Trip report Lower Richland Sunday 4 19

[Greg Parker]

Me my nephew Forrest his friend Justin and Don Simmons from the Branson area went to Richland and did the lower run level was good 3.1 at putin. Lots of solid class 2 and some class 3 for the first 5 or 6 miles then it calms down some.
Justin provided us with some harmless carnage just a little meat and blood from his thumb. Don was doing really well hitting the right lines and making all the right moves on the hardest whitewater he'd ever done until we got to the last rapid that could be considered class 3 when he took a swim and dislocated his shoulder we made numerous attempts to get it back in but no luck,so Don decided to walk and i tied his boat to mine and paddled out towing his boat that made it very interesting especially when it went in a big hole and tried to stop me. I really had to paddle hard to try and keep the boat in line behind me and navigate the willow jungles at the end.
From my perspective it was a great day on an excellent whitewater run with beautiful scenery but Don might feel a little different.

[Cowper]

We were half wondering if we'd see you for a possible Upper run, but I think you went past the Upper put-in before we got there. We all agreed that while we had a blast on Upper, it was below the level we would like to see for showing someone the run for the first time. Just too much pinballing for most tastes.

Really hate hearing about the shoulder - did he go to an ER later, and which one? His first dislocation?

Next time, leave us some keys and a note, and we'll move your cars up to Dickey Junction to save you some shuttle time. But don't leave or there's no telling where we'll leave your trucks.

[Jim Krueger]

Greg,

Like Cowper, I really hate to hear about Don dislocating his shoulder :shock: It's a painful and traumatic injury, it can leave a paddler helpless out on the river and subject to the effects of shock.
Once the shoulder has been put back, a paddler is still finished paddling for the season and can look forward to physical therapy for weeks or months. I don't know how many paddlers I've known have had this happen, but several.
My own story involved dislocating my shoulder about 1/4 mile below Kyles Landing one morning just as my group was getting well started on what should have been a great day. When I was able to wet-exit and resurface, I knew something was terribly wrong with my arm. Luckily I was at the head of the group and my friends stopped to assist. They carried my boat back upstream to the landing as I walked, then one of them drove me up the mountain and into town at Jasper. If there's any humor at all in my story it's that the Doc. I saw was named Dr. Justice..
Together with his sweet nurse, they put my shoulder back in place, X-rayed for damage, and sent me around to the corner drugstore for some pain pills. After I got back home to Arkadelphia, I still had to wear a sling for some time, then two or three months of PT on my own at home. It was about 8 or 9 months before I entertained the idea of getting back in my boat and over a year before I could comfortably sleep on that side.
From this whole experience, I was torn by my love of kayaking but also of my fear of ever doing this to myself again. In the years afterward, I finally learned to roll my boat and hopefully some better techniques to head of such an injury, so far, so good :)
Please tell Don we are thinking of him and wish him a speedy recovery!

Best Regards
Jim Moose

[Jim Krueger]

Another part of my dislocation ordeal I failed to mention, and this was only humorous in long afterthought...
When I arrived at the doctors office, of course I was completely attired in my best paddling regalia,, farmer john wetsuit, neoprene socks, fleece top, and my ' brand new then' expensive dry top. I was able to keep every thing else on but gladly let the nurse take a pair of surgical scissors and cut my precious dry top all the way up the back from bottom to top, then also cut the wrist gaskets&closures. She then slipped the thing easily off. It looked like a 'Bride of Frankenstein' hospital gown :shock:
Some months later I sent the garment back to Kokatat along with my sob story. They couldn't fix it but gave me half off on the purchase of a brand new one

Jim

[Greg Parker]

Just talked to Don he got it put back in and is wearing a sling sounds like he has a positive attitude but he did say that the people at the hospital talked like it would not be good if he dislocated it again hopefully he will have a good recovery and be back on the river next year anyway.

[Jim Krueger]

Greg,Thanks for the report on Don! Indeed, it's not good if any of us who have had this happen ever to do so again. I know Don will agree. I have replayed my own ordeal many times at night and 'just cringed' at the discomfort then. More to the point, with the two or three months of physical therapy ,and probably less time than I mentioned getting back in the boat, I know Don will feel like a new man. I know all such injuries are not the same in severity but I feel like he will feel much better as time goes on!
Thanks again for keeping us appraised, and do tell Don it will be better fairly soon! When ever he should like, we can make a trip on the Caddo to ease back into it

Jim

[DanMo]

Hello Guys

This is Dan the guy with the shoulder dislocation. Sorry about the confusion about my name, but at the time when you called me Don, I just didn't have the heart to correct you. I had other things on my mind...

Here is what happened from my perspective.

