My sister saw a couple of reports on the TV local news and Sandy has heard
more.  Apparently now, according to the coroner, our family doctors somehow
died from a fall.  He was attempting to achieve one of these 14,000 foot
trails which I believe I have mentioned.  Colorado has 57 trails that pass
over the 14,000 foot mark, if I didn't mention it, and many hikers try and
rack up all 57 trails.  One of my nephews is working at it and he about has
them all done and he is 30 years old or so.  Anyhow, apparently, our doctor
fell but no details have been given.  These trails, by the way, aren't your
garden variety forest trails.  The are often filled with big rocks and tree
limbs and they often are almost to the point of having to climb.  So it
sounds now like he may have lost his footing, fell, and cracked his head or
something.  My sister said the reported it was lightning on the news the
first time and the next day, they reported he had a heart attack.  Now it
has changed again but I would think the coroner certainly would know if
anybody did and he said his death was caused from a fall.  So, we may never
know exactly.  You would be amazed how many people hike these mountain
trails alone.  I was always taught, have I said this, never to go swimming
alone even in a public pool.  so why do people hike alone like my nephew.
You know how many mountain lion attacks we have had in the last two or three
years out here and many of those were at the foothills level, too.  We have
an idiot guy who, a couple of years ago, when rock climbing alone all the
time.  He got stuck when a bolder rolled as he climbed passed it and rolled
on to his arm.  He hung there for hours, I think it was two days, and
finally, he fished is knife out of his pocket and literally sawed his arm
off.  He now goes around as a public speaker to schools.  Give me a break.
Before that, a man was hiking alone and the same thing happened to him.  The
bolder rolled and pinned him to the ground on his leg.  He did the same
thing after a couple of days and sawed his leg off and crawled till he was
found.  He isn't a public motivational speaker, though, like the one armed
man.  Of course, in our doctor's case, if he fell, there may not have been
anything a hiking partner could have done if it was an instant death
situation but we just don't know the details yet and as I said, we may never
here.  His partner was interviewed on TV and talked about how difficult it
was for the office help and the patients they were having to tell.  By the
way, my sister, the mom of my nephew who hikes these same trails, went with
her son once.  My sister goes to the gym, walks and runs, exercises at home,
lifts weights, rides bikes, and she is probably in better physical condition
than any of us in our families.  She said she almost died trying to make it
over one of these 14,000 foot trails.  My nephew actually did three 14,000
footers in one hiking day once.  All alone, of course.  Not wise.

Phil.


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