Return to the wilderness

Gregg Hein was descending 13,600-foot Mount Goddard by himself in July 2014 when a dislodged boulder crashed into his right calf, breaking his leg in three places and beginning a six-day fight for survival before his eventual rescue.

Six surgeries and 15 months later, the Clovis native is running, cycling and, yes, hiking again — with friends.

Despite the traumatic event and long recovery, he’s grateful for the experience and the way it has shaped his life.

“I wouldn’t wish it upon myself, but it has been a very positive experience,” Hein said. “I’ve grown from it, so I’m thankful for it.”

Here’s why:

The accident

Hein, then 33, was an experienced hiker and rock climber who had made solo treks in the mountains since his youth. It wasn’t unusual for him to go on multi-day excursions by himself.

On July 3, 2014, Hein parked his car at Florence Lake in Sierra National Forest and hiked more than 20 miles to the summit of Mount Goddard in two days.

As he descended on July 5, a rock came loose in his hand on the steep northern slope. A three-foot boulder then came barreling toward him and, before he could react, snapped his tibia and fibula.

His circumstances forced him to abandon his pack — and a few days’ worth of food and water —to maneuver his way down the mountainside on his hands and one good leg.

Hein tended to his wound and tried to stay warm for days before anyone thought to look for him. His parents, Doug Hein, an agricultural product salesman, and then-principal of Temperance-Kutner Elementary School Randy Hein, expected him to return Monday, July 7.

Doug Hein, assuming a search could not begin until a person had been missing for two days, didn’t call authorities until Wednesday when there was still no sign of his son.

Gregg Hein, who had by then descended more than 1,000 feet to Davis Lake, about a mile and a half away, watched as helicopters flew above him on Thursday. But the search-and-rescue teams didn’t spot him.

Finally, around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, a National Park Service helicopter landed near him to drop off a search-and-rescue crew. The men spotted Hein and carried him into the cockpit.

He was saved.

Hein was taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno for treatment — embarking on his next journey:

The road to recovery

“Because of my infections that I developed in the mountains and when I got back, it delayed the process,” Hein said. “I ended up not being able to have surgery until the week before Thanksgiving.”

While recovering, the injury was the only thing Hein could think about. He’s glad it’s behind him now.

“It’s amazing to get to that final point in the middle of December and know that I don’t have to think about it anymore — it doesn’t have to be the present,” he said.

He used crutches to get around after the accident and started walking on his own March 20.

“It’s been fun to relearn to walk,” Hein said. “My sister has an almost-2-year-old and I was joking with her that she learned to walk before I did.”

His bones have mended, and although his ankle wasn’t injured, it has been the hardest thing to rehabilitate.

“It was immobilized for 6 months,” Hein said. “I’m about 85 percent in getting range of motion back.”

Although not on a prescribed physical therapy program, Hein rides his bike about 100 miles a week and runs a mile two to three times weekly. He took a hiatus from his routine only after his grandfather and Clovis Unified founder, Floyd “Doc” Buchanan, passed away in August.

Hein’s right leg is now about 8 mm shorter than his left, and he has developed some lower back pain from the height difference.

Return to the wilderness … with company

While he’s not doing the long, solo hikes that he’s used to, Hein completes day hikes and has done two overnight trips with friends.

“One was to Sykes Hot Spring in the Ventana Wilderness in Big Sur area, and one was to Sespe Hot Springs north of Ojai in Los Padres National Forest,” Hein said. “I paid for a week afterwards. My ankle is swollen, sore, puffy — it has that whole ‘cankle’ effect. I feel like the Tin Man when I get up; I have to oil my ankle to get it moving.”

Since the accident, it’s been easier to find hiking partners, Hein said.

“I’ve got a lot of amazing friends who have been wanting to include me in hiking trips,” he said. “It’s just been, for the first time in my life, kind of easy to find hiking partners. Everyone has to get back home, so it works out that I can’t do long miles. It’s nice to be hiking with people again.”

He has also made friends in the local trail running community.

“Now I truly have people I can hike with, people I can run with, people I can do all these adventures with,” Hein said. “Someone is going to be able to have time.”

Six days isolated in the wilderness with a compound fracture has left Hein with emotional scars as well as physical.

“The mental part of relearning how to walk and being comfortable in the mountains wasn’t something I accounted for initially, and that’s what I’ve been struggling with,” he said, describing a hike in which he slowed down due to pain in his ankle. As his buddies got farther ahead of him, “I started to get panicked. I’ve never panicked on a trail. It stems from not being able to trust my feet.

“I get a little concerned about things. I’m not as comfortable.Being isolated again kind of brought those fears of being stuck for six days and not having anyone around.”

Future trails

Hein is determined to get back into the wilderness and do solo off-trail hiking again — even to Mount Goddard — but he’ll be more prepared.

“Taking things for granted can really come back to bite you in the [butt],” he said. “Do the little things, just in case the worst-case scenario happens. Fill out trip reports for the forest service and park service. Have a firm time, so that if you don’t come back and nobody hears from you, people can call search and rescue.” The sooner you get that process started, usually the better off people are.”

Although all he can do now is ultralight and summer backpacking because he can’t put too much weight on his leg, Hein spends hours researching mid-length to long trails.

“I have tons of hiking goals,” he said. “I’d love to do the John Muir Trail and the Wonderland Trail. I’d love to ride my bike to the high points of the 48 states, lock up my bike and climb to the top.”

Hein wants to complete the annual Climb to Kaiser, a 155-mile bike ride rated as one of the top 10 toughest rides in America.

He also wants to finish a 100-mile trail run.

“I met (local runner) Victor Ramirez and I was talking to him about it. I said I don’t know if I can run it without pain,” Hein said. “But he said you can always just walk the whole thing and try to make it by the cutoff time.

“I like to be competitive and I love to run, but at least (walking it) I could still obtain the goal, which is comforting to me. I had more or less written it off.”

Career-wise, Hein has dreams of practicing water law and public interest environmental law. He’s set to attend San Joaquin College of Law in Clovis next fall; he completed his bachelor’s degree in environmental science just two weeks before the accident.

His six-day misadventure last July was somewhat of a turning point in his life.

“Like any personal growth that takes place, sometimes you need an impetus or something to make you think about things, kind of redirect some of the wrong roads that you travel down or thoughts that don’t really line up with who you are and what you want to be. So that was nice,” he said.

Hein has also developed a bond with Clovis that he’s never felt before.

“I grew up here my whole life, but I never felt that connected or close with this place. I always wanted to get out and go away,” he explained. “I’ve realized how amazing the love and support is from the people here. I can’t thank all of the people in Fresno, and Clovis specifically, for how much that buoyed my spirits.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Return to the wilderness."