SherpaKroto Injury

[el-bagr]

I am going to break the "no inline pics" standard in honor of Sherpa.

Our favorite Sherpa, lounging on the roof of Maine.

 

[Rick]

Sherpa K,

First I gotta say, I'd MUCH rather get hit by an errant skier doing something I love, rather than get hit by a bus in some god forsaken high rise surrounded city block.

So here's to "Where would you rather be other than right here right now!!!!"

Otherwise, I hope you get better quickly. Look for my Care Package in the mail (as soon as I can get your home address).

I hope you get better soon - Hope you get some really hot nurses too!!!!!
Get well soon and I promise I'll deliver to you a Full Unopened Bottle of that godawful stuff you drink
Rick

 

[mtnmama]

SherpaK..what a horrible ordeal! Hang in there ... I just got the
music list today. You have got to get well for all of us.
We miss you...the Beer Works just won't be the same without you.
You are in my prayers!

 

[bunchberry]

Get well soon SherpaK...I'm sure your positive energy and laughter (if you can't actually laugh, just laugh on the inside!) will carry you through this! We're all thinking of you
-katie

 

[Barry Sr]

SK is not someone I have met yet but I have gained from his word.

Get back in the saddle quick dude.

Barry

 

[LittleBear]

SherpaK - what terrible news! Get well soon. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Hugs and kisses from this "wizened old hiker."

 

[Puck]

Sherpa
Sorry to hear about this turn of events...Hopefully you can get out on the Androscoggin for some brown trout by late June. I hope your casting side is ok. Let me know if you need any bead headed nymphs.

 

[ChrisB]

Omg

Sherp,

At first I could'nt believe it, especially after our enthusiastic e-mail exchanges of last week. It was sooo cool to be in contact with you again.

Now this...

If there is anything good about this crummy event, maybe it's that you'll see how much you have touched those around you with your generous spirit and boundless outdoor energy. And how you've become not only a VFTT babe magnet but, dare I say, a certified hiking "GOD!"

In you morphine reveries, recall those frozen days and toasty nights we enjoyed just last winter on our epic Baxter ski traverse. We'll be there again my friend...

See you soon.

cb

 

[BorealChickadee]

My best wishes for you. Hoping that you heal fast and are back on the trails as soon as possible. Rest. Let others take care of you so you can take care of the healing.

Judy

 

[Cath]

Sherpa K. ~ This is the pits of sure. But I know you have the strength within you to pull through this with style - grace - and enthusiasm to get back to where you love to be.

I once witnessed the recovery of a very serious injury, to someone close to me. Their determination to be Right - As - Rain was inspiring. Their outlook was "I'm ok. This is nothing I can't deal with and put behind me."

Give those health care providers something to look forward to each & every day they are caring for you.

Looking forward to hearing good news soon ~ Cath

 

[g o]

sk - thoughts and prayers for a speedy and full recovery.
go

 

[LenDawg]

SherpaK: thoughts and prayers are with you!

 

[David Metsky]

Dude? What are you doing? There's still skiing to be had out there!

Bummer to hear this news, hope your recovery is speedy and painless. Is it possible to fax good thoughts?

Get better quick bwana, there's summer activities galore waiting for you.

-dave-

 

[torn&frayed]

Hey Buddy,
I'll bet the Travellers Loop won't seem so bad in retrospect.
The Willette Brothers wish you a speedy recovery.
See ya on the trails asap.
Jim and Gary Willette

 

[Rick]

Please note, I don't want to overshadow anyone on the board who is very close to SherpaK - However, I did want to give a call to the hospital to see how he was doing. I ended up speaking with Sherpa K and he seems in very good spirits, despite the massive injuries.

He did ask that folks on the board know that there was no malicious intent on the part of any other skier and that it was a just a complete freak accident. He was on the crossover trail to the Sunrise trail and called out "On your left" to another skier and he thinks she might have misunderstood him, but definitley no malice, ill intent or errant moves. Just an accident.

SK did mention that he has multiple broken ribs on the left side, 2 broken ribs on the right a broken collarbone and a possible broken shoulder. It sounds like he is going to be out of work and in recovery for a while. By the sounds of it, his body took quite beating in that mishap.

Thanks Alpinista and SAPblatt for sending me his information.

I think it makes us all realize just how uncontrollably fast a freak accident can occur.

Get Well Soon SK!!!!!

 

[coldfeet]

SherpK, sorry to hear what happened, hope you get better soon...maybe the Red Sox will brighten up your day?...naaaa....ps...Japan won the baseball tournament..coldfeet

 

[sapblatt]

Rick -

Glad you got to talk to him and that he is in decent spirits!
Thank you for clarifying the original report that I was told - as bad as it is I am happier to hear that it was a freak accident and not a hit and run as I was originally told.

 

[KenC]

Sherpa,

I'm saddened to her this news Sherpa!! Here's a big thumbs up and my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Best wishes,

Ken C

 

[DougPaul]

SK,

Sorry to hear the news...

Get well soon!

Doug

 

[alpinista]

Rick beat me to the punch! But, yes, SherpaK gave me a buzz this morning and wanted to thank everyone for their kind thoughts. It means the world to him.

But he also wanted to make sure we didn't go out hunting for any malicious hit-and-run skiers. He chalks it all up to a freak accident _ "as freak an accident as freak can be." He believes he might have caught a patch of ice, and then was sent down the embankment and into the tree. ... It was an innocent accident and no one was at fault."

He describes the injuries as: 4-5 broken ribs on his left side, 1-2 broken ribs on his right side, a broken collarbone, a shoulder that is either dislocated or broken, a concussion with some bleeding on the brain, and slight nerve damage that is preventing him from focusing. He is in a lot of pain, as one can imagine.

It may take about six weeks for his bones to heal, but six months total for him to recover from all of his injuries. He hopes to be in Massachusetts _ if not home, at possibly a rehab facility _ on Saturday, but that all remains up in the air.

Lastly, he just wants to say that he is very thankful and appreciative for how Killington handled him and the accident. It took him about 25 minutes or so of yelling to get someone's attention, and once he did, they had to get him up a steep slope to get him down to the base.

BTW, he's off the morphine (and no leftovers!). While his body took quite the beating, he says his doctors are amazed at how his body handled it _ and he and his doctors are convinced that his years of hiking are a big reason why he was able to pull through this as well as he did.