W1: A Hiker’s Misstep to Friendship

In August of 2024, Ursula Bannister, a 79-year-old hiker from Tacoma, Washington was severely injured while on a hike to lay flowers at her deceased mother’s final resting place at a lookout.

What happened next was a remarkable example of humanity, love, and respect, as Ursula was carried to safety by complete strangers, and rushed to the hospital just in time to save herself from further injury or infection.

Listen to W1: A Hiker’s Misstep to Friendship for the details…

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W1: A HIKER’S MISSTEP TO FRIENDSHIP

HELLO EVERYONE… THIS IS CHRIS….FOR OUR FIRST WEDNESDAY EPISODE I HAVE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED AT THE END OF AUGUST OF THIS YEAR NEAR TACOMA WASHINGTON…IT’S A STORY ABOUT TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE IN NEED…PEOPLE YOU MAY NOT KNOW…AND WHERE THAT CAN LEAD.

EPISODE:

WHEN URSULA BANNISTER SET OUT ON A HIKE TO HIGH ROCK LOOKOUT, AN OVERLOOK WITH A VIEW OF MOUNT RANIER, NEAR ASHFORD WASHINGTON – SHE WAS CONFIDENT… IT WAS THE SAME EXACT HIKE SHE HAD DONE EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 23 YEARS. THE LOOKOUT WAS THE SPOT WHERE SHE HAD SCATTERED HER MOTHER’S ASHES YEARS AGO, AND SO EACH YEAR, SHE HIKED TO THE SAME SPOT TO LAY FLOWERS DOWN IN HER MOTHER’S MEMORY.  

EXCEPT THIS TIME, FOR THE FIRST TIME, SHE WAS HIKING ALONE. URSULA, AT THE AGE OF 79, WASN’T CONCERNED ABOUT HER SAFETY ON THE 3.2 MILE TRAIL …SHE WAS STILL IN GOOD SHAPE, A STRONG HIKER, AND PLUS, SHE’D DONE THE HIKE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE.

SHE PARKED HER CAR AT THE TRAILHEAD AROUND 11AM, AND IT WASN’T LONG AFTER MIDDAY WHEN SHE REACHED THE LOOKOUT. SHE ENJOYED SOME TIME HONORING HER MOTHER, PLACED THE FLOWERS, AND THEN HEADED BACK DOWN THE TRAIL.

AS SHE DESCENDED, URSULA CAUGHT HER FOOT IN A HOLE, LOST HER BALANCE, AND FELL FORWARD. WHEN SHE WENT TO GET UP, SHE LOOKED DOWN AT HER LEG AND SAW HER FOOT WAS POINTED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. AT THAT MOMENT SHE KNEW SHE HAD BADLY BROKEN HER LEG. IN EXCRUCIATING PAIN, URSULA BEGAN TO SCREAM FOR HELP.

EVENTUALLY, A MAN ARRIVED AND IMMEDIATELY CALLED 9-1-1. HE WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE FIVE HOURS BEFORE A SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM COULD REACH THEIR LOCATION. THEN, THREE MORE PEOPLE ARRIVED AT HER SIDE, TROY MAY, AN AIRMAN STATIONED AT NEARBY JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, HIS FIANCEE, LAYTON ALLEN, AND HIS FRIEND, TIM MEYER. SEEING HOW MUCH PAIN URSULA WAS IN, THE PROSPECT OF A FIVE-HOUR WAIT JUST FOR A MEDICAL TEAM TO GET TO HER DIDN’T SIT WELL. SO, IMMEDIATELY, TROY, KNEW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO: HE’D CARRY URSULA ON HIS BACK TO THE TRAILHEAD SO SHE COULD RECEIVE MEDICAL CARE MORE QUICKLY. TIM WAS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST SO HE CONSTRUCTED A MAKESHIFT SPLINT, AND SOON THEY WERE HEADING DOWN THE TRAIL AS A TEAM.

URSULA WAS IN A LOT OF PAIN, SO THE OTHERS WORKED TO DISTRACT HER BY ASKING HER QUESTIONS ABOUT HER LIFE. BEFORE LONG, THEY WERE ALL RIVETED BY HER AMAZING STORY OF IMMIGRATING TO THE UNITED STATES FROM GERMANY IN 1959 WHEN SHE WAS FOURTEEN. IT WASN’T AN EASY HIKE, BUT THEY WERE ALL DISTRACTED BY THE FUN THEY WERE HAVING GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER.

THEY RESTED A BIT AND MET ANOTHER HIKER, EMILY O’BRIEN, AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, WHO JOINED THE GROUP AND TAUGHT HER BREATHING EXERCISES TO HELP CALM HER.

AT ANOTHER JUNTURE, TROY’S BOOTS STARTED GIVING HIM BLISTERS SO A HIKER THEY PASSED VOLUNTEERED HIS BOOTS WHICH FIT TROY AND WERE BETTER FOR THE HIKE DOWN.

AFTER NEARLY THREE HOURS OF HIKING, THE GROUP, WHICH HAD GROWN CONSIDERABLY, REACHED THE TRAILHEAD. THEY IMMEDIATELY GOT URSULA COMFORTABLE IN ONE OF THE VEHICLES, AND THE CARAVAN EMBARKED TO TACOMA GENERAL HOSPITAL.

IT TURNS OUT THAT URSULA HAD BROKEN HER TIBIA, FIBULA, AND HEEL BONE. SHE WOULD UNDERGO SURGERY A WEEK LATER AND RECEIVE A TITANIUM PLATE AND 11 SCREWS, BUT IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A FULL RECOVERY.

THE SURGEON SAID THAT IF SHE HAD WAITED THE FIVE HOURS AT THE TOP OF THE OVERLOOK AND DIDN’T HAVE THE SPLINT TO KEEP HER LEG IN ONE PLACE, THE DAMAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE.

AFTER HER SURGERY URSULA HAS BEEN VISITED BY HER NEW FRIENDS SEVERAL TIMES. SHE SAYS SHE’S INCREDIBLY THANKFUL FOR THIS TEAM OF STRANGERS WHO DROPPED EVERYTHING, WORKED TOGETHER, AND DID FAR MORE THAN SHE EVER EXPECTED IN ORDER TO KEEP HER SAFE. IN FACT, WHILE SHE SAYS IT WAS A PHYSICALLY PAINFUL EXPERIENCE, IN THE END, IT ALL OUTWEIGHED THE BROKEN LEG. ONE MISSTEP AND SHE GAINED NEW LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS.

IT’S ENCOURAGING WHAT WE CAN GAIN BY TAKING GOOD CARE OF ONE ANOTHER.