Paul Thompson Deals with the Unexpected in South Africa

Paul Thompson and Jim Finkowski have enjoyed plenty of adventures mountain-climbing and skiing in their more-than thirty-five-year friendship. Paul’s usually been on the helping end of mishaps and at Jim’s side in the hospital, like after they’ve been trapped while climbing, or Jim’s been wrapped around a tree while skiing.

Last year, it was Jim at Paul’s side when things went awry in the mountains west of Oudtshoorn, South Africa.

Paul first got on a motorcycle eight years ago at age fifty-seven. His son’s best friend signed up for the MSF class and Paul decided to go along. His first bike, a Kawasaki 650 KLR, was soon replaced by a BMW 1200 GS and he’s been averaging 12,000 kilometres a year ever since.

He and Jim have been to Alaska and ridden a lot of back-country discovery routes in Colorado and Arizona. “I typically enjoy adventure riding requiring more concentration—the woods, the scenery back there, and the different pace.”

But it was a low-speed low-side on their Victoria Falls to Cape Town safari where things went wrong. Day seventeen was the last day of off-tarmac riding on the last few kilometers of gravel.

The Unfortunate Event

“After consulting with Rene and Piet, Jim, Gord (Zans), and I had gone off the main route to view a famous overlook we’d heard about. We’d catch up with the rest of the group later.

“Once back on the trail, we caught up with Piet and the chase vehicle in a canyon. Jim was ahead of me; Gord behind. As I came around a bend, a vehicle drifted around the corner on the loose gravel. I couldn’t hit the brakes but evaded him by moving as far left as possible. I crossed a bridge and stopped to catch my breath and wait for Gord.

“When Gord didn’t show up, I thought he’d been hit and went back to find him. Relieved to find he’d just stopped to take pictures but still freaked out from my harrowing miss, I told Gord I’d putt along. About two turns later, at ten to twenty miles per hour, I went around a curve. For some reason the rear of the bike kicked out, my right toe got caught, and my leg twisted as the bike went down. I felt like I’d tipped over at a gas station.

“The things that bothers me is that I don’t know exactly what happened, which means my head might have been somewhere else; that I wasn’t being present.

“Piet, Gord, and the chase truck arrived quickly. Gord blocked traffic, Piet used sticks and duct tape to immobilize my leg right to the hip. We were in a steep canyon with not even sat phone reception so someone else rode ahead to call the ambulance.

“Ninety minutes later, it showed up. Piet arranged a bank transfer to pay the cash they demanded before they’d transport me. At midnight, an ER physician assessed me, (he thought Piet did a great job with the sticks) followed two hours later by an orthopedic surgeon and a temporary cast, and surgery the next morning.

“Surgeons installed a tibial nail from my knee to ankle, held in place by screws. The screws weren’t right, which meant a second surgery on Tuesday. I spent the first two days in ICU and another five in a regular ward.

Paul’s Recovery

“Doctors wouldn’t release me until I had flight reservations and I couldn’t get flight reservations until the Dr. gave the OK. My travel insurance was great in sorting it out and making arrangements.

“Jim, my buddy, stayed with me the whole time.

“My travel insurance covered his lost days of the trip, all his expenses while he stayed with me, and made him my attendant for traveling home—first class!

“The orthopedic doctor in Minnesota said doctors in South Africa had done a great job and I needed no further surgery. After eight weeks with no weight-bearing, I could get into a boat and have people take me fishing.

“Recovery took time. I attended physical therapy for two hours a day, two days a week as well as sticking to an at-home routine. I slowly picked up the exercises, returned to pickleball, and even downhill skiing. That hurt because the fracture was where the top of my ski boot sits.”

Paul’s also returned to riding this spring.

“I keep going over the pictures, remembering the bike sliding and studying  the tracks. I could have bumped one of several softball-sized rocks.

“Maybe I should have decompressed after my close call. It wasn’t so much about riding or the terrain as it was about making sure you’re present. I was thinking about how lucky I was to be alive, that I didn’t get hit by that car. I’m going to be more mindful.

“Still, I had an absolutely fabulous time in Africa. I saw the parts I really wanted to see and would go back in a heartbeat.

“Now I’m excited to go to South America with Renedian in November. Getting back to adventure riding is part of the journey. Many worse things can happen in life than a broken leg.

“You could stay in the basement and lock the doors. I’m going to just keep going. There’s too much fun to be had!”