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009 // Hilary's XC ski boot was facing backwards
2.1k Plays6 months ago
At just under 2000m, Mt Bogong is the highest peak in Victoria. It looms over the small township of Mount Beauty, not too far from Falls Creek, and is a classic multiday trip for bushwalkers - who don’t mind over 1200 metres of vertical ascent - or in snow - for keen backcountry skiers.
Sitting within what’s called the “Bogong Remote and Natural Area” of the Alpine National Park, it’s a place of great natural beauty, whatever the season, and for the well-prepared adventurer, a place of exceptional wildness and epic tales.
In this episode, experienced outdoorsy type, Hilary, takes us along on her journey snow camping and cross-country skiing, when her skis stopped moving forward… but her body kept going.
Download the transcript here.
Episode takeaways:
- Importance of wearing a helmet skiing/snowboarding
- Adventuring with a group verus solo
- The importance of knowing how to manage environmental dangers (eg. cold) during first aid emergencies, how to warm someone up and keep them warm… and having the equipment to do so.
- The value of thoughtful planning and communication between those doing first aid and the patient
- The challenge of lifting/carrying a patient
- Hmmmm, fruit cake
- The trauma/stress experienced by first aiders - being able to look after themselves too
- The power of the green whistle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methoxyflurane
- The value of leaving keys with the car
- Realising that AU’s Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance or helicopter rescue. It’s different in each state so you need to do the research for your situation.
- Why having ambulance cover is essential
- Understanding what ‘back to normal’ can for outdoorsy folk vs ‘normal’ folk
- Understanding that wellness is a process and being realistic about what that means and being kind to yourself
- Injuries don’t just affect our physical body
Glossary
- Chook-footing = cross-country skiing (xc) or back-country
- Post holing = when you step on what you think is firm snow, but sink deep up to the knee or even higher. Exhausting over distance.
- Yard sale = when a skier or snowboarder crashes hard and all their gear goes everywhere. Skiis, poles, backpack. It looks like a yard (Aussie = garage) sale.
- AAWT = Australian Alps Walking Track
- DIN settings = is set on your ski bindings based on your skiing ability, weight, height, boot and conditions. It is the industry-adopted scale that allows your skis to release your boot when you crash (good, causing a yard sale) versus not releasing your ski which can exert extreme pressure and wonky angles on your body (bad).
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Transcript
Introduction to Rescued Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Rescued is a podcast of conversations with rescuers and those who've been rescued. It's about the lessons we learn about ourselves, the places we go and why, without judgment or shame, to help us have better adventures, manage risk and deal with the unexpected.
Exploring Mount Bogong
00:00:23
Speaker
At just under 2,000 metres, Mount Bogong is the highest peak in Victoria. It looms over the small township of Mount Beauty, not too far from Falls Creek, and is a classic multi-day trip for bushwalkers who don't mind over 1,200 metres of vertical ascent, or on snow, keen backcountry skiers.
00:00:44
Speaker
Sitting within what's called the Bogong Remote and Natural Area of the Alpine National Park, it's a place of great natural beauty, whatever the season, and for the well-prepared adventurer, a place of exceptional wildness and epic tales.
Hillary's Outdoor Adventures
00:01:00
Speaker
In this episode, outdoorsy-type Hillary takes us along on her journey snow camping and cross-country skiing when her skis stopped moving forward, but her body kept going.
00:01:14
Speaker
Hilary, it is so lovely to have you here on the Rescue Podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today. It is a pleasure to be here, Carrie. Thank you for having me. Well, I wanted to have you ever since I heard you speak down in Tassie a couple of months ago, and you shared a story of one particular incident you'd had in a wild place. But today, we're actually going to talk about a different one. Yes, I have several stories of these varieties.
00:01:41
Speaker
So do you have a bit of a reputation in this way? I have a very large reputation. I've also managed to crack my head open on a rock in the Kimberley's and I'm the one that ends up going home from a trip via hospital. But I think that's just the price you pay when you spend lots of time outdoors. So let's start with that then. So going back to your childhood and the kind of things that you did as a kid or I guess it's looking for that entree, that first
00:02:09
Speaker
heart flutter of being in a wild place. What was it that got you into the outdoors?
00:02:16
Speaker
Well, I kind of lived in the outdoors. I grew up on a broad acre sheep and wheat farm in north central Victoria. It was a very flat country, very vast, lots of cleared paddocks, you know, full of wheat and canola and sheep. But we have a river running through our property and that's been revegetated and fenced off and let just let be. So that was where we'd go and build cubbies and
00:02:41
Speaker
fish and spend our time. And also my cousins had similar farms around that we'd spend our school holidays by the Murray River. And it was just a very adventurous childhood. And I think when I'm one of four siblings and have a lot of cousins, the more kids you have, the more accidents happen. And it was just
00:03:04
Speaker
par for the course. So is it one of those childhoods where your parents would send you out and it's like, don't come back until dinner or you'll hear the bell and it's time to come back in? A hundred percent. And I remember one time in particular, it was just after Christmas and I'd got a video game for Christmas and became a bit addicted. And my mum cracked it and said, get out, go outside. And it was my cousin, my brother and I. And we went climbing trees and my brother fell out of the tree and broke his leg and
00:03:33
Speaker
human mum took off to the nearest hospital, which is an hour away. And my cousin and I looked at each other and said, awesome, we can keep playing video games now that mum's gone. So we love the outdoors, but you know, it was, it was always there. And
00:03:48
Speaker
Yeah, we were just very lucky to be, I guess, comfortable in the outdoors as well. Can you talk about some of those feelings around what was it that made you feel comfortable in those spaces that for a lot of people, you know, it's a place of discomfort? I feel like that's our natural state, like living, like being outdoors and therefore, I guess, because I've spent a lot of time doing that and, you know, cooking in the outdoors and all these things that are a little bit harder than doing it in a kitchen, but it's so much more satisfying when you do it.
00:04:18
Speaker
in a, I guess, a primal way. Yeah, I'm so grateful for it now, especially as a woman and I do a lot of solo adventuring and not being afraid of, you know, the night sounds or the fact that, you know, you're in your little tent, which is, you know, essentially a plastic bag. But I feel most safe in that, you know, I find amongst the night sounds is where I feel not in control of the situation, but animals and that landscape is a lot more predictable than humans.
00:04:47
Speaker
It's interesting you talk about feeling comfortable in that little enclosed home in the bush as a solo female, because I think for a lot of people,
00:04:57
Speaker
It isn't a place of extreme discomfort and it's a thing that stops them. It's not the fear of what could go wrong with them personally or an accident that they might have or something else that might happen. It's actually that fear of the other humans out there. Exactly.
00:05:19
Speaker
You know, yeah, we do have snakes and spiders and all sorts of things, but we can mitigate all of those risks as best we can. But yeah, there's things that are out of our control. And whereas the further away you get from civilization, yes, the wind might be tearing at your tent, but
00:05:37
Speaker
you know that you've pegged it in and that you'll be okay. And you might not get much sleep, but tomorrow morning the sun will come up and you'll just get on with your day. Whereas, yeah, sometimes being in a very crowded campsite or something is where I'm most on edge. But I think like when the outdoors is kind of in your bones, you feel much more comfortable when it's just you and a wild
Outdoor Leadership and Trail Running
00:06:00
Speaker
place.
00:06:00
Speaker
So you had this wonderfully outdoors, adventurous, natural childhood connected in the bush. How did that develop through your teenage years and then into particular activities in outdoor places?
