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Chair-man
02-25-2013, 18:32
I was out on a day hike last weekend and I tripped and fell twice in the same day. Heck, I live in Florida and there's hardly any rocks on the trails but there are lots of roots. I can't afford to be taking spills like that at my age (59). So, I was wandering what the norm for falling is. once a day? once a week? once a month? I'd like to hear about some of your worst tumbles.

RedBeerd
02-25-2013, 18:43
I usually trip 10+ times a day if I think about it..rarely actually fall down. After mile 20 I trip way more cuz the legz be jello

bfayer
02-25-2013, 18:47
Often. That is one reason I started using hiking poles. Now I still trip but rarely fall.

joshuasdad
02-25-2013, 18:51
Often. That is one reason I started using hiking poles. Now I still trip but rarely fall.

+1 for me. I had a 400 mile stretch with no falls, then fall leaves and a loose rock (subsequently heaved off the trail) did me in, and I actually had another one that day as well. It happens...

rocketsocks
02-25-2013, 18:56
Other; I've always been pretty nimble...but the last couple years has seen me, "Slew foot-in" along, getting up off the ground...it happens so fast, glad I didn't have a pack on the last few times. Old dogs get this condition as well, the foot just doesn't get what the brain wants it to do.

Kingbee
02-25-2013, 18:58
January 21, I was coming down Corbin Hollow trail in a couple inches of snow and slipped bad. One of several falls that day, but I fell on my side with my elbow going into my ribs. Bruised ribs took 4 weeks to feel comfortable again. If I'd been on a long distance hike, it would have been over.

RockDoc
02-25-2013, 18:58
We trip a lot, although hiking sticks help to catch your fall.
My wife fell so much NOBO in Maine that she had to be picked up from White House Landing with extremely painful infections in her shins. That kept her from climbing Katahdin (we returned two years later and did the HMW again, including MT K).

Falls are probably the leading cause of leaving the trail. Forget bears, crime, weather, or mice. And we're all just one fall from hiker oblivion.

flemdawg1
02-25-2013, 19:01
Poles help alot, but around once a week I'll slip on mud or a slimy rock, or a root, and not have my poles ready to stop my fall. Last setion hike I tripped on a root and stumbled right off the edge of the trail, tumbled downhill 10 feet and caught a tree in the face. Bled like a pig for about 10 min.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-25-2013, 19:14
My mother didn't name me Grace for good reason. Last summer I took a header on the Cliff Walk in Newport and sprawled out on the path (fortunately) and last fall I had just that...banana peel style...down a steep, wet, rocky area on Sleeping Giant in CT (the white trail, downhill for those familiar). That one laid me up for a few weeks with a severely bruised coccyx....yeah, my butt.


I've not taken a winter header (yet....knock on wood), though I guess overall I'd be classified as a seasonal clutz.

Of course Snacktime, being a kid, has the agility of a mountain goat.

Another Kevin
02-25-2013, 19:17
It depends. On well graded trail, no more than about once in a few clueless weekend outings. So once a week or so, if I were hiking every day.

Off trail - let's just say that hobblebush (Viburnum spp.) got its name for a reason. It reaches out, grabs you by your ankles and pulls you over. And it's a lot easier to trip in brush when you can't always see your feet. I think there was one trailless peak where I took five spills in as many hours, one of which was a spectacular arse-over-teakettle down a steep slope. I did the "tuck and roll with bent knees, take the blow on shoulder and backpack" routine, and got up unhurt, much to my daughter's surprise. She had nightmares that night about trying to rescue me after a fall.

Cookerhiker
02-25-2013, 19:31
Often. That is one reason I started using hiking poles. Now I still trip but rarely fall.


+1 for me. I had a 400 mile stretch with no falls, then fall leaves and a loose rock (subsequently heaved off the trail) did me in, and I actually had another one that day as well. It happens...

Make it +2 - poles have save me from many a fall.

Last December on a blazing expedition on the Sheltowee Trace, I fell twice. One was on a slippery, moss-covered ladder down some steep rocks. My partner witnessed it and was sure I'd snap my ankle bone but I somehow came out OK.

