In which Stephen feels closer to Johnny Cash

So, I hurt myself today, much like Johnny Cash does in the first line of his cover of  “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails. Here’s how it all went down.

So I was sitting on a log that had a pretty substantial branch sticking out. I attempted to stand, but caught my foot in this branch, which threw me off balance. When I tried to support myself with my other foot, it slid off the mossy log, sending me sprawling backwards. I landed on (what else?) rocks.

Results: scraped hand, bruised back, injured dignity.

We continued on, as I was not about to be stalled or finished by a few rocks. About an hour later, we were at an activity when I felt a piece of something enter my eye (it may have fallen from a tree…but we don’t know). I immediately said “ah! my eye!” I then rubbed my right eye. BAD IDEA.

I pushed that piece of whatever up into my eye. There it lodged for an hour and forty-five minutes. During this time, I: fell out of the activity, got talked to by our wilderness aid responder, had a makeshift eyepatch administered (bandana and medical tape around my head, making me look astonishingly like a pirate or a helicopter crash victim), left the scene, and eventually had the rock/bark work its way out.

I entered camp after our training activities with a bandaged hand, a bandaged head, and semi-hobbling. I had just climbed down a creekbed (!) with water in it (!!) and small waterfalls (!!!) with no depth perception (!!!!).

I’m all in one piece though. It’s cool. The eye is only a little swollen, and the hand will heal. The bruise is not on my spinal column.

So, that’s why Johnny Cash and I are like THIS today (does hand motion of crossing fingers). I just hope I don’t end up in prison like he…