Meadow Creek APA 2010

CRRRAAACK! The unmistakable sound of a tree‘s holding wood popping ricocheted off the steep canyon walls early that July 5th afternoon. Shannon instantly recognized the sound. She knew a tree was falling, but where? She was standing on a log jam above the Main Elk drainage on the White River National Forest looking at her hand-held GPS. As she looked up in the direction of the sound, she made a split second decision that saved her life. Shannon launched off the log. Branches of the 60-foot tall, 12-inch Douglas fir caught her in mid-air, twirled her around, and slammed her onto the rocky streambed five feet below. The seriousness of her injuries was not fully understood by Shannon or her supervisor for nearly two weeks after the accident. Word of this accident did not reach fire managers on the White River National Forest for almost a month.

Hit by Tree