It still hasn't sunk in. Did this really happen? How did we survive? Seven times. We rolled seven times. Only one person with any broken bones. How?! When I tell people this story I don't think I realize how bad it really was.
It all started when three of my favorite people came all the way from Indiana to visit. They were out here for a week, and we decided to go four wheeling in the mountains on the last day. Go out with a bang, as it were.
Our day started delightfully; the sun was peaking out, and though there was a chance of rain, we were not deterred. We started out on our venture with six people and four four wheelers. We found a trail that looked promising, and off we went! As we made our way down the side of a hill, Abby flipped. The first to bite the dust. Although not literally. She basically walked off the four wheeler as it turned over. No harm done.
We kept going along that path, only to end up at private property. That's okay, we'll go up the mountain. The map said it's "moderate". Not so. Before we even got the intimidating path, Maria flipped her four wheeler going up a bank. She seemed to be fine, other than a wrist sprain. Carrying on, we started upward, it was steep, but we didn't think too much of it. Once we got to the switchbacks on the mountain though, that's when crap hit the fan.
I was with Julian on one four wheeler, and as we were making our way along the ridge, our four wheeler went off the mountain, and we were going down. Thankfully, we didn't flip or get seriously injured, and we were able to get back on the path. Not even five minutes later, I looked ahead and Jaron and Maria's ride was doing the exact same thing that Julian's and mine had just done. Maria had jumped off before it even went down the hill, and Jaron, feeling physically fine, went to go get the four wheeler. He decided to get it back on the lower part of the road, but there was a hidden ledge that threw the four wheeler off balance, and off it went; rolling down the hill.
The guys went down to look and the damage, and it was not a pretty picture. The handlebars were messed up, the front right tire was flat, some of the front guard had broken off, and our lunch was half destroyed. We had just found a lookout over the plains and mountains, and decided to eat there, then figure out what to do.
The other two four wheelers were about a half mile up the road, so Julian took Abby to go get one of the two. Everyone else meandered up there while I was waiting at our lunch spot. I was there for about ten minutes, and no one else had showed up yet. Gravely concerned, I started walking up the road. What greeted me was not a pretty site. Another four wheeler rolled down the mountain. Julian was turning it around when it rolled, and he had went with it for a few rounds. Thankfully, he was only scraped, so they went to look at the damages once again. This time it was worse; the throttle had broken off, two wheels were bent, and the gas can had a leak.
At this point, everyone was depressed, devastated, at their wit's end, and thought we couldn't take much more. Little did we know.
Abby called Abbi, Julian's roommate and owner of the worse-off four wheeler, to tell him what had transpired. Eventually, it was decided that two people would take a four wheeler to the bottom of the mountain, and Abbi would meet them there and bring back said four wheeler + tools.
That established, Jaydon and Maria started off. Jaydon called Julian about ten minutes after they had left, but reception was spotty, so Julian couldn't hear anything when he answered. We just shrugged it off as Jaydon needing directions, and hoped he could figure it out. Thirty-two minutes after they left, Jaydon and Maria showed up again. Walking. They had flipped their ride and needed help getting it back on the road. So off went Julian and Jaydon, on our last good four wheeler, to rescue our other good four wheeler.
Time passed, and Julian came back. All was on the right track again.
Fast forward through three hours of the five of us sitting unexcitedly on the edge of a mountain.
Abbi showed up, and progress to fix up the four wheelers was hurriedly begun. They were able to somewhat straighten the handlebars on the first, and hoped to also fill up the tire. Adding to our misfortune, the air tank that Abbi brought up had emptied; leaving us with a still flat tire. Moving on to the second disfigured vehicle, they figured out that it was not to be so easily mended, and we decided to head back on three four wheelers.
We established the fact that a group prayer was imperative before heading back. That done, we started back on our daunting journey to the bottom of this horrid rock. We started with a cautious mood; making sure we didn't take any risks. Only two minutes later, my transportation was taking a different direction. I remember seeing Jaron and the four wheeler go flying, and I remember flying through the air, but I have no recollection of landing. Virginia later said that God's angels must have been really busy protecting us that afternoon. I just remember that I went from being in the air, to sitting in the grass. At that point, I gave up. I sat and cried. Julian came and sat beside me, and we mourned together. Jaron and Abbi went down the hill to see how bad the damages were this time, while Abby and Maria sat and the top of the hill and laughed because all other emotions were used up; everyone was done. With everything.
