down the rocks run the cool rushing waters
Today I enjoyed a great afternoon rafting down the lower Yough at Ohiopyle with a small group of friends. We didn't get stuck on too many rocks and kept the raft from ever flipping over. I even got a chance to captain for a bit, and, if i might say so, successfully kept us mostly in the right direction and correctly navigating a few rapids.
Unfortunately, towards the last half mile of the trip, my crew decided to mutiny, and conspired with the river to throw me overboard on one of the rapids (called Killer Rapid). It was a short fall, but I landed on a rock with my knee, which went "OW." The raftmates reacted quickly to pull me back in and reorient everything, and i lay on the bottom of the boat with my knee telling me "OWOWOWOW." A hard bump, I thought, but one that would be OK given a few minutes of not being able to move it. Sure enough, I even felt well enough to sit up and paddle a few minutes later.
But then it was pointed out that my knee was somewhat streaming blood, and after shipmates complaining about me getting blood all over the raft, I agreed to let a staff person bandage me up a bit. The act of doing that made me feel much less OK, so I got to lay back and relax while everybody else paddled us to the pick-up. Once back at the lodge and in drier clothes, a closer inspection revealed a pretty deep cut, and earned me butterflies and several strong recommendations to get emergency care for it, as well as written directions to one that was still open at 8pm on a Sunday night.
I called ahead to let them know we'd be squeaking in, while xuth maneuvered the windy hilly streets down there. Google directions were wrong, written directions were right. Staff was pleasant and efficient and helpful, getting me checked in, cleaned up, stitched and bandaged up, scripted for useful drugs, and released in under an hour. Big kudos to Uniontown Medexpress. Doctor's look said cut went clear to patella, but no damage beyond that, so healing should be straightforward. Managed to escape with three stitches, a new Ace wrap, a tetanus shot, and a course of antibiotics for this week.
Now I am at home with ice on an annoyingly tender knee, but being lovingly taken care of (and carried up stairs). I have instructions not to bend it much for the next week, so I'll be hobbling for a bit, and probably trying to not move around much, for at least as long as I can stand. Fortunately, I didn't have much in the way of plans. Got any good book recommendations?
Other than that, life's pretty peachy. More on the tomatoes later.
Update for the next day: OW-freaking-OW.
Unfortunately, towards the last half mile of the trip, my crew decided to mutiny, and conspired with the river to throw me overboard on one of the rapids (called Killer Rapid). It was a short fall, but I landed on a rock with my knee, which went "OW." The raftmates reacted quickly to pull me back in and reorient everything, and i lay on the bottom of the boat with my knee telling me "OWOWOWOW." A hard bump, I thought, but one that would be OK given a few minutes of not being able to move it. Sure enough, I even felt well enough to sit up and paddle a few minutes later.
But then it was pointed out that my knee was somewhat streaming blood, and after shipmates complaining about me getting blood all over the raft, I agreed to let a staff person bandage me up a bit. The act of doing that made me feel much less OK, so I got to lay back and relax while everybody else paddled us to the pick-up. Once back at the lodge and in drier clothes, a closer inspection revealed a pretty deep cut, and earned me butterflies and several strong recommendations to get emergency care for it, as well as written directions to one that was still open at 8pm on a Sunday night.
I called ahead to let them know we'd be squeaking in, while xuth maneuvered the windy hilly streets down there. Google directions were wrong, written directions were right. Staff was pleasant and efficient and helpful, getting me checked in, cleaned up, stitched and bandaged up, scripted for useful drugs, and released in under an hour. Big kudos to Uniontown Medexpress. Doctor's look said cut went clear to patella, but no damage beyond that, so healing should be straightforward. Managed to escape with three stitches, a new Ace wrap, a tetanus shot, and a course of antibiotics for this week.
Now I am at home with ice on an annoyingly tender knee, but being lovingly taken care of (and carried up stairs). I have instructions not to bend it much for the next week, so I'll be hobbling for a bit, and probably trying to not move around much, for at least as long as I can stand. Fortunately, I didn't have much in the way of plans. Got any good book recommendations?
Other than that, life's pretty peachy. More on the tomatoes later.
Update for the next day: OW-freaking-OW.