Stan was in the Eagle Cap Wilderness on a backcountry horseback riding trip. They had decided to move their base camp to a higher elevation. It was late in the afternoon, and the weather had been declining. That’s when the accident happened. The first thing Stan noticed was his horse’s neck was about to collide with his nose, so he reached out to try and grab the horse’s neck to hold on, so they didn’t go backward. He spun 180 degrees to the left and went flying. His next conscious thought as he was in mid-air was that this was not going to end well.

“The helicopter coming in when it did saved my life because there is no way in my condition they would have been able to get me out alive any other way,” Stan said. “When you come that close to losing your life, I think you develop a greater appreciation for what you have. There really are no words that you can use that adequately describe appreciation to those that have saved your life.”