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Rider Down! A verbose tale of stupidity, luck, and survival.
Hello All,
I'm not sure if I should be posting this tale here since there really isn't any XS content tho' I used to be a very active XSive. I used to do the CS-CDROM and hosted CQMP XS2004 in Bozeman MT. I do visit here sometimes to see what old acquaintenances have been up to. I will probably have to sell my pristine '80 Midnight Special (4000 miles) or my XS11 sidecar rig to pay for the medical bills. In any case, if this post inspires anyone to be more carfeful and prepared than I was, my purpose will have been served. If the moderator thinks this post is irrelevent just go ahead and delete it. Rob Mills (Rockjok)
I'd been looking forward to a long Memorial Day weekend of riding my Grizzly 660 ATV and the weather looked like it was going to be perfect. The temps were supposed to be in the upper 30's and lower 40's with 100% chance of snow. There was a winter storm warning in effect. I love "damp" riding because I hate eating dust all day long. I don't care much for rain but snow is lotsa fun.
Friday morning rolled around and I discovered I could take the day off. Real excitement - even more riding!! I rushed to load the machine and my two dogs and headed out to my riding area which probably should remain nameless since I'm pretty sure I ended up in a closed area. Suffice it to say that the elevation is probably 6500+ feet, just above freezing, and constant light snow. The area covers many square miles and about 150 miles or so of trails. First act of STUPIDITY - heading out alone and without telling anyone where I was going. First act of LUCK (and survival skills?) - instead of wearing my normal summer jeans or carhart coveralls I layered up with polypro/wool long under wear with Aerostich Goretex pants and coat (my typical cold winter gear).
Upon arrival (~9:30 am) I decided to ride a few jeep roads and moderately difficult atv trails to scout the conditions for some craggy riding later in the weekend with my buddies. I don't remember much of the next hour or so but I must have crashed since my front rack is bent and I've got a pretty good crack in the helmet I was wearing. Any headache I must have felt pales in comparison to the upcoming pain. Anyway, the next section of my "adventure" I kinda traced together from the tracks and other evidence still visible along the creek.
Basically I became mentally "conscious" and lucid lying under my upside down Grizzly in about three feet of icy water. I didn't drown because the water was at least 6 feet deep a foot or so away from the machine and I managed to crawl out between a couple of underwater boulders. It turns out that I rode over an undercut portion of creekbank and it collapsed about 3 feet overturning me. My hands and feet were immediately numb but somehow in the next 10 minutes I got my winch line hooked to a tree. The Griz is still upside down in the creek so I rolled it over into the adjacent hole which, like I say, was over my head.. At this point I've gotta say I'm thankful that I had an almost new battery and an almost new 4500lb Viper winch. Unfortunately this pull drained my battery and all the starter solenoid would do was chatter. Also during this activity I noticed that my gear box had broken open and my food, extra warm clothing, and the survival gear I always carry had disappeared down the creek.
At this point my entire body was numb and in all my 52 years I have never shivered that badly or been that scared. Screw the NO FEAR logo, I think my new motto should be KNOW FEAR. Also I noticed that I could no longer put any weight at all on my left foot. I've injured my ankles numerous times and I was so cold I assumed it was just a bad sprain. I was aware enough that I needed to get warm tho' I have no doubt that I was well advanced into hypothermia. I remember checking my watch and it was about 11 am. I somehow gathered some damp juniper branches and pulled my fuel line to fill a water bottle with fuel. Next problem - my "expensive" butane windproof lighter is still somewhere down the creek. This is probably the only time I've been glad that I've been unable to quit smoking since I had a bic lighter in my pocket. Of course it was wet and it took quite a while to dry it out enough to get a spark. I"ll never be able to describe the relief I felt with the whoof of the gasoline igniting.
I stripped off as many clothes as I could and proceeded to try and warm and dry at least a few dry spots. My pants were unremovable since I was having trouble bending much and, in any case, my boots had to be cut off eventually. The bad part of this process is that I managed to burn and melt a bunch of holes into my clothing. Believe me, the sharp edges of my melted polypro undershirt ended up being very uncomfortable not to mention chilly. Mentally I was having a difficult time trying not to panic especially since I had just discovered that my cell phone was wet and broken. The area I was in is pretty remote but there is partial cell coverage. Another piece of luck happened now when I recognized a clearing on a nearby mountain so I had an approximate fix on my location. I recalled that there is a relatively popular camping site several miles down the creek.
