TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23

[maxr22]

Looks like you made the best of the circumstances. Amazing photos! I wish I had gone higher in Pioneer when I was there. Thanks for the TR.

[sekihiker]

Looks like a beautiful trip. Thanks for posting the report and lovely photos.

[Gogd]

The image with the caption: Forth Recess Lake from west shore - I broke my arm there!

In 2007 I broke the ulna bone halfway between the wrist and elbow of my left arm, while collecting water right where the nearby lake shore line bends behind the stubby trees on the shore line. At that time there was quite a volume of downed logs along the lake shore line, probably from snow avalanche activity occurring a few seasons prior. The day before the accident there was quite a bit of wind on the lake, generating white cap swells that broke upon the logs. The next morning I was out to fetch water, and scampered out onto one of the larger (12" dia) logs. The wood looked bleached silver, and dry, but half way out on the log my feet slipped; the logs were not dry. My feet swapped ends with my head, and I landed flat onto my back, with my arm pinned under me, straddling two logs. SNAP! I heard, felt and knew instantly what I had done. A dull bolt of pain characteristic of a bone break surged up my arm, forcing me to take my sweet time climbing back out of the cold water. I went back to camp cussing like a sailor and cradling my arm. It was only 30 yards, but by that time the break was already swelling. One of my companions was sunning himself in a camp chair, reading a book. I passed him casually, and laconically mumbled that I just broke my arm. My friend was a dentist, so his medical instincts kicked in, and deducted by the deflection in my forearm that I made the correct diagnosis. Suddenly he was all over me, ushering me to his pack, which contained an excessively provisioned first aid kit. He whips out several pharmaceuticals and an arm sling. REALLY, YOU HAVE AN ARM SLING?! I declined the pain meds - certainly no good could come from me being high and stumbling around in the wilderness; but I did accept the NSAIDs. He set up the sling, but it was too small, and caused more trouble and discomfort than help.

My friend ran off to gather our two other companions before I could collect my thoughts. Our other camp mates were two brothers, one of which was a paramedic. By the time these three guys got back to camp they were in full disaster response mode, hysterically scurrying about, making preparations and considering rescue options. Plan A was one of them booking down to First Recess Canyon to summon the assistance of the outfitter that was camped near us yesterday, and either getting her to radio SAR for a helicopter evacuation, or riding me out on horseback. Plan B was for one of my companions to jog out to Rock Creek and call for help from there. I ended up having to mange my would be rescuers. Stop stop! LISTEN TO ME! This is not an emergency. And your plans would require one or more of us to leave our packs behind. I told them we are going with Plan C: finish the hike as originally planned. If someone helps me get my boots and pack on, I'll be fine. I also added someone will need to help me with latrine activity - I was joking about the latrine assistance, but judging by the looks on their faces they took the bait! We spent the rest of the day at Forth Recess, and two days getting back to Rock Creek, stopping at Trail Lakes and Ruby Lake, with me just hanging out, sedated with "medicinal volumes" of Four Roses bourbon, meanwhile being thoroughly amused by their lake fishing antics, and enjoying some of the best Sierra weather one could ask for.

The break turned out to be worse than expected. The fracture zone was a three quarter inch length of shattered fragments. It did not heal in a standard arm cast; instead it required a metal plate to hold the bone and fragments in place, until it re-ossified back together. It took over three months before I was cleared to start range of motion physical therapy to regain movement of my locked up wrist joint. I was told I may not regain full range of movement in my wrist, but proved them wrong. Then about four years later I had the plate extracted because it hurt like heck every time I casually banged it against a hard surface. The orthopedic surgeon who installed the plate did not get the two ends of the bone properly lined up, so I am left with the legacy of a wrist that needs to be popped back into place on a regular basis. It really no big deal, all things considered. This is the only injury I sustained in 60 years of backpacking and mountaineering. Nevertheless it was poor judgment that lead to the injury in the first place.

Ed

[kpeter]

Ed,

Somehow I missed your post after I first put up this TR. What a story. I've had one similar head over heels fall in my 50 years of backpacking, but was extremely lucky that I hit a soft pool of water and broke nothing other than my camera. That split second on the way down feels like forever.

No pain killers but "medicinal volumes" of bourbon, eh? Certainly adds color to your story!

[Harlen]

I'll echo GB and also say great trip and beautiful photos. I seem to have missed the usual lamentaions over the amount of mosquitos in those places. Have you managed successfully to erase the sordid memory, or were they absent? Cheers Kpeter.