Cause for thought

Day 2

Position: N 46.18 E 096. 27

Distance travelled: 10 .2 km

 

My forearm feels like it's on fire. The right side of my body is numb, I am on the ground still moving forward, still attached to my kite, no longer in my buggy. Reaching up through mouthfuls of dust and dirt I grab the red brake line that always seems to be just slightly out of reach and the kite grudgingly lowers to the ground, still tugging but pacified for the moment. Eric runs over to check on me. I am ok, bruised and scraped, but this could have been worse…much worse.

Our system is simple. We start with a large modified kite buggy holding all our gear, food, water, and of course driver. Sitting in the buggy we are able to move forward with the power of the kite ( attached to our harness) and steer with our feet using the front wheel. If any part of this system were to fail it is mostly likely to be my ability to stay in the buggy when the wind pulls a little to hard. This is essentially the weak link that led to my accident. I feel now that I am in over my head. My confidence is shattered, in fact I am afraid to sit back in the buggy and try again.

Eric, Sarah, and I sit and talk options as my adrenaline lowers and the pain of falling from the sky begins to set into my hip. This is real, this is dangerous, and I confide to the team that I am not sure if I can or will want to continue. I go to bed unsure if this will be my last night on the trail as part of the team.

With morning comes a clearer mind and a very sore right arm. After a night's rest and some time to review options, I tell the group that I will be willing to try again. Slower, with less wind and a personal intermidiate goal of 100km (the next town). We travel 10.2 km, pulling, pushing and riding our buggies over the vast desert. We even made some distance using sails fashioned from therm-a-rest and a wind sock. More importantly, I sat back in the buggy, with a much smaller kite, and cruised through better terrain . With my confidence growing, I start feeling better about the next couple days and grateful that Eric and Sarah are willing to change the pace, reaffirming their ability to be great team mates and friends.

Curtis