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"High-altitude fall mars Aspen bike trail ride for Dick Allison"
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/ne...lison0817.html
High-altitude fall mars Aspen bike trail ride for Dick Allison Click-2-Listen By MARGIE KACOHA Daily News Staff Writer Sunday, August 17, 2008 Lee Hershfield (enlarge photo) Richard Allison, shown with his dog Pax, is recovering from a mountain-biking mishap in Aspen, Colo. Wear a helmet — check. Carry a cell phone — check. J. Richard "Dick" Allison Sr., the retired Palm Beach real estate professional, is recovering from cuts, bruises and a concussion following a mountain-biking mishap in Aspen, Colo. He followed the basic rules of wilderness biking, but broke a big one by not giving his body a chance to acclimate to the 8,000-foot altitude before setting off on the Rio Grande Trail, he said. He ended up sliding face down, head first about 30 feet down a steep slope. His body was repeatedly sliced by thin shards of naturally occurring shale. "It basically ate him up," said Pitkin County Deputy Sheriff Jeff Lumsden, who was involved in Allison's Aug. 1 rescue. "He could have fallen 100 feet." Allison, 69, was stopped by roots and a culvert running under the gravel trail. "It gave me something to grab on to," he said. Not that he necessarily remembers grabbing anything. Allison and a friend from Pennsylvania were in town for the Aspen Music Festival. Allison had no intention of going for a full-out ride. He just wanted his friend to see the view from the trail. And according to Allison, his friend advised against a ride that morning. Allison said he knew better but couldn't resist what he called "a real gorgeous morning." So out on their bikes and up the mountainous trail they went. "All of a sudden, I fainted," Allison said. "I shouldn't have gone out that morning. I should have acclimated." Allison went down the slope of the deep ravine and was covered in blood when he came to rest. His friend administered CPR and called 911. "I was out of it," Allison said. Allison said he remembers being inundated by water — freezing water — from the culvert. "He was drowning," Allison said. "I was drowning." Allison went in and out of consciousness while being retrieved from the wet, rocky slope by 23 rescuers from the Sheriff's Office, the Aspen Volunteer Fire Department, Aspen Emergency Medical Services and crews from the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails program, according to Lumsden and the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office news release about the incident. In addition to all the cuts and bruises, the hillside spill also affected his hip. Rescuers strapped him onto a rescue sled, hoisted him up the hillside and took him to the hospital. As rescues go, Lumsden said, this one was not as difficult as it might have been, because Allison was close to the road, an old railroad bed. "We were able to drive the ambulance right to him," he said. According to the local news release, Allison's bicycle accident was the fourth such serious incident in unincorporated Pitkin County in two days. Lumsden said such emergency calls come in most weekends. "That's what we do," he said. "We have lots of mountains." Allison's wife, Annette, and son, John Allison Jr., flew to Colorado upon learning of the accident. "All we knew was that he had fallen off the trail," his son said. They flew back to Florida Aug. 7. "I'm grateful, very humbled," Allison said Wednesday from his Palm Beach home. "I thank God about 20 times a day." Allison said he's done with high-altitude scenic rides but plans to continue regular rides in Palm Beach. He and his wife are planning a lengthy, relaxing cruise at the beginning of the year. Allison said he still believes it's important to take risks. "I just made a mistake," he said. -- I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.) Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of! http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande |
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#2
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Contacting Employers, The Last Hope For An Ignored Eco-nut.
On Aug 17, 8:50*pm, Mike Vandeman wrote:
Michael J. Vandeman, why did you contact a persons employer over something that didn't concern you? Was it worth the disgrace of getting booted and banned from leadership positions? |
#3
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Contacting Employers, The Last Hope For An Ignored Eco-nut.
On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:31:17 -0700 (PDT), Siskuwihane
wrote: On Aug 17, 8:50*pm, Mike Vandeman wrote: Michael J. Vandeman, why did you contact a persons employer over something that didn't concern you? Was it worth the disgrace of getting booted and banned from leadership positions? It was an HONOR, just like when David Brower was fired by the Sierra Club. I was just too radical for them. -- I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.) Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of! http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande |
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Contacting Employers, The Last Hope For An Ignored Eco-nut.
On Aug 19, 12:32*am, Mike Vandeman wrote:
On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:31:17 -0700 (PDT), Siskuwihane wrote: On Aug 17, 8:50*pm, Mike Vandeman wrote: Michael J. Vandeman, why did you contact a persons employer over something that didn't concern you? Was it worth the disgrace of getting booted and banned from leadership positions? It was an HONOR, just like when David Brower was fired by the Sierra Club. I was just too radical for them. The word you're looking for is "phony". |
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Contacting Employers, The Last Hope For An Ignored Eco-nut.
Mike Vandeman wrote:
On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:31:17 -0700 (PDT), Siskuwihane wrote: On Aug 17, 8:50 pm, Mike Vandeman wrote: Michael J. Vandeman, why did you contact a persons employer over something that didn't concern you? Was it worth the disgrace of getting booted and banned from leadership positions? It was an HONOR, just like when David Brower was fired by the Sierra Club. I was just too radical for them. Mike, just a heads up for you. Reporting someone for 'maybe' mis-use of email because you don't like what they wrote isn't being 'radical', it is being a plain asshole. Mike |
#6
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Contacting Employers, The Last Hope For An Ignored Eco-nut.
Michael J. Vandeman, why did you contact a persons employer over
something that didn't concern you? Was it worth the disgrace of getting booted and banned from leadership positions? It was an HONOR, just like when David Brower was fired by the Sierra Club. I was just too radical for them. Dave was fired as Executive Director, a paid position. He went on to found Friends of the Earth (FOE). You are no Dave Brower. In article m, Mike Romain wrote: Reporting someone for 'maybe' mis-use of email because you don't like what they wrote isn't being 'radical', it is being a plain asshole. What you don't understand Mike, is that Mikey's critics attempted the same stunt on him. What they didn't understand is that Mikey works for the Phone Company, his ISP. -- |
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