Cow OreCart! I don't know what to say other than I'm glad you survived that ordeal and I hope the subsequent medical findings have been dealt with successfully. You're one tuff cookie!

No, I am not sure I will ever fully recover. It is coming up on two years now and the hospitals, even research hospitals, say there is nothing they can do. I do see a Doctor this week though, and so maybe she can help shade so more light on the problem. If not, oh well, I am a believer so I know where I am going.

Thanks for the well wishes though!

Now that I have some free time, and got into prospecting though, I hike alone still. I don't want anyone to know where I found the motherlode though!

[OreElse]

I'm a believer too!

[Hikerguy]

Prayers for you

[A2coins]

Me too

[Madmox]

Get an emergency beacon and keep at it

[OreElse]

I've got one. As long as I stay healthy I'll still venture out alone and use common sense. I just need to cut out climbing mountain sides and stick to more manageable terrain. Happy hiking to all!