This gave me a bit of hope so I began to prepare for a trip. I filled a couple more water bottles of gas which ended up being a lifesaver later even tho' they leaked a bit. The "gas rash" I got was minor compared to what came later. I jammed every bit of fabric I could get off the bike into my coat and pants and even stuffed some pine needles and grass for a bit of extra insulation and padding. I tried using a stick as a crutch but that was impossible so I began to crawl. The next period of time just increased the nightmare aspects of my adventure. I don't think I crawled more than a mile and a half or so but the trip just kinda blured together. I wore most of the skin off my knees and they are still very bruised and sore even days later tho' the doctor said that the swelling should go away in the next few weeks. My shoulders still feel like I did thousands of push ups and the scarring on my hands should go away eventually. The next bit of "eternity" wasn't as uncomfortable physically but the worry was torture mentally.
I arrived where I had hoped someone would be camping but it was deserted, not even any tire tracks The next camping area is at least 5 miles down the road - thus ended the most hopeful of my options. By now it's about 6 pm and the snow is starting to stick to the grass instead of melting and my feet and hands have been numb for quite a while.. I attempted to duplicate episode 47 of "Survivorman" on the discovery channel with minor success. I couldn't stand so I was limited to lower branches in the already picked over camping area. It didn't take me too long to start a fire after my branch gathering and I managed to break off a couple of needle laden branches to form a bit of a wind break between a boulder and a tree. During the next couple of hours I actually managed to stop shivvering but the worry was increasing. Again, I hadn't informed anyone where I was going and hadn't made any firm riding plans for the weekend as yet so there wouldn't be much reason for anybody to wonder where I was till work next Tuesday. I'm pretty sure that someone would have ridden nearby sometime during the weekend even tho' most of the trails are still closed for spring thaw and with the weather being what it was.......
Around 11 pm I was estimating for the hundredth time how long my limited firewood would last when all of a sudden there were HEADLIGHTS. I started throwing coals and embers from my fire and the pickup came to a stop just downhill from me. It turned out a to be a couple of kids who had talked their dad into letting them drive a little bit. I have a feeling that they weren't supposed to have driven as far as they did without permission but that realization did nothing to reduce my thankfullness. Briefly a friend came and got me and we traveled to the emergency room about 80 miles away - probably saved a thousand dollars on an ambulance..
In the ER it became obvous that I had more than a sprain as my foot was turned at least 90 degrees from where it should have been. The doctor began to cut off my boot and I remember him saying "HOLY S**T! and there were immediately a bunch of ER folks there to see what was going on. Blood was pouring out of my cut boot and you could see several inches of the bone sticking out of my blackened ankle. I've had "minor" broken bones before and they hurt a lot more than this experience. Anyway it was a double compound fracture and my luck still seems to be holding a little. They saved my foot even tho' most of the tendons and soft tissue was cut and torn. I'll be in for surgery a couple more times to add/remove pins and plates depending on how the healing progresses but I'm hoping to be back on four wheels by the time hunting season rolls around.
I feel incredibly foolish and incredibly lucky. Tho' I will ride alone again in the future there will ALWAYS be someone aware of my plans and location. I'll also be carrying my cell phone in a plastic bag and am planning on purchasing an EPIRB satellite rescue phone. I'll always have at least part of my emergency gear in my jacket and not tucked away in the bikes luggage. I know that this has been a long, potentially boring post but if my experience helps someone someday I'll be gratified. At this point I've got a helluva lot of karma to start rebuilding.