00:06:16
Speaker
Yeah, I was really lucky because I went to the schools I went to offered outdoor ed and not as much as I would have liked, but I had the opportunities to be a leader on like when I was in year 11 and 12, be the leader on year 7, 8 and 9 camps.
00:06:33
Speaker
And that was actually my first time skiing and I signed up to be a leader and I couldn't ski at all, but I just wanted to be out there, you know, chook footing it up Mount Stirling instead of being in class. Like I was like, this is, this is, this beats being in maths right now. Even though I totally like the skills, you know, you can make up for it with a bit of determination and grit. And then I was lucky that my best friend
00:07:01
Speaker
She was also an outdoorsy type. And so I had a friend and my older sister was similar minded and she was the one with a license and a car. So when I was 17, we went over to Tassie and did the Overland track and was very underprepared. I didn't take a raincoat, so I had to buy one from the gift shop beforehand. But I think
00:07:23
Speaker
Now, I'm one of those people that has all the gear and the dehydrated food. But from that point, we would always try and fit in a hike. Hiking was my main kind of activity. And then I discovered the sport of trail running and realized you can do a hike in a lot faster time. Because trail running as an activity seems to have this really amazing community around it in terms of
00:07:47
Speaker
different people doing it, all different shapes and sizes, all different ages. It seems to be very accepting and inclusive. Is that what you found? I guess with any sport, often you throw yourself into it. Then over the years, you pull back a bit and find a bit more of a sustainable way to be involved.
00:08:06
Speaker
now I'm bringing more new friends to the sport of trail running. Like this weekend, I don't have any gear because I'm lending it all out to friends who are doing trail races down here in Victoria. But it's like, great. Awesome. Once you've got the gear yourself, you can share the love and encourage others to get out there and get amongst it themselves. So hiking was your first love, then trail running. And what else do you find you're dabbling with? Got any other favorite children there?
00:08:34
Speaker
Other sports, I spent some time in Canada studying and learnt to ski over there and loved, loved that as a sport and recently trying to get into surfing and, and also just all the things that go along with it, like first aid and navigation and just the learning about weather and all the things that kind of add to these experiences. So you've got a lot of different activities and things that draw you outdoors you love.
00:09:00
Speaker
How do these places that you do these things in make you feel? So not just the activity itself, but being in these spaces. What does it do for Hillary? It's kind of changed over time, I think.
00:09:16
Speaker
I think when you're learning to do it, it's kind of more about the adrenaline and the pushing yourself and going fast and I guess giving it your all. Whereas now getting outdoors is I guess where I feel most, most myself and you just detach from all the other distractions. And I've, you know, mentally a very jumbled person. I've always got lots of, you know, lots of things going on, but out in those places, you just can take a moment to,
00:09:44
Speaker
feel the wind on your face or hear of a bird and think, Oh, I wonder what kind of bird is that? And every day outside is different weather, different people, different experiences. And also how you're feeling at the time. Like sometimes you just want to get out of there and get back home where it's nice and warm. And other days you just think, I'm just going to make the most of every second I've got because this is where I need to be.
00:10:07
Speaker
and feeling all the feels, feeling how your body feels when it's freezing and you just want to be at home, snuggled up. It's like actually being out in weather is part of being out in a wild place.
00:10:21
Speaker
Yeah, totally. It's also quite challenging because yeah, it's just you and, I don't know, the people you're around or the gear that you have on your back and you think, how do I get out of this situation in a way that means that I can live to adventure another day? So why don't you take us to a particular place and a particular time in the back country on snow. So we were in winter and tell me about that. What were you planning? What was this trip?
00:10:47
Speaker
Yeah, so I'm somewhat new to backcountry skiing and it's one of those activities that I enjoy, but I'm not overly proficient at. But thankfully, I have people around me who are much more experienced. Being my cousin Tim and his partner Margaux, who Margaux is French, so that's a bit of a lot of time over in the French Alps and exploring over there and love the snow and love winter.
00:11:10
Speaker
And yeah, I'm very happy to tag along with them and learn. In this particular scenario, it was August 2021, still mid-COVID. We weren't in a lockdown at the point at that time, but we're kind of slingshotting back and forward. And it was that point in Victoria where whenever you had an opportunity, you wanted to grab it with both hands because you never knew when the restrictions had changed and to be stuck at home.
00:11:38
Speaker
And it wasn't a very, I think that season, it was good early for snow, but by August it had kind of, yeah, cleared up a bit. And there was still a little bit of cover in the higher Alpine, but certainly not in the lower areas. So Tim and Margo had done a lot of research as to, we knew we wanted to get up to Mount Bogong or Waukula in the Victorian Alps, but there's several different ways you can get up there. So we decided to
00:12:06
Speaker
rather than go up the front face, which is quite common. There was lots of icy sections and we didn't have crampons. And so we thought we'll drive around the back of Mount Bogong into a fairly isolated valley and kind of come up the back way along the AAWT. So yeah, I was, I was basically at their disposal, you know, and thankfully I have a four-wheel drive, which is a very handy accessory in any, you know, outdoor pursuit. So
00:12:37
Speaker
Exactly. You know, that's
Snow Camping at Mount Bogong
00:12:40
Speaker
what I bring to the table, what I lack in experience I can make up for in somewhat reliable transport. And the plan was to head up for a weekend and just have the Use Cleave Coal Hut up there as our base and camp.
00:12:54
Speaker
at the hut, camp in our tents, but use the hut for cooking and just, yeah, hopefully get some, get some nice turns in. But the weather was not on our side. The forecast said it was going to be the mother of all storms. Because we're camping at the hut, we were like, well, at least we've got protection and we can always just huddle in there if it's a bit of a, bit of a shitty day. So yeah, we set off, you know, it was like a four hour drive or something and had everything we needed for a couple of nights up on the mountain and
00:13:23
Speaker
Yeah we're just kind of playing it by ear and keeping an eye on the weather and hoping that we'd at least get a bit of skiing in.
00:13:30
Speaker
And how did it go? Did the weather hold out for you and, you know, you get up on top and, you know, good conditions? Heading over the back did mean that we got to avoid some icy sections, but the hike in was tough because we were in ski boots with our skis on our back, basically post-holing it in for a few k. We were with every step, you kind of, and it was super icy snow. So you'd put your leg in and you'd pull it out and you'd kind of
00:13:58
Speaker
I guess, greasy skin a bit on the way because it was super icy and it was like from knee to kind of thigh deep snow. So yeah, it was a real, a real trudge in, but thankfully it wasn't too far, like it was maybe four or five K. And then once we got up above the treeline, the snow kind of hardened up a bit and we were able to pop on the skis and kind of head down the valley and over a few hills to make it up to Cleave Coal Hut where we
00:14:26
Speaker
Yeah, set up camp for the weekend and it was a beautiful stone hut. We've got lots of iconic alpine huts, but it's one of my favourites and especially after this trip has become somewhat special to me. Often in the afternoons, it was good because the sun would have come out and softened up the snow a bit and we had a bit more grip. I love camping in the snow. There's nothing quite
00:14:50
Speaker
like that, you know, speaking of a cocoon, like getting into your sleeping bag at the end of the day, there's nothing beats it. Absolutely. Absolutely. And did you have some of those clear skies at night? Yeah, we were super lucky. Like the storm managed to hold off basically the whole weekend. And I guess that's
00:15:10
Speaker
a lesson in itself is like, you know, you kind of want to listen to the forecast, but at the same time, it's not always right. So yeah, we were super glad that we were up there. And while we're up there, we, Victoria went into another lockdown and we thought, Oh, well,
00:15:25
Speaker
Where else would you rather be? Like, we're up here. We're not going to, you know, cut our trip short. Let's just make the most of it because knowing that, you know, we'd go home and be stuck inside for however long. Take me to the wrap up on the last day. So you'd been up there for a couple of days and you were packing up everything, packing up your tent, getting ready to head out. Take me back to that time. What happened
Skiing Accident and Rescue
00:15:49
Speaker
next?
