adamsappel
Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJXntGGkV5c
Here's a wall of unreadable text from Les on Facebook:
But here he is playing with Journey, so he's all better!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lif0i2ISuvI
Here's a wall of unreadable text from Les on Facebook:
Les Stroud said:ok so here's the story and update: we were a caravan of four vehicles - one micro bus and three land cruisers - we had been travelling for nearly ten straight hours - most of it on a dirt track road through the Mongolian desert grassland when all of a sudden - as far as i could tell - the steering gave out on our vehicle - i was in the back seat behind the driver and there were two other passengers one in the front and one in the back seat with me - i was looking out the front window from the back seat when it happened - now there was no seat belts in this vehicle in the back seat so two of us back there were not belted in....the trucks front wheels seems to simply break and turn sideways - we skidded for about twenty feet sideways - then started to roll - we rolled twice - on the first roll i hit my head and then watched in utter surrealism as the world slowed down and i watched us go upside down - watched the roof crunch in in front of my face - thought to myself: "no no no NO NO NO dont roll dont roll dont roll!!!" - then thought to myself 'no one get hurt no one get hurt no one get hurt" then on the second roll - remembering how my head hit on the first roll, i knew that the next time it would be my neck and i would be killed i was sure - so i threw out my left hand to act like a net for my friend beside me in the back seat and shrugged my right shoulder up so i would hit my shoulder on the next go around instead of my neck - (we were rolling to the right) this worked and is exactly what happened - but my shoulder and ribcage took all of the crashing weight of my own body and my friends - then we kept rolling until we almost went for a third roll but instead we levelled back and landed upright on our wheels (thank god for that - landing upside down or sideways would've been horrifying) .....once we stopped we all looked at each other - i blurted out something like 'is everyone ok" and all the other three responded with affirmative that they were all ok - then one asked me 'are you hurt' - at that moment my shock wore off and i could feel my body and i knew i was not good - the pain kicked in and i just said four times: 'I'm hurt' - thats all i could say - until i said 'I'm blacking out' and i fell sideways onto my friend and the seat - i didn't black out fully but i was in enough pain that i couldn't talk anymore or respond to questions for about 15 minutes.....an hour or so later with all the cars back and everyone running around and trying to help me the reality of being in the middle of Mongolia kicked in - there would be no rescue helicopter - it was now 11pm and dark...a few hours later we got me moved to a good vehicle - i could talk again and i reassured that i was ok to be moved - then we started the 'hell drive' - we tried to drive for another 7 hours over bumpy field roads with drivers who were exhausted and falling asleep at the wheel until we got to the 'city' of Ghengis - at 6am we pulled into the grungy hospital - this was a pointless exercise as they didn't even examine me - because they didn't know how - the X-rays they took were blurry and pointless - so after a sleep in the only available hotel - we got back in the car and drove another 7 bumpy hours to the capitol city of Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar - now we had a decision to make - a hospital here? - or fly to Beijing or Canada? - everyone told us - do NOT put myself in a hospital here - ok so we would attempt to fly home - the pain i had was getting worse and had become centred in my lungs as well as my ribs - however i think the bumpy rides actually may have put my shoulder back in - so given flight schedules and all this effort to get me to the airport nearly 50 hours had passed all in constant travel and a few sleep breaks - before i even could get on the plane - i hopped on the plane to Toronto with the thoughts that if it gets bad i will get off in Beijing at the layover and go to a clinic there - we did NOT know or suspect i had a punctured lung because i was able - or so i thought - to get a full breath.....i felt the same in Beijing as i did when i got on the plane so i said lets push through to Toronto and get to a good hospital - *I should add here that my Mongolia hosts were absolutely fantastic at worrying for me and looking after me and doing all they could to get me to safety.....(*I should also add that we met Steven Segal in the airport and he gave me injury advice!!) ......long story but once i finally got someone to see me in Toronto Eastern General their body language changed when they listened to my lungs and all of a sudden they were rushing me through - indeed i had punctured my lung as well as breaking two ribs - but my shoulder was back in place! i mustve been told 5 times that they couldn't believe i flew and that i was lucky to be alive at all ....i know i know - you dont have to say it - i could've died horrifically with all that flying and a punctured lung - but you weren't there - you often have to be there at these situations to see how decisions are made - right or wrong good or bad - and it seemed a lesser evil to chance the flights than it did to wind up in a Mongolian hospital when i needed a tube shoved into my lungs - no offence to what are likely some many talented and skilled doctors in Mongolia - we just didn't know how to find them not to mention that it was a public holiday there and everyone was away or clogging up the city streets in parades! ....so right or wrong we flew me home - sadly the last two Survivorman episodes of this season will have to be cancelled for now - but first i need to convalesce a bit - lick my wounds - and eventually come out fighting - i thank you all so very much for all your kind wishes and words - it makes a big difference - i am glad to be back home and dealing with first world issues like why isn't my guinness in the fridge getting cold - think i'll take one down to the dock and decompress and try to process this past 7 days....Survivorman was on air long before the others teaching and filming survival since 2001 and i shudder to think how many times in the past fifteen years something serious could've happened travelling to and from location or on location but didn't - even though all my risks are usually calculated - mistakes can be made and things happen - so all in all - i think the odds were building up against me and i am lucky that we all came out alive in the end.....so rather than curl up and say - thats it I'm done - instead i think i have fresh new odds in my favour!!! smile emoticon for now - if the doc says i can fly - i will go to Newfoundland on Aug 3rd and hop up on stage and play some blues harp with none other than Journey!! c u there....and please stay tuned for new and more Survivorman information and my touring information......PS - i dont recommend getting a punctured lung - it kinda hurts....L
But here he is playing with Journey, so he's all better!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lif0i2ISuvI
