How many times have you fallen?

[FlyPaper]

I'm sure I "stumble" at least every day on the trail and likely look kind of goofy as I recover, but rarely has this let to my actually completely falling onto the ground. My memory might be selective, but I can recall falling perhaps 3 or 4 times over 1200 miles. The worst that has happened is a snapped pole.

How often do others actually fall and what is the worst that has happened?

[Slo-go'en]

I've ended up on the ground more a few times. I think the worst was when I walked into a dead fall across the trail I didn't see at 3 MPH. Knocked me out cold. That one hurt. Slipped off a bog puncheon in Maine once and landed face first in the mud.

Of course, there have been many more stumbles and near misses. Have yet to get seriously hurt though. One has to know how to fall down and roll instinctively.

Plenty of hikers break ankles or even legs when falling. Happens a couple of times a year here in the Whites. You can't trust the grip of modern hiking shoes anymore, especially on wet rock.

[egilbe]

I fall, or stumble at least once a day while I'm hiking. I let myself fall gracefully. I've hurt myself a couple times, minorly, and broke and bent some trekking poles. Maybe I'm just clumsy?

[Dogwood]

Quickly lost count at the age of three. i've never rear view mirrored it.

[Longboysfan]

At least on time a day. But it's usually from slick trail - leaves on rocks or the like.
Last one was twisted ankle third day out - 5 miles up the mountain from Natahalla. Had to keep going forward. To get to the road crossing to call for a ride out. :(
That was it for a scheduled 8 day hike.

[Feral Bill]

I can only recall two actual falls in my rather long backpacking career. Both were going downhill on muddy trails.

[RangerZ]

I’ve fallen about 25 times in 1540.3 miles on the AT, about every 60 miles on average. But I fell three times in one day on those sloping flat exposed rocks in NJ or NY, once while standing still.

I tripped after leaving the Johns Hollow shelter in VA and did a full frontal and facial, the pack really drives you to the ground. Made me realize that I’d be SOL if I broke my glasses. Got to the top of Bluff Mountain and called the optometrist to get a spare pair of glasses made. My wife included them in a resupply box to Harpers Ferry.

I have managed to do some good PLFs while falling.

[ldsailor]

Falling down? It ought to be my trail name. In southern Virginia there were some wet leaves that sent me down and underneath them was a nice, big rock. Cracked the lens in my glasses and it gave me a black eye. In the White Mountains, I was on my way up to Mount Washington when I lost my balance on a boulder. I threw out my trekking pole to stop my fall, but it just went in between two boulders. I thought I broke my hip. That one ended what was up to that point a 600 mile LASH as my leg stiffened and swelled up. There was also a time not far from PenMar Park where I was carefully descending a boulder field. I still don't know how it happened, but next thing I know I'm rolling down the rocks. In a way that last one was kind of funny, because when I walked into the park (a Sunday), there was a music concert going on and people started freaking out as I headed to the concession stand because my legs were all bloody from the fall.

There have been more falls but those are the most "memorable." Strangely enough, I didn't fall in southern Maine this year, which is where I probably should have fallen the most. I have problems with boulders and rocks obviously.

[GoldenBear]

A "slide" is when my foot slides more than a few inches on slippery ground.
A "slip" is when I need to use my pole, or my hand grabbing something, to prevent a fall. It's usually caused by a slide that gets out of control.
It's only a "fall" if I would be considered "down" in a game of american football -- ie, knees or backside touching dirt.

I used to fall about once a day.
I got to the point where I might go several days without a fall.
When I hiked down the Liberty Springs Trail in Franconia Notch, for three hours in pitch dark, I stopped counting my falls after about six.

Total number of falls? I haven't kept track, but I'd say on the order of a few dozen.

More than once after a fall, I've laid on the ground for a few seconds wondering if I've had any serious injuries. Since I always hike solo, even a twisted ankle would lead to some serious change in plans. Praise God (so far!), I've never had so much as a bad bruise.

