Be safe out there

[maxxus46]

This is the best advice, never go into remote locations alone. Find a photo buddy yes you should still be prepared as described throughout this thread, but trekking into remote wilderness area alone is always a risk

Steven, I'm pleased that you're patched up and recovering. While you say your situation wasn't life threatening, there are minor changes to the situation that could have made it such. You're still fairly young compared to many I see out in nature, and that was a positive factor in your case. For some people on this forum, your fall could have led to things much worse.

After the kayak safety thread from late in December, I've decided to utilize the "safety in numbers" rule more frequently. If I'm going out to a remote location with little public traffic, I'm going with a buddy.

 

[maxxus46]

Impaired vision is the primary symptom for me, but it is improving slowly. The shoulder on the other hand has taken forever to heal, and PT is likely in order.
Best of luck to you, wish you a quick recovery. Don't get discouraged, hang in there and you will get through this

Sorry to hear about the lymes disease that can certainly be a nasty thing to deal with or at least in certain people. Hopefully, you’re not very symptomatic.

 

[sh1209]

Impaired vision is the primary symptom for me, but it is improving slowly. The shoulder on the other hand has taken forever to heal, and PT is likely in order.
Best of luck to you, wish you a quick recovery. Don't get discouraged, hang in there and you will get through this

Thank you

 

[sh1209]

Man. Sorry for your misfortune. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thank you

 

[Neil H.]

Hi! A couple of pieces of advice.
No 1. After 2 hip replacements last year just do exactly as your physio says for re-hab. Do not do any extra or any less ( both of previous can impede recovery and apparently folks commonly do one or the other).
No. 2. Do not rely on electronic position finding and always carry a box of waterproof matches. Many survivors of being lost in the wild report seeing search aircraft that failed to find them for many days. A smoky fire will do the job.

 

[O]

I wanted to make this post because of something that recently happened that really put things into perspective for me. I think we all need to make someone aware of where we are and have some form of communication in case of an accident. I recently had a fall and broke my foot as well as ruptured some tendons. I always carry an apple AirTag and whatever bag I have with me and if I’m somewhere extremely remote, I share my location with my wife once I arrive. I always carry a small first aid kit with me and have had to use it a few times over the years. Normally when I go out to shoot, I will walk anywhere from 1-5 miles and sometimes that is in very remote areas. I just turned 51 years old in December and I found out I don’t bounce back quite as well as I used to lol. Luckily when I had the fall and injured my foot, I was fairly close to home, but I was still over a mile from my truck. There was no one around to help, but I was able to drag my foot and get myself back to a parking lot so my wife could pick me up. I have also had some very close calls with poisonous snakes over the years as well as several bee stings. Wildlife photography is amazing and one of the best hobbies a person could have. Haven’t said that, there are definitely some inherent risks that go along with it. Luckily I am very fit for my age and should heal fairly quickly, but it is definitely going to be a long road.
View attachment 104554

WOW your so lucky you where able to get back, looks nasty. Yes good advice.

 

[Ken Miracle]

Hi! A couple of pieces of advice.
No 1. After 2 hip replacements last year just do exactly as your physio says for re-hab. Do not do any extra or any less ( both of previous can impede recovery and apparently folks commonly do one or the other).
No. 2. Do not rely on electronic position finding and always carry a box of waterproof matches. Many survivors of being lost in the wild report seeing search aircraft that failed to find them for many days. A smoky fire will do the job.

One of the most unique signal fires used by lost people were two snow boarders who had gone out of our ski area boundary on a bright moonlight night. They got into a brushy gully and took their boards off and floundered in the brushy gully in deep snow.

As we were finishing sweep after closing the lifts at 10 PM two boarders came up and told my partner and I that their two friends had gone through the boundary gate at the top of a run but had not shown up at the normal return gate near the bottom.

We got organized and started the search with a couple of snow cats and patrol and notified mountain search and rescue and the sheriff's office. About 30 minutes into the search we got a call from the sherrif's office that a fire could be seen on the mountain from the valley. The boarders were near a large lone dying pine tree that still had some dried out needles but a lot of dead branches and needles were in the tree well under the tree. They had a lighter and were able to get a fire started in the material in the well and the big tree quickly became engulfed and could not be missed from the city below.

