Health Update - MRI Scheduled

Hey Guys- I guess that last post was a little cryptic. I'll throw in some detail here. First off, I'm okay and just wrestling with what is most likely a shoulder sprain, though the MRI is being scheduled. The MRI will confirm there's no damage or tears to the rotator cuff. I'll know next week.

So I was climbing that mountain shown in the last post. Sure, it looks intimidating, but when you consider how mild it looks on a path up around the left side, I thought it much less so. It's just that there was not a path.  So that's called bushwhacking or hiking, "out-of-bounds." I'd never heard out-of-bounds before, but that fits. Off the beaten path, literally has it's own hazards. Snakes are not accustomed to intrusions. Various sorts of critters hide out in the rock ledges. And the terrain is not always fit for hiking up, or worse, hiking down, as I found.

The hike up was brisk. I circled around and got up that eastern facing bluff. I caught a nice sunset and started back down. It was getting dim, but not actually dark. Picking a path going down always seems a little more difficult than going up. There's a perspective change, it seems. And the fastest way down isn't always the most navigable. Scrambling and sliding down a loose, rocky incline of about 45 to 50 degrees was getting difficult. Eventually I slipped on a fairly steep incline and landed on my elbow. I quickly checked for finger movement as I got to my feet. That was okay. I checked for anything protruding, and all seemed well at the elbow. And though worried about the blood, I got it staunched pretty quickly. It was the pain in my upper arm and shoulder that was bugging me. Then, 20 or 30 carefully placed steps further down the hill I fell again, and again on the same side. The pain was severe. I changed the hiking pole to the other arm and headed down angled the other way, in case another fall put me back on the ground. And yes, I fell again, at least on my left side this time. But the jarring action of the fall really lit up the right shoulder and I was aware that something was wrong.
It took about 40 minutes to get down the hill and back to camp. I wanted to be examined. The gates to the RV camping area were locked, so even asking someone else to drive me was out. I didn't have the number for the campground, so I lifted the 911 phone at the campground.
I got an ambulance ride, got checked out, and got a cab ride back to the RV park in the early hours of the next day. No broken bones, but I got a referral to a bone guy who has me set for an MRI. That should tell if there is an issue with the rotator cuff. Let's hope not.  I had to do considerable walking that night. The camp is a mile from the first gate, and since the county park hadn't given the gate code to Fire Rescue, they had to cut their way into the park to get me. Then, 4 hours later when I arrived by cab, a new lock had been installed and I had to walk back to the park. I was disappointed.

So...the road trip isn't exactly on hold, but I'm waiting to see how the MRI goes. The issue is really how easily I'll be able to get the motorcycle back onto the RV. It's a process that requires both hands and some muscle. I did take a quick ride on the bike, and though probably a bad idea to try to navigate in traffic, I can get around on it. In the meantime, I have the Toyota to drive. There will be some logistics to employ, but I am indeed mobile.

What a trip!