Thankfully, the four wheeler was fine; so it was decided that the girls would walk for the first bit, since no more flips were deemed necessary. After the roughest part, us girls got back on, and we were able to ride most of the way down the mountain. There were a few parts where we did get off and walk - just as a precaution.
While the way downward was not nearly as enjoyable as the pilgrimage up, we were good to go for a while. At the end of that "while" is when yours truly was no longer able to contain the feeling of being sick to the stomach. That's right, emotions actually got to me and I could no longer contain myself - or really - my lunch. *Ahem* That taken care of, we only had two rocky slopes left before the homestretch. Abby and I switched who we were riding with, but I had to get off at the bottom of the first hill because, yup, it started to rain. Which, obviously, makes it harder to get up a rocky hill. I walked to the top, and then, once Jaron was at the top of hill #1, I got back on. I was blinded by the rain, and I hoped that my driver could still see. I peaked out occasionally, and then at one point I saw Abbi and Abby's four wheeler stopped. By that point, we were all soaked by the freezing rain + hail. We just wanted to be back! We weren't sure what our options were at the moment, so the four of us all hunched together under and tree and desperately prayed for the rain to just go away! Meanwhile, Julian and Maria carried on with their crippled transportation, pressing towards the final goal; getting to the suburban.
The rain was soon suspended, the sun broke through, and there was a gorgeous double rainbow. From here on out, it was smooth sailing.
When we got back, Maria told me I needed to go give Jaydon a big hug cause he had been freaking out. No further reasoning needed, I gave him one of the most relieved and grateful hugs I will probably ever give.
In case you forgot, Jaydon was left all alone several paragraphs back. He had been alone for four+ hours, not knowing what was happening. He knew nothing. He cried, screamed, and cried some more. He said it was the worst day of his life, and very understandably so.
We were all relieved and grateful to be back on *solid* ground again. We also came to a unanimous decision that there was no way we could've gotten out of that day without God.
When I got home, I gave mom a huge hug and cried. I had no words to even begin describing how overwhelmingly relieved I was to be back in mom's arms.
Mom, Tonya, and Virginia had made us the ultimate comfort food for supper, and everyone got ready to go up to the Denver airport yet that night. Jaydon, Maria, and Abby were flying out at six a.m., and Denver is a two hour drive, so they were already planning on going up that evening. We got back at the time they were planning on being there. Everyone was emotionally and physically exhausted, and the fact that no one had the energy to take them was an unspoken topic. Thankfully, one of Jaron's roommates agreed to be their driver, and off they went!
Now you would think that this story would just be all roses and butterflies at this point, but not quite. The airport was freezing that night, and I received pictures of clothing acting as blankets for those spending the night there. Their flight and drive back to their abodes went well, and one hour after getting home, Maria was off to urgent care to check out her wrist! That's right, the one she injured before we even got to the bad part. Turns out, she broke her wrist in two places.
All this happened on August 3, Abby's 18th birthday, then on the 5th, Maria's 18th birthday, she was off to the doctor to get a real cast for her hand. Welcome to the adult life. Hope you survive.
We are all dealing with this differently. Some have come to a place where they gave it all to God, and that's all they had to do. Others had nightmares the first night, and had to read the Bible till she was finally able to drift off to no-dreamland. Yet others are still dealing with nightmares of four wheeler flipping and rolling, no matter how desperate their prayers.
I think I have been able to come to a peace about this, but I just really want to know why, Why did this all have to happen?! We are pulling out the lessons that we can, but so much of it needs explaining yet. Was it really necessary for us to go through all of that, just to learn a few life lessons?! Maybe my perspective on that will change yet, but that's what it is right now. I am trying to accept that I can't know everything. Not today.
"We are all living in a dream, and life ain't what it seems. Everything's a mess. Oh, these sorrows I have seen, they lead me to believe that everything's a mess. I wanna dream. I wanna dream. Leave me to dream."