I have yet to figure out how to effectively utilize facebook but I've put a couple pics of my xrays in an album titled "atv-pipestone" under my Rob Mills page. Probably boring but now I may have some time to figure out modern social networking. Don't know if this link will work ---> http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000418223601
Rob
Hello All,
I'm not sure if I should be posting this tale here since there really isn't any XS content tho' I used to be a very active XSive. I used to do the CS-CDROM and hosted CQMP XS2004 in Bozeman MT. I do visit here sometimes to see what old acquaintenances have been up to. I will probably have to sell my pristine '80 Midnight Special (4000 miles) or my XS11 sidecar rig to pay for the medical bills. In any case, if this post inspires anyone to be more carfeful and prepared than I was, my purpose will have been served. If the moderator thinks this post is irrelevent just go ahead and delete it. Rob Mills (Rockjok)
I'd been looking forward to a long Memorial Day weekend of riding my Grizzly 660 ATV and the weather looked like it was going to be perfect. The temps were supposed to be in the upper 30's and lower 40's with 100% chance of snow. There was a winter storm warning in effect. I love "damp" riding because I hate eating dust all day long. I don't care much for rain but snow is lotsa fun.
Friday morning rolled around and I discovered I could take the day off. Real excitement - even more riding!! I rushed to load the machine and my two dogs and headed out to my riding area which probably should remain nameless since I'm pretty sure I ended up in a closed area. Suffice it to say that the elevation is probably 6500+ feet, just above freezing, and constant light snow. The area covers many square miles and about 150 miles or so of trails. First act of STUPIDITY - heading out alone and without telling anyone where I was going. First act of LUCK (and survival skills?) - instead of wearing my normal summer jeans or carhart coveralls I layered up with polypro/wool long under wear with Aerostich Goretex pants and coat (my typical cold winter gear).
Upon arrival (~9:30 am) I decided to ride a few jeep roads and moderately difficult atv trails to scout the conditions for some craggy riding later in the weekend with my buddies. I don't remember much of the next hour or so but I must have crashed since my front rack is bent and I've got a pretty good crack in the helmet I was wearing. Any headache I must have felt pales in comparison to the upcoming pain. Anyway, the next section of my "adventure" I kinda traced together from the tracks and other evidence still visible along the creek.
Basically I became mentally "conscious" and lucid lying under my upside down Grizzly in about three feet of icy water. I didn't drown because the water was at least 6 feet deep a foot or so away from the machine and I managed to crawl out between a couple of underwater boulders. It turns out that I rode over an undercut portion of creekbank and it collapsed about 3 feet overturning me. My hands and feet were immediately numb but somehow in the next 10 minutes I got my winch line hooked to a tree. The Griz is still upside down in the creek so I rolled it over into the adjacent hole which, like I say, was over my head.. At this point I've gotta say I'm thankful that I had an almost new battery and an almost new 4500lb Viper winch. Unfortunately this pull drained my battery and all the starter solenoid would do was chatter. Also during this activity I noticed that my gear box had broken open and my food, extra warm clothing, and the survival gear I always carry had disappeared down the creek.
At this point my entire body was numb and in all my 52 years I have never shivered that badly or been that scared. Screw the NO FEAR logo, I think my new motto should be KNOW FEAR. Also I noticed that I could no longer put any weight at all on my left foot. I've injured my ankles numerous times and I was so cold I assumed it was just a bad sprain. I was aware enough that I needed to get warm tho' I have no doubt that I was well advanced into hypothermia. I remember checking my watch and it was about 11 am. I somehow gathered some damp juniper branches and pulled my fuel line to fill a water bottle with fuel. Next problem - my "expensive" butane windproof lighter is still somewhere down the creek. This is probably the only time I've been glad that I've been unable to quit smoking since I had a bic lighter in my pocket. Of course it was wet and it took quite a while to dry it out enough to get a spark. I"ll never be able to describe the relief I felt with the whoof of the gasoline igniting.
I stripped off as many clothes as I could and proceeded to try and warm and dry at least a few dry spots. My pants were unremovable since I was having trouble bending much and, in any case, my boots had to be cut off eventually. The bad part of this process is that I managed to burn and melt a bunch of holes into my clothing. Believe me, the sharp edges of my melted polypro undershirt ended up being very uncomfortable not to mention chilly. Mentally I was having a difficult time trying not to panic especially since I had just discovered that my cell phone was wet and broken. The area I was in is pretty remote but there is partial cell coverage. Another piece of luck happened now when I recognized a clearing on a nearby mountain so I had an approximate fix on my location. I recalled that there is a relatively popular camping site several miles down the creek.
