# Mahoosuc Notch NH, An Unfortunate Trip Report, 7/15/09



## billski (Jul 21, 2009)

Billski's unfortunate adventure

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/35994/

All I can say is that the rescue team was top-notch, competent, responsive, capable and compassionate.   I was overwhelmed by their support and response while I was at an ultimate low.  Kudos have been dispatched as I convalesce.  They definitely saved me and I intend to thank them personally.


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## wa-loaf (Jul 21, 2009)

Wow Bill, that's some story. Hypothermia and everything! Glad you came out alright. Here's to a speedy recovery. :beer:


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## deadheadskier (Jul 21, 2009)

Glad you're okay

One of the through hikers didn't happen to be a red headed fellow named Phil from Washington DC?  He's a very good friend who is doing the AT right now and would have been in that area around that time.


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## billski (Jul 21, 2009)

deadheadskier said:


> Glad you're okay
> 
> One of the through hikers didn't happen to be a red headed fellow named Phil from Washington DC? He's a very good friend who is doing the AT right now and would have been in that area around that time.


 
They were "Root Beer Float" (Steve Parrish) and "Ninja Bear Blue" (Dave Evans), both of Georgia.

There may be "trail magic", but these two were 'trail saints."

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/36456/


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## hammer (Jul 21, 2009)

wa-loaf said:


> Wow Bill, that's some story. Hypothermia and everything! Glad you came out alright. Here's to a speedy recovery. :beer:


+1


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## WJenness (Jul 21, 2009)

hammer said:


> +1



+2

Glad you made it out Bill!

How are you feeling now?

-w


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## threecy (Jul 21, 2009)

Eek, glad you're relatively okay!


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Jul 21, 2009)

wow Bill..you could have died..you are a lucky man..


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## billski (Jul 21, 2009)

It could have been worse. I am cognitively with-it, thinking, talking, processing just fine, though still fatigued. I fell 6-9 feet and landed smack on the right side of my skull. I had brain bleed, inner ear bleed, cracked skull, lacerations and loss of hearing on one side. Sounds bad, huh? Unbelievably I am expected to recover completely without surgery. My wife escorts me through the house as the wooziness and hearing loss persists. The pain has subsided for the most part. 

It took 2 1/2 hours to get me off the rocks and get a 911 signal, a total of 8 1/2 hours till I was off the mountain , another hour on a 4x4 ambulance over logging roads and 2 days in ICU. Been interviewed by reporters, on national newswire and on Boston TV. Not the kind of attention I had aspired to. The GPS was tracking the whole time, I just pulled out the unit and mapped the rescue onto Google Earth, it's pretty interesting to decompose. It's been quite a ride.. But to my wife's disappointment, I'm still eager to get back up the mountain....

Some images are here 
http://www.iabsi.com/ski/2009/2009-07-15-Mahoosuc/

Followup story here:  http://www.sunjournal.com/node/36456/



Thanks for the vibes.


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## Beetlenut (Jul 21, 2009)

Good Luck, Bill!   And take it easy until ski season!!  I'm headed up this weekend to that general area for a day hike. Might want to see a good chiropracter to get things put back from the impact. Glad you're around and coherent enough to talk about it!


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## playoutside (Jul 21, 2009)

Crazy story.  Sounds as though you were very fortunate to encounter your "trail saints" and rescue crew.  Be well.  Focus on healing, don't try to hurry it along.  Good to see you are well enough to share your adventure.


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## Johnskiismore (Jul 21, 2009)

Jeez, Bill, I am glad that you will be alright!  Sorry this happened!


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## billski (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks guys.  Here are a couple google maps images with the GPS track overlaid.  Where the blue line ceases is where i bit it.  The short cliff runs up the sides were scouts looking for a helicopter rescue spot (none).







Looking SW - Berlin NH is 13 miles out.


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## billski (Jul 21, 2009)

Beetlenut said:


> Good Luck, Bill! And take it easy until ski season!!


