An Adventure : The event

This is the second part of the serial. Part 1 is below

So the old poet and lemme howdt hike along the path going slowly over steep terrain. There are many ups and downs - a good walking stick is a useful tool. The river is at the base of this hillside on the right. The cosmic sailor went off to collect water from a waterfall on the other side of the river - he caught up to us about two thirds of the way.

We three elderly gents arrived at a crowded pool - a dad with two kids - a young couple - four women of varied ages. We stop at the crest of the hill, but the old poet doesn't stop. He stumbles forward picks up momentum and crashes headfirst into a rock. I think he was out before he hit, but after five minutes we were able to revive him. At 79, this could have been the old poet's last rites, but his son cosmic sailor revived him and got a coherent soul to respond. A six inch gash on the forehead, lacerations around the right eye and a scraped knee meant that the old poet was not walking out.

The guy in the pool with his kids was a first responder from a nearby area - he didn't have his tools, but he kept his head. The old poet was moved to the bench area while the person with the Verizon cell phone got a signal and dialed 911. Other nearby first responders were alerted and an ambulance took off from Roseburg - 45 minute drive and 20 minute hike away.

There is a path just across the river that would have been a 10 minute hike out, but the North Umpqua was flowing strong enough that it was dangerous to cross on foot. Carrying the poet across was an option, but we decided to allow the 'professionals' to deal with the matter of getting the old poet downhill - we made him comfortable. Being elderly, he was on coumarin, a blood thinner, so the clotting took some time. Tee-shirts and towels were placed in strategic places and time took her course.