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Friday, July 4, 2008

A Prickly Fourth


Dr. K HAD to accompany Research Associate Becca and me on our Tortugas Mountain excursion this morning, and the good doctor paid the price. Hiking down the steep flank on the west side of the mountain Dr. K took a step and the scree gave way beneath her boot, causing her to slip onto her backsides. She broke her fall, unfortunately, by extending her left hand directly into a prickly pear cactus. Ouch!
We spent fifteen or twenty minutes tweezing the spikes out of her palm and fingers. The problem with prickly pear spines is that you can never find them all; they can plague you for weeks. Fortunately, Dr. K is a good sport, and she was able to appreciate the beautiful scenery despite her fall.

3 comments:

Dr. K said...

I really appreciate Desert Packrat's patience in helping me get the prickly pear spines out of my hand. It was an interesting way to celebrate the 4th of July.

Unknown said...

Where's the picture of the hand and the spines??

Dr. K said...

Liz, I was in such misery we didn't think of taking a picture. It would have been one for the ages.

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