It all started when three of my favorite people came all the way from Indiana to visit. They were out here for a week, and we decided to go four wheeling in the mountains on the last day. Go out with a bang, as it were.
Our day started delightfully; the sun was peaking out, and though there was a chance of rain, we were not deterred. We started out on our venture with six people and four four wheelers. We found a trail that looked promising, and off we went! As we made our way down the side of a hill, Abby flipped. The first to bite the dust. Although not literally. She basically walked off the four wheeler as it turned over. No harm done.
We kept going along that path, only to end up at private property. That's okay, we'll go up the mountain. The map said it's "moderate". Not so. Before we even got the intimidating path, Maria flipped her four wheeler going up a bank. She seemed to be fine, other than a wrist sprain. Carrying on, we started upward, it was steep, but we didn't think too much of it. Once we got to the switchbacks on the mountain though, that's when crap hit the fan.
I was with Julian on one four wheeler, and as we were making our way along the ridge, our four wheeler went off the mountain, and we were going down. Thankfully, we didn't flip or get seriously injured, and we were able to get back on the path. Not even five minutes later, I looked ahead and Jaron and Maria's ride was doing the exact same thing that Julian's and mine had just done. Maria had jumped off before it even went down the hill, and Jaron, feeling physically fine, went to go get the four wheeler. He decided to get it back on the lower part of the road, but there was a hidden ledge that threw the four wheeler off balance, and off it went; rolling down the hill.
The guys went down to look and the damage, and it was not a pretty picture. The handlebars were messed up, the front right tire was flat, some of the front guard had broken off, and our lunch was half destroyed. We had just found a lookout over the plains and mountains, and decided to eat there, then figure out what to do.
The other two four wheelers were about a half mile up the road, so Julian took Abby to go get one of the two. Everyone else meandered up there while I was waiting at our lunch spot. I was there for about ten minutes, and no one else had showed up yet. Gravely concerned, I started walking up the road. What greeted me was not a pretty site. Another four wheeler rolled down the mountain. Julian was turning it around when it rolled, and he had went with it for a few rounds. Thankfully, he was only scraped, so they went to look at the damages once again. This time it was worse; the throttle had broken off, two wheels were bent, and the gas can had a leak.
At this point, everyone was depressed, devastated, at their wit's end, and thought we couldn't take much more. Little did we know.
Abby called Abbi, Julian's roommate and owner of the worse-off four wheeler, to tell him what had transpired. Eventually, it was decided that two people would take a four wheeler to the bottom of the mountain, and Abbi would meet them there and bring back said four wheeler + tools.
That established, Jaydon and Maria started off. Jaydon called Julian about ten minutes after they had left, but reception was spotty, so Julian couldn't hear anything when he answered. We just shrugged it off as Jaydon needing directions, and hoped he could figure it out. Thirty-two minutes after they left, Jaydon and Maria showed up again. Walking. They had flipped their ride and needed help getting it back on the road. So off went Julian and Jaydon, on our last good four wheeler, to rescue our other good four wheeler.
Time passed, and Julian came back. All was on the right track again.
Fast forward through three hours of the five of us sitting unexcitedly on the edge of a mountain.
Abbi showed up, and progress to fix up the four wheelers was hurriedly begun. They were able to somewhat straighten the handlebars on the first, and hoped to also fill up the tire. Adding to our misfortune, the air tank that Abbi brought up had emptied; leaving us with a still flat tire. Moving on to the second disfigured vehicle, they figured out that it was not to be so easily mended, and we decided to head back on three four wheelers.
We established the fact that a group prayer was imperative before heading back. That done, we started back on our daunting journey to the bottom of this horrid rock. We started with a cautious mood; making sure we didn't take any risks. Only two minutes later, my transportation was taking a different direction. I remember seeing Jaron and the four wheeler go flying, and I remember flying through the air, but I have no recollection of landing. Virginia later said that God's angels must have been really busy protecting us that afternoon. I just remember that I went from being in the air, to sitting in the grass. At that point, I gave up. I sat and cried. Julian came and sat beside me, and we mourned together. Jaron and Abbi went down the hill to see how bad the damages were this time, while Abby and Maria sat and the top of the hill and laughed because all other emotions were used up; everyone was done. With everything.