I ended a Fall section hike on the Long Trail this year because several days of rain had made the forest very slippery and I was concerned about the steep descents on wet and often mossy rocks. I was solo.

1azarus
02-25-2013, 19:40
...I "voted" once a month, but the stumble thing happens to me more like a couple of times a day. iF I didn't use poles many of those stumbles would have been face plants, but, thanks to the poles, I've never actually landed on my face. If butt had been a vote option, well, that would be another thing entirely. The thing that scares me to death is an ankle twist that transmits stress to my knee. That's the only thing that has knocked me off the trail. If you hike alone you can start a rumor about your unparalleled balance and foot-craft!

moldy
02-25-2013, 19:47
One of the reasons I got rid of the poles, kept tripping over them.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-25-2013, 19:48
...I "voted" once a month, but the stumble thing happens to me more like a couple of times a day. iF I didn't use poles many of those stumbles would have been face plants, but, thanks to the poles, I've never actually landed on my face. If butt had been a vote option, well, that would be another thing entirely. The thing that scares me to death is an ankle twist that transmits stress to my knee. That's the only thing that has knocked me off the trail. If you hike alone you can start a rumor about your unparalleled balance and foot-craft!

Seriously, how can we have sympathy for someone named 1azareth? No matter how many times you fall you KNOW you'll get up again!

xokie
02-25-2013, 19:53
Hardly ever. Unless you mean while hiking on the AT and then the numbers go up significantly. Trips are uncountable but I end up with something other than my feet on the ground at least once a day. I've started using hiking poles but one day last fall I tripped and stuck a pole so deep in the mud that it broke at the joint and left me face down on the plank I was walking across. (It's worth it to be out there)

MuddyWaters
02-25-2013, 19:59
I stumble half-dozen times per day, usually by stubbing my toe on a root.
98% of time, poles help save me too.
Occassionally a slick rock will work its magic.

max patch
02-25-2013, 20:27
About as often as Jennifer Lawrence.

Slo-go'en
02-25-2013, 20:44
Once in a while. Gotta look out for that Georgia clay when it's wet. One day I was crusing right along and the next thing I knew I'm laying prone in the middle of the trail wondering "what just happened ?" Then there are those slippery bog bridges in Maine. Same deal, crusing along and next thing I knew I'm laying in a mud puddle. A big one. Good thing it was raining to wash it off. Or the granite ledge in Vermont which is covered in green slime. Almost broke a hip on that slide! Close calls don't count. It's not walking, it's not hiking - it's a controlled stumble - most of the time.

snifur
02-25-2013, 20:47
From Georgia to Maine i tripped/ fell 4 times. Yes, i kept track. Two of the times were do to slick green rocks, one of the times was a root that tripped me at dusk and the fourth was a trek pole failure. The root incident laid me flat out on my stomach with arms straight out to my sides still grasping my poles like i was making dirt/ rock angels face down. I was in that position for 5 minutes before the pain and numbness subsided. I averaged 545 miles per trip/ fall. I know some hikers that seem to fall daily. I think pack balance and weight has a lot to do with it.

Robin2013AT
02-25-2013, 20:57
About as often as Jennifer Lawrence.

brilliant timing.....

Another Kevin
02-25-2013, 21:09
I know some hikers that seem to fall daily. I think pack balance and weight has a lot to do with it.

I fall just as often with a light day pack. Some of us are just natural klutzes.

Monkeywrench
02-25-2013, 22:12
I fell six times on my thru-hike: 3 times in one day in Virginia (the day I hiked into Pearisburg in a drenching downpour), 2 times in one day in New Jersey, and once in Maine.

