Ass over tea kettle

This was the toughest hiking day we have had so far. By 5:00PM, we were so exhausted, well, let me tell you how exhausted we were.

We were so tired that I tripped over something, maybe some air, and went off a ledge that had a drop of a few feet, followed by a long, steep incline. Luckily, a perfect storm of instinct, lack of coordination and low shrubs worked together to keep Petra from being able to guiltlessly find a better man.

The whole thing after I tripped went in slow motion. I went off the edge, flipped completely upside down, and landed on my face with an unhappy shrub in either hand. My urge to live was strong, so I did not let go. Most of this, aside from catching the two bushes, sucked.

Petra laughed and cried at the same time, and I asked her to please stop both until I reached the trail again. She did, and all turned out well. We will, however, see how sore I am from this tomorrow.

I would like to take this moment to thank my jiu jitsu instructers, who taught me that being upside down is ok, and that landing is not as difficult as one might think. I would also like to thank the US Army Airborne Instructors at Ft Benning, GA, who drilled into my head that I should land on the balls of the feet, the calves of the legs, the thighs, the buttocks, and the "pull up muscle." but most of all I would like to thank my mother, without whom this totally fucked up moment would not have been possible.