00:15:49
Speaker
Yeah. So it was Sunday morning and we'd allowed a bit longer to get back to the car because we knew that it was hard going and then it was quite a drive out of there. And so we decided to get going, kind of, you know, have a leisurely morning, but try and get going by about nine to give us the whole day to get back to Wangaratta, which was, you know, probably going to take us quite a while. And, you know, you do
00:16:16
Speaker
factoring fatigue. And yes, we have been having a lovely few idyllic days, but you get tired when your tent's being whipped by winds all night and stuff. So we're like, let's give ourselves a good window. And the storm was still apparently looming. So we're also like, while the conditions are good, let's make sure that we're getting out of here nice and dry and not dealing with
00:16:38
Speaker
rain or snow or whatever it might be. And so the cleave coal huts on top of like a, I'll just offer, I guess, a ridge down into a valley. And because we'd already come that way, I knew the trail and knew that we'd be going down along a creek and then up another incline.
00:16:56
Speaker
And we had our backcountry touring skis on. So essentially we were, yeah, had our normal skis. And then once you kind of reach an incline, you take your skis off, you put your skins on the bottom and then you release the heel and you, you know, waddle your way up the hill until you can
00:17:13
Speaker
take the skins off and cruise down the other side again. So being, you know, always trying to think three steps ahead, I knew that there was an incline at the bottom of the creek. So I thought if I can get a bit of extra speed up, it'll, you know, cut down the amount of traverse that I have to get over the next ridge. So Tim set off first. Once again, yeah, we had not super heavy packs, but heavy enough, you know, lots of gear when you're skiing and when you're camping in winter.
00:17:43
Speaker
And then I set off after him and with Margo bringing up the rear and Tim, yeah, cruised down the mountain all very calmly and I was following him and essentially it was a bit overcast so and often in the snow it can be hard to like see the
00:18:01
Speaker
topography, I guess. Yeah, exactly. And it all kind of just kind of becomes a bit fuzzy and hard to tell. Anyway, I hit a bump and was like, Ooh, where did that come from? And kind of had a bit of a wobble and, and then managed to kind of regain some kind of control, but then hit another one.
00:18:23
Speaker
And had a complete yard sale, as they would say. I, I think my having my pack on my back kind of threw my weight off a bit. Had I not had a pack, I might have been out of recover. But that makes it, you know, when you've got like 15, 20 kilos, it obviously messes with your balance. And I just went head over
00:18:42
Speaker
head over heels and tumbled a few times and one of the key learnings in hindsight was always check your gear before you go because I'd been borrowing those skis off a friend and we'd been skiing earlier in the season up at Mount Hotham where there was like 30 centimetres of fresh snow so we had the din setting on the skis quite high so they wouldn't pop off in the in the thick heavy snow but now we're in very tracked out conditions and
00:19:10
Speaker
Yeah, when I took a tumble rather than my skis popping off, they stayed firmly on my feet, which makes it very hard to somersault when you've got two enormous skis stuck to your feet. So I tumbled a few times, thankfully was wearing a helmet as well, and landed on my back.
00:19:28
Speaker
with my, with one of my, with my right foot backwards. And I could, and instantly I knew that this is not good. And I could see Margot, because I was facing up towards the hut, so I could see Margot skiing towards me, and she got a full view of my very inelegant tumble.
00:19:50
Speaker
And yeah, it was like kind of starfish on the snow. And my skis were, yeah, still attached and I couldn't move. I was like basically pinned down. And yeah, Margo came up to me and I can't remember exactly what transpired, but essentially she helped me get my skis off. And then thankfully the hut was still in sight and we knew that we had phone service at the hut. We knew that we had shelter. So yeah, and then what
00:20:16
Speaker
happened next was, I guess, a good old classic mountain rescue. Massive thanks for the support from the team at Patti Pallon, who since 1930 have been leaders in travel and outdoor adventure. In fact, did you know that Patti himself, a member of the Sydney Bushwalkers Club, was a volunteer in the original search and rescue arm of the Federation of Bushwalking Clubs in New South Wales? Nice one, Patti.
00:20:43
Speaker
After the yard sale, you knew something wasn't right because your right foot was backwards. Even though your skis were still attached and you were locked into this snow, you couldn't move. Were you feeling pain? What was that moment?
00:21:01
Speaker
It's strange because I remember it incredibly crystal clear. I remember thinking there is no way I'm getting off this mountain under my own steam. I knew instantly that something was broken. I thought it was my ankle and the pain was incredibly intense. But I think I went into rescue mode. I went into what needs to happen next.
00:21:26
Speaker
And I remember so well, I was lying there. I think Margot helped me take my backpack off as well. So it was just just me lying on the snow and I had my ski pants and ski jacket. And I was trying not to pass out because I could feel myself on the like passing out would have been the nicest way to endure that while I waited for for Tim. But I remember I used to do Wim Hof back in the day and just basically breathing
00:21:55
Speaker
through the pain and just basically waiting. And I could, because he was coming up behind me, so I couldn't see him, but I could hear Tim huffing as he was like really exerting himself trying to get to me because he'd skied on and we hadn't come. So I thought something must have gone wrong and doubled back. And, and then we worked on getting me warm. So trying to get myself into a sleeping bag and
00:22:19
Speaker
waiting for Margo for the next steps from hopefully knowing that a rescue would be imminent. Apart from the plans going through your head at the time, so Tim's skied up, Margo's up at the hut and you're breathing through trying to keep yourself in the moment. Had you gone fully into planning mode still or was it just, I just need to stay awake. I just need to stay with this moment.
00:22:48
Speaker
I think the latter, I think I was, I guess the plan was in motion. So there wasn't a whole lot else I could do apart from look after myself. And I guess for Tim and Margot, for me being conscious, obviously if I was to be unconscious, that'd be a whole lot more stress on them. So for the next kind of period where I was incapacitated, I was trying to work out how I can be of use to them as the people rescuing me. And, you know,
00:23:18
Speaker
I'm the one in pain yes but that's not gonna change anytime soon so that's kind of just an inevitable baseline of situation. So going back to the warming up you talked about that so what was the first priority was it keeping you warm or was it trying to think about first aid in some way?
00:23:36
Speaker
Yeah, getting me warm or off the snow was really the first priority. Then Margo ran down from the hut and she'd got onto the emergency services and they said they was going to send out a helicopter, essentially. So we had to plan for a heli rescue and the best place to do that from was up at the hut. So I was a few hundred meters down the hill. So the next kind of
00:24:02
Speaker
thing on the to-do list was to get me up the hill. Do you know if the operator had told Margo how to prepare for a rescue, like what to do other than get you up to the hut? I don't think so. It was interesting because this is jumping forward a bit, but once we got to the hut, we called again and they had no record of that previous call.
00:24:25
Speaker
Wow. Yeah. And they were like, they kind of was like starting from scratch and, but then that was a miscommunication and turns out the helicopter was already on its way from the original call. So yeah, there was a sense of dread there being like, Oh no, like it's still, you know, several hours away. And Tim and Margot would kind of go off to the side and have a little huddle. And how did that make you feel when, when that happened?
