Published May 20, 2009 03:01PM
I think we’ve got an undisputed winner for Badass of the Week: 90-year-old Carroll Dubuar fell face-first down a 60-foot ravine in Oregon’s Columbia Gorge, suffering massive cuts and bruises, and a broken rib. But even though he’s laid up in the hospital, he’s ready to ditch the doctors and get back out on the trail.
“If I get back on my feet I plan to hike some more,” he told reporters as his daughter, Jan Barkhurst, looked on with concern. “I like to be outdoors.”
Yes! Now that’s commitment. And he isn’t the only over-the-hill hiker in his region stil going over hills: The retired forest service worker is part of a group of over-70 Oregon hikers who call themselves the Hotliners. They plan an adventure every Wednesday.
Along with lacerations and broken ribs, Dubuar picked up a new halting speech pattern, which doctors attribute to the fall and hope will fade in time. His relatives, though, remain concerned about his desire to keep heading outdoors.
“We’ve threatened him with taking away his walking stick, making him wear a helmet, elbow and knee pads, all of it,” Barkhurst said, teasingly. “It won’t work — he lives for his Wednesday hikes.”
I certainly wouldn’t stand in this badass’s way—would you?
Know another hardman or hardwoman you’d like to nominate for Badass of the Week? Let us know.
—Ted Alvarez
Hiker, 90, says he’s feeling pretty good, considering (Oregonian)