“Gravity Sucks!“
~Sir Isaac Newton~
The “One Second Fall” Story.
The Why, Where, When, and How something like this happens
It’s a peculiar kind of funny how even the smallest of decisions we make can change our lives dramatically and forever. I’ve spent a bit of time thinking about the circumstances that led to the fall that altered the rest of my life in ways I never imagined. If any of these had not happened, things would definitely be different today.
An Everyday Kind of Conversation with my Friend Tom
Tom, one of my best friends, and I were “shootin the shit” as we so often do. In fact, I’d say Tom has taken the art of “bullshitting” to a whole new level. Usually, there was no rhyme, reason, or topic to our conversation. However, that day, we did discuss how bow season for deer was underway, and neither of us had been hunting. Honestly, I hadn’t even been out to check my stands. Tom 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 how early he’d need to get going. That comment spurred the first tiny decision that set my life in a new direction. I told him he should join me since my acreage was close and I had several stands still in from last year. It would be nice to hunt together. And besides, I wasn’t worried he would take a large buck… I’d seen the deer he had shot in the past.
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.
A Late Dinner
After work I planned on going to my barn to gather what I needed for the next day’s hunt. My bow, arrows, backpack, and safety gear would all need gathered and loaded. I would grab everything and load it in the truck for the morning. At least that is what I thought I’d do so I wouldn’t be so rushing to do it in the morning.
Nothing ever goes as planned, they say, and I’m not the best at following up on my own ideas. So it’s no surprise that when JB (another great friend) and Tom suggested dinner out after work, I was game. The gear wouldn’t take that long to grab early in the a.m., and I’d get my clothes out when I got home. So out to eat with J.B. and Tom I went.
Running Behind Schedule, as usual
The hunters reading this will understand when I say the sunrise is always quicker coming when you’re trying to get out to 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 hastily grabbed the Rubbermaid containers that my hunting gear was in, threw them in the truck bed, and headed out to meet Tom.
Complacency
As I expected, Tom was already there waiting for me. I jumped out and started grabbing the containers from the bed. This is where I have my “oh shit” moment. In my haste, I had somehow gotten the wrong container. What I found inside was not the safety harness I expected, but my fishing waders and boots instead. I’d look pretty dumb up in a tree stand in fishing waders. Now I’ve been pretty faithful about wearing a safety harness since I bought it. But like many of my generation, I had hunted nearly forty years without one. Hell, when I learned to bowhunt, safety devices hadn’t been thought of. A hunter would just climb a tree and stand there until his legs went numb. I didn’t even think twice about going on in without it. Complacency; I never needed one for all those years, what’s one more day? Right?
The paragraphs above are the influencing factors and the decisions that led to what happened next. Like I said, it’s the smallest of choices that are seemingly inconsequential that lead to the biggest changes in our lives.
Time to Hunt.
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 “One Second Fall.”
That’s all it takes. An average adult male will fall sixteen feet in .9937 seconds. Look it up.
In that instant, in that fraction of a blink of an eye, I knew exactly what was happening. Adrenaline rushed instantly through my brain and my muscles. My body tensed, my pulse peaked, reacting even faster than I fell. It may sound cliché, but I had time to think about what was happening and how it was going to hurt. Bad, It was going to hurt bad.
I stuck the landing like a gymnast. A shockwave like an instant earthquake shot up through me. A brilliant white light flashed in my eyes like a bolt of lightning. 11,000 pounds of force tried crushing every bone in my body as I hit the earth. 5.5 tons of gravity from impact. Yes, that is how much weight is thrust upon a man my size hitting the ground from a 16 foot fall. My spine was the weakest link; it was unable to bear the weight. My vertebrae exploded, and I crumbled to the ground, nearly unconscious.
.9937 seconds. I had no idea I was even hurt. Shock took over. What came next is another story. I hope you follow.
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.
Tim
