Oh boy, there have been so many. As a bicycle, kayak and mountain guide, I've seen my share of injuries. The most serious:
France '98. One of my cycling clients was sitting on a rock wall on the edge of a small village enjoying the view and eating a pastry. He got stung by a bee and I was sure he was going to die. Thank you EpiPen.
France '96. Again another cycling client. This time the client had a death wish. Despite me telling her countless times that country roads my LOOK like bike paths, they are open to traffic, she kept riding right down the center line. She got hit by a VW Polo at about 30mph. How she survived is amazing. Two fractures in her leg and one in her shoulder. Took 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.
Alaska '99. One of my mountain bike clients woke up with a fever. We were miles from pavement. Day two the fever reached 104 and became everyone's full priority. After the heli came to get her we found out she had a serious infection from NOT CHANGING HER CYCLING SHORTS for three days. Amazing what will get you.
Alaska '02. Despite countless pleas to stop, a Japanese client felt it was appropriate to descend a paved highway with a camera in one hand. When her face hit the guardrail, it crushed her cheek bones, nose and dislodged her eyeball. That....was a tough day for everyone.
Alaska '01. Despite warning my climbing clients that cooking in a tent was a SERIOUSLY bad idea, I was awaken from a late PM nap by a very loud "POP." That was the sound of a two-person Bibler tent being exploded from the inside out. My two hapless clients crawled out of the remains of the tent, which wasn't burned, but shredded, with missing eyebrows, nose hairs, singed lips and ears. Aye. We called that "near death by mac'n'cheese."
Alaska '01. A client I will not name (John Baxter) simply would not listen to my advice that he NOT ride his mountain bike as aggresively as he had done for the previous day. I reminded him that an accident would mean a helicopter, and many thousands of dollars. He continued to ride like an ************ taking insane risks. When he crashed for the fifth time and a portion of his tibia poked through his skin to say hello, the next issue became his wife, who went into shock and required her own medical attention. Guiding. Aye.
There are more. As a guide for over a decade, I saw it all. I watched a lady literally stick her hand in a pot of boiling water when she tripped over her own feet. Saw another client simply step out of a 15 passenger Ford van and spiral fracture her femur like she was made of spun sugar. One sea kayak client started puking blood the first day. The wife said, "This has been going on for days before we left, but we didn't want to miss this trip to Alaska."
One of my favorites: It gets pretty buggy in Alaska. I watched a guy so crazed by mosquitos, he cracked and sprayed DEET all over his face. Then rubbed it in his eyes. Before I could say, "dude...******..." He was screaming like a toddler.
It's amazing what happens to people on vacation.