The climber injured in August at Lumpy Ridge is making a slow recovery in a Massachusetts hospital

By Becky Weller of the Estes Park Gazette

Mark Wiranowski is in high spirits after a devastating climbing accident nearly claimed his leg last month while climbing in the Lumpy Ridge area in Estes Park. After a month of surgeries, skin grafts and uncertainty, the 36-year-old climber was finally released from Massachusetts General Hospital on Saturday, Sept. 8, where he was then transferred to a rehabilitation center.

“I’m in good spirits,” claimed Wiranowski, who still has a long road to recovery.

Wiranowski and his cousin, Jason Folder, were climbing in the Lumpy Ridge area on Aug. 8, along a route commonly referred to as Batman and Robin. Considering it was a 5.6 beginner climb, Wiranowski felt that it was a perfect route for his novice cousin.

“The climb went fine,” said Wiranowski. “It wasn’t until the descent that we ran into any problems. We rappelled off the top, but the ropes got stuck. I scrambled up to free the rope, and then scrambled back down. On the way I leaned on a refrigerator-sized boulder that came loose. I surfed down on it and it crushed my lower right leg between it and the wall. The rock kept going so it didn’t pin me. I landed sitting up with an open tib-fib (tibia/fibula) fracture and my muscles and such all hanging out.”

Blase Reardon, who was hiking with a friend nearby, was one of the first climbers to reach Wiranowski. In a letter to Wiranowski’s wife, Reardon commented, “Mark’s accident was by far the most serious I’ve encountered. It was life threatening and the actual injury was gruesome… Mark’s response was by far one of the most remarkable displays of courage and grace I’ve ever witnessed. He was calm, present and strong throughout.”

Luckily for the injured climber, Reardon is a former EMT. Also among the elite group of volunteers was nearby hiker Tom Hornbein, who was among the first group of Americans to ever summit Mt. Everest. Even Wiranowski himself is an experienced climber, having earned a Wilderness First Aid Responder certification. Because of his experience, Wiranowski was able to remain calm, despite his life-threatening situation. “I sat there looking down at the exposed bone and muscle and thought about three things: my leg is broken, I need to stay conscious, and my life is forever changed,” he said.

With these things in the very front of Wiranowski’s mind, the hiker was able to remain calm, periodically updating rescuers about his condition and even managing to crack the occasional joke.

After six hours of snaking down through the tough terrain, often having to slowly and carefully pass the stretcher from person to person around tight corners and down steep grades, rescuers were finally able to get the injured hiker a little closer to safety. A rescue helicopter immediately transported Wiranowski to Rocky Mountain Medical Center (RMMC) in Loveland where he spent the next several days in and out of surgery.

“It’s a fantastic facility that has only been open six months,” said Wiranowski. “I am really pleased with the care that I have received here. The staff is competent and pleasant.”

When deciding whether or not to have his main surgeries here in Colorado or back home in Massachusetts, Wiranowski had trouble deciding since he had come to truly appreciate the staff at RMMC.

“The entire staff is huge on patient advocacy,” said Wiranowski. Ultimately he decided to have the surgery at home since that is where he would eventually finish up his rehabilitation.

Once he returned to Massachusetts, Wiranowski underwent further examination, with doctors eventually deciding to take a small muscle from the inner thigh (Gracilis muscle) to use over his injury. By covering the exposed bone with healthy muscle the injured area was able to receive blood, oxygen and protection from infection. Initially doctors believed they would have to use a larger muscle from a portion of Wiranowski’s back, however since he was in excellent physical condition prior to the accident, doctors determined that Wiranowski was strong enough to respond to the use of the smaller Gracilis muscle. By doing this doctors were able to avoid a more invasive procedure, thereby giving Wiranowski a better chance for a fuller recovery.

Currently undergoing rehab, Wiranowski faces even more challenges and hardships. However, with strength and determination on his side Wiranowski expects to make a full recovery and even hopes to eventually climb again.

It appears as though the one snag, in this otherwise incredible rescue story, is the fact that during the time of the accident Wiranowski, who is currently an instructor for Outward Bound as well as a grant writer for various non-profit organizations, was without insurance. Although some of his hospital bills in Massachusetts are being partially covered, the patient is still anticipating a bill close to one hundred thousand dollars. The family has set up a fund to help with the burden and asks that anyone wishing

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