00:24:49
Speaker
I think I was comfortable because they did it in a way that they'd come up with a plan and then present the plan to me. It was kind of like, this is what we've decided is best. Do you agree? Pretty useless at this point. So they brought the sled down and I remember getting into the sled was awful because my foot kind of disconnected from my body in the sense that it had to be physically moved because I had no control over it.
00:25:16
Speaker
How did you deal with that pain? Like what did you do? Where did you go inside your head? Or were you able to go anywhere inside your head? It was funny because every push was progress, but every push was pain. So I just focused on the progress bit and was like trying to be like a little cheerleader for Tim Amago, being like, great work.
00:25:37
Speaker
Because I could hear them physically exerting themselves, you know, like heave ho kind of vibes from them trying to get me up and, you know, sweating and like, you're still in the snow and that's stripped off because, you know,
00:25:54
Speaker
It's hard work and I'm just kind of lying there completely useless. So the huffing and the puffing and the cheering on from you, unbelievable. The sled and Tim and Margot approached the hut and you get up to the bottom of the steps at the hut. What happens then?
00:26:11
Speaker
Well, funnily enough, this is where we had a bit of an argument because Tim and Margot thought it would be a great idea to pick up the sled and put me inside the hut. And after the excruciating experience of getting up the hill, I knew that two people lifting one person is not enough. The doorway was quite narrow, so I don't even know how they'd fit the sled inside the hut.
00:26:38
Speaker
And just the thought of being moved again was kind of made me feel sick. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no. And this is where it came, like being able to advocate for myself was really important. I was like, the weather's still good. It's sunny. I'm comfortable here. I'm warm. If anything, I'm quite enjoying. The sun on my face was helping my body stay warm. And we decided to put me on a bit of an angle so my legs were somewhat inclined.
00:27:06
Speaker
to maybe help with the blood flow and stuff. And I was like, no, I'm good here. And they offered me some whiskey because, you know, you always have whiskey on a backcountry skiing trip. But no, I did not feel like whiskey.
00:27:17
Speaker
Interesting. You've got those visions of the old Saint Bernard, the dog with the wings, the barrel around its neck. So you declined the whisky, okay. I think the pain, I knew that it was like a band-aid for a bullet hole. But what I did have was some fruitcake, which I was very partial to.
00:27:39
Speaker
probably the best fruitcake I've ever eaten. And yeah, at this point, it was good being at the hut because it meant that Tim and Margo could, I think they stayed on the line with the emergency services because we were all there together and they could kind of keep an eye on me and keep communicating. And yeah, eventually we got the call that the helicopter was on its way and would be there imminently. And
00:28:02
Speaker
Sure enough, soon you hear this buzz in the air and you look up and you think, oh my God, my saviour's here and I did a few laps just to really mess with my patience. How did that feel when you first heard it and you saw it circling overhead? I think we were all
00:28:24
Speaker
very relieved because one thing I guess I've realized through this experience is it's harrowing for the injured person, for the patient, but also there's so much adrenaline and exhaustion and stuff from the people who are looking after you that it's not just for me, but for them as well in terms of
00:28:45
Speaker
Yeah, once again, you don't want to think about plan B and what more would Tim Amago have to do if a helicopter can't get in? And, you know, they're then putting themselves at somewhat risk because they're going beyond their own capabilities to care for someone else. So it was just a relief all round. Yeah, it did take a bit longer for that helicopter to land that I would have liked. Speaking of time, do you know how much time had passed between when your accident first happened and when the helicopter arrived?
00:29:15
Speaker
It was probably between two and three hours. I think the helicopter had come from Tarelgan and like I said, we kind of left around nine. So, you know, it was already kind of creeping up on midday and being winter, like they're quite short days as well. So we were cognizant of, you know, there's, we've got things to do like Tim and Margot have got to get off the mountain and how's that going to happen? And what about my pack and my skis and you know, all this kind of thing in terms of.
00:29:43
Speaker
how do we get three people and three sets of gear off a mountain when one person is unable to assist? So the helicopter's circled a couple of times doing its recce. I don't think the helicopter landed. I think they sent a medic down, repelled down or whatever, I guess, and then the helicopter left and I was like, no.
00:30:08
Speaker
is it, you know, briefly kissed the ground and then, you know, took off again. But there was a person coming towards us in paramedic gear, and that was, you know, he's, he's very cool and calm and collected. And like all, I guess, first responders comes in, you know, takes his time, assesses the situation, kind of, I think makes a bit of a joke or, you know, like, because we're obviously starting to see him. And
00:30:36
Speaker
He was a very lovely person, you know, as all first responders are, and especially when you're the patient and you're very excited to see someone with some, some painkillers. And yeah, he kind of
00:30:52
Speaker
assess the situation and like kind of ask me some questions and because I still had my ski boot on. So he went off to the side and had a bit of a chat in his radio. And as we learnt, kind of said, we've got a little bit of work to do here before we can get her ready to go on the helicopter. So the chopper went over to Mount Hotham to refuel.
00:31:15
Speaker
And he said, look, we've got about half an hour while that happens. And in that time, we'll get you kind of triaged and ready for extraction, essentially. And yeah, so I guess first things first, I got the Green Whistle, which was a very welcome pain relief. Because how was your pain level at that point? You know, by the time you, you're at the heart, the sun's on your face, the helicopter was coming. Had the pain level decreased or increased since the accident on the move?
00:31:43
Speaker
Yeah, it kind of stabilized, like it was, because moving was what, where the, like, there was a kind of base level of pain, but then, you know, moving severely caused that to spike, whereas if I could just stay in the same place, very still, I was, I was okay, you know, at no point was I catastrophizing the situation and imagining the worst case scenario I was just kind of focused on.
00:32:09
Speaker
Plan A, and thankfully for me, that all managed to play out pretty seamlessly. Yeah, so the paramedic came over and gave me the horrific news that we would have to remove my ski boot, because I'd even said to Tim and Margot, like, the only way this boot is coming off is with a saw, like, because anyone who's worn a pair of ski boots before knows how
00:32:32
Speaker
awful layout to get off at the best of times. And I presume my foot had swelled, you know, there was all these kind of things going on in my head in terms of what will make it even harder. And that's where the crux of the pain was. But he said, to get into the helicopter, I had to kind of get in a big nappy. And the weight of the ski boot, because my legs would be hanging over the side, the weight of my ski boot
00:32:56
Speaker
Would exacerbate the injury so and I couldn't have that additional weight on my foot to get into the helicopter And I think the beauty going back to the green whistle. It's a physical object that you control so you hold it and it's got a little mouthpiece and you suck on it and that what's administers the pain relief and a bit like the breathing it gave me something to focus on so I was
00:33:20
Speaker
concentrating on inhaling this whistle while I think the paramedic was kind of at my break like on my shin and Margo was I think holding onto my upper body and then Tim was down on my foot actually removing the ski boot and it was funny comparing stories afterwards because
00:33:39
Speaker
Tim said it was, it was kind of like Gumby, like in the sense that like I just kept stretching because it turns out I'd broken my tib and my fib. So there was no bones connecting my upper leg to my lower leg. And, you know, and ski boots are, yeah, like I said, hard to get off. So it was really trying to like, it was a real wrench to kind of get it off. And, and it was kind of an immense level of pain that, that
00:34:08
Speaker
pretty quickly subsided afterwards. Cause it was kind of like, you know, it's like taking off your hiking boots at the end of a long day. It's, you know, just that feeling of being free is very comforting. Um, and thankfully it wasn't a compound fracture. Like my bone wasn't sticking out of anything. It was all contained, which, which was a relief. And then, yeah, they worked on putting me in a, they had like a backslab kind of, um,
00:34:37
Speaker
splint thing and a heap of foil blankets and wrapped up my whole leg in around this kind of back slab to stabilize it like a splint and then heaps of foil blankets and then just bandages to kind of contain the whole
00:34:52
Speaker
the whole thing and then by that time the helicopter had come back and it was time to jump in that and get out of, get off the mountain. Because the paramedic was working alone and it sounds like there was a lot that he had to do in a short time that Tim and Margot were helping and were assisting in the wrapping and the foil blanketing or making you look like a giant burrito or something like that.