With guidance on the radio from search and rescue from the valley below the snow cat quickly headed along a logging road that climbed up on a ridge above the gully where they could see the burning tree. The cat and 2 patrolers were able to get close to where the boarders were in about 15 minutes and the patrolers were able to use ropes to get them out of the deep gully and snow. The cat got them quickly back to the lodge and reunited with their friends. I made it off the mountain and home before 2:00 AM thanks to the big pine fire signal

 

[kbird]

I wanted to make this post because of something that recently happened that really put things into perspective for me. I think we all need to make someone aware of where we are and have some form of communication in case of an accident. I recently had a fall and broke my foot as well as ruptured some tendons. I always carry an apple AirTag and whatever bag I have with me and if I’m somewhere extremely remote, I share my location with my wife once I arrive. I always carry a small first aid kit with me and have had to use it a few times over the years. Normally when I go out to shoot, I will walk anywhere from 1-5 miles and sometimes that is in very remote areas. I just turned 51 years old in December and I found out I don’t bounce back quite as well as I used to lol. Luckily when I had the fall and injured my foot, I was fairly close to home, but I was still over a mile from my truck. There was no one around to help, but I was able to drag my foot and get myself back to a parking lot so my wife could pick me up. I have also had some very close calls with poisonous snakes over the years as well as several bee stings. Wildlife photography is amazing and one of the best hobbies a person could have. Haven’t said that, there are definitely some inherent risks that go along with it. Luckily I am very fit for my age and should heal fairly quickly, but it is definitely going to be a long road.
View attachment 104554

Oh my - I hope you heal quickly!

 

[sh1209]

Oh my - I hope you heal quickly!

Thank you

 

[MT_Dave]

This is the best advice, never go into remote locations alone. Find a photo buddy yes you should still be prepared as described throughout this thread, but trekking into remote wilderness area alone is always a risk

Best wishes on your recovery and thanks for posting.

I am 68 years old and enjoy solo sessions in the wilderness of Montana.
I try to minimize the risks:
1) I email my wife the night before my morning outing a google map pin of exact location of where I will park the truck and my planned route.
I do not deviate from this route.
2) I always carry an InReach SOS device. This allows for text messaging in areas with no cell coverage.
You can also broadcast your map location to selected users at a user-specified interval.
The monthly subscription is only $13.
3) I always carry bear spray to be accessed instantly on my belt.
4) I use trekking poles which can help catch a fall and also make it easier on the knees going down steep slopes.

 

[sh1209]

Best wishes on your recovery and thanks for posting.

I am 68 years old and enjoy solo sessions in the wilderness of Montana.
I try to minimize the risks:
1) I email my wife the night before my morning outing a google map pin of exact location of where I will park the truck and my planned route.
I do not deviate from this route.
2) I always carry an InReach SOS device. This allows for text messaging in areas with no cell coverage.
You can also broadcast your map location to selected users at a user-specified interval.
The monthly subscription is only $13.
3) I always carry bear spray to be accessed instantly on my belt.
4) I use trekking poles which can help catch a fall and also make it easier on the knees going down steep slopes.

Thank you and definitely some more great ideas

 

[maxxus46]

These are great tips.

Best wishes on your recovery and thanks for posting.

I am 68 years old and enjoy solo sessions in the wilderness of Montana.
I try to minimize the risks:
1) I email my wife the night before my morning outing a google map pin of exact location of where I will park the truck and my planned route.
I do not deviate from this route.
2) I always carry an InReach SOS device. This allows for text messaging in areas with no cell coverage.
You can also broadcast your map location to selected users at a user-specified interval.
The monthly subscription is only $13.
3) I always carry bear spray to be accessed instantly on my belt.
4) I use trekking poles which can help catch a fall and also make it easier on the knees going down steep slopes.

 

[Cristobal]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

 

[sh1209]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Thank you

 

[Jack S.]