10-4!   the docs already cleared me for ski season (optimistically).  Between now and then however, no falling.  The nurse was heading out to do some kayaking Saturday.  I was in with the "right crowd" up there!


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## deadheadskier (Jul 21, 2009)

so did you have the pleasure of hoping in the tube to get a brain MRI?  I had the pleasure myself a few weeks ago.  I'm not claustorphobic, but it was an odd sensation


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## billski (Jul 21, 2009)

deadheadskier said:


> so did you have the pleasure of hoping in the tube to get a brain MRI? I had the pleasure myself a few weeks ago. I'm not claustorphobic, but it was an odd sensation


 
Two Cat scans, one MRI.  Up there there it's a portable MRI on a tractor trailer, moves between hospitals.  You have to go outside to get to the MRI.  I just close my eyes.  The MRI when it's idle sounds just like our clothes washing machine!


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## deadheadskier (Jul 21, 2009)

The one I was in made all sorts of racket.  But the tech was easy on the eyes, so that was nice after spending 45 minutes in the tube.


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## kingdom-tele (Jul 22, 2009)

DAMN!  That is a crazy experience, glad your OK Bill, the notch is a bitch for sure, if I had been alone hiking it 4 years ago I would still there, snow collapsed and I went in a hole with no bottom (backpack got hung up) - hoping for a quick recovery for you


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## billski (Jul 22, 2009)

kingdom-tele said:


> the notch is a bitch for sure, if I had been alone hiking it 4 years ago I would still there, snow collapsed and I went in a hole with no bottom


THAT is freaking scary.  I can easily see how that can happen. The S&R lead is right, the notch leaves an impression on every hiker, one way or another. Even though most people make it safely through, there isn't much margin between you and disaster. The locals fear it's going to become "discovered" and popular. I don't think so. Keep sending them to Mt. Washington, please!


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## RootDKJ (Jul 22, 2009)

Shit dude, I'm glad you're ok.


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## bvibert (Jul 22, 2009)

Wow Bill, glad you made it out relatively ok.  Good luck with the recovery!


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## severine (Jul 22, 2009)

Wow! Glad to hear you're doing well now, Bill, and expected to have a full recovery before ski season! Be careful!


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## bigbog (Jul 22, 2009)

*....Those mountains don't give much dude!!*

Glad to still have you aboard Bill,
 I know it's torture missing the outdoors in all this beautiful summer weather:roll:, but rest up.
*Here's to a assured recovery!....don't rush it!

SteveD


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## ComeBackMudPuddles (Jul 23, 2009)

wow!  you're famous!  i've never been in the newspaper.

here's to a speedy recovery.  glad it all turned out ok.


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## Mildcat (Jul 24, 2009)

:-o Glad to hear your recovery is going well, that's pretty scary.


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## billski (Jul 24, 2009)

It was scary after-the-fact. During the event I had no clue how close it was to not making it.

I'm involved with some other discussion boards where the participant age is significantly higher.  We lose people every year, kinda strange experience.  Enjoy your good health while you have it!

Docs down here have re-confirmed body is in self-heal mode, but I must live life as a slug (no cardio, no lifting or anything to risk-reinjure for 3 months.) 

I'll be cleared, but entirely out of shape for ski season!

Thanks for the thoughts.


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## Mildcat (Jul 24, 2009)

A good first chair to last chair powder day will get you back in shape real fast. ;-)


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## riverc0il (Jul 24, 2009)

Damn, Bill. Glad you are okay and had such great help getting you out of there. It can happen to any of us, any time, any where. Hope you are back to 100% as soon as possible.


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## Breeze (Jul 24, 2009)

Bill, 

Truth of the matter is that  somehow the gravity storms get more serious as the years  pass. 

We don't  bounce as well?  What's up with that?  Isn't gravity a constant?  OR has physics changed  since we were  20 and <immortal>?

I'm thankful that you ARE recovering.  There isn't  any other  acceptable alternative.  Stick with the program and come ski season, you'll  be thankful you  didn't  check out in advance  on an adventure.  

