June 10, 2006 Saturday
Ampacao Ride
A Rough but Promising Start
The plan was riding on top of the mountain ridge until we reach Mt. Ampacao, the tallest site within the immediate Sagada area, where the Smart cell site can be seen. With Steve and Joey, we biked towards Besao. Halfway thru,
Joey broke his chain...perhaps it was bad omen, but we pushed through. We made a left turn at a waiting shed where we portaged the bike. Parts of the way were completely rideable -
just don't fall. There's no margin between the trail and the near-vertical plunge. I walked. We finally
reached the top. From there, it was a promise of good kick-ass riding all the way along the ridge.
Uh...OH!!!!!
From the top, Steve and I took the
longer but easier way. Joey on the other hand took the
more technical downhill route. That's when something terribly wrong happened - Joey wiped out and dislocated his elbow. He was lying down, starting to feel a numbness and chill to his body and feeling dizzy.
David to the Rescue
While Steve attended to him, I went back for help. Upon reaching the main road, I chanced on David's jeep and yelled to him. David has training for this sort of thing. He was the right man for the job at that time. David and I went back to the ridge. He assessed Joey's situation and found him fit to stand up and walk down with a little assistance. There was already an
ambulance and ample help waiting at the main road.
The X-Ray Thing
Joey was taken to the hospital where his elbow was
snapped back in place. The x-ray machine was out of order so we
went to Bontoc to get it done. Yes, it was done, but there was no one to read the x-ray film...oh well, when it rains, it pours.
Joey seemed ok and getting a better handle on his situation. We all headed back to Sagada.
Bottomline: Joey can't ride his bike for 6 six weeks.
Ending Thoughts
Well, it could have been worse...I've seen worse, so it's all good. Six weeks will fly quickly...then it's back to hammering down!
--- TheLoneRider
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