Gravity Sucks!
The Fall… The Whole Story.
October 4th, 2019
I read somewhere every major event, good or bad, has a series of smaller events (micro-events) that occur leading up to it. It’s these circumstance or events which created the course of your personal history. Any slight change in those micro-events and the outcome is altered dramatically. Looking back now, I can site those events that lead to that fateful morning. The one second fall.
Number One: Bullshitting with Tom.
Tom, one of my best friends, and I were just bullshitting as we always do. Together we are quite accomplished at it to tell you the truth. Although Tom is much more fluent at the art than am I. There was no reason or topic to our conversation but we did chew over the fact bow season for deer was underway and we had yet to be in the timber trying our luck. I had not really even been out to scout my stands. For all I knew the trees had fallen over. Tom mentioned he was hoping to go the next morning, but it was quite a drive to his area and he wasn’t certain he was up for it. I told him I was going and he should just join me since my acreage was close and I had several stands in place from last year. I wasn’t worried he would take a large buck anyway… I’d seen the deer he usually took.
So that’s it, the plan was made. The stage was set. We were going to start the year off hunting my 40 acre refuge.
Number Two: Dinner with friends.
I figured that after work I would go to my barn to prep for the next day. My bow, arrows, and backpack would all need gathered and prepped. I would grab everything I’d take in the morning. At least that is what I thought I’d do so I wouldn’t be so rushed in the morning.
Nothing ever goes as planned they say and I’m not the best at following even my own plans. So it’s no surprise that when JB (another great friend) and Tom suggested dinner out I was game. The gear could be gathered early in the a.m. I’d get my clothes out when I got home. So out to eat I went.
Number Three: The Rush before sunrise.
The hunters reading this will understand when I say the sunrise is always quicker coming when you’re trying to get out in your stand. The morning of a hunt flies by no matter how early you get up to get ready. Of course I found myself in a hurry. Tom was going to beat me to the acreage and I hate making anyone wait. I just grabbed the plastic containers from the shelves that contained my hunting gear. It took no time to put them in the truck and get down the road.
Number Four: History.
As I expected Tom was already there, so I jumped out and immediately started getting the containers from the bed. In my haste to load them I had somehow gotten a wrong case. Everything I needed was there except my safety harness. I was pretty faithful at wearing it since I bought it but the truth is I had hunted nearly forty years without one. Hell, when I was young there weren’t safety devises for hunting in trees. A hunter just climbed a tree and stood there until their legs went numb. So I didn’t even think twice about going on in without it. History; I never needed one for all those years, what’s one more day? Right?
Those are the four things I can think of that are the biggest contributing factors to what happened next.
Going in.
Tom knew his way around my place so not wanting to hold him up I sent him ahead of me to a ladder stand on an old food plot. Its my favorite spot and has always produced deer. I still had to get my bow ready and wanted a few more gulps of coffee before heading in…. that and I needed to relieve myself and I’m sure Tom didn’t want to hang around for that.
A few minutes later I found myself standing at the base of my tree tying my bow to the gear line I used to lift it up to the stand. That would be the last time I stood on ground before my whole world would change. The stand above had graced the side of this old oak for two seasons prior. I liked it’s placement along side a creek with a small grassy opening directly in front of it. In these predawn moments the sky was barely distinguishable from the treeline but even still the ancient oak cast a dark outline like something from a horror movie.
The way up was a set of climbing sticks… a ladder of sorts strapped to the tree for those non-hunters reading this. I was careful in the dark on these things. I did not like or trust them. Once I got to the top I bear hugged the tree as I placed first my right foot on the platform and then, shifting my weight from the ladder, my left foot entrusted the stand to bare my 200+ pounds.
There is always a sense of relief when I release the tree and turn to face the hunting arena. The stand feels comfortable and safe. Feeling ready I reached down and grabbed the thin black braided line to pull up the bow. With bow in hand I turned to my right to hang it from the hook, which had grown into the oak over time. Then, without warning, the stand betrayed me. I will always remember that sound. Snap, like the popping of a wet towel used like a whip. It was followed by a cold instant rush of fear throughout my body. The cables broke. I would fall.
.9937 Seconds
That’s what they say it takes an average adult male to fall sixteen feet, .9937 seconds.
In that brief instant I knew exactly what was happening. Adrenaline rushed instantly through my brain and my muscles tensed, reacting even faster than I fell. It sounds cliche’ but I had time to think about falling and how it was going to hurt.
The force of the impact sent a bolt of brilliant white light through my mind. 11,000 pound of force on my body hit the earth. 5.5 tons of impact crushed my spine. I crumbled to the ground.
I had no idea how much my life would be forever changed in that .9937 seconds. I had no idea I was even hurt. Shock took over. What came next is another blog.
So there in lies the main story and what the named the blog. I had taken a One Second Fall. It also was my entire 2019 hunting season too. It was, in effect, my One Second Fall.
I hope you will read on. I can talk forever about this and a lot of other things. Contact me if you have questions or leave a comment. I’ll read it.
Tim