[Crossup]

I guess I'll be the first...300 miles and zero falls, zero injuries or even tweaks. Mostly easy hiking, Ive done SNP to north of H'burg PA. I probably average one minor stumble a day, it helps a lot to almost always have poles in hand.

Have yet to be sore or stiff the next day but I only do 10-12 mile days with only occasional stints up to 20.
A small factor in that is I go 7-10 days and always NO resupply so I am humping 40lbs or more on my massive 148lb bod.

[Strategic]

I've only fallen a couple of times and none since I started using trekking poles instead of a single staff. Of course, one of those times as a doozie. I was hiking in NY, coming down the switchbacks from the secondary summit of Arden Mt., when I slipped on some loose scree and went sliding toward the edge of the drop-off. I'd have been fine, except that the upper right corner of my pack caught on a branch as I was sliding. Since my staff was in my right hand, I had nothing to plant to stop myself. The branch torqued me around to the left and I ended up doing a lovely swan-dive off the switchback. I tried to roll with it and land on my back, but didn't quite make it. Instead, I hit so that left shoulder rolled forward but my pack caught on the slope. The resulting force snapped my left scapula clean in half. Needless to say, that hurt a lot and I couldn't use my left arm for anything. I ended up having to hike the 1 1/2 miles out to NY17, which included climbing down the Agony Grind (aptly named, as it turned out) with only one arm. Not my best AT hiking experience, but one I definitely won't forget. That was what made me switch to trekking poles.

[chknfngrs]

I stub my toes most often and lose my toenails as a result. Happened twice, within a 24 month period.

Once I lost balance in camp and ended up next to the tent, on the ground looking up at the sky.

I’ve not fallen on trail, yet. I expect that’s coming

[Leo L.]

Coming from rock climbing, where you learn to never slip, I hardly ever really fall when hiking.

Earlier this summer I did a nice 3-days hike here in the local mountains with my wife.
I was so enthusiastic that I didn't notice that my wife, being quite out of shape, was nearing her limit towards the end of the last day.
So when we finally reached the forest road that would lead us back down into civilisation, she slipped on a steep gravel piece and fell so bad that she got a deep 2" cut on her knee. We couldn't stop the bleeding, so had to drive her out by car straight to the hospital, where they dug out a load of stones and debris and stitched her up.

Lesson learned is, that "it" always happens when you are tired and nearing the end of the day.
We now take extra care and take extra breaks when getting tired.

[Christoph]

I trip and stumble all the time (stupid roots!), hence the trail name "Thumper". My toes gave me that name. On my thru I recall one huge fall (there were only about 3 total, one in the whites that broke my pole, but I fixed it and kept it until the end!). It was right after the FAA building and I tripped (not trying to hurry or anything, just enjoying life) when all of the sudden my hands caught in the straps on my poles and I couldn't swing my arms around to catch myself. My head missed a big rock and planted right in the dirt, only about 2 inches away. I stayed there for what I thought was a good 10 minutes bawling my eyes out because my leg hurt so bad. My calf landed on a sharp jagged rock and I thought for sure it was broken, ending my 2nd thru attempt. Finally gathering myself, I finally looked down at all the blood and thought crap, I really need to tend to this thing. After cleaning it with lots of water and a 'chief, I found it was a huge brush burn type bruise. After about 30 minutes my feet finally started tingling again and I got feeling back into my leg. Then like an idiot, I tried to stand up but the pain kept me from moving any farther. I stayed there for about 2 hours, eating my lunch and just letting it rest and let the feeling come back in play. I made it to the next shelter and tended to it again (now all black and blue) and stayed there the night. Late start the next morning and took it really easy and finally worked my strength back up to where I could put full pressure and walk on it normally over time. Took about 2 weeks to get back to "normal".

[Five Tango]

Twice in one day coming down Mt Sterling.I caught foot on a root both times.I was wearing zero drop Altras for the first time and do not know if that had anything to do with it or not but I changed back to Salomons.Jury is still out.