Thankfully, the four wheeler was fine; so it was decided that the girls would walk for the first bit, since no more flips were deemed necessary. After the roughest part, us girls got back on, and we were able to ride most of the way down the mountain. There were a few parts where we did get off and walk - just as a precaution.
While the way downward was not nearly as enjoyable as the pilgrimage up, we were good to go for a while. At the end of that "while" is when yours truly was no longer able to contain the feeling of being sick to the stomach. That's right, emotions actually got to me and I could no longer contain myself - or really - my lunch. *Ahem* That taken care of, we only had two rocky slopes left before the homestretch. Abby and I switched who we were riding with, but I had to get off at the bottom of the first hill because, yup, it started to rain. Which, obviously, makes it harder to get up a rocky hill. I walked to the top, and then, once Jaron was at the top of hill #1, I got back on. I was blinded by the rain, and I hoped that my driver could still see. I peaked out occasionally, and then at one point I saw Abbi and Abby's four wheeler stopped. By that point, we were all soaked by the freezing rain + hail. We just wanted to be back! We weren't sure what our options were at the moment, so the four of us all hunched together under and tree and desperately prayed for the rain to just go away! Meanwhile, Julian and Maria carried on with their crippled transportation, pressing towards the final goal; getting to the suburban.
The rain was soon suspended, the sun broke through, and there was a gorgeous double rainbow. From here on out, it was smooth sailing.
When we got back, Maria told me I needed to go give Jaydon a big hug cause he had been freaking out. No further reasoning needed, I gave him one of the most relieved and grateful hugs I will probably ever give.
In case you forgot, Jaydon was left all alone several paragraphs back. He had been alone for four+ hours, not knowing what was happening. He knew nothing. He cried, screamed, and cried some more. He said it was the worst day of his life, and very understandably so.
We were all relieved and grateful to be back on *solid* ground again. We also came to a unanimous decision that there was no way we could've gotten out of that day without God.
When I got home, I gave mom a huge hug and cried. I had no words to even begin describing how overwhelmingly relieved I was to be back in mom's arms.
Mom, Tonya, and Virginia had made us the ultimate comfort food for supper, and everyone got ready to go up to the Denver airport yet that night. Jaydon, Maria, and Abby were flying out at six a.m., and Denver is a two hour drive, so they were already planning on going up that evening. We got back at the time they were planning on being there. Everyone was emotionally and physically exhausted, and the fact that no one had the energy to take them was an unspoken topic. Thankfully, one of Jaron's roommates agreed to be their driver, and off they went!
Now you would think that this story would just be all roses and butterflies at this point, but not quite. The airport was freezing that night, and I received pictures of clothing acting as blankets for those spending the night there. Their flight and drive back to their abodes went well, and one hour after getting home, Maria was off to urgent care to check out her wrist! That's right, the one she injured before we even got to the bad part. Turns out, she broke her wrist in two places.
All this happened on August 3, Abby's 18th birthday, then on the 5th, Maria's 18th birthday, she was off to the doctor to get a real cast for her hand. Welcome to the adult life. Hope you survive.
We are all dealing with this differently. Some have come to a place where they gave it all to God, and that's all they had to do. Others had nightmares the first night, and had to read the Bible till she was finally able to drift off to no-dreamland. Yet others are still dealing with nightmares of four wheeler flipping and rolling, no matter how desperate their prayers.
I think I have been able to come to a peace about this, but I just really want to know why, Why did this all have to happen?! We are pulling out the lessons that we can, but so much of it needs explaining yet. Was it really necessary for us to go through all of that, just to learn a few life lessons?! Maybe my perspective on that will change yet, but that's what it is right now. I am trying to accept that I can't know everything. Not today.
"We are all living in a dream, and life ain't what it seems. Everything's a mess. Oh, these sorrows I have seen, they lead me to believe that everything's a mess. I wanna dream. I wanna dream. Leave me to dream."
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