I Hurt Myself Today (cue Nine Inch Nails’ song “Hurt”)
While walking through the beautiful woodlands of Glencoe, I breathed in the crisp, clean air, enjoyed the rare warmth of the sun (finally no rain!!!), and savored being outside with nothing to worry about for the next hour or so.
Until I got a little too excited. I leaped down from one big rock to another—and landed horribly wrong.
The Fall
My right knee has a torn ACL, the ligament that’s supposed to keep things stable. One bad landing, and I felt that familiar pop and pain. Down I went. F-bombs flew. Panic crept in.
Alone. In the woods. Like a bad SciFi channel movie.
A dozen thoughts flashed through my mind: This is why you don’t hike alone—especially in a foreign country. Your knee will blow up like a balloon. They’ll have to airlift you out. Trip ruined. Surgery time.
Signal Rock and An Torr Trail — Ballachulish, Scotland
The Recovery
But lately, I’ve had practice taking leaps. So instead of spiraling, I sat there, clutching my knee, letting the fear and pain wash over me. I might have cried. And then—I got up.
It hurt like hell, but my knee still worked. I managed to finish the hike. Then I went for a beer, lunch, and back to my B&B to ice, elevate, and nap.
The Lesson
Today my knee is swollen and angry at me for that leap. But I’m alive.
And that’s what leaps are like. They scare you. They can hurt. They make you imagine every worst-case scenario. But if you face them head on—with a little grit and belief—you often find you can persevere. And sometimes, you even find beauty on the other side.