FatHead64
02-25-2013, 22:47
Last weekend going for trash on back side of biggest dune in park. Got trash, let's just say involuntary glissading. Trekking poles did not help then. Had to break down and get the crampons out or I would have hurt myself. Should have already had them on. Otherwise, poles let me trip but not fall a lot!

bfayer
02-25-2013, 22:50
You guys do realize that who ever claims the most number of falls on this thread is going to be stuck with the name "Faceplant" for the rest of their hiking career. :eek:

HikerMom58
02-25-2013, 23:28
Oh Hey... this thread makes me happy!! I'm seeing lots of friends... Hey everyone :)

When I fall- I faceplant. It's terrible. Poles help me not do that. :) I agree with snifur about pack balance and weight, that helps me from going down 2.

leaftye
02-25-2013, 23:31
I'm averaging about three times a year for the last few years. I'd average one a year, but I had an embarrassing series of falls while trying to chase cows in 2011.

SCRUB HIKER
02-26-2013, 00:38
About as often as Jennifer Lawrence.

She goes down a lot more often than once a month in Silver Linings Playbook.

Anyway. On the AT in 2011, I only had two really bad falls. One was on some slippery rock in the Whites. The other was on the front steps of the museum next to the Partnership Shelter. Seriously hurt my thru-hiker pride when I couldn't navigate four concrete steps in normal civilization.

Carry-On
02-26-2013, 02:05
She goes down a lot more often than once a month in Silver Linings Playbook.

Anyway. On the AT in 2011, I only had two really bad falls. One was on some slippery rock in the Whites. The other was on the front steps of the museum next to the Partnership Shelter. Seriously hurt my thru-hiker pride when I couldn't navigate four concrete steps in normal civilization.

I fell while climbing up the concrete steps from the parking lot on Roan Mtn, headed back to the trail. Pretty much face plant falling up because I was looking at my guide at the time. Of course there were multiple witnesses, people who drove up there with a baby and must have wondered how on earth I thought I would manage to hike the AT.

I fell a lot more times on my thruhike. I wrote them all down in my blog, but haven't counted up the numbers yet. The worst was when I rolled my ankle on a rock under fallen leaves and fell onto the opposite knee, crunching it onto a rock. I had more spectacular falls, but that one actually injured me and hurt for months.

BirdBrain
02-26-2013, 02:16
I think I am tripping now.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-26-2013, 02:25
Last weekend going for trash on back side of biggest dune in park. Got trash, let's just say involuntary glissading. Trekking poles did not help then. Had to break down and get the crampons out or I would have hurt myself. Should have already had them on. Otherwise, poles let me trip but not fall a lot!

Would that be in Warren Dunes Park? I took an unplanned ride down the dunes there myself once...talk about road rash!

Another Kevin
02-26-2013, 02:30
I think I am tripping now.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym7kuHPiOk0

Kookork
02-26-2013, 05:49
I fall only when I am hiking west to east or east to west. Sobo or nobo I don't trip or fall , why? Just because I can. Go figure.

FatHead64
02-26-2013, 06:20
Last weekend going for trash on back side of biggest dune in park. Got trash, let's just say involuntary glissading. Trekking poles did not help then. Had to break down and get the crampons out or I would have hurt myself. Should have already had them on. Otherwise, poles let me trip but not fall a lot!

Would that be in Warren Dunes Park? I took an unplanned ride down the dunes there myself once...talk about road rash!

Real close - Grand Mere - maybe 10 miles North. Maybe 2 from my house. :cool:

fredmugs
02-26-2013, 07:42
On a weeklong section hike I'm good for one painful fall. SOBO down Mahoosic Arm is another story.

Stalking Tortoise
02-26-2013, 08:08
I'm good for at least one on each section hike. The last one was right before the side trail to the Wintturi shelter in VT. Descending in the dark with my headlamp over wet rocks... BAM! I waited a few seconds for the pain and feeling of blood running down my shin but nothing happened. A quick inspection of my leg reminded me that I was wearing a knee brace on that leg and it took all of the impact.

FatHead64
02-26-2013, 09:26
Real close - Grand Mere - maybe 10 miles North. Maybe 2 from my house. :cool:

This is the front side of the dune a few weeks ago - I was slip-slidin' on the back side - pretty much just as steep, but with briars and trees at the bottom. Note the sledders at the bottom.

