We departed on a trip to Zion National Park with our very best friends. We camped one night at Watchman inside the park, stayed one night in a guest house, then backpacked up into the back country on the West Rim to spend the remainder of our vacation in the middle of nowhere. The very night we reached the top of the West Rim we had a terrible accident. Mike sustained 3rd degree burns on his legs and one of his feet, and we were in the middle of nowhere. Mike went into shock. Our friends packed out at first light to get help which left Mike and I alone on the Rim. Less than 24 hours after the accident, and by some miracle, Mike and I backpacked off of the West Rim, over 5 miles in 100* plus weather. Due to the injuries, Mike was unable to wear a sock or shoe on one of his feet. The skin had actually degloved and you could see into his foot. When he finally received medical care at the ER in Provo, they didn't know how to treat him. The following night I called the burn unit at the University of Utah and was told to bring him in immediately. Upon arrival, we were told he may have to have his toes amputated. Over the course of several months and after intensive treatment and a lot of physical therapy, he fully recovered (he did miss the LSAT though). You can still see traces of the burns if you look closely today but his legs, foot, and toes are all in tact. This very weekend we are returning to Zion National Park with these very same friends. Needless to say, we won't be packing into the back country to visit the West Rim.
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1 comment:
i remember you telling me about that. so crazy. and that's even a crazier coincidence that you guys are all meeting up again to go to the same place on the same weekend! hope it goes much better this time:)
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