Time slowed as my momentum gained. An eternity separated me from my fate. This couldn’t be real. That’s when I passed out.
![How a Disastrous Fall Led to a Record-Setting Thru-Hike](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/6123/161872/5734e9ef0ccac/How-a-Disastrous-Fall-Led-to-a-Record-Setting-Thru-Hike.jpg)
I gazed over the ledge of Montezuma Canyon in southeastern Utah, a grin spreading across my face. even though i was pretty new to canyoneering, i’d already come to love the sensation of a racing heartbeat, adrenaline flooding my veins. I stepped off the jagged lip and began the plunge, relaxed but excited.
After descending about 200 feet, I realized something was wrong. The rappel device wasn’t giving me enough friction. I needed to slow down. I pulled hard on the rope and came to an abrupt halt. That’s when I heard my harness pop. Then I was loose, falling into the 45-foot gap between me and the ground. Time slowed as my momentum gained. An eternity separated me from my fate. This couldn’t be real. That’s when I passed out.
I came to when my left leg hit the uneven, rock-ridden ground, bearing the brunt of the impact. My helmet cracked into two pieces as if it were made of clay. My sternum, ribs, pelvis, and a finger all broke, absorbing the impact of my fall. I felt my bones dissolving. My legs crumbled. I couldn’t breathe.
My friends rushed to my rescue as I lay with my head pointing downhill. I asked them to rotate my body so I could breathe. I’m a paramedic, so I knew moving a victim with a possible back injury might determine whether I’d ever walk again. But gravity was suffocating me. If I couldn’t breathe now, what did it matter if I’d be able to walk again? I could feel the bones shifting in my pelvis when my friends adjusted me. But that was probably the least of my worries. I remembered it was common to tear an artery and to severely damage internal organs during a high-impact incident. Being positioned in a rugged canyon further complicated my predicament. I could bleed out in an hour.
Denne historien er fra May 2016-utgaven av Backpacker.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra May 2016-utgaven av Backpacker.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HORROR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1201578/edwpGCIsv1675335002656/IN-THE-FOOTSTEPS-OF-HORROR.jpg)
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HORROR
CANADA’S MOST REVERED BACKPACKING TRAIL WAS BORN OUT OF A GHASTLY MISFORTUNE
![TRUE NORTH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1201578/MtNUky6CG1675333520000/TRUE NORTH.jpg)
TRUE NORTH
In pictures, Greenland's backcountry ski terrain looks spectacular. In person? It's even better.
![WHEN THE FOREST IS AN ESCAPE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1201578/V-ZqS3Mgb1675332061580/WHEN-THE-FOREST-IS-AN-ESCAPE.jpg)
WHEN THE FOREST IS AN ESCAPE
The Outdoors Is Powerful Medicine And The Refugee Women's Network Is Helping Displaced Hikers Get Back To It
![The Gear that Changed Backpacking Forever](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1201578/LBe-L6-nA1675329799311/THE-GEAR-THAT-CHANGED-BACKPACKING-FOREVER.jpg)
The Gear that Changed Backpacking Forever
Trend-setters and trailblazers from the last 50 years
![Timeless Adventures](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1201578/Z8H8z1oCs1675326731586/TIMELESS-ADVENTURES.jpg)
Timeless Adventures
In celebration of 50 years of trail beta and inspiration, we look back on our favorite spots through the moments we chose to capture.
![Let The Rivers Run Free](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1025490/6IBHMqi-31659352580263/crp_American-waterways-Wild-and-Scenic-Rivers-Act-Backpacking-Destinations-Outdoor-Skills-Gear-Reviews-Camping-Lifestyle.jpg)
Let The Rivers Run Free
A set of 10 bills currently in Congress will protect 7,000 miles of American waterways— if they pass.
![Thru-Hiking, Canadian Style](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1025490/ojB42e_NB1659353252688/crp_British-Columbia-Tin-Hat-Mountain-Sunshine-Coast-Trail-Hiking-Dolomites.jpg)
Thru-Hiking, Canadian Style
When the pandemic shut down my plans to hike Europe, I found a world-class trail right on my doorstep.
![Training Station](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1008193/qumBjAX--1657693683585/crp_Backpacking-Destinations-Outdoor-Skills-Gear-Reviews-Camping-Lifestyle.jpg)
Training Station
There's a great new wearable for every kind of athletic goal
![CBD for Your Pain](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1025490/9eUn-6HPU1659352627271/crp_Zebra-CDB-Knee-pain-Stress-Low-energy-Sleeplessness.jpg)
CBD for Your Pain
Everyone feels the hurt as we age, but CBD can help you deal with it.
![Home Base](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6123/1008193/tpGJ6oy6y1657692567113/crp_Shelters-Big-Agnes-Wyoming-Trail-2-NEMO-Aurora-Highrise-4-REI-Wonderland-X-Backpacking-Destinations-Outdoor-Skills-Gear-Reviews-Camping-Lifestyle.jpg)
Home Base
These shelters score major comfort points