Ouch, that does look painful!
I broke my own leg just shy of my 62nd birthday just over a year ago. Nothing to do with photography, I was walking my dog before heading home from a job and slipped on ice, causing a spiral fracture just above my left ankle. Never felt pain like it before, even after coming off my bike at 60 plus.
Once I got back to the car, the one thing that helped was the Manfrotto monopod in the boot, (trunk). At least it helped me get a cup of coffee, which helped me on the 100 mile drive home.

Hope you heal quickly.

 

[O]

Surfing late in the day, i got a hard knock from underneath my board that nearly threw me of the board, suddenly i could only feel my heart beating out of my chest, nothing to see i realised there usually isn't a second knock as the first is often a sounding. I grabbed any wave regardless of size and where i could i paddled like crazy, i yelled out to my mates paddling back out, the turning around of our small group all getting out of the water quickly sent a message to others that got out of the water as well.

Sometimes you see the odd dorsal bobbing up but we know there dolphins in a pod, also by the shape and size of their fin, but never the less it gets your attention, usually if dolphins are around sharks steer clear.

 

[Ken Miracle]

Surfing late in the day, i got a hard knock from underneath my board that nearly threw me of the board, suddenly i could only feel my heart beating out of my chest, nothing to see i realised there usually isn't a second knock as the first is often a sounding. I grabbed any wave regardless of size and where i could i paddled like crazy, i yelled out to my mates paddling back out, the turning around of our small group all getting out of the water quickly sent a message to others that got out of the water as well.

Sometimes you see the odd dorsal bobbing up but we know there dolphins in a pod, also by the shape and size of their fin, but never the less it gets your attention, usually if dolphins are around sharks steer clear.

At least with Grizzlies I can see them Spooky moment. Of course the most dangerous critter we have around here is still the impaired or inattentive driver.

 

[Maurie_S]

I wish you a speedy recovery Steven!

Maybe time to start the Macro book!!

 

[AlanB313]

One of the most unique signal fires used by lost people were two snow boarders who had gone out of our ski area boundary on a bright moonlight night. They got into a brushy gully and took their boards off and floundered in the brushy gully in deep snow.

As we were finishing sweep after closing the lifts at 10 PM two boarders came up and told my partner and I that their two friends had gone through the boundary gate at the top of a run but had not shown up at the normal return gate near the bottom.

We got organized and started the search with a couple of snow cats and patrol and notified mountain search and rescue and the sheriff's office. About 30 minutes into the search we got a call from the sherrif's office that a fire could be seen on the mountain from the valley. The boarders were near a large lone dying pine tree that still had some dried out needles but a lot of dead branches and needles were in the tree well under the tree. They had a lighter and were able to get a fire started in the material in the well and the big tree quickly became engulfed and could not be missed from the city below.

With guidance on the radio from search and rescue from the valley below the snow cat quickly headed along a logging road that climbed up on a ridge above the gully where they could see the burning tree. The cat and 2 patrolers were able to get close to where the boarders were in about 15 minutes and the patrolers were able to use ropes to get them out of the deep gully and snow. The cat got them quickly back to the lodge and reunited with their friends. I made it off the mountain and home before 2:00 AM thanks to the big pine fire signal

Tree wells can also be quite dangerous in snow country. They can have steep edges that can collapse and bury a skier. But they can be areas to access dry materials to burn, as your peeps found.

I used to do a lot of backcountry snow travel and mountaineering I always carried a safety kit with a bundle of dry newspaper, a lighter, waterproof matches, windproof matches, a good length of 6mm cord, duct tape, pole repair kit ( hose clamps, short metal flat stock) an emergency blanket, and a basic 1st aid kit. I took rescue training and avalanche training courses.

I don't do much now, but used to go solo a lot, even trips like mt shasta summit, etc. Map and compass skills are also important.
I still carry my mtn emergency kit but have reduced it down somewhat. I'm planning on getting a satellite rescue device especially for long desert trips.

I need to get out of the habit of keeping my eyes on a subject as I maneuver for a better view! I've tripped a bunch that way...