I felt like I was doing well on my biggest whitewater yet. I aced several rapids and was going smooth for maybe 3 miles. We got to the rapid that Greg said was the last big one. I picked a good line and Justin swam right in front of me. I was trying to keep from running him over, but I don't think that had anything to do with me eating it. I flipped in front of a boulder and I don't really know what happened to my shoulder. I just know I was pinned upside down on the upstream side of a boulder. I couldn't reach my ripcord so I punched up with my knees to exit the boat. I was still squashed against the rock so I looked around to see which way was up and pushed my way off. The current was strong but not so much that I was helpless.

Then we tried to reduce the dislocation on the river bank. We tried everything I knew of, which wasn't much. That shoulder was not going back. I knew I couldn't paddle, so I made up my mind to walk.

Greg did an amazing thing. He towed my boat out to the truck. He took on an extra burden to save my boat. I was helpless and would have had to leave it but Greg manned up. Amazing I can't thank you enough Greg.

The walk was just awful. I really can't tell you how bad the pain was and how bad the walk was. The pain was so bad that every little jar or misstep made me want to scream and puke, and I would have to stop and let the nausea pass. I walked for 5-7 miles I really don't know. When I got to the takeout Greg ferried me across to the side with the truck.

Funny aside, I did the walk with my shoes untied since I was as helpless as a little child, I just knew I was going to trip on my shoelaces and I was very worried that I would fall on my weak side.

I found a nice round rock and tucked it up under my armpit to pry the upper arm away from my body. I was losing circulation and feeling to my right arm, but that helped to restore blood.

I drove back to skaggs hospital in branson to have it put back. I really can't say enough good things about the staff. The nurses and nurse techs where extremely compassionate and I felt they really where worried for me. Dr Denney just rotated my arm and lifted an it eased back in. Amazing

I am feeling good now. I have scheduled a roof repair for monday. And I will be starting a roof tear off on wedsday if the job goes well on monday. My family has enjoyed having me home this week, but I am getting antsy to get back to work.

There you have it.

Thanks again Greg

[Jim Krueger]

Thanks for your report Dan. Besides the shoulder, I am so very sorry you had to walk all that way, it must have been awful. I'm sure glad you received good care when you finally arrived at the hospital! I know what you mean when you were amazed at how easily the doctor put your arm back. When Dr. Justice put mine back, I can still vividly remember him slipping off one of his loafers and putting his socked foot up in my arm pit while gently pulling and rotating my arm, it was quick and just great, I could have hugged him.
Man, a roof tear off job next week... I was a landscaper at the time and although I went right back to work, I gladly left any manual labor strictly to my crew for two or three weeks.
Take care and hope I have your name right now :)

Best Regards
Jim

[Cowper]

The walk was just awful. ... I walked for 5-7 miles I really don't know. When I got to the takeout Greg ferried me across to the side with the truck.

This loosely touches on one of the reasons I don't consider runs like the Hailstone or Lower Richland to be "prerequisites" for an Upper Richland run. Sure, the runs are a bit easier, but if something goes wrong, where are you? You're kind of "out there", that's where. Not "Boundary Waters" or "Alaska" out there, but out there a lot further than on many of our other local runs.

I'm glad you had a warm day, friends to help with your stuff, and enough daylight to get out before sunset. It also sounds like you made a good call on which direction to walk out; if you had tried to climb the hill to the shuttle road, you could have ended up making it very hard for your friends to find you out there in the woods somewhere.

[canoe]

Shoulda came by the cabin, could (hopefully) put it backin for you. Dale

[DanMo]

Thanks for the offer Dale.

I wish I would have known that at the time, since it was 7-8 hour of pain between the dislocation and the reduction. I don't know where your cabin is and was not thinking very far ahead.

But in a larger sense i am responsible for what happened to me. What I mean is this is my second dislocation, and I went into a wilderness situation without knowing how to reduce my own shoulder. When I injured it the first time, I sort of blocked out the possibility in my mind of it happening again. I felt that luck or skill would keep it from happening again. I should have studied and learned about how to care for and treat that injury so i could be ready. I knew that my right shoulder was weaker, and should have been more realistic about the risks.

I think I may have reached the pinnacle of my whitewater progression. There was a time when I wanted to learn to run the baddest and hardest runs around. I had a plan all mapped out in my head as to how I would work on progressively harder runs. But now I clearly see my physical limitations, and I can accept that. I am 31 years old an simply don't heal like I used to. I have a wife and a 3 year old daughter, with another one on the way. I should not take certain risks since they depend on me. I can be happy on class II and below. I love fishing and camping floats. I know it will be hard to give up though.

I was talking to a good friend and homebuilder about a lawn he is installing on a new house. He mentioned in passing about how he wanted to get it done by next week since there is potential rain in the forecast. I got that restless feeling in my gut while he is talking, because at that point all I am hearing is a chance of rain. I know I will not be able to sleep, listening to it rain on the roof, each drop making me think of all the possibilities.

My family must come first, and I need to tone down the risk.

Dan