19995

chiefiepoo
02-26-2013, 10:16
Fell four times from Springer to Davenport Gap. Each time I was looking at something other than the trail ahead or where my feet were . I'm a slow learner. Worst was a fall at Yellow Creek / Gap? just before Fontana. Fell down the four or five log steps into a pool of rock and mud. Face down. Had to limp into Fontana and stay two nights till the swelling went down. I was able to score an 800 mg tylenol from a hiker going the other way in exchange for one Hershey bar. Pain gone. New rule, if your eyes aren't watching the trail, you feet ought not be moving.

HikerMom58
02-26-2013, 10:19
This is the front side of the dune a few weeks ago - I was slip-slidin' on the back side - pretty much just as steep, but with briars and trees at the bottom. Note the sledders at the bottom.

19995

Nice pic FH64...beautiful!! Looks Cold! :cool:

Carry-On
02-26-2013, 13:35
Fell four times from Springer to Davenport Gap. Each time I was looking at something other than the trail ahead or where my feet were . I'm a slow learner. Worst was a fall at Yellow Creek / Gap? just before Fontana. Fell down the four or five log steps into a pool of rock and mud. Face down. Had to limp into Fontana and stay two nights till the swelling went down. I was able to score an 800 mg tylenol from a hiker going the other way in exchange for one Hershey bar. Pain gone. New rule, if your eyes aren't watching the trail, you feet ought not be moving.

I absolutely agree. Mine were often because I was talking with somebody on "easy" trail and not paying as good of attention to the trail as I should have been. I learned on my thru to stop walking if I wanted to look around.

Parkie Man
02-26-2013, 14:11
Well it's great to know I won't be alone or standout too much when i do my thru next year. Though most of my falls are just trying to get my pants on in the morning. So if you see someoone walking the trail with no pants just know I had a rough morning

FatHead64
02-26-2013, 14:20
Nice pic FH64...beautiful!! Looks Cold! :cool:

I think it was low 20s if I remember correctly. It has been useful calibrating for hiking gear I would (or not) need on the trail, whenever I get the chance to thru.

But without thread drifting too much - that snow/sand mix is TREACHEROUS. I know yak trax would be worthless and I am not convinced mini spikes would help much, either. The spikes on my crampons are in the 3/4 to 1 inch range and I can hear them crunch ice. Probably on the heavy side for a thru though.

Studlintsean
02-26-2013, 16:04
Fell hard last fall while hopping from rock to rock up stream putting my filter away and was named "Creekfall" for the rest of the hike. I also fell hard this weekend on a day hike with my dogs but ill blame that on the foster dog pulling on a muddy downhill slope.

Prime Time
02-26-2013, 16:19
I stumble over a rock or a root 4 or 5 times a day, but I seldom go down. I'm 59 also, so I work on staying upright. A couple of things to consider:
1) If you start to trip repeatedly take a break and get off your feet. You're probably just getting a little tired. Then slow it down a little.
2) NEVER trust the tops of roots. They are often much more slippery than they look.
3) NEVER trust a rock that has moss or mud on it. Always look for the top of bare, well traveled over rocks.
4) When descending, always look for rocks that are canted back towards you, not slopping away downhill. This will help you "break" as you descend.
5) Also, when descending, Don't lock out your knee and "full stop" your step. inevitably your knee will buckle and give out and your momentum will resume and down you'll go in a heap. Keep a slight bend in you knee and keep moving.
6) Never cross over your trailing leg with your next step. You'll easily loose your balance.
7) If this is all too complicated sounding, drink heavily and you won't get hurt when you fall.

keepinitsimple
02-26-2013, 16:21
I stopped tripping after Jerry died.