[LittleRock]

I've fallen several times over the course of hiking the southern half of the AT. The most memorable one was on my most recent trip. Coming up on the highway at Keys Gap south of Harper's Ferry, I looked up and started watching for traffic too soon and failed to notice the one rock in the middle of the trail. I ended up face first in the mud, right next to the busy road and trailhead parking lot where several day hikers were watching.

[illabelle]

If you woulda told me ahead of time that you were going to ask, I could have been keeping a tally! :rolleyes: Fortunately I haven't fallen bad enough to break any bones. When young people fall, we laugh - unless it's serious. When I fall, people ask if I'm okay, and offer their hand to help me back up, and offer to carry something. Like I'm some sort of feeble tottering imbecile. Sigh.

One day I was crossing a street on UT campus in Knoxville. I was looking up at a building and managed to trip over the curb, falling clumsily onto the sidewalk. In full view of every pedestrian and motorist in the area. I felt just like a feeble tottering imbecile!

I hike in the woods so that you won't see me when I fall.

[Emerson Bigills]

Good subject. On my AT thru I fell 22 times, right at 100 mile average. Over half were related to wet conditions. Many were stumbles likely caused by me catching a root or rock. I think most of the stumbles were in the afternoon, when I was a little tired and lazy picking up my feet. When I fall on my backside, all is fine. The headfirst variety are a little more dangerous. I lost a bout with a rhody bush in NC once and took a nasty header into rock hard trail just outside Antietam Creek in MD. That last one opened up a nasty cut just above my eye.

I fell twice on the JMT in the last two years over about 260 miles, so I think 100 miles is probably average for me.

[Analog_Kidd]

A couple months ago I was on Rough Creek Tr in GSMNP, which is where the fire came thru a few years ago. The upper half of the trail was completely burned out, and the only things to grow back is 3' tall grass and 8' tall BlackBerry bushes. Most of that completely covers the trail and you can't really tell where to go. Top that off with the slope of the mountain there to be about 90% and staying in the trail is difficult. I took a step, and there was no trail beneath my feet and I tumbled down the mountain. I did a full on somersault and slid down the mountain quite a ways. I only stopped my slide by grabbing a sapling. I had to kick footholds into the dirt to crawl my way back up to the trail.

When I got up, I realized I had twisted my ankle pretty bad, in fact it still hurts if I over do it.

Afterwards upon reflecting on what happened, I realized that this is how people get lost in the mountains. They fall down the mountain, can't make it back up and try to find another way, but then go off course. Gave me a whole new perspective on how things can go sideways

[fiddlehead]

I probably fall on average once a week while hiking.
Usually when going downhill and too fast.
I don't complain about it, just get up and keep going.

[Christoph]

Great thread! I can only imagine how many times a "runner" has fallen. My thru, I fell a few times (see my post above), but someone who's trying to hurry through this thing... I mean, I'm just walking, right?

[Odd Man Out]

It was mid afternoon on the first day of my first AT hike when I stepped on a slick rock and my feet flew out from under me. I recall it being like a cartoon where everything was in slow motion. In the fraction of a second it took me to hit the ground a whole chain of thoughts ran through my head. I recall thinking how horrible it would be if the hike I had planned for years was going to come to an ignominious end just hours into the first day. Then I thought it would be nice if no one was around to see this. Then I thought it would be nice if someone was around to help if I got hurt. Then I wondered if there was anything I could do to avoid hitting the ground. Then I decided there wasn't. I finally landed on my elbow. Got up, checked myself and gear. My raincoat sleeve was intact where I landed so I figured I was ok andI kept hiking. A few minutes later, I stopped to take off my raincoat and noticed the inside of my sleeve was quite bloody. Interestingly I had opened a good one inch gash in my elbow while not damagong my raincoat. I cleaned it up and taped it and survived. My first hike wasn't perfect, but that isn't the objective. The goal is to learn from my mistakes (and not die). Still have a blood stain on my sleeping pad.

