Anniversary of a life changing-event today
 

Today is the anniversary of this event in 1985. It changed my life. So I treat today like New Years, where I look at where I am now and where I want to be.

From my Ambush Interview:

Why is there a big dent in your head? Talk about CNN.

I went home for the summer at the end of May 1985 after my first year of college. My best friend and I had lots of catching up to do, so we left early on a Wednesday morning with a half-gallon bottle of whiskey to go play drunken golf (We were both avid golfers, and heavy drinkers). But it was raining, so we decided instead to roadtrip into the Olympic National Forest near Olympia Washington to see an old rickety bridge built 410 feet over a river gorge. The bridge is a good 20-30 minutes into the forest, accessible only via dirt logging roads. We didn't tell anyone about our change of plans.

By the time we arrived at the bridge, much of the bottle was consumed. We planned on tossing gliders into the gorge from the bridge, but I accidently dropped the whole bag of gliders after the first couple. So we decided to try to retrieve the bag from the river, look for some good fishing spots, and finish killing the bottle and the day. I trusted that my friend had been there before and knew a safe passage down to the bottom. He didn't.

We walked around to the edge of the bridge, and started to hike down what appeared to be a trail. My friend got sick, and stopped to puke. I didn't want to watch, so I kept hiking. I thought the trail seemed steep, but I kept going, thinking that we would just have to find a different way out, maybe up river.

I remember sliding on my ass down one particularly steep section, grabbing onto a tree to stop myself. Suddenly there were no more trees to grab, and the next thing I remember was waking up at the bottom of the gorge next to the river. I had tumbled about 150 feet and fell off a 60' cliff at the bottom into loose rock and sand. My friend was also there. While I was unconscious, he decided to try to rescue me. He did the exact same slide and fall to try to reach me.

We were in horrible shape. I split my head open, crushed the right side of my face, fractured my neck, and tore a lot of skin off my hands, arms, and chest. My friend wasn't much better. Although he managed to stay upright through the slide, he landed the fall on one leg. He blew out his left ankle, knee, and hip. We were both bleeding badly. Worse yet, we were trapped between the river and the cliff. Neither of us could walk.

We laid at the bottom for about 3 1/2 hours. Crying, praying, screaming for help. Saying goodbye. We seriously thought we were going to die. A logger drove across the bridge that we were under, and noticed our car parked on the side. He told us later that he thought he had heard someone yelling for help, and since he didn't see us on the bridge, he stopped to look. He called the county sheriff to report two bodies at the bottom of the bridge. We were the 49th and 50th to fall from that spot. No one else had ever survived, so he assumed we were dead too.

Another logger heard the call, and hiked up the river to us to see what happened. When he got there, he realized we weren't dead. He called for help and did some first aid to stabilize us. I believe he saved our lives. The only way they could get us out with our injuries was by helicopter. So much time had elapsed, the local news stations sent their own helicopters to tape the rescue. There is some amazing footage of me in a gurny, hanging from 300 feet of cable under the rescue helicopter. The rescue was dramatic because the pilot had to fly directly under the bridge into the gorge to reach us. Twice.

The video made all 3 local news stations, and I later learned that CNN also ran the story and video of the rescue. So now, I have a lot of scars and a quarter-sized hole in my head where they had to remove a piece of bone. My friend also recovered, although he has a permanent limp.

I learned an important life lesson that day. It explains a lot about my personality and lifestyle now: Carpe Diem, seize the day. There is no guarantee that we'll be here tomorrow.

Whenever someone says to me "I'm GONNA do ______ someday, my answer is always the same. "What's wrong with TODAY? Do it NOW!"

Steve Lightspeed

wow

can imagine stuff like that changes your life, I never went to something that bad but still Im like whats wrong with today as well - I always say I can be ran over tomorrow, got like 40 yrs left here like to make the max of it

Very good story Steve. I had not heard it before. I am sure glad that you and your freind survived the ordeal.

Happy New Year to you.:thumbsup

Hard to believe its been 21 years since that day huh! Glad you survived such a fall. At least some good came out of such a tragic day in that you now live life to its fullest ;)
WG

Excellent story Steve, I did not know this about you.

Thanks for sharing and for the advice. It's sad that sometimes (well, for a LOT of people, unfortunately including myself, I think) things like this need to happen to jolt us as humans out of our stupor and actually act.

Happy Anniversary man.

Wow, that is a story like no other. You are lucky to be alive.

Everytime I hear that story I get chills. It is truly unbelievable that you both survived such a freakish fall. It seems you were very much fated to be the successful pornographer that you are... and thank God because our industry wouldn't be the same without you!

Happy New Year!

happy you;re still alive

nope me either

I prefer to believe that my "fate" was more to do with my two future children than my future contribution to the porn industry.... but thank you for the nice words!

Maybe this Aristotle quote applies here:
"The whole is more than the sum of its parts."

The hole in Steve's head explains a lot......

Without going all mushpot on you...so glad you're here today to celebrate. Working with you has been the experience of a lifetime...having your friendship has been even better :)

no mushyness over here but I sure as hell am glad that you survived that fall Steve! and better yet that I consider you one of my friends! :)

I've seen the dent and heard the story, and Steve you are truely lucky to be alive! Whatta fall. Someone upstairs must of had a plan for you. A plan involving super hot......

Glad you are here to tell the story...dammmm, i agree with your way of life my friend...


Mr. Romance

Nice story, it's amazing how stupid we can be when we're young. Not stupidity per se, I suppose it takes years to gain the wisdom needed to safeguard one's self.

ddouble....

Steve you've posted this story last year or couple years ago right ? I've heard the drunken golfing part from you before...

Well...

The real moral of the story is do not get drunk and go trippin balls off a cliff!

Glad ya made it though!

I'm just glad that you are here today to tell this story year after year. It's a amazing stoy that is for sure

"The real moral of the story is do not get drunk and go trippin balls off a cliff!"

Ought be takin as a life lesson as well.

Steve...

Many folks go trippin balls off cliffs in the business.

You got lucky.

So Let's not encourage them.

thats a hell of a story, glad you lived

You got lucky landing near a small river, where there was an openning, a clearing.

Much like the teen niche you flew out of, and from there ya went to skyward.

Think about it:)

wow, thats amazing. You are so rignt about doing things today and not tomorrow.