Trip "cut" short

[27 ELKS]

Took my Wenonah fisherman to Lewey Lake, NY to fish for a week. Second day while splitting wood, split my ankle instead to the tune of 19 stitches. Since I couldn't get the leg wet or dirty, I headed for home on Monday. The RN at the Primary Care center said I did a "great" job bandaging my leg, small consolation. Just a reminder, bad things can happen very fast, be careful out there.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Ouch! But you did a good job of care. I'm petrified of axes and won't touch a hatchet. I try and put something between me and the object in the path of missed object

 

[pataneap]

27 Elks - Sorry to read about your accident. Happy to read it wasn't more serious..................Tony

 

[Gerald]

Oops, bet that won't happen again. Get healed up and back out there real soon. The fish are waiting for ya.

G.

 

[Robin]

Sorry to hear that, hope it mends well for the nice weather coming.

 

[Iskweo]

19 stitces eh? Thats pretty good, you must have gotten a pretty good swing at it with a very sharp axe. I love the feel of an axe in my hands, but not in my foot. I can see where leaving them home for a casual user might be in the best interests.
I take my chainsaw, much safer.

 

[scoutergriz]

I've never cut myself with an axe yet (I've patched up others that have), but just in case I carry a surgical stapler, extra cartridge and haemostat. Not something for a newbie, but coupled with a good WFA course, it can be a lifesaver

 

[Yohawk]

I'm sorry to hear of your mishap and hope your healing goes quickly. I hear stories like this and cringe. My brother had a similar mishap several years ago up on Follensby. He was on a fishing trip with my best friend from high school. Back in the late 60's, we used to paddle out there on a regular basis, as it was probably our favorite spot. My buddy thought it would be great to share it with my brother, and fortunately, they had used a motor boat to get out there. As they were setting up camp, my buddy gave my brother an axe to prep some firewood, with the admonition "don't stick this in your leg." Advice not heeded.......a glancing blow to a log with the axe nearly severed my brothers calf. Thankfully, my buddy was prepared, administered what first aid he could, loaded my brother in the boat and at full throttle, headed back to his camp. As it was getting dark, his biggest concern was hitting a downed tree in one of the interconnecting channels and destroying the prop. Fortunately, he was able to get a local to call 911, and a short helicopter ride got my brother to the hospital. They ended up having to bring in a surgeon to repair the damage. It's amazing he didn't bleed to death. If he had been alone, he probably would have. My brother had very little experience with an axe and was unaware of its proper use. Lessons learned.....for all of us. Bad things can happen fast.....my brother admitted he was in a hurry to get things done so he could go fish. His family nickname is now Hatchet Jack!

 

[coldfeet]

Hope you get well soon.

 

[Camp43]

Oh man! Heal up quickly and hope you're out there again soon.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Guest]

Took my Wenonah fisherman to Lewey Lake, NY to fish for a week. Second day while splitting wood, split my ankle instead to the tune of 19 stitches. Since I couldn't get the leg wet or dirty, I headed for home on Monday. The RN at the Primary Care center said I did a "great" job bandaging my leg, small consolation. Just a reminder, bad things can happen very fast, be careful out there.

Much like Glenn, some axe threads on this board prompted me to find an old Boy’s Axe head, reburbish, rehang and sharpen it as a “tripping axe”. That is a pretty little axe, and as sharp as the day I finished it; it has yet to go on a canoe trip, and probably never will.

It’s not that I lack confidence or experience with an axe, I have been splitting wood since I was a kid, and still run a wood stove at home in winter.

But my solo tripping needs do not require an axe. A small saw does everything I need, and little enough of that when I am solo and a small, hour long fire will see me off to bed.

If I’m on a group trip and folks want to gather round a blaze I am guaranteed that one or more of my companions will have an axe, and maybe have worked as a forester or wildland firefighter. They do pretty axe work, and seem to enjoy it. On the whole I’d much rather sit and watch them while I drink a beer.