00:35:15
Speaker
So they were very much hands-on, is that correct? Yeah, they were. And I think it was quite difficult for them as well because they know that they're causing me pain, but it's inevitable, like it has to be done. But it's that kind of conflict of, well, you know, there's no other way around this. And to ensure that we can get her extracted ASAP, we've got to, you know, really wrench on this ski boot and make sure it comes off. So you've been
00:35:40
Speaker
Wrapped up. You're in this giant nappy. You're winching up into the helicopter. Do you remember anything of that ride? Kind of. I've got photos of it and I was like, make sure you get some snaps of this. Very important. Now, are you comfortable sharing some of these photos with us? Totally. Yeah, happy to. Like, it's quite a
00:36:04
Speaker
know, an amazing land. Like you've got the white snow and then the beautiful kind of gray snow gums, and then this bright, you know, red and yellow helicopter kind of just totally, you know, dominating a landscape and then little me. And yeah, because I was attached to the, to the paramedic and we'll kind of, I guess like, like you would if you were bungee jumping, like, you know, but up onto a helicopter. And
00:36:28
Speaker
Tim and Margot were on the ground pinning down the crate that I was in, because they kind of wheeled me over on that underneath the helicopter. And then we got winched up, but it had to get, you know, low enough that we could then jump into it. And yeah, so they're kind of like amongst the turbulent, you know, rotor blades and snow and everything's being whipped up. And
00:36:52
Speaker
Yeah. And then it was kind of a bit sad because it's kind of like, well, I'm fine, but what are you, like, what's your plan? Like, you know, by this stage, it was past, you know, past midday and we knew it was a solid hike out of there, plus like a four hour, four hour drive back to their, their home or back to Wangaratta. And
00:37:14
Speaker
Yeah, in a way, I was kind of like it's over for me, but it's not over for them. And there's also no way of me to communicate like I was in my own little world. But yeah, you just kind of hope for the hope for the best for them and be like, thanks. Bye. Good luck as I sail off into the sunset. Could you still feel your foot or were you just in a bit of another state?
00:37:39
Speaker
I think it was, yeah, it was a different state, kind of like, yeah, an altered mindset, I guess, in that there's still like a bit of a hum of pain, but like by this stage, once, so I got, they've got like an arm that comes out on the chopper, so you basically come up.
00:37:55
Speaker
And then they like pull, there's a guy there and they pull you in and basically straight down onto a, a gurney. Um, and they strapped, you know, had straps over my legs. So I was very stable. So that certainly helped in terms of like the pain, but the next, yeah, so we were flying to Wangaratta, which was, I think maybe 30 or 40 minutes by air. And we were flying over Mount Buffalo and the high country. And I can hear the.
00:38:25
Speaker
the guys saying what a beautiful view it is. So I'm trying to prop myself up on my elbows to like, get a view because I'm like, yeah, I'm like, I'm pretty sure this is the only time we'll take a helicopter ride over the Victoria's High Country in the middle of winter. So I want to enjoy the experience.
00:38:42
Speaker
So you're on your way to Wangaratta hospital. What about Tim and Margo? What was their afternoon like? Because, you know, the helicopter flies away. I can only imagine the silence returning to that ridge top.
Challenges of Recovery
00:38:58
Speaker
Totally. And I think they took some time to eat some food at the hut because, you know, hours had passed. It was past lunchtime.
00:39:07
Speaker
they'd been looking after me and hadn't had anything themselves and they knew that they kind of had to get their skates on and not really push hard to get back to the car by nightfall. I know talking to them about their account,
00:39:22
Speaker
The, the hiking was hard and the hike out was a hundred times harder because they were coming off this huge adrenaline, adrenaline rush. They'd been, you know, exerting themselves physically or morning and the snow had not got any better. It'd been quite a few, warm few days. So the post-holing was even worse. And you know what it's like when you're already a bit tired and you just kind of spiral into that like demon mode where you're just like, this is shit. Like it's,
00:39:49
Speaker
But once again, you're on a time crunch, so you've got to just keep pushing. And I know that, thankfully, you know, Tim's resilience and kind of just plough through mentality, you know, helped and Margaux was certainly like feeling the strain and the pressure of the situation. But thankfully, they made it back to my car just on nightfall and basically fell in a heap.
00:40:18
Speaker
And hopefully you'd remember to give them your car keys. That's, that's exactly what I was about to say. And I always leave my keys with the car because for whatever reason, you don't want to drop them on a trail or whatever. So yeah, the keys were with the car. Such a great thing to do.
00:40:33
Speaker
Yes, and the car started. It's a pretty old four-wheel drive and not the most reliable thing, but they got in the car, they were able to get warm and just be on the road and have that sense of progress, I think, even though it was a long drive ahead of them. And they were out of service this whole time because they were in the back of the outlet. So it wasn't until a few hours later that they came back into service and were able to text me
00:41:00
Speaker
and say, we're at Wangaratta eating McDonald's because it's the only thing that's open and we're so hungry. They're sitting in Maccas and you're sitting in Wangaratta hospital.
00:41:13
Speaker
Yeah, that was a bit of an ordeal in itself because I got helicopter to the airport and then jumped in an ambulance to get to the hospital. And it was quite a nice day on the ground. It was maybe mid 20s or low 20s. And I got to the hospital and my whistle had run out. Oh no, not the whistle. I know. But then thankfully they sent a nurse out to put me on a morphine drip
00:41:38
Speaker
in the ambulance. So by the time I got into the hospital, I was, I was okay. And then, yeah, and then the whole, I guess, process of surgery and x-rays and all that kind of stuff started to unfold, which was like another kind of 24 hour ordeal.
00:41:58
Speaker
Do you have a personal story about an incident or time during an outdoor trip when something didn't quite go to plan? Maybe you got lost, injured, let down by some gear or something else. Look, honestly, it can happen to any of us at any time, regardless of how experienced we are. And it's by sharing these stories that we can all learn and help avoid them in the future.
00:42:22
Speaker
If that's you, I'd love to hear from you. So please, drop me an email to rescued at lotsafreshair.com. That's L-O-T-S-A, freshair.com.
00:42:34
Speaker
Even when you think it's over, the plan A has run what you think is the end of plan A's course. It's like, ah, yay, I see the helicopter. Or I guess, first of all, it's yay, we got through on the phone, yay, help is on its way, yay, the helicopter's here, and yay, I'm at the hospital. And I think for a lot of people, we think
00:42:56
Speaker
That's the end of the journey. Can you talk to me a bit about your journey from there beyond the physical titanium bits that are now in your leg? What happens after?
00:43:12
Speaker
In a way, that was, I'm not going to say heart, like it's hard to say what was harder, but it was incredibly challenging because, so they essentially set my leg overnight and put a cast on it and then, because it was Sunday, so they were like, the surgeon will be in tomorrow morning and you'll get surgery in the morning. And they had to basically reset, like straighten it up. So before they put a cast on it. And it was very scary because they said, we're going to give you some really, really strong drugs for the pain.
