When I was 61 years old, I was hit by a truck while riding my bicycle. I am not going to list all the traumatic injuries for the sake of brevity. In the emergency room my wife was told I might never leave a wheelchair. The next morning, Dr. Nielsen performed the first of what would be three reconstructive surgeries, on my shattered left femur. After the first surgery, Dr. Nielsen leveled with me. He said guys my age don’t bounce back after such extensive trauma. However, because of my physical conditioning at the time of the collision and my attitude, he was giving me a 50/50 chance of eventually walking without an aid. I know he was talking with my wife while I was out, because then he added, “If you don’t do anything stupid.” You have to know me to know how spot-on that observation is.
Five and a half years later, I am training with a 70-pound ruck sack to summit Cloud Peak, Wyoming on our nation’s 250th Anniversary. The peak is just over 13,000 feet requiring a minimum round-trip hike of 25 miles. My youngest son, Patriot, and I are going to skirt the base and visit the only glacier in the Big Horn Range while we are up there. We will be hiking and camping in the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area for at least five days. That wouldn’t have been possible without the skill and dedication of Dr. Nielsen and the team that treated my injuries. Thank you!
