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matty
Big Wall climber
Valencia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 13, 2006 - 06:46pm PT
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poseur- Yes, we retreated from the first pitch of the tower, big deal. I've soloed it and others before. Do you have a 100% success rate?
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poseur
climber
Yosemite
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Apr 13, 2006 - 06:48pm PT
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if i didn't i wouldn't tell you!
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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Apr 13, 2006 - 07:54pm PT
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I hope your leg heals fast.
Good Luck.
That poser has some bad karma coming his way.
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Shack
Big Wall climber
Reno NV
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Apr 13, 2006 - 08:12pm PT
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What a "drag"!
I think the approach is the crux anyways.
BTW...Looks like you guys bivied on the skinny 4th class ledge?
That's hardcore.
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matty
Big Wall climber
Valencia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 13, 2006 - 08:26pm PT
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Yeah Shack it was a memoriable spring "break."
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moabbeth
Trad climber
Los Angeles/Moab
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Apr 13, 2006 - 08:38pm PT
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Hahaha Dingus, I remember that day well!!! We did some major MacGuyvering for that "cast" up there at the base as well as looking for larger branches that could double as a crutch. I was quite thrilled that those things worked from Arrowhead Arete to the parking lot.
Good job on you and your partner's self rescue Matty! Agreed, humor is QUITE the needed medicine in situations like that. Dingus broke his ankle and we were 2,000 ft up from the car. Luckily I had some Advil in my pocket and he had a Budweiser he brought along for the summit so that helped a little. Not much you can do other than keep good thoughts in your injured partner's mind to distract from the situation. We had some good laughs (in between his excruciating pain) during that long descent.
DMT - we're still on for Arrowhead this spring, right :)!
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Apr 13, 2006 - 10:18pm PT
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Best wishes for a strong recovery.
At least you didn't get hurt on the climb. Then everybody would spend 100 posts trying to analyze what you did wrong. What can they say now.
"Should have put the heavy items lower in the pig thus lowering the center of gravity"
"NO, should have sandbagged partner into carrying the heavy items in a backpack while reserving the pig for fluff and a few ropes"
I'm always falling on the approach rather than the climb too.
Peace
Karl
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David Nelson
climber
San Francisco
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Apr 13, 2006 - 10:20pm PT
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Thanks for the TR, not all trips top out, but you kept your pride and did the self-rescue. Good report, helps us all to think about other endings than "lived happily ever after." Will help someone in the future, no doubt.
Heal fast and give us a next TR with a top-out ending!
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azm
Trad climber
Ossau
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Apr 14, 2006 - 02:43pm PT
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Yo matty,
Have a good recovery. You'll be fine in a few months.
I can relate to what happened to you : same thing happened to me a few years ago...
Was canyoneering a long one for the 5th time -- trying to go for speed. Almost running. Instead of rapping a small waterfall, I just decided to jump into what seemed like an OK little pool. Not from high, maybe 10-12 feet.
You can probably guess what happened -- same as you. Twisted ankle and a clear snap -- exactly like snapping a small branch of deadwood. Then like an electrical shock up the leg. And then pain. A lot. And then "Oh sh#t... we're far from the car...". Fibula.
To make a long story short, we tried climbing out, but the sides were 600 ft high, and muddy. My buddy led :-). That blew an hour. I spent the next 11 hours crawling just like you : hands, butt, good leg. And floating in the water whenever possible. Descended almost 3 miles / 1200 ft that way. And did about 15-20 raps.
Whan we got back to the car, it was 11:00 PM and we went to get a bite to eat : it's incredible the energy you burn by dragging your ass like that. I was starving.
I made it to the hospital the next morning, and spent 12 days there : 5 days to get the swell down before operating (they wouldn't be able to sew it back shut), and then 7 days. 2 months in a cast and another 2 months re-educating the ankle and building up calf muscle, and all was back to normal. Except I now have 3 titanium screws in the fib.
So just hang in there. You'll need to get flexibility back in your ankle and that kind of hurts a little bit. But you'll be surprised at just how fast your leg muscle will be back to normal.
You'll be OK for a rematch in july, oh, too hot... make that september.