[Puddlefish]

I use the NFL down by contact rules. So, that time I slipped forward, and caught myself on both hands, without knees, or hip touching, doesn't count. That time I stumbled off a trail and bounced off a tree, right back onto the trail, also doesn't count. Twisted ankle, where I lunge and catch my balance without going down, also doesn't count.

Based on the above, I made it 250ish miles into my thru hike attempt before I found myself sitting on my butt in a mud puddle. Of course the NFL down by contact rule is stupid. I pulled muscles in my shoulders when I caught myself on my hands, and I tore up a ligament in my knee when I lunged to avoid a twisted ankle. Bouncing of that tree probably prevented major injury, as there was kind of an ugly fall below that tree.

The largest culprit for my trail injuries is gazing at distance views while walking, probably something I won't change as it's no fun to keep your nose down and staring at your footing all day.

[Berserker]

I don't know how many times I have completely fallen down, but it's probably works out to be about once a week which is probably about once per every 100 miles. Most of them haven't been a big deal, and I never broke a bone. I have sprained parts of my hand, my knee and my ankle. I also have broken 2 Gossamer Gear Light Trek poles (thankfully you can buy replacement pieces).

The big joke that was always shared between myself and other hikers is how most people get seriously injured on the stupid stuff...i.e. the small nondescript stuff where one is not paying attention. That's not to say people don't get injured on the big hard rock scrambles and things like that, but it's human nature to be hyper focused on the really hard stuff and lollygagging around on the easy stuff where it's that lollygagging without paying attention that often leads to a bad spill.

[KnightErrant]

On my thru-hike, I went about 400 miles before falling on a nondescript patch of loose dirt in Tennessee, just slid straight out from under me and I was left sitting on my butt, checking around to see if anyone saw. I had a few quick little trips sending me to hands and knees a few times after that. Once in Grayson Highlands in a downpour, I slipped on a wet rock, so falling to my hands and knees on solid rock was quite painful, and actually only the brim of my baseball cap stopped me from smacking my forehead on the rock too. But that was the only time I had any fear, even briefly, that I might have been hike-jeapardizingly injured. My bruised and bloody knee ached for a few days, but then was fine. I tripped more frequently in the last month or two of the hike, probably from a combination of more challenging terrain and fatigue due to prolonged illness, but never anything serious.

My worst hiking injury actually happened on the Camino de Santiago in 2015 when I was squatting tourist-style to attempt to take a photo of the Burgos cathedral with the whole building in the frame. I still had my pack on, and when I stood from the kneeling position, something in my knee went pop! The pain was intense but manageable with trekking poles, and I finished the hike, but the knee pain took 9 months and eventual physical therapy to actually go away. I've reinjured it twice since then while hiking, but thankfully never as dramatically.

[Deacon]

Having hiked the AT over a four year period, I can attribute the number of falls to the shoes I wore each year.

2014- My strategy was to wear Keen MaKenzies, which are water shoes with no lining. Wanted shoes to dry quickly. The sole was way too soft though. I never fell once in these from Springer to Damascus, although the trail treadway is relatively smooth.

2015- I switched to Merrill Ventilators, but had to wear oversized due to wide feet. Oversized shoes = long toes. I fell at least six times catching my toes on a rock or root. Once I fell faced forward catching my toe, three times in twenty minutes.

2016- Reduced shoe size from 12 to 11.5, which solved the toe catching. But the hard sole was slippery on wet rock, and fell three times when my foot skidded out.

2017- used Altra Lone Peaks and never fell once through N. H. and Maine. Not an advertisement, just my experience.


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[garlic08]

This is a good topic. As I age, and as I help care for very old parents and loved ones, falling becomes very important. Not too long ago I heard the secret to a long life is "Don't fall." (Another important theme is "Don't go to the hospital," but that's another topic.)

Slips and falls on the trail are the cause of most rescues, yet we worry very little about them. Conversely, we worry more about wild animal attacks and lightning, yet those hardly ever happen.