Same  nick on  VFTT?  Heheh  I'll take your advice on Mahoosuc Notch. I Promise  not  to  sue. 

Breeze


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## SKidds (Jul 28, 2009)

Glad you are ok. Heal quickly.

So, how many people wear helmets for hiking?  Looks like a significant head injury can happen just like that, even to an experienced hiker.


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## billski (Jul 28, 2009)

SKidds said:


> Glad you are ok. Heal quickly.
> 
> So, how many people wear helmets for hiking? Looks like a significant head injury can happen just like that, even to an experienced hiker.


 
Even as a victim, I don't think I'd wear one unless there was an overwhelmingly good reason.  I've been whacking my head on the apple tree in our yard every week when I mow.  On one end, walking in the park, nada.   Now, look at climbers, that's the other end, helmets are pretty much mandatory.   Third, depends on your past injury history. fourth, If you've had a concussion, it's much easier to get the next one.  fifth, its the trail particularly unstable or slippery?  Then, maybe.  Statistically, there are more broken limbs on the rocks trails than brain injury, it's just how most hikers fall.  

Strictly from an odds point of view, the odds are against you getting a head injury on most trails in the NE.   They are also not so comfortable when you're hiking and dripping sweat.   No easy answers here.


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## SKidds (Jul 28, 2009)

No, there are no easy answers to that one.  

Helmets in other sports or outdoor activities are much more common now than just a few years ago.  Should that trend continue?  Odds are........well, maybe playing the odds isn't the best thing, as Natasha Richardson certainly didn't think there were any odds on her being fatally injured on a beginner ski slope.  Experiences such as your own do make me think that the inconvenience of head protection just might be worth putting up with for the one in several hundred thousand chance that you slip on a rock and fall on your head hiking, or suffer a Jens Voigt-like Tour de France Stage 16 crash (ouch - did you see that one) while out on your bike.  Is there a chance head protection would have lessened the severity of your injury on what has been called the most difficult mile in the whole Appalachian Trail?  Does make one think.  I'll say this for myself, I won't leave my bike helmet in the garage any more, even for a nice easy road ride around the neighborhood.  Don't misunderstand.  I'm not saying you should have been wearing a helmet.  But I do appreciate the wake up call as to what can happen even in what one considers a low risk environment.  Do think about keeping the noggin protected on future high degree of difficulty hikes, and stay safe.


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## billski (Aug 7, 2009)

*Update*

Well, it's been a bit over three weeks.  Most of my outward symptoms have resolved and I'm tooling around the house independently.  Most of my balance has returned, but with the ear still blocked, there remains significant hearing loss and balance issues associated with fast movement.  The only other issue is that I tire after about 6-8 hours, both mentally and physically.  Still taking naps, but the doc says that's good, it's healing.

  I may try driving a car this weekend, but not ready for a commute to the office.  Lucky to have a job that can be done with a phone and the internet, I'm pretty much full time productive.  

I'm not pushing myself, the doc says it's essential to not raise my blood pressure right now.  So no cardio, nothing that might risk a bang to the noggin.  That really limits things.  I don't want to jeapordize ski season!  I'm on track to full recovery, the big steps happened first, now it's little steps and a lot of patience.

My brother in law and I have already committted to taking a 2-day wilderness first aid course this fall.  If it's not be that gets hurt, what happens if I encounter someone.  For my BIL, it was extremely frustrating to want to help, not know what to do and have no one to ask.  We aim to fix that problem, at least for us.

So I'd suggest that y'all think about a Wilderness First Aid Course.  It's not Red Cross First Aid.  It's what to do when you're a loong time away from having trained first responders arrive.

I'm also looking much more seriously at getting a personal locator beacon.  I heard Santa brings them sometimes  

Someone wrote me recently, "It's every hiker's worst nightmare."  Ain't that the truth.
Thanks everyone for asking and caring.


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