00:43:41
Speaker
And they can have adverse effects where they kind of freak you out. So you've got to think like happy thoughts. And they had a person standing there with the defibrillator, and there was like eight people standing over my bed. And you kind of, you know what's going on, but you also don't. Like, I'm not a, you know, doctor. And, and you're kind of like, you say it's going to be fine, but what I'm seeing is a lot of people
00:44:05
Speaker
And, you know, you're, you're standing there with the paddles ready to go. I'm like, what is actually happening? And, you know, everything did go as planned, but it's very scary when
00:44:16
Speaker
Yeah, you're just kind of putting your faith in the people around you. And then I made the mistake of asking, okay, well, what does this surgery involve? And the assistant explained in very graphic detail how they essentially hammer in a titanium pin through your entire tibia. And then he said, we're basically carpenters, but for the body. And I'm just kind of lying there being like,
00:44:41
Speaker
I kind of feel better for knowing, but I'm also petrified, like it just how brutal the process is. And imagining, yeah, the trauma that like you're in pain from breaking it, but then essentially they, what they have to do to fix it is equally as, you know, traumatic on the body. And as someone who is always focused on, okay, what's the recovery period? When can I be walking? When can I get back outdoors? You just kind of think far out, like,
00:45:10
Speaker
Yeah, the worst is yet to come in terms of what will prolong that recovery period.
00:45:15
Speaker
The whole story so far is just making me so thankful and have such gratitude to live where we live and have these kinds of services, this kind of training, these kinds of network of support that we live within. We're so privileged to live within and so lucky to live within. It's like, man, it makes me so thankful.
00:45:41
Speaker
Totally. After my other hospital trip and this one, I would be broke. I would be in so much debt if I was in the States, for example. When we go through the public system, when it is an emergency, we don't
00:45:56
Speaker
question the quality of care because we know that the people there do the best. And thankfully, Wangaratta, because it is the closest hospital to the snow, gets, they call it a classic ski boot fracture, which is essentially what I had, where you break the tip and fear, but the very top of your ski boot, because the ski boot holds your
00:46:18
Speaker
ankle so tight that it can't move. So I thought I'd broken my ankle, but really your ankle's safe and sound in there. But it's when your foot tries to go one way and your body goes another that the weakest point is that kind of mid shin. The surgeons say it's very much routine for them. So even though, you know, you're not getting helicopter to the best hospital in Melbourne, you know, that I can go to this regional hospital and that the doctors there are extremely
00:46:47
Speaker
good at what they do. And they've done this a hundred times and they'll make sure that you get the best outcome you can. And they're good with that tib and fib carpentry. Yeah, exactly. And, and the most amazing part is I walked away and didn't cost me a cent. You know, all of, all of that from the helicopter to the ambulance to hospital, like I had to fill my prescription at the pharmacy afterwards. And that was, that was my only out of pocket expense, which is
00:47:18
Speaker
Mind-boggling. Mind-boggling. You have ambulance cover. I think this comes as a massive surprise to a lot of people that we all think, oh, we have this amazing public system of ours, and we have these amazing Medicare. I think we see ambulance as an extension of that system, but it actually sits outside that. Can you talk a bit about that?
00:47:40
Speaker
Yeah, so you are right. And it's not the same in different states. So in Tasmania, for example, it's all free. So it's really important to, I guess, wherever you're going traveling. Like, for example, if you're going around Australia or something, knowing what the rules are in your state, you can get it on the spot for 50 bucks a year on your phone and the best 50 dollars you'll spend all year. So it is something that I've always had. And I know a lot of people have it included in their private health care.
00:48:10
Speaker
But often there's a loophole that you only have one trip covered. And in my case, I had two trips because I had the helicopter and then the ambulance. And sometimes those health funds can be very cheeky and say, oh, we'll, we'll, we'll spot the ambulance. You can pay for the helicopter. And from what I've read on the website, my trip would have been, had I not had ambulance cover about $26,000. Wow. 50 bucks versus 26 grand is, is a vast difference. And
00:48:40
Speaker
To be honest, when I was lying flat on my back with my foot backwards, my first thought was call the chopper. Like I know I'm covered. There's no two, if, or butts about it. Like if it can't come, it can't come. But that's our first, our first option. Just that peace of mind is so important. So jump forward to the day you walk out of hospital.
00:49:00
Speaker
Yeah, it was the very next day. They don't beat around. And that was, well, I didn't walk. They never let you walk, I've learnt. They always make you get a wheelchair to the front door because while you're in the hospital, you're their patient. And even when I burnt my foot and I was very adamant about using my crutches out of there, they said, no, as long as you're on under our roof, we are taking every precaution for your health and safety.
00:49:27
Speaker
Basically, an orderly will escort you out to the car park in a wheelchair, and then from there, you can hop, skip, or jump away, but you're on your own. So in my case, it was straight into the backseat of the trusty Land Cruiser, the four-wheel drive, which my parents had in a crisis, as family does, gone to Tim and Margot, caught up with them.
00:49:52
Speaker
got the car back, came and picked me up and the hospital had dosed me up with painkillers because they knew it was going to be a bit of a bumpy two or three hour drive back to my parents' place where I'd spend my time recuperating because I usually live on my own, but that was with stairs and all that sort of thing. So it was kind of, yeah, that was, that was the plan for me to head back and stay with my parents while I was
00:50:18
Speaker
Yeah, in those initial stages of recovery, the reason they now for most broken legs is put a titanium rod through your tibia is because you can kind of be up and moving pretty quickly.
00:50:34
Speaker
kind of put it in a cast and let it rot away for six weeks. They've learned that the sooner you can get moving and keep those muscles somewhat active, the quicker your recovery will be. So yeah, it was a bit of a trying journey home, but by the time I did get back to the farm, I was very grateful to not be going anywhere for a while. So when did you start thinking about your next trip and how long is it going to take to get back out there?
00:51:04
Speaker
I think initially one thing that I learnt which I feel like needs to be kind of said about more is that the drugs in your system, especially after hospital and surgery last several days and they dosed me up for the ride home. So I got back home and the next day I was up on my crutches cooking breakfast, making cups of tea, feeling like an absolute superhero being like, this is going to be great. Like I'll be back and you know,
00:51:32
Speaker
not running or anything too extreme, but at least being able to be self-reliant in no time. Then fast forward about 48 hours and I could not move. I was still on painkillers, but the influx of drugs from the hospital and stuff had left my system. Just getting up in the morning and brushing my teeth was
00:51:58
Speaker
like running a marathon. So I've pretty quickly went from this is going to be fine to, oh my God, I'm never going to be able to do anything again. I think that when they're giving you a bit of a prognosis, they base it on the normal person and the normal person's goal isn't to, you know, run a hundred kilometers or go back country skiing or, you know, even to get outdoors moving every day. Like that's somewhat
00:52:23
Speaker
you know, exceptional. So they base it on the average person. And we think, OK, if you say, I'm going to be good in a month, that means in a month, I'm going to be, you know, back to my normal existence. Whereas they think like that, that back to normal is being able to walk to the fridge, you know? Yeah, because your normal isn't average. The normal, you know, normal for outdoorsy folk who just thrive and, you know, within their very soul, you know, this, this feeling like we need to be outdoors and
00:52:53
Speaker
and moving in these spaces, that's, that's not the average. Exactly. And I think it's especially true of the, you need to manage those expectations and, but it's also, you always want to choose the easiest path. So when they say that, you know, you, you really grip onto that thinking, you know, if I do as I'm told and, you know, rest and do my stretches or whatever it is that I will be able to be back there. But
00:53:19
Speaker
You can't, and then you get to that point and they're like, oh, you're progressing well. You're like, but I'm, you know, I don't have my quality of life back. But they're like, but this is, you know, it's a different, different expectation. Like, unfortunately, I think it hits out, yeah, people like myself harder, because it is more of an extreme from one to the other during that recovery phase. It sounds like there's also something around your sense of identity as outdoor people.