Be patient.
CL
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Apr 14, 2006 - 02:50pm PT
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Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! I thought I was lame[d] busting my leg on the ledge fifteen feet off the ground on the Ranch, but you weren't even on the wall! Pretty proud that you crawled down, dude - I have Randy-nefarius, Chris-coylec and Chad-timanogos to be my crutches on a much gentler trail. Love the crawl across the log, dude!
Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! What a wretched pair are we!
All things considered, you got off pretty lucky with an intact tib. I had a plate and about a dozen screws in my ankle. They took out the one diastasis screw after three months, a week later I was caving [with a crutch] in Roppel Cave, Kentucky, and a few weeks later, I wobbled up El Cap.
Do whatever the docs tell you to do, and work hard at rehab as soon as they tell you.
Good luck, and try to keep the aerobic points up any way you can, as you'll need 'em in Peru.
CL - you've never been screwed til you've been unscrewed! All my hardware is out, and I no longer set off the hand-held metal detectors in the airport.
Cheers,
PTPP aka Frankenankle
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Apr 14, 2006 - 03:05pm PT
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Dingus w/out the stache.
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matty
Big Wall climber
Valencia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 14, 2006 - 04:54pm PT
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Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. I just went to Ortho this morning, and recieved mostly good news. I wil be put in an air cast monday that I can take off myself to take baths. The bones have not displaced and no surgury is required. 6-8 weeks before I can take the cast off for good. I will use crutches for another week or two, and then may start putting weight on the leg w/ the doc's permission. THe bad news is that I have to cancel a trip to Peru in June. However I have not bought lane tickets yet, and I can return the new M.H. EV3 to REI, so not much money wasted. I hope to be back on the wall sometime late summer of fall. Climb safe-
Matt
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Brutus of Wyde
climber
Old Climbers' Home, Oakland CA
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Apr 15, 2006 - 07:03pm PT
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Thanks for the TR!
Heal well.
That stretch of talus between the parking lot and Leaning Tower is way dangerous, especially when all the moss and lichen is wet.
One time it took us close to 4 hours to get all the gear back down to the car... One carry, but the boulders were so slick we had to be extremely careful to stay uninjured.
Another time, right up at the base of Mescalito, I slipped off a wet, lichened boulder and heard a crack as my ankle hit... Fortunately just a sprain, but could just as easily been the fib. 6-8 weeks recovery time for that one.
Glad it wasn't worse, and kudos for the self-rescue.
Brutus
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pighumper
climber
Marin
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Apr 15, 2006 - 08:23pm PT
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Gowing back down that talus is a Bitch with two good legs. Well done, wish you a speedy recovery
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noshoesnoshirt
climber
deskville
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Apr 15, 2006 - 09:01pm PT
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I feel your pain.
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matty
Big Wall climber
Valencia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 15, 2006 - 09:09pm PT
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My pain now feels less in comparison.
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WBraun
climber
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Apr 15, 2006 - 09:12pm PT
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Good job matty
Getting out on your own is the best, shows guts and is proud.
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noshoesnoshirt
climber
deskville
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Apr 15, 2006 - 09:15pm PT
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Yo Matty,
Mine was a stupid motorcycle wreck, with an easy ride to the hospital in an ambulance.
The important things are:
1) You self resued. That rocks
2) It's not a super bad break. You'll be back on it pretty quickly.
Enjoy the pain pills and do your rehab. I raise a white russian to you in toast.
Cheers,
Kerry
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up2top
Big Wall climber
Phoenix, AZ
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Apr 16, 2006 - 06:57pm PT
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Matt, great job sucking it up for the descent. Having been up and down that trail a few times with two good wheels I'm certain I wouldn't have wanted to do it with a bum peg. Once again, Nico demostrates what a kick ass dude he is by pitching in for the assist. Very cool you got some help from those guys.
Hope you heal quickly.
Ed
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etreez
Trad climber
Juneau, AK
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Apr 17, 2006 - 04:28am PT
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Man, I'm totally jealous of your removable air cast!
Here's to our recovery. Personally, I'm starting to go totally insane.
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