Fragile Flower: Cross Mountain Area
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:38 pm
I firmly believe that if I keep telling the boys that I really am a fragile flower, that someone will start to believe it.
My buddie Paul, who had crashed at the Moose Lodge for the weekend, and I headed south early Sunday morning. After a quick bite at, where else (??), the High Sierra Cafe in LP, we drove south to meet up with Tom and a wonderful gaggle of other hikers at the Pine Creek Canyon turnoff (south of Jawbone). The objective of the day was Cross and Chuckwalla Peaks (come on, Chuckwalla? Ranks right up there with CLLLLLLOOOOUUUUDDDRRRRRRRIIIIPPPPPPPPPEEERRRRR!!!) Tom filled me in on the Baldy fun as we drove up the 4WD road to the parking spot.
It was windy and chilly in the hills, and a Sierra Wave loomed overhead as we started up the jeep roads.
Wildflowers lined both sides of the road, although a lot were still closed against the chill and wind of the morning. They opened later when the sun finally emerged from behind the wave.
So maybe I was transfixed by the flowers. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I didn't have enough coffee that morning. Maybe, maybe, maybe... I dunno what was going on, but I was the world's biggest moose in a china shop Sunday. I'm not a klutz, really. First one rock gave way, sending me into a bush (hey, at least it wasn't a cholla!), leaving a nice road burn on the side of my leg. Then, right below the base of Cross, I was traversing when: left foot down, rock gave way, fell forward flat on my face. I actualy didn't feel my hand get sliced, I just know it was bleedin' like a sumbitch when I stood up. And then I saw parts that I really shouldn't see. Ew.
More scared than anything, and with Alice's help, I stumbled down to the bottom of the drainage while the rest of the group 'mobilized'. Thankfully someone had a squirt bottle with water (try takin' a fire hose to sunburn, that's about the feeling, but at least it got clean!), and others had plenty of gauze and Coban. Tom made an outstanding operating table with his hands under mine! Once patched up, and a little shaky, I got up, donned pack, and, well, started for the peak!
Yup, it's a sickness.
After a few steps, and some gentle encouragement from the peanut gallery, I turned around, and Tom and I headed back to the trucks. We were in no rush, and of course I had to get in my moment of bliss for the day:
(Note the bandaged hand being so tenderly cradled. Actually, it really didn't hurt beyond stinging!)
The two of us made it back to the green thing and enjoyed a brew:
Then headed back to Ridgecrest to the ER, where we just couldn't stop giggling:
Now, yes, there are pics on my site. No, I won't post them here, and I would ask the same of others. The cut was about an inch long at the base of my first finger on the right. When the PA (Yeah, Frank!!) came in to start numbing it up, I just gritted teeth and tried to hold still. Eight stitches later (seven remain, he had to redo one), I was GTG and wrapped for my next match with the outdoors:
I took Tom out to dinner as a thanks for staying with me in the ER (actually he was only there to do the photojournalism, Cori would be SOOOO proud!). And as long as I could hold my margarita, I knew I'd be fine.
There are mixed responses I've already heard. Either I need to A) slow down a bit and maybe take a weekend off ; or B) whatcha doin' next weekend?
In all seriousness, it was a freak thing, not overtly life threatening or serious, but I was very glad to have been with some great people when it happened. Thanks Glenn, Nate, Kathy (I seem to have broken my leg.), Alice, Paulie, and Tom!!
I hear the dunes at Stovepipe Wells are nice this time of year...
Rest of the pics are here.
-L
My buddie Paul, who had crashed at the Moose Lodge for the weekend, and I headed south early Sunday morning. After a quick bite at, where else (??), the High Sierra Cafe in LP, we drove south to meet up with Tom and a wonderful gaggle of other hikers at the Pine Creek Canyon turnoff (south of Jawbone). The objective of the day was Cross and Chuckwalla Peaks (come on, Chuckwalla? Ranks right up there with CLLLLLLOOOOUUUUDDDRRRRRRRIIIIPPPPPPPPPEEERRRRR!!!) Tom filled me in on the Baldy fun as we drove up the 4WD road to the parking spot.
It was windy and chilly in the hills, and a Sierra Wave loomed overhead as we started up the jeep roads.
Wildflowers lined both sides of the road, although a lot were still closed against the chill and wind of the morning. They opened later when the sun finally emerged from behind the wave.
So maybe I was transfixed by the flowers. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I didn't have enough coffee that morning. Maybe, maybe, maybe... I dunno what was going on, but I was the world's biggest moose in a china shop Sunday. I'm not a klutz, really. First one rock gave way, sending me into a bush (hey, at least it wasn't a cholla!), leaving a nice road burn on the side of my leg. Then, right below the base of Cross, I was traversing when: left foot down, rock gave way, fell forward flat on my face. I actualy didn't feel my hand get sliced, I just know it was bleedin' like a sumbitch when I stood up. And then I saw parts that I really shouldn't see. Ew.
More scared than anything, and with Alice's help, I stumbled down to the bottom of the drainage while the rest of the group 'mobilized'. Thankfully someone had a squirt bottle with water (try takin' a fire hose to sunburn, that's about the feeling, but at least it got clean!), and others had plenty of gauze and Coban. Tom made an outstanding operating table with his hands under mine! Once patched up, and a little shaky, I got up, donned pack, and, well, started for the peak!
Yup, it's a sickness.After a few steps, and some gentle encouragement from the peanut gallery, I turned around, and Tom and I headed back to the trucks. We were in no rush, and of course I had to get in my moment of bliss for the day:
(Note the bandaged hand being so tenderly cradled. Actually, it really didn't hurt beyond stinging!)
The two of us made it back to the green thing and enjoyed a brew:
Then headed back to Ridgecrest to the ER, where we just couldn't stop giggling:
Now, yes, there are pics on my site. No, I won't post them here, and I would ask the same of others. The cut was about an inch long at the base of my first finger on the right. When the PA (Yeah, Frank!!) came in to start numbing it up, I just gritted teeth and tried to hold still. Eight stitches later (seven remain, he had to redo one), I was GTG and wrapped for my next match with the outdoors:
I took Tom out to dinner as a thanks for staying with me in the ER (actually he was only there to do the photojournalism, Cori would be SOOOO proud!). And as long as I could hold my margarita, I knew I'd be fine.
There are mixed responses I've already heard. Either I need to A) slow down a bit and maybe take a weekend off
; or B) whatcha doin' next weekend?In all seriousness, it was a freak thing, not overtly life threatening or serious, but I was very glad to have been with some great people when it happened. Thanks Glenn, Nate, Kathy (I seem to have broken my leg.), Alice, Paulie, and Tom!!
I hear the dunes at Stovepipe Wells are nice this time of year...
Rest of the pics are here.
-L
Proud of you, Moosie!
Even when I'm out of it I'm taking pix! 
