It was simply a matter of parking in the lighthouse parking lot and climbing a quarter of a mile or so to the top of the rock. Although it was hot and tinder-dry just a few miles inland, the point itself was cold, windy, and, at times, foggy.
The activation itself went off without a hitch, although it took approximately three hours to log the four contacts required to qualify (I ended up logging five contacts). My new Efactor antenna worked fine, although I was only able to log one contact: Joe, AA0BV, who just happened to be on Mt. Tamalpais, the site of my previous activation. I eventually logged four additional contacts on 20- and 40-meters SSB and called it a day. This is the point where my real adventure (or, rather, misadventure) began.
I successfully navigated through the scrubby brush, "bushwacking" my way down to the trail back to the parking lot. Within a few hundred yards of end of the trail, I stumbled on something and fell. I landed on my left shoulder; I suspect the weight of my backpack with the radio equipment contributed to the force of the fall, as I went down hard. (Luckily, I was nowhere near the edge of the cliffs that can be seen in the photos below.)
My first thought upon hitting the ground was "I hope no one saw that!" That quickly changed, however, when I realized that I no longer had the use of my left arm. I suspect that I had dislocated it at the shoulder--at least I hoped that that was the worst thing that happened. I rolled onto my back--I was still wearing the pack with radios--and laid there like an upside-down turtle, assessed myself, and weighed my options. I was able to move my wrist and wiggle my fingers, which was a good thing. There was no way I was going to be able to get up and move by myself, though. I reached for my cell phone with my right arm and...there was no signal. I started to get a little scared at that point.
Luckily I was in an area with many nearby tourists; I swallowed my pride and started calling "Help!" After a few minutes, a couple of people heard my call and came to my aid. For some reason, they wanted to sit me up then help me walk to my car; I was having none of that, as any attempt to do so caused excruciating pain and discomfort. I told them I needed an ambulance. More people began to show up and someone volunteered to go call 9-1-1.
I estimate that it took at least 30 more minutes before someone reached a location where they had a strong enough signal to make the phone call. After that, it took 20-30 minutes for the Marin County Fire Department engine company and ambulance to respond from the nearest town (Point Reyes Station). In the meantime, a park ranger arrived and stayed with me.
When the paramedics and additional rangers finally arrived, they secured my arm, loaded me on a stretcher, and carried me to the ambulance. What followed after that was a long two-hour, winding, bumpy ride to Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae. Fortunately, the paramedic was able to give me morphine so that it would not be too painful.
At the hospital, x-rays showed that I had suffered an impact fracture of my humerus (upper arm bone) just below the ball joint in the shoulder; there were actually a number of small fractures, and the shaft of the bone was displaced. It was a pretty bad break.
To make a long story short, I continue my recovery as I write. On September 11, I underwent surgery, in which a metal plate and eleven screws were necessary to put the bone back together (as I said, it was a bad break). In the time since the operation, I have been doing physical therapy to regain full (-ish) use of the arm. The physical therapist says I am making good progress, although it seems slow to me (I have to keep reminding myself how lucky I am that it was not worse, as bad as it was). I have been wearing a bulky sling since I was injured and expect to until the end of October, at least.
I hope to be able to return to work sometime in mid-December. I work for Amtrak as a passenger train conductor, so it's imperative that I get as close to full-function of my arm as possible before I do return. I am fortunate to have access to short term disability payment plans from both the Railroad Retirement Board and my union, so I should not run out of money in the interim.
It has taken so long for me to post this story because I only recently have been able to start using both hands to type.
Portable station W6SAE, set up for SSB operation on 2 meters.
Here is a closeup of the Efactor Dual-Band 144/432 MHz antenna in action.
This is my Yaesu ATAS-25 antenna, for HF SSB, and VHF FM.
Another view of the operating position.
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