00:53:47
Speaker
you call yourself, oh, I'm outdoorsy. This is who I am. It's as much a part of us as breathing. To then have this be taken away from us or not be a part of that identity at that point, or to feel it's not a part of that identity. How did you deal with that?
00:54:06
Speaker
I think it was interesting because I found that I'm usually someone who kind of a bit like you carry lots of different things going on and you kind of jump from one project or whatever to the other. But I found that in my recovery, my energy levels were so low that I had to be really either in recovery mode or in like productivity mode. And there was a bit of both. But I found that I had to put boundaries in place in terms of like work meetings and really like
00:54:34
Speaker
managing my time really explicitly so that way because I couldn't always be on like I am normally because you know you kind of you kind of trying to be who you are normally but that takes a lot more effort because you. You really putting more energy into you know.
00:54:51
Speaker
Keeping up a conversation and being you know a personable person, but it's also hard to I guess articulate to people and you don't want to be explaining to everyone look I'm not feeling great like surely it's expected to some degree you've just you know broken your leg, but
00:55:06
Speaker
until you've been in that position. And now I'm a lot more conscious of friends of mine who have surgery or hurt themselves to be more connected to them and allow them to take it slow. And everyone's kind of trying to rush you back into wellness, but it is just a process that has to play out. Let me ask you. So for other people who may find themselves in that situation, you know, find themselves at the start of a
00:55:34
Speaker
recovery journey, not the rescue journey. That's just plan A. That just plays out. But for people finding themselves at the start of that recovery journey, as they get wheeled to the door of a hospital, what would you want to say to them?
00:55:51
Speaker
I think it's, it's hard cause I know it's different for everyone. And for me, it was a felt like a very lonely experience cause I was, you know, I was back with my family, which is very, you know, you're happy to be yourself, your grumpy self around them. And there's a sense of, you know, just being able to feel somewhat relaxed, but you are isolated. Like I couldn't drive for three months, I think. And for me, you know, driving is,
00:56:18
Speaker
you know, how I see people and how I get places and that sort of thing. And that was a real milestone for me to be able to have that independence back and go back to living on my own. But it's just, I guess, trying to be kind to yourself and saying this thing takes time and it can't be rushed.
00:56:38
Speaker
But then I pulled out an old exercise bike and would get on that for 10 minutes a day and, you know, find other ways to kind of to move or to, I guess, satisfy some of that need to, yeah, to be in motion and to get moving again. And I remember the first time I went on the bike for five minutes, it was, I felt like I had accomplished something enormous, you know, because it was those small things that seemed so far away.
00:57:08
Speaker
But then, yeah, each kind of inch by inch, day by day, you achieve more. And I remember taking a photo or something of myself. I went out to the veggie garden on my crutches, and I hate crutches, like they're so uncomfortable, to pick some spinach for breakfast and
00:57:24
Speaker
I was knackered like and just that feeling was so unusual to me but it's trying to remind yourself that it's not forever. It is a process. You've just got to give yourself time and grace to feel that way and also to feel shit and like, you know, everyone's trying to.
00:57:43
Speaker
be like, oh, but, you know, look on the bright side and you're like, I don't want to, I just want to be angry. And that's okay as well. So what about you, that first adventure back out? What was that?
00:57:56
Speaker
One thing I did do when I was stuck on the couch was bought myself a pair of the Ferrari of hiking, of running poles, because I knew that if I wanted to get out there again, poles are incredibly helpful, especially when you're recovering from a leg injury. So I think my first
00:58:14
Speaker
My most memorable day back out there was, yeah, I was quite close to the Grampians where I was, where my parents live. So I went out there and I think I just did a day trip. I did two sections of the Grampians Peaks Trail in one day from Rosa's Gap back to Hall's Gap. And it was so hard, but I did it. That's a pretty big thing to do when you, you know, however many months
00:58:42
Speaker
I think it was maybe eight or so months. Yeah, that trip to the Grampians just kind of was a bit of a boost, a mental boost, being like, you can do this. And like I got into surfing and other sports that made me realise just how bad or impactful running is on your body. And that's kind of the last, you know, that's the peak of the mountain in recovery.
00:59:07
Speaker
you know, in terms of there's so many other things that we can do with our bodies that isn't having that intense impact all the way up our legs. And yeah, so it was just like, okay, let's, you know, get into cycling and surfing and other activities that are a lot kinder on your body that, you know, still give you that sense of being outdoors and being in nature. So a few years on now, how's the league going today?
00:59:35
Speaker
It's going very well, mainly because, so I had a titanium pin put in my tibia and it was giving me a lot of pain even after I'd completed the recovery. And every three months I'd go back to the outpatients at the hospital and they'd do an X-ray and say, yep, it's all looking good. And it's funny, like the doctors would just look at the X-ray in terms of how it was feeling, but I'd be like, oh, but,
01:00:03
Speaker
you know, yes, that's how it looks, but this is how it feels. There was a, yeah, a disconnect between the two because like physically, like internally, it was doing all the things. But for me, it was, it was, I wasn't back to my full, I guess, range of movement and, and strength and just being pain free, which they suspect that the rod was a bit long and it was essentially on my, because they put it in through your knee and it was rubbing on my
01:00:29
Speaker
like the ball joint of my knee. So like I could feel it with every step, like only just a small little lacquer, you know, this isn't right. And I've been thankful in that I've, you know, I've always had good knees. And essentially they said the earliest that they can take it out is 12 months after the pin goes in. And so as of 12 months, I was put on an elective surgery waiting list
01:00:55
Speaker
to get the, the rod removed. And, um, thankfully I was somewhat, there was a cancellation. So I was able to basically get in three months within three months later, which was in January last year. And, you know, I'd plan to have all these summer adventures and I was like, no, cancel everything. This opportunity won't, who knows when it'll come along again. So I went in and spent in an afternoon, they basically got a giant pair of
01:01:25
Speaker
like, you know, pliers and rip the thing back out again. And the recovery from that surgery was way better. Still like a bit weird, but instantly, well, once I was able to kind of walk freely and run again, I felt like myself again. And, you know, now I'm pretty much pain-free, like occasionally
01:01:48
Speaker
I still find like, you know, I can't put all my weight on that knee because that's where the, even though that's where the break, well not where the break was, that's where the surgery kind of site was. So, you know, in yoga, I'm always, I've always got like a block or a jumper or something handy to stuff under there to, to take the pressure off. And I've, I don't think I'll ever have nice slim ankles again. My right ankle is still like, it's got the bulge of where the, I guess where the extra bone has
01:02:16
Speaker
gripped onto the brake. And interestingly, they say the body will, your bone density is based on your weight. So, you know, it'll eventually shed what bone density it doesn't need. So it might go back to normal, but, you know, no one's going to notice a bit of a chunky ankle. I thought you were going to say, my ankle remembers facing backwards.
