PART 1- DEATH COMES KNOCKING BUT PAUL SLIPS OUT THE BACK DOOR, AGAIN // PART 2- HOSPITAL HEROES AND MORE

POST # 20
PART 1
Last week prior to my second visit to the hospital for my second operation on my leg, my dear friend Tim, whom I have had the sincere pleasure of knowing now for 45 years came by my place to see how I was doing but also to go and check out the hill that I had tumbled down a couple of weeks ago. I was curious to see some photos of what exactly I had fallen down, the height, both vertical and along the ground and also the angle of the slope. So off Tim went with Sadie the faithful dog by his side. It would be his first visit, but a return to the scene of the crime for Sadie. I cautioned him to be careful. After all, if he tumbles down the slope, I won't be able to come looking for him in my condition. But Timmy's a pretty sure footed dude, so I was quite confident that he would return with some hard evidence.
Now, I knew that I had fallen a significant distance and the slope angle was fairly steep but even I was shocked when he returned with his assessment and the photo evidence to go along with it. It only took a few moments for him to upload the photos on his computer, and then for the first time since the accident I got to see with my own eyes exactly where and how far I had fallen on March 4th. In Tim's estimation which I would suggest is fairly accurate, the angle of the slope at the top of the hill was close to 60 degrees, the vertical distance about 100 feet and the distance I tumbled head over heels down the hill was around 200 feet. The slope is covered with various shapes and sizes of rather sharp looking rocky outcrops. I was dumbfounded. To have taken the fall that I had, on that slope, I to this day can't believe that all that I ended up with was just one broken leg in 5 places. In my humble opinion, and as the title says, death came knocking and I really did slip out the back door once again. And even if the fall wouldn't have killed me outright, the fact that I didn't break my back, both legs and arms, ribs, head etc. etc. was quite amazing really. Maybe it was my good luck dog Sadie who helped me pull through.
Now as a result of the adventurous life that I have chosen to live, I have had numerous occasions in the past where death hovered close by and one day I have promised myself to try and remember them all and write them down, but one instance that does come to mind as I write these words happened back in the year 2000 and just happened to involve my friend Tim and a couple of other friends from Calgary.
Looking west from Calgary one of the mountains that stands out is Mount Cornwall at just over 9700 feet. It was a mountain I had wanted to climb and with my mountain buddies we decided to climb not only Cornwall, but also Banded Peak and I believe the other was Outlaw peak, all of similar altitudes. The last of the three climbed was Mount Cornwall. We sat up there enjoying the view, and one moment we were having a very relaxing time and the next instant, KABOOM!!!!! The flash of lightening and the thunder clap were simultaneous, and we went from being four very relaxed dudes sitting, to four very freaked out dudes each trying to outdo the other in attempting to flatten our body lower than the next guy. "Ya, I love these guys, but if another bolt of lightening is on the way, then I want to make sure that my ass is lower than anyone else." It would have made for a comical youtube video, as you watched the four intrepid mountaineers turn into big bundles of nerves as we scrambled to collect our gear and lose altitude as fast as possible.
It could have been death to the four of us, and I guess there could be worse ways to go, as it had been just a magnificent day spent with close friends, and surely that would be a great exit from life, but it was not to be. We all had a good belly laugh about it later and even when I think about it now, it still makes me chuckle.
So I'm not sure what to conclude about all this. Maybe just the fact that yet again, I have been very lucky and the biggest upside to this recent brush with death, is that I feel even more alive than I usually do, so all things considered it's been a difficult yet very rewarding experience and I am grateful to have had it and come out relatively unscathed.
A few years back on a sailing voyage across the Indian Ocean, I had felt the fear of death, even though the situation wasn't life threatening at all, but experiencing that fear was more frightening than what I have just been through.
So I'll quit my rambling now in part one, consider myself VERY lucky indeed, and move forward from here with a smile on my face. What could be a better choice than that?


PART 2

I was chatting with my sister Gerry last night and during the conversation I began to talk about all the wonderful people who have cared for me during my two hospital visits, both here in Grand Forks and in Trail. When talking with her, and now as I write these words, tears are welling up in my eyes due to my sincere gratitude to all these incredibly caring strangers who in one way or another attended to my every need, with the goal of nursing me back to health. Their list of names would be very long indeed and their job descriptions varied from the person who was there to clean my room right through to the kitchen staff, the hospital admin staff, the physios, the many nurses and doctors as well as the ambulance crews who have helped to make what could have been a very difficult time, very comforting indeed. In my humble opinion they are all heroes to me, and I will be forever grateful to them all.
And in addition to all of the hospital staff, I of course have to thank my neighbours Greg and Leigh and the children for helping me out(and continuing to do so), Bill and Darlene from Midway for substitute housesitting for me, my friend Tim, his mom and his brother David, for being here, and of course my family members and other friends spread far and wide who have sent thoughtful emails or phoned just to have a chat and see how this old adventurer is coping.
Well I'm here to say that I am coping very well, thanks to all of them, and my four legged friends have been great company to help me get through the days.
There is a long recovery road ahead, as I won't get my permanent cast off until June 12th and by then it will be 100 days without weight on my leg, which will probably look more like a thin piece of spaghetti at that point. But hey, compared to the many other possible outcomes, I am one happy camper today.
Hopefully now, I can get back to my regular 4 blog per month schedule. After all I certainly have the time to write.
Thanks again to one and all for just being there and helping me out during this little bump in the road.

Thankfully yours,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer