Amputee Outdoors

 Adaptive Outdoor Activities for Outdoor Enthusiasts!
 

I've read two news stories in the last week about folks that died on the trail due to exposure or hypothermia. While the news stories didn't go into detail about the gear they were carrying, it's a fair bet they were not properly equipped for the rapid drops in temperature we see this time of the year. This is especially true in the mountains where micro-weather patterns can occur. If you saw my latest video (Mason Lake Solo Camp) you'll notice I'm carrying 45lbs of gear on a 3.5-mile hike to a lake where there was little to no snow and sunny weather all day with a weather prediction for sunny weather the next day. The hike was just an overnighter. Why 45 lbs on an overnighter? Because I assumed the weather would go sideways on me. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. I carry with me one of those $4 emergency blankets, along with an emergency shelter made of Mylar. There's one more pair of wool socks than I need in the pack, and a puffy, insulating jacket. Shoved in the bottom of the backpack is a pair of ski gloves. None of that stuff was used in my last overnighter. That doesn't matter. What matters is that if the clouds moved in, the temperature dropped another 10 degrees and the rain started falling or it started snowing, I would have the gear needed to get through it. If I sound preachy in this blog post, it's because that's what I'm trying to do. Preach preparedness.

I was surprised when I got to the Ira Spring trailhead parking lot. I arrived at 8 AM and had expected only a partially filled lot but found it was nearly packed with only a couple of spaces available. The fact that the day was literally cloudless and the sky was that shade of blue that inspired Perry Como had a lot to do with it. Strapping on my 45lbs backpack, (hiking the Cascades above 3,000ft this time of the year you tend to have a lot more gear) I started out. I had on an out layer which didn't make it half a mile before it was strapped to the pack. The sun was blinding and with that much weight I was really heating up. As the trail changed from an easy incline to switchbacks there appeared snow/ice patches more and more frequently. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have put on my crampons a lot sooner. With all the traffic on the trail, you would have thought you were on I405 at rush hour. That was fine by me as I met a lot of really friendly folks and enjoyed conversations with folks that were just as happy as I was to be on the trail. Some were very experienced, some not so experienced, but all enthralled by the views of the mountains and especially Mt. Rainier. I made it to Mason Lake around lunch time and after a quick bite to eat, set up my hammock and rainfly. The sun was shining, the hammock was inviting so I relaxed and took a nap for an hour. Why not? As the sun started moving closer to the edge of the mountains I decided to get busy with setting up for the night. I found a flat rock, moved it over to my camp site and with a few twigs built a little fire on it to keep warm. The wind was really picking up so I got creative with some paracord and my ground tarp to make a wind break. For the most part it worked but as the evening wore on, the wind became stronger and started to blow the embers of my little fire all over the place. It was time for bed. I shoveled a load of snow onto the fire to put it out and crawled into my hammock expecting to get a good night's sleep. Nope. The wind kept blowing harder and harder. Twice I had to get up and adjust or fix my rainfly which was being battered badly by the wind. The noise was a little un-nerving and I could hear my hammock straps vibrating in the wind. Finally, about 2am the wind abated and I was able to drift off to sleep. The morning was worth it. Mason Lake was a perfect mirror of the mountains surrounding it and honestly took my breath away. I cleaned up the campsite and took down the wind break I'd put up. It was partially taken down by the wind anyway and then cooked up some porridge and a cup of tea. The lake was enchanting and I lingered over breakfast and delayed breaking camp for a while just enjoying the views. Finally breaking camp, I got packed up, did a last walk around to make sure there was nothing left from my visit and headed back down the trail. Despite the scary night, this was a great overnighter.

I think at this point, everyone is familiar with layering, (if not I've put a few useful links about it down below). What is often overlooked is the difference between hiking in the cold and relaxing around camp in the cold. So let's talk about that. Our bodies generate a lot of heat. A 180lbs man hiking up an incline of 6%-15% for an hour will burn up to 656 calories. Fortunately we humans dissipate heat quickly by sweating. Which is just fine if you're walking around in shorts and a T-shirt. It's a different story when we go hiking in the cold. We layer our clothes, with a base layer, an insulating layer, and then a waterproof shell. Add in two layers of wool socks, gloves, and an insulated hat and we have a situation where that heat doesn't dissipate so well. We're sweating in a thermal suit designed to keep all that heat in and the cold out. "Yeah, but my base layer is moisture-wicking and I'm not wearing any cotton.", you say. Good. However, even the most moisture-wicking fabric will still have moisture and as you hike along, your body is getting hotter and moister. After hiking a mile or so, you've removed your wooly cap, stuffed the winter gloves in the backpack, and taken off your waterproof shell. Perhaps even the insulating layer is stuffed into your backpack. Then you arrive at your campsite or lunch spot. This is when things change. You're no longer active. Your body isn't generating massive amounts of heat. That 180lbs man is now just burning about 84 calories an hour. This is where you may need more than that insulating layer. Your fingers, ears, and head start getting cold very quickly, toes too. This is why I recommend having two pairs of gloves, two hats, a scarf, and a puffy jacket stashed in your backpack on winter hikes. On the hike up, you're wearing gloves that will just barely keep your hands warm, once you get to camp, out come the ski gloves. Trudging along you have a moisture-wicking ball cap. At camp, you pull out that wool cap that covers your ears and wrap a scarf around your neck. Unpack the puffy jacket and put that on over your insulating layer and under your waterproof shell. Winter hiking and backpacking can be some of the best times you'll spend in nature. Just make sure you've packed for not just the hike or camp, but for both. See you out there! Useful Links What to wear and how to layer - https://missadventurepants.com/blog/winter-hiking-clothes How to layer for winter hiking - https://gogomountain.com/how-to-layer-for-winter-hiking/

The balmy days of summer are over, and for those of us in the PNW and other northern latitudes, this means the best days of hiking and backpacking are upon us. Seriously. The trails will be a little less crowded and we get to break out our foul-weather gear and find out just how good our knowledge, experience, and gear really are. We'll be hiking in mud, over wet rocks and roots. Starting a fire will be difficult. Setting up our tents and hammocks will be more challenging. Keeping our feet warm and dry becomes a high-priority issue. Most of all, our resolve will be tested. We are lucky here in the Pacific Northwest in that we get to enjoy a climate that is cold and damp from November through to April or even May. Hikers in the southern regions are denied this blessing. As you plan your backpacking and hiking adventures this fall and winter, take the extra time to research the area you are going. Read recent reviews about the trail and location. Keep in mind the weather predictions don't always take into account what the weather will be like in the mountains. Accept the fact that you'll be taking some extra gear, and won't be moving as fast as you did in the summer. If you have the opportunity to bring along one of our fellow outdoor lovers from the warmer states, give them the first crack at starting a fire. :) #backpacking #badweathercamping #hikingintherain #pnw #hiking #fallhiking #fallbackpacking #winterhikes #wintercamping

When I've been out hiking people have often told me I'm an inspirations and motivate them to keep going. It feels good to know that I've had a positive impact on some people. If you are one of those folks that have seen me hiking and been inspired, have you ever asked yourself, who inspires the amputee? Other amputees inspire me. Case in point, Sam Maddaus. Sam is a left below knee (LBK) and took on one of the most challenging hikes in the world, the Pacific Crest Trail. For those of you not familiar with the PCT, it's a 2,650-mile hike along the ridge of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges starting at the border with Mexico, north to the Canadian border across deserts, mountains and reaching an elevation of 13,153 feet at it highest. This is not for the faint of heart. People like Sam inspire me and in a way that someone with both legs can never fully understand. I know those cramps in the stump, the heat causing rashes and skin problems, sudden phantom pain causing you to freeze in place and focus all your attention on not falling over and down a mountain. His will to persevere is what inspires me look up from the two feet of trail in front of me and take the next step.

This weekend Albie-Junior Thomas and his dad will hike up Ben Nevis in Scotland. At the summit, you’re 4,441 feet above sea level. OK, so for some folks in the USA that’s the hill just outside of town, so let’s put this into perspective. You’re five years old and plan on hiking up a mountain in Scotland, not known for its balmy, Mediterranean weather. Add to that you’re doing it wearing a prosthetic leg. No doubt there has been a lot of planning and preparation for this event, as there should be. You don’t go on a hike without it. Like our outdoor adventures, our lives are built around working towards goals, planning and preparing for them and then going for it. Whether it’s a hike up a Scottish mountain or getting a new job, we plan, prepare, and go for it. Young Albie-Junior isn’t just an inspiration to go hiking, he’s an inspiration to live.

Guest blog post from PegLegPowderSkier As a very avid outdoorsman before I lost my leg (left below knee). Figuring out how to do things I once did has been the most difficult challenge for me. Things finally started to come together after the 3rd year as I started testing various feet and socket set ups. I went back to a pin because the chances of my socket falling off became much less. Finding a foot that the ankle would articulate a lot so I could hike across a hill up or down steep slopes or over river rocks was difficult. I don’t say it’s like it used to be and that too had to be a reality. Everyone says “Oh, you will be able to do everything you did before you lost your leg”, to a certain point that is true. It’s something I heard while I was in ICU for several months and then several more before I was able to start the walking process. I remember the thing that was most difficult was watching a video or show and see something I really loved to do but then had to wonder if I would ever do that again and if so, how different would it be? This was my biggest challenge, this constant roller coaster, I wanted it to be like it was before the accident. One day I was meeting with my doctor who has been a family friend for years long before my accident. As I met with him one day, he could tell I was depressed, and he asked why. I told him I just wanted to have it be like it was before the accident. He then said the most important thing that helped. He said the moment my accident happened my life changed, and it was never going to be the same. It was never going to be the same, I didn’t want to hear this, but it was true. Up to this point every medical person from surgeons to rehab to nurses everyone would tell me everything was going to be good, and I’d get right back to doing what I loved. This was the first thing they could have said, but I believed them and why not right? My good friend and doctor finally said it’s never going to be the same, finally the truth. As we talked about various activities, he said I would be able to do them I was just going to have to learn how to do them slightly different and this was going to require a learning curve. From this point on I took a different approach to figuring out how to do it no matter how difficult or different it was from before. For hiking, fly fishing with waders, skiing, hunting all of these activities that legs and feet and balance were important. Things like ankle articulation getting fitted or dressed properly all had to be figured out. A foot different from my daily had to be found. Braces and knee support things that I didn’t need before I now needed. My younger sister gave me some good advice as I was frustrated figuring it out or having to do things a new way. She said when you were in high school and dating you could date different girls, that was normal. Then you got married so now you date just one your wife, this became your new normal. You used to drive a beater car and live in a small trailer as I was starting my business, that was your normal. Now you live in a nice home in a nice safe neighborhood, this is your new normal. You used to just go on vacation with your wife that was your normal now you go on every vacation with your kids and wife, this is your new normal. You used to just put on your shoes or boots that was normal. Now you put on your shoes, boots, and leg this is your new normal. She said there is no constant normal. Normal is always changing. Dealing with your prosthetic and having to do your activities a way is your new normal and as you get older that too will change. I’m going onto my 7th year as an amputee I’ve yet to do activities I used to mainly because of follow up surgeries and Covid lock downs but I have plans to do them. I’ve got passed expecting it to be like it used to be, that took a while. I’ll be forever grateful for my doctor and my sister being real with me and setting proper expectations. Do I believe you can do any activities you used to indoors or out? Absolutely. Just understand you most likely will have to do them a little bit or a whole lot different, but it can be done. If you have not done something since becoming an amputee, start figuring it out. Get with your prosthetist and make sure your prosthetic is built for that activity or if there is a better one. Talk to your doctor to make sure you’re fit to do so. Amputees are notorious for gaining weight and being out of shape. I had to work back slowly to get into shape. I hadn’t put on a ton of weight, 15 pounds, but I had zero muscle tone. The heart is a muscle, and I didn’t need it cramping up like a bad Charlie Horse and have me keeling over. I got my heart checked and a physical and met with an experienced trainer that started me out slowly until I was able to have muscle and endurance. Everyone in the sub is a fighter, you’re still alive. Our amputations are about every limb, and you’ve all been on the roller coaster of wanting to do what you used to, but you’re not sure how or if you even can. Everything we did before can be done there are not a lot of how-to videos do out there. Someone just like us figured it out they just have shown how. So, this means most likely you get to reinvent the wheel. Do all of those who will come after you a favor and show the whole process, I still have a few things I’m working on, so I’ll try and share that. Guys and Gals, we didn’t die but some of us have are dead lying in bed or sitting in a chair. It’s time to rise from the dead even if it’s hard as hell. I can tell you the discovery process has been just as fun as I learned the first time, it’s been worth it. It sure beats the day I sat with a gun in my hand because everything was different and some of you know what I’m talking about. Success in life is a planned event, figuring out your new normal will not be any different. – Peglegpowderskier

In 2010 there were 33 million folks that went hiking. By 2021 that had increased to 59 million people, almost doubling in eleven years. According to statistics from AllTrails, the number of logged hikes jumped by 171% in 2020. In 2020 1,275 miles of trails were added to the National Trail System. Clearly there's a demand and thankfully national, state and even municipal governments are working to meet that demand. But what's driving that demand? COVID-19 clearly impacted the outdoor participation numbers. But even before that the trend was going up. I see three main drivers of this increase: Social Media - Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, etc., are filled with pictures, stories and videos of folks enjoying the outdoors. I'm one of them. As each person uploads their photos and videos, they inspire more folks to go out into nature and do the same. Health benefits - Multiple studies have shown that outdoor exercise, especially hiking, increases not just overall heart, muscle and lung health but provides benefits for diabetics, ADHD, bone density, blood pressure, and mental health. A desire to reconnect or stay connected with the beauty, majesty and power of nature. For those of us living in the information dense and technologically connected world, we can often be tricked into thinking we're experiencing things. We carry around a device that can immediately provide us with 4K videos, movies and high-quality pictures. Yet no matter how high the quality of the video, it's a pale shadow of the real experience. Something in us knows this and yearns to feel the air on a hill or mountain, drink from a stream or lake, feel and smell the rain, and run our hand across trees and boulders. I sincerely hope my website and videos have inspired and helped others to make that connection to nature.

Welcome to the new and improved Amputee Outdoors website. While the content has stayed about the same, there is one big change you will notice. The "Latest Videos" link under the home page title will take you directly to a page with, yes, the latest videos. As I produce new videos this page will update with new video. I hope you enjoy this new and improved version and as always, hope to see you out there!

Went for a hike. Yes, this was against the doctor's orders, but I was careful, I swear! I was on holiday on the island of Kauai in Hawai'i and couldn't resist the opportunity. So I bought a hiking pole (only used it on my left hand) and hiked up Sleeping Giant just inland from Kapaa. Incredible views! The video is published on YouTube (https://youtu.be/tPUlKdbRDH4) and it looks great in 4K.