Malto
02-26-2013, 17:55
Worst face plant I had was in Oregon. There was a very small stump sticking up on the trail that acted as a hook. It caught the fabric of my trail runners, ripped into them and I did a full slide down the hill. Had one trail running in NC, running shorts no shirt.... Big mistake. I ended up with a nice war wound from that one too. Poles have really helped me. I did find that I was tripping much more toward the end of my thru hike than the beginning. I think it is do to hiker efficiency, I was raising my feet up less later in the hike. That took a while to correct upon my return when I started trail running again.

rocketsocks
02-26-2013, 18:23
I stopped tripping after Jerry died.Me to, but I still fall.

Ewok11
02-26-2013, 18:43
Hi everyone! This seemed like the perfect thread to make my first official (non-intro) post, since my husband has lovingly named me "Crash". It doesn't matter if I'm on a trail or carpet, I find things to trip over that are most often invisible. I am very often a hazard to myself. I'm not at all a graceful faller either but I have learned to tuck and roll. Good thing I'm married to a medic.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-26-2013, 18:47
This is the front side of the dune a few weeks ago - I was slip-slidin' on the back side - pretty much just as steep, but with briars and trees at the bottom. Note the sledders at the bottom.

19995

Honestly, what would a good fall be without briars and trees at the bottom?

rocketsocks
02-26-2013, 18:50
Hi everyone! This seemed like the perfect thread to make my first official (non-intro) post, since my husband has lovingly named me "Crash". It doesn't matter if I'm on a trail or carpet, I find things to trip over that are most often invisible. I am very often a hazard to myself. I'm not at all a graceful faller either but I have learned to tuck and roll. Good thing I'm married to a medic.
I do a real good impression of Nadia Coma niche...:welcometo white blaze

Deacon
02-26-2013, 19:35
Did a headlong face plant coming down the steps to route 9 in Vermont last summer. Those steps aren't your normal 7 inch risers - more like 24 inch risers. Just plain lost my balance with my pack weight. Good thing those boughs were there, I would have broken my neck for sure.

Red Hat
02-26-2013, 19:56
I fall a lot, but not faceplants. I only did that once, in VA at Dripping Rocks, and I needed stitches. Most of the time, I fall backwards on my rear, then have to turtle to get up. I fell several times the first day. Then not so much after that, except in snowy places.

Red Hat
02-26-2013, 20:01
... New rule, if your eyes aren't watching the trail, you feet ought not be moving. Warren Doyle says the reason people don't see more animals is because they are too busy watching their feet.

ChinMusic
02-26-2013, 20:04
Warren Doyle says the reason people don't see more animals is because they are too busy watching their feet.

And you'll see more stars if you don't.

gizzy bear
02-26-2013, 20:23
My boyfriend / hiking partner trips while walking on flat concrete.... He could easily be mistaken for a spider monkey in the woods :) as for me my hover round hasn't failed me yet...

prain4u
02-26-2013, 22:34
All of us trip. HOWEVER, I've noticed that I trip MORE OFTEN in the years since I've had bifocals and SIGNIFICANTLY MORE OFTEN since I started wearing progressive lenses (essentially line-less bifocals, trifocals, quadfocals etc).

I think eyeglasses (in general) and multi-focal eyeglasses (in particular) increase the amount of tripping and falling. What do the rest of you think?

Papa D
02-26-2013, 22:38
I trip all day long

Fall? not too often

bfayer
02-26-2013, 22:56
All of us trip. HOWEVER, I've noticed that I trip MORE OFTEN in the years since I've had bifocals and SIGNIFICANTLY MORE OFTEN since I started wearing progressive lenses (essentially line-less bifocals, trifocals, quadfocals etc)...

Oh yes, I have not met a curb I could not fall off since I got progressive lenses.

johnnybgood
02-26-2013, 23:22
Lots of close calls...or should I say close falls. Trekking poles definately help in staying upright during slips and trips. One pole is bent at a slight angle after falling on new fallen snow covering ice on a descent of Humpback Mt. a few years backs.

rsmall
02-26-2013, 23:51
On my thru in 2005 I probably fell over 100 times. None were serious enough to cause any delay in the hike, but I needed lots of bandages and took pain killers on a frequent basis. I blame it primarily on age (61 at the time), arthritis (lots of stiffness) and inattention. In spite of it all, I made it successfully to the end.

