Mary Dempsey and I spent several wonderful hours admiring this falls. With her permission, I'll tell the tale:
The woods were lush and green, the day fresh, as we started out on our "short, easy" stroll to the falls. This is one of the many shots I took of the face of the cascade that fell in layered tiers over a rocky cliff face under perfectly overcast skies for photographing such scenes. We had just turned our attention to "hiking" back out, while taking our time to shoot woodlands and wildflowers. Mary was showing me some bleeding hearts she found. With one large stride to avoid squashing all the shamrocks carpeting the forest floor, her foot landed just so on a 1/2" thick, wet stick. She went down faster than either of us could blink and in that instant smashed her ankle to smithereens.
Our lovely day came to a bitter end with a full-blown rescue effort and trip to the ER. Mary is now resting at home with 8 pins in her ankle. So let's give her a shout out of good wishes enough to last her through 8 weeks of non-weight-bearing healing time with rehab after that.
We just wanted to remind everyone, too, how quickly accidents can happen. Mary is an experienced hiker. We weren't doing anything dangerous. We had all our essential gear and extra clothes. You'd think it silly for such a non-technical, easy walk... But there you go. So, wear those good hiking boots you bought, folks, on every trail, every time. And pack like you might have to be there overnight. We were lucky on that score. But had we walked farther in...? You just never know.
With best wishes, please be careful in all your adventures, friends.
Posted by Mary Dempsey on June 16, 2008 at 10:06 AM
I really like this one. Was this "your perfect one"?? thanks for the buttercups You stay up way too late... 12??? It was a practically perfect day on the shot
Posted by Larry Gloth on June 16, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Beautiful image. Love the detail in the water, great choice of exposure. Nicely composed as well.
Thanks for posting the story, it is a good reminder to be prepared for the worst because no matter how fit you are or how many times you have done something, things can change in the blink of an eye. I'm glad that you guys were together and well prepared.
Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to Mary.
I really like the intimate feeling of this shot, Catherine. The shutter speed was just right to preserve relevent detail in the water. Well done.
Sorry to hear of your misfortune Mary. I too send my best wishes for a quick recovery and thanks for allowing us to hear your story. It's so true how easily accidents can happen even when we're careful. I'm glad you were together making rescue more timely. I often do solo exploration and this has reminded me of how easily a fun adventure can turn into a desperate situation.
Discussion
3 repliesThe woods were lush and green, the day fresh, as we started out on our "short, easy" stroll to the falls. This is one of the many shots I took of the face of the cascade that fell in layered tiers over a rocky cliff face under perfectly overcast skies for photographing such scenes. We had just turned our attention to "hiking" back out, while taking our time to shoot woodlands and wildflowers. Mary was showing me some bleeding hearts she found. With one large stride to avoid squashing all the shamrocks carpeting the forest floor, her foot landed just so on a 1/2" thick, wet stick. She went down faster than either of us could blink and in that instant smashed her ankle to smithereens.
Our lovely day came to a bitter end with a full-blown rescue effort and trip to the ER. Mary is now resting at home with 8 pins in her ankle. So let's give her a shout out of good wishes enough to last her through 8 weeks of non-weight-bearing healing time with rehab after that.
We just wanted to remind everyone, too, how quickly accidents can happen. Mary is an experienced hiker. We weren't doing anything dangerous. We had all our essential gear and extra clothes. You'd think it silly for such a non-technical, easy walk... But there you go. So, wear those good hiking boots you bought, folks, on every trail, every time. And pack like you might have to be there overnight. We were lucky on that score. But had we walked farther in...? You just never know.
With best wishes, please be careful in all your adventures, friends.
Thanks for posting the story, it is a good reminder to be prepared for the worst because no matter how fit you are or how many times you have done something, things can change in the blink of an eye. I'm glad that you guys were together and well prepared.
Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to Mary.
Sorry to hear of your misfortune Mary. I too send my best wishes for a quick recovery and thanks for allowing us to hear your story. It's so true how easily accidents can happen even when we're careful. I'm glad you were together making rescue more timely. I often do solo exploration and this has reminded me of how easily a fun adventure can turn into a desperate situation.