01:02:40
Speaker
that's why it's a weird shape. Well, I think my brain definitely does in that like, because, you know, trail running, you're on a lot of technical services and
01:02:50
Speaker
you know, occasionally you'll have a, not a roll, but, you know, a bit of a twinge and like, just my stomach just drops to the floor. And it's kind of, yeah, it's one of those muscle memory things that I don't, it's as soon as you kind of feel that sensation again, it's just, your body just kind of goes into, I guess, fight, flight or phrase. And in this sense, it's like, I don't know, drop to the ground and just avoid any, you know, adverse ankle movement.
01:03:18
Speaker
My last question for you, and you touched on there, is what's changed for you now? You mentioned if you have a little roll or a little twist or something, immediately your whole body has this memory. It goes back to that place of injury. What else has changed for you? I'm sure a lot of people go through similar things, whether it be childbirth or an injury or something, where on the days that you're
01:03:48
Speaker
Not resenting, but you wish your body would do better. You kind of have to pull yourself up and say, you're actually doing fine. And it makes you, on the days when you're kind of critical of your body or you feel like it's letting you down, you've got to really stop and give it the credit it deserves. Because like I said, back, there was a time when I never thought I'd run again or climb out of a tent or
01:04:12
Speaker
you know, be able to do yoga and things like that because at the time you're so stuck in that pit of pain and frustration and patience that, yeah, you've got to remember that that did actually happen because, yeah, we're for better or for worse, you know, we forget about these things and we move on and we think, oh, that's in the past, but it is, you know, that was still the same body. And, and when,
01:04:38
Speaker
you know i do feel a bit sore or whatever you gotta be like well it's it's for good reason like you've taken a you know whatever we're doing even just sitting at a desk all day you know it has an impact on on our body and we've got a i guess use it or lose it and i've tried to be better at
01:04:59
Speaker
you know, when everyone says you need to stretch before and after a run and stuff, but then you get into it and you're like, ah, who's got time for that? And so I'm trying to be a lot more diligent in incorporating what we would call like recovery into everyday life and not just doing it when we have to, but doing it
01:05:16
Speaker
as well as, you know, whatever adventure we're doing, adventuring we're doing. So we can be fitter for stronger and keep having these adventures for as long as we can and appreciating what we've got, because we are, you know, not only do we have a great health system, but with, you know, we're in very capable bodies that are capable of so much more than what we give them credit for. And especially around, I guess, body image and expectations and stuff, it can be easy to compare and
01:05:46
Speaker
you know, look at other people and think, oh, if only I did that or ate that or went run as much as that person. But it's like, no, we're all running our own race. And you don't know what, like people would look at me now and have no idea of, you know, this whole ordeal. But it's a part of me in everything that I do. What I find fabulous in your story is that it is a great example of how
01:06:10
Speaker
As outdoor people, we bring our whole selves into these places.
Holistic Healing and Resilience
01:06:14
Speaker
We bring our physical body, sure, but we bring our mental body, we bring our emotional, we bring our spiritual body into these places. If we injure our physical body, well, actually, all these other parts of us have to heal too.
01:06:30
Speaker
Totally, yeah. It's something that not always is considered as part of Plan A. No, and the long tail, I guess, of an injury is we all kind of know it's there, but at the same time, it doesn't stop me from skiing again. The reward is worth the risk in terms of
01:06:56
Speaker
Yeah. What we, what might become of us when we go out into the, into the back country, but you go in knowing that that's kind of, that's always there. Lingering is a bit of a what if, but yeah, we can't be dictated to by that, you know, whatever it is in our adventuring, like there's always a sense of risk involved. Like we said earlier, whether it be humans or ourselves or the elements, but going in with as much, I guess, knowledge and equipment and making sure where, you know,
01:07:27
Speaker
Tim Margo and I did a caught up after this and thought what would we do differently and having three people in our team was integral like had we been a pair.
01:07:36
Speaker
there's no way that they could have got me up to the hut one person on their own. And that wouldn't have been the end of the world. But, you know, small things like that that make us reflect on, OK, this is how we can keep doing these things that we love, but in a safe, safe enough way. Yeah, amazing. One other thing to add, actually, is so a friend of mine is a GP in Mount Beauty, which is at the bottom of Mount Bogong. And
01:08:00
Speaker
After I just got discharged from hospital, I put up on social, you know, put a post being like, Hey, I broke my leg. And she was like, Oh my God, that was you. Our local SES team were like getting everything together in case the weather closed in and the helicopter couldn't come. And, and it was just amazing to think, you know, I had plan A, but plan B was in motion without me.
01:08:22
Speaker
knowing about it. Like, and that's, once again, something to be so, so thankful for is all the volunteers who are there, who are, you know, sitting by their phone or their page or waiting for the call up to, you know, and they need like 12 people to carry one person in shifts of six off a mountain. And it can take days, like, as you know all too well, but it's just, we're so lucky to be able to trust in the system and the process and the people who are out there to help when we do have a bad day in the Alpine.
01:08:52
Speaker
I guess that's the other interesting thing is that the value of calling for help is that before you make that call, all the decisions and all your outcomes and everything that's happening is just in this little claustrophobic little world that you're inhabiting, which is your current world of pain. But as soon as you push the button or you make that call or you send that text or however it is and it connects,
01:09:18
Speaker
all of those decisions and all of those other Plan B seeds that you don't know about, that weight. You've just expanded this huge pool of amazing talent and expert and dedicated people who are there to help.
01:09:34
Speaker
get the best outcome. So yeah, never, never be afraid to call for help when you need it. Definitely. And yeah, now we're lucky to have phone service, but yeah, we've both invested in devices of some variety to make sure that, you know, if that weren't the case, we can still call for help and do it in as a plan eight. Like it's always, and that's where having ambulance cover helps. It takes the, you know, the maths out of it. Like your safety is paramount and,
01:10:04
Speaker
There should be no ifs or buts about it. For something as easy as $50 a year or whatever it is. Cheap at even double the price. Exactly. Great talking with you, Hillary. What's your adventure? What are you going on next?
01:10:18
Speaker
Well, I've, I've leaned hard into the surfing realm and I'm off to on my first surf trip. So heading over to the Maldives, um, just for a bit of change of scenery, I know, and, and Sri Lanka. So going over there to do some surfing and that in itself has been a very humbling experience. I am by no means a good surfer, but it's been a good lesson in trying something new
01:10:41
Speaker
you know, in your mid-30s and having to persevere. Like it's, if I hadn't had this trip booked in, I probably would have given up a long time ago, but there's something to be said for, you know, booking something in outside your comfort zone and having to put in the time and the effort to prepare yourself as best you can and then just see what happens. Just give it a nudge. Exactly.
01:11:04
Speaker
Well, awesome. Have a fantastic time there and thank you so much for sharing your story. How do people connect with you or to learn more of your adventures and things you get up to?
01:11:14
Speaker
Yeah, so I do like to take photos of me getting winched into other helicopters, all which can be found at Hilary McAllister underscore, that's Hilary with one L, McAllister with two on Facebook and Instagram. I do, yeah, try to use, love using Instagram. And I also do a bit of writing for We Are Explorers. And yeah, you can find stories about this,
01:11:40
Speaker
accident and others and times when things have gone right and things have gone very wrong there. So yeah, I love getting out and having adventures, but then, you know, sharing the aftermath or the experience with others as well. Great. Awesome. Well, thanks so much, Hilary. All the best for your trip. And I can't wait to hear about the next time it goes right. Thanks so much, Carol. It's been awesome.
01:12:05
Speaker
The Rescue Podcast is produced on the unceded lands of the Gondunga people of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. I pay my respects to the elders past and present and acknowledge their enduring connection to and care for country. Special thanks to our sponsors, Patti Pallen. This has been a lots of fresh air production.