The Ace
02-27-2013, 00:48
I stumble over a rock or a root 4 or 5 times a day, but I seldom go down. I'm 59 also, so I work on staying upright. A couple of things to consider:
1) If you start to trip repeatedly take a break and get off your feet. You're probably just getting a little tired. Then slow it down a little.
2) NEVER trust the tops of roots. They are often much more slippery than they look.
3) NEVER trust a rock that has moss or mud on it. Always look for the top of bare, well traveled over rocks.
4) When descending, always look for rocks that are canted back towards you, not slopping away downhill. This will help you "break" as you descend.
5) Also, when descending, Don't lock out your knee and "full stop" your step. inevitably your knee will buckle and give out and your momentum will resume and down you'll go in a heap. Keep a slight bend in you knee and keep moving.
6) Never cross over your trailing leg with your next step. You'll easily loose your balance.
7) If this is all too complicated sounding, drink heavily and you won't get hurt when you fall.

For my very first solo overnighter – many, many years ago – I loaded up a brand new Gregory pack with enough stuff to bring a third world country into the modern era. Took off on a wilderness trail leading down into the Linville Gorge. I got no more than fifty yards when the trail went right and I tumbled over the edge on the left. My next trip was with trekking poles and the beginning of my base weight reduction down to a comfortable ten pounds. I also had to learn to not over trust trekking poles. Slipped a few times on wet rocks when I thought trekking poles made me invincible, and stuck them in places on the trail where I should not have and was violently pulled to the ground by the wrist straps. However, while occasionally stubbing my shoe on a rock or root, I can’t recall when I last fell to the ground while hiking. Trekking poles have saved me many times. They also hinder making the clumsy cross over step listed above in item 6). The excellent advice that Prime Time gives is what I have learned over time – some of it the hard way. I have also gotten somewhat used to my progressive lenses over the years, except maybe at dusk -- every single time without fail and always less than five minutes after I set up my tent, I trip over a tent stake line.

Pressure D
02-27-2013, 01:06
This past fall when I end-to-ended the Long trail, there was one rainy day when I fell hard 9 times. The next day I had a pain in my chest and thought I might be having a heart attack until I realized the pain was on the right. It hurt to breath deeply. Wet slippery roots, covered with leaves are the kiss of death.

LIhikers
02-27-2013, 03:19
How often do I fall?
Well, often enough that a friend has nicknamed me ........fallsdownalot

Acacia
02-27-2013, 05:06
I don't remember ever falling, slipping or tripping. Might be a memory problem :)

So if someone falls in the forest and she doesn't remember it and there are no witnesses, did it really happen? hmmm......

rocketsocks
02-27-2013, 06:41
I like "Spokes" signature line and something Confucius said.

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

FatHead64
02-27-2013, 07:33
I don't remember ever falling, slipping or tripping. Might be a memory problem :)

So if someone falls in the forest and she doesn't remember it and there are no witnesses, did it really happen? hmmm......

Not that anyone can prove!

Don H
02-27-2013, 08:00
In the Hundred Mile Wilderness, after 10" of rain from hurricane Irene, I fell every day. Everything was covered with mud, slimy bog boards, slick roots all the way to Katahdin.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-27-2013, 20:50
While reading these posts I imagine I hear Paul Simon in the background: "Slip-sliding away, slip-sliding away...you know the nearer your destination
the more you're slip-sliding away...."

ChinMusic
02-27-2013, 20:59
Oh yes, I have not met a curb I could not fall off since I got progressive lenses.

I gotta agree. I HATED bifocals. I took the plunge with LASIK once I got to that point.

bfayer
02-27-2013, 21:46
I gotta agree. I HATED bifocals. I took the plunge with LASIK once I got to that point.

I wish I could. Too much astigmatism :(

Chair-man
03-04-2013, 22:58
Thanks for all the feedback and tips. I guess it's just a matter of staying focused on the trail which is kinda hard to do. I'm always looking around for wildlife and just daydreaming about all the things that can be :D