 

[JanH]

I wanted to make this post because of something that recently happened that really put things into perspective for me. I think we all need to make someone aware of where we are and have some form of communication in case of an accident. I recently had a fall and broke my foot as well as ruptured some tendons. I always carry an apple AirTag and whatever bag I have with me and if I’m somewhere extremely remote, I share my location with my wife once I arrive. I always carry a small first aid kit with me and have had to use it a few times over the years. Normally when I go out to shoot, I will walk anywhere from 1-5 miles and sometimes that is in very remote areas. I just turned 51 years old in December and I found out I don’t bounce back quite as well as I used to lol. Luckily when I had the fall and injured my foot, I was fairly close to home, but I was still over a mile from my truck. There was no one around to help, but I was able to drag my foot and get myself back to a parking lot so my wife could pick me up. I have also had some very close calls with poisonous snakes over the years as well as several bee stings. Wildlife photography is amazing and one of the best hobbies a person could have. Haven’t said that, there are definitely some inherent risks that go along with it. Luckily I am very fit for my age and should heal fairly quickly, but it is definitely going to be a long road.
View attachment 104554

Very sorry to hear of your accident. I hope you will recover quickly and will spend many more years out chasing great shots.

 

[Ken Miracle]

Tree wells can also be quite dangerous in snow country. They can have steep edges that can collapse and bury a skier. But they can be areas to access dry materials to burn, as your peeps found.

I used to do a lot of backcountry snow travel and mountaineering I always carried a safety kit with a bundle of dry newspaper, a lighter, waterproof matches, windproof matches, a good length of 6mm cord, duct tape, pole repair kit ( hose clamps, short metal flat stock) an emergency blanket, and a basic 1st aid kit. I took rescue training and avalanche training courses.

I don't do much now, but used to go solo a lot, even trips like mt shasta summit, etc. Map and compass skills are also important.
I still carry my mtn emergency kit but have reduced it down somewhat. I'm planning on getting a satellite rescue device especially for long desert trips.

I need to get out of the habit of keeping my eyes on a subject as I maneuver for a better view! I've tripped a bunch that way...

Good kit. I was a volunteer at Bogus Basin Ski Area for 20 years and a backpacker and chukar hunter (probably my highest risk sport) etc. for years.
I retired from skiing about 5 years after my wife did because of osteoporosis. Now I have even donated my snow shoes.

I only made one solo rescue out of a tree well and that was not when I was on duty but when I was xc skiing around the perimeter of a small downhioll ski area out of Twin Falls, Idaho. I heard the thump of the snow coming off the tree and ducked the ropes and was luckily able to dig down to the skier quickly and release his bindings and get him out having a shovel strapped to my little day pack made it faster.

We still spend quite a bit of time in the high sage steppe and canyon lands of Owyhee County where there is no cell service and now have our iPhones with satellite emergency service so did not end up getting Spot or something from Garmin which I did not do when I should have

 

[Jadiehl]

I wanted to make this post because of something that recently happened that really put things into perspective for me. I think we all need to make someone aware of where we are and have some form of communication in case of an accident. I recently had a fall and broke my foot as well as ruptured some tendons. I always carry an apple AirTag and whatever bag I have with me and if I’m somewhere extremely remote, I share my location with my wife once I arrive. I always carry a small first aid kit with me and have had to use it a few times over the years. Normally when I go out to shoot, I will walk anywhere from 1-5 miles and sometimes that is in very remote areas. I just turned 51 years old in December and I found out I don’t bounce back quite as well as I used to lol. Luckily when I had the fall and injured my foot, I was fairly close to home, but I was still over a mile from my truck. There was no one around to help, but I was able to drag my foot and get myself back to a parking lot so my wife could pick me up. I have also had some very close calls with poisonous snakes over the years as well as several bee stings. Wildlife photography is amazing and one of the best hobbies a person could have. Haven’t said that, there are definitely some inherent risks that go along with it. Luckily I am very fit for my age and should heal fairly quickly, but it is definitely going to be a long road.
View attachment 104554

Ouch! Take Care and get well soon!

 

[sh1209]

Ouch! Take Care and get well soon!

Thank you

 

[sh1209]

Very sorry to hear of your accident. I hope you will recover quickly and will spend many more years out chasing great shots.

Thank you

 

[O]

At least with Grizzlies I can see them Spooky moment. Of course the most dangerous critter we have around here is still the impaired or inattentive driver.

absolutely, we are riddled with them...........here in Oz