Grasshopper Glacier and more gross pictures

Darren likes to refer to himself as "The Adventure Baron."  Which is quite fitting since he loves adventures. He is always doing something crazy or has a plan up his sleeve.  Hiking with the kids is great and everything but sometimes he just needs to go! Fast! So he planned a hike/run up and back 14 miles to Grasshopper Glacier with Matthew and Parker (our nephews).  They were gone by 6 in the morning and back by 3 in the afternoon.  They had - an adventure!

There it is!  It is named Grasshopper Glacier because it used to have grasshoppers in it.  But it doesn't really have any anymore.  At least they didn't see any.  I think they've all melted away.  Down the other side of the mountain is this beautiful lake. 

Darren and the boys couldn't decide whether to go down the glacier, as it looked steep and scary.  So of course Darren went.  He went down on one foot and dragged the other leg behind him to keep himself from going to fast, which resulted in a huge ice burn on his leg.  His leg was numb so he couldn't even feel it. Matthew and Parker followed down behind him and were like- "Dude! Look at your leg!" Scroll down to see pictures of his leg.

It  ended up being a pretty bad injury as the numbness went away.  It was very much like a huge burn on his leg.  It was painful and later looked like it was getting infected so we got an antibiotic for Darren to take.  I can not even tell you how many injuries this guy has had.  Remember how we had to move our wedding date because he tore his ACL? Yeah, I do.  He hiked out no problem and acted like nothing was wrong till that night when it really started to hurt him.  He took it easy for about 3 days then was back to normal. I love this guy.  He's so tough.

Darren thinks there must be a hole in the bottom of the lake because there was this cool swirl in the lake that looked like a hurricane.  Like the water was draining out there or something.

These are pictures of a field on the way down.  He said it was beautiful and we should camp out there.  I agree! Bucket list!

The beauty up there is hard to capture on camera, but it's stunning. It's my favorite place on earth.

Paul's Knee- Don't look if you get queasy easy.

So, remember how I said Paul hurt his knee on the hike out?  Well, he did, pretty bad.  The group was hiking out from their backpacking trip.  They were at the first big hill when Paul lost his footing and fell forward, down a steep hill, covered with boulders, with a big backpack on.  His knee hit a rock and sliced clean open.  Darren and Gordon were by his side within seconds.  Darren is a Nurse Anesthetist, and Gordon is a Family Practice doctor- so he was in good hands.  They worked quickly and efficiently and had his let wrapped up in a flash.  The problem is, they were 6 miles from any sort of car, or phone. So Darren took Paul's backpack and they helped him hobble down.  They had some pain meds they gave him, and he was able to walk the 6 miles out with his knee looking like the photo below.  I am so proud of him for being so brave.  He didn't complain once.  Actually I'm proud of everyone there- they all helped carry Paul's backpack.  They came together and were strong and helpful.  Darren sent Ellie, Matthew and Isaac down in front of the group to come to the cabin and get me so I could be at the trail head waiting with the car to take him to the emergency room in Cody.  A 2 hour drive.  
Gordon actually had a suture kit- but said this was way to big of a deal to be stitched up at the cabin. It needed to be washed and cleaned out at a hospital and have an orthopedic surgeon look at it and inspect it to make sure no ligaments or tendons were torn.  Then it needed 2 layers of stitches.  Which is pretty much what happened.  Everything looked good as far as tendons and ligaments went.  He ended up with 10 stitches underneath and 6 stitches on top.  It was a painful experience.  I wasn't crazy about the ER doc, as he pretty much was a robot and had no sympathy. Jaded.  It was really hard to watch as a mom.  I was glad Darren was there.  It was such a relief to have it all over.

He had to wear this leg brace for 10 days after to make sure he didn't bend his knee and rip out stitches.  He also missed Scout camp the next week.  We are grateful the whole thing is over.  It now is just a really cool story to tell. I was so impressed with his bravery throughout the whole incidence. Way to go Paul!

Meanwhile

Back at the cabin I was having a great time hanging out with Gabe, Eleanor, and Bridie.   They played together great, and I painted.   I had a great time while everyone was away hiking and camping, especially that night when there was an insane rain and thunderstorm.  And I was snug in bed.

Here are some of my paintings.  Paul did the fish one at the top. 

One of the most beautiful sights is wild horses.  These horses aren't wild, but I love it when Vic lets them out and they eat in the field in front of the cabin.