I don’t even swing the splitting maul at home when I’m alone; less for safety reasons than because the progeny tote the logs, set them on the chopping block and fill the woodbox. Yeah, I can split wood all day long. . . . .if I never have to bend over or pick up a piece of wood.

Even a handsaw can be dangerous; a friend had to evac from the Green River after a saw oops. A companion had one of these in his 1[SUP]st[/SUP] aid kit. Said bloody friend bought a couple after the trip and gave one to me.

https://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Me...=8-1-spons&keywords=quikclot+trauma+pak&psc=1

Nice guy, I didn’t know the kit was that expensive. I mostly want the clotting sponge; I already have the other stuff in my group 1[SUP]st[/SUP] aid kit, but the whole Trauma kit is small and durably sealed, and having everything in one unopened kit could be fast handy.

I guess I oughta add a clotting sponge to my solo first aid kit (makes note to self).

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

So sorry for your injury and congrats on your good recovery.

Actually, you didn't specify whether or how you were using an axe. There are some real axe experts on this site, and I'm sure they can split logs with full overhead swings almost perfectly every time. I wouldn't trust myself with the full swing technique, especially alone in the wilderness, even if I used an axe, which I don't.

I don't know of any reason why anyone would need to use much more than a six inch diameter log for a small canoe trip campfire. There are different ways to halve, quarter and further split such logs safely, without air swinging, after they are cut to length with a saw. There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing how to safely split logs with a small axe by tap splitting. I use a batoning + tap splitting technique with a wood machete to halve and quarter, and then split to kindling size by batoning with either the machete or a bushcraft knife.

No bladed edge arcing through the air = no impact injuries.

 

[27 ELKS]

Actually, it was a camping/fishing trip at a drive in campsite. I stopped at one of those places that sell $5 squares of fire wood on the side of the road. It wasn't burning very well, so I decided to cut the pieces smaller. I was tapping it with an 18in. hatchet and a 4lb. sledge hammer. I put the sledge away and I noticed there was a piece that I missed. Sooooooo!

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I am pretty darn good with an axe, hatchet, and splitting maul. Especially the maul. But it's pretty rare that I use one camping, and I won't even do it when solo.

Many years ago, when I was young and iinvincible, I was using a hatchet in camp when a wood chip flew up and hit me in the eye. That was an eye-opener (sorry ).

Elks - glad to see you ssurvived and will mend. Ouch!

 

[Odyssey]

I only just "got" the Trip "cut short " insinuation. Made me laugh, but know injuries are not. Glad you're on the mend and able to laugh about it too.
Interesting enough my own approach to wood processing in camp has changed over the years. I used to swing an axe but rarely do so now. In fact I think twice before bringing it. I'm still pondering whether to take it on a trip we're leaving on this morning. Some say hatchets are more dangerous given the swing geometry etc, but the real reason I prefer the hatchet is the weight and size savings. I no longer look for logs to split, not when there are so many smaller choices in the forest. My larger saw sits at home too in favour of a smaller Bahco (Silky type). Memequay showing me the fire starting magic of lower branch Black Spruce twigs and Robin demonstrating the adequate supply of small stick as fuel not just as tinder has helped to alter my approach to fires. I no longer look to split logs but harvest instead the smaller stuff. This all puts my axe and saw out of work. Still, there's nothing like the satisfaction of seeing a cord wood pile nestled neatly under spruce boughs waiting for the next camp fire, only nowadays my piles are smaller and involve less work. Less pleasure? Perhaps. I did enjoy sawing big boles into thick slabs and axe swing splitting them further into quarters, eighths etc. Now wood only warms me the once. Ha. I barely break a sweat small diameter sawing and tap splitting. That's okay. And I might be safer too. Whatever you choose to do play safe.

 

[lowangle al]

It could have been worse and your thread could have been titled, "Leg "cut" short". I'm glad it turned out OK.

 

[ppine]

Be careful out there. I have seen two people put axes in their feet. Not good.
I bring a small hatchet for kindling on car trips. I usually bring an old axe on canoe trips so I can make a paddle if necessary.
When people start drinking I hide them, every time.