I've had and seen a few falls on hiking trips with some close calls, usually off trail. I did not see or have many on the AT. My partner and I each fell once or thrice on our AT thru hike. I remember we both fell on the same muddy day somewhere in New England.

(I watched in horror as my partner tripped face-first down a scree field on a remote peak in Idaho on the PNT. I've never seen a human fall so gracefully, like a cat. He has a brown belt in judo, and as he stood up after the potentially fatal fall, he said all those hours on the mat finally paid off.)

Our strategy on the AT was to stop and rest and eat before and during every descent, especially when heading into town for resupply. I learned long ago on climbing trips that nearly all accidents occur on the descent, often within sight of the trailhead. Virtually the scars on my shins are from walking into things when I'm not paying much attention, thinking about the beer in town, or the Sunday afternoon football game coming up. I've taken a straw poll of injured hikers I meet, and most report the same. My take is that, though it's counter-intuitive, the most critical time to rest is when you're cruising downhill.

[greentick]

All the time, I usually just go with it and go for a better landing, get up and drive on. I did slip and "hurdle" down a rock face. Was worried about the knee but was all good - a good "whew!" moment.

[GaryM]

A few. usually attributed to fatigue, sometimes ice or mud. Never had a serious fall but I have pulled out of a hike due to bad conditions that could easily cause such.

[Gambit McCrae]

The ones that piss me off are the 3-4pm rock and root kicks as the day gets late. I know when i get that 2nd or 3rd foot stumble that its getting late in the day. I just came down Moosilauke in a storm and every strp of the way i figured would be my final demise. The next day going over the kinsmans i CRACKED my elbow real hard against one of those fun slanted granite rocks. Lots of arm blood, nothing major. Back in jersey around catfish firetower i took a crash and busted my eye brow pretty good. And again down some ice on roan mountain, another Crack On the the ol elbow.

3 falls in over 2000 miles. Not bad

[Traffic Jam]

1,536 times. More bruises than I can count. No broken bones, yet.

[Slow Trek]

Between Springer And Harper's Ferry I fell 11 times,only once drew blood. I figure one every hundred miles is OK. What was not OK was tripping on the curb at a highway rest stop on the way to the airport to fly to the trail. That one had a crowd,and hurt more than the rest... just not physically.

[Alligator]

Seven times, got up eight.

[Traveler]

I've fallen a lot over the decades without major injury beyond a bruise or muscle strain here and there. When I passed 60 (which came and went like a freight train out of a tunnel without a light) I started to become more aware of what was causing these events. Gambit points out the 4PM foot lift issue with protruding rocks and roots in the treadway, which often cause me to stumble over as well being tired at that time of day. So I now pay VERY close attention to the treadway slope and objects, sometimes at the point of obsession. Stumbles and recovery without falling is where I have had significant muscle pulls in the microseconds of responding to a potential fall.

I have a rule of focusing on where each foot is placed in the first 5 steps following a break or putting on my pack due to center of gravity and balance changes, which for me is the second most common cause of tripping or slipping. This summer I slipped on a root and took a fall long after the first 5 steps, I laid on the ground and assessed limbs and feet, etc, and figured I was fine until I stood up and realized I had broken a rib. Though not a debilitating injury, it hurt like hell as I walked out and for a few weeks afterwards.

The point of this post for me is I am not very leery of hiking alone anymore due to that warning accident. Solo hiking is something I have grown to really enjoy, but is now limited to trails that have high traffic in case I have another fall with a worse outcome. Anyone else have this happen?

[MtDoraDave]

I trip/ stumble at least once or twice a day, usually able to recover by planting the trekking poles. I actually fall about once a week... except for those couple of days in the Smokies on ice; I think I fell a half dozen times.

[ldsailor]

The point of this post for me is I am not very leery of hiking alone anymore due to that warning accident. Solo hiking is something I have grown to really enjoy, but is now limited to trails that have high traffic in case I have another fall with a worse outcome. Anyone else have this happen?