This gave me a bit of hope so I began to prepare for a trip. I filled a couple more water bottles of gas which ended up being a lifesaver later even tho' they leaked a bit. The "gas rash" I got was minor compared to what came later. I jammed every bit of fabric I could get off the bike into my coat and pants and even stuffed some pine needles and grass for a bit of extra insulation and padding. I tried using a stick as a crutch but that was impossible so I began to crawl. The next period of time just increased the nightmare aspects of my adventure. I don't think I crawled more than a mile and a half or so but the trip just kinda blured together. I wore most of the skin off my knees and they are still very bruised and sore even days later tho' the doctor said that the swelling should go away in the next few weeks. My shoulders still feel like I did thousands of push ups and the scarring on my hands should go away eventually. The next bit of "eternity" wasn't as uncomfortable physically but the worry was torture mentally.
I arrived where I had hoped someone would be camping but it was deserted, not even any tire tracks The next camping area is at least 5 miles down the road - thus ended the most hopeful of my options. By now it's about 6 pm and the snow is starting to stick to the grass instead of melting and my feet and hands have been numb for quite a while.. I attempted to duplicate episode 47 of "Survivorman" on the discovery channel with minor success. I couldn't stand so I was limited to lower branches in the already picked over camping area. It didn't take me too long to start a fire after my branch gathering and I managed to break off a couple of needle laden branches to form a bit of a wind break between a boulder and a tree. During the next couple of hours I actually managed to stop shivvering but the worry was increasing. Again, I hadn't informed anyone where I was going and hadn't made any firm riding plans for the weekend as yet so there wouldn't be much reason for anybody to wonder where I was till work next Tuesday. I'm pretty sure that someone would have ridden nearby sometime during the weekend even tho' most of the trails are still closed for spring thaw and with the weather being what it was.......
Around 11 pm I was estimating for the hundredth time how long my limited firewood would last when all of a sudden there were HEADLIGHTS. I started throwing coals and embers from my fire and the pickup came to a stop just downhill from me. It turned out a to be a couple of kids who had talked their dad into letting them drive a little bit. I have a feeling that they weren't supposed to have driven as far as they did without permission but that realization did nothing to reduce my thankfullness. Briefly a friend came and got me and we traveled to the emergency room about 80 miles away - probably saved a thousand dollars on an ambulance..
In the ER it became obvous that I had more than a sprain as my foot was turned at least 90 degrees from where it should have been. The doctor began to cut off my boot and I remember him saying "HOLY S**T! and there were immediately a bunch of ER folks there to see what was going on. Blood was pouring out of my cut boot and you could see several inches of the bone sticking out of my blackened ankle. I've had "minor" broken bones before and they hurt a lot more than this experience. Anyway it was a double compound fracture and my luck still seems to be holding a little. They saved my foot even tho' most of the tendons and soft tissue was cut and torn. I'll be in for surgery a couple more times to add/remove pins and plates depending on how the healing progresses but I'm hoping to be back on four wheels by the time hunting season rolls around.
I feel incredibly foolish and incredibly lucky. Tho' I will ride alone again in the future there will ALWAYS be someone aware of my plans and location. I'll also be carrying my cell phone in a plastic bag and am planning on purchasing an EPIRB satellite rescue phone. I'll always have at least part of my emergency gear in my jacket and not tucked away in the bikes luggage. I know that this has been a long, potentially boring post but if my experience helps someone someday I'll be gratified. At this point I've got a helluva lot of karma to start rebuilding.
I have yet to figure out how to effectively utilize facebook but I've put a couple pics of my xrays in an album titled "atv-pipestone" under my Rob Mills page. Probably boring but now I may have some time to figure out modern social networking. Don't know if this link will work ---> http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000418223601
Rob
,anyway,glad your on the mend and ride safe.I find that fear keeps you alive.I had an old rider once give me advise along time ago,when I first started riding,When you no longer fear your bike,sell it.Seems to work for me.
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