I hike alone, too. It's nice not having to worry about keeping up with someone, which I'm hard pressed to do since I'm slow. And yes, I'm concerned about falling and hurting myself to the point of not being able to recover. There was a time in North Carolina when I was hiking to the NOC. I was actually moving pretty fast and I jumped down from an elevated spot in the trail. I hit the edge of the trail which gave way and down I went. I slid about 30 meters down the side of the mountain. I was able to get out, but other hikers would have been hard pressed to see me from the trail had I been hurt badly. And it happened again going to Mountain Harbor. It was raining and I slipped and went down the side of the mountain. Luckily, I got caught on some exposed roots and didn't go too far. That was scary because the drop off was pretty steep.

[AmyJanette]

I have only hiked from Springer to Clingman's Dome nearly ten years ago, but I fell so much during that time that I was given the trail name "Timber" by another hiker who saw a picture of me after I had fallen. Falling was almost a daily occurrence for me. I bruised some ribs and nearly fell over a large embankment after I passed out when I fell just before the NOC. I woke up with cuts and bruises on my front and my back...to this day, I have no idea what happened...I remember stepping down over some tree roots, and next thing I know, I woke up dangling over the edge of the cliff with my arms tangled in some roots. It was scary and I lost confidence in my footing and never found it again before finally leaving the trail at Clingman's Dome. (I left due to other reasons unrelated to the trail/falling).

But, I have wanted to go back to finish the AT ever since, and I am hoping to restart the trail in 2020, NOBO. :) Can't keep a fallen hiker down!!! :p

~*~ Timber~*~

[peakbagger]

Add in winter conditions and slipping and falling is pretty well expected in powder conditions. Heading down steep slopes with snowshoes is usually a opportunity to slip. Once the snow pack gets deeper its an excuse to butt slide but early winter there are still enough rocks and roots just below the powder is a chance at bruised tailbone. I was out on Sunday heading south on the AT from Mt Pierce to Mitzpah Hut in NH and there were a couple of steep slopes that were quite slippery. I was tempted to slide but held off for a bit and as I headed down I saw several potential hard spots in the trail.

[JNI64]

Sometimes when I get past half the label.;)

[johnnybgood]

I find for me two most common culprits; 1) Trying to do too much glancing ahead while walking briskly. 2) At the end of a high mileage day when I’m tired and not mentally as focused.
Like my last hike I tried to do too many miles in too few hours so as to get it done before hitting the road for a 90 minute drive home. Fell twice in the last 3 miles.
Worst fall on the trail was when I suddenly went semi unconscious and fell after suffering a heart attack. Lots of soreness but that was the least of my concern.

[John B]

I rarely stumble over rocks and roots, but I do have a very difficult time with slippery surfaces, be they slick from rain or ice, and especially if I am going downhill on slippery surfaces. Large flat rocks when wet, especially if they are covered in lichen, make me extremely nervous. I use hiking poles, and I honestly don't think that I would be able to hike without them because of the added stability they bring.

[saltysack]

Enough to appreciate a solid pair of trekking poles! BD alpine carbon corks have saved my arse more times than can count!


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[CrumbSnatcher]

i fell a few times over the years, but i will always remember my first & only fall on my northbound thru-hike in 1999. it was in the 100 mile wilderness, i was hiking with Stone Monkey and just 2 minutes earlier we were talking about falling. we had a good laugh after that.. Lol

[Carbo]

A lot of falls, but nothing serious. I do know that its important to pay attention to the "three-trip rule". Three trips within several minutes = time to take a break.

[RockDoc]

If you're not falling, you're not hiking. It's part of it. Walking is a (mostly) controlled fall. I just try to remember not to fall on the "hard parts". That's what the soft parts are for.

[greensleep]

If you're not falling, you're not hiking. It's part of it. Walking is a (mostly) controlled fall. I just try to remember not to fall on the "hard parts". That's what the soft parts are for.
Walking, like skiing, can be considered as a series of linked recoveries; at least in my case.