subject: The Day That I Became My Children's Hero [print this page] The Day That I Became My Children's Hero The Day That I Became My Children's Hero
There are too few times in life that stand alone and above all others, days that will always hold a special - never to be forgotten - memory. This was one of those days, a day when on a hike, I became my Children's Hero.
This event occurred the first summer after moving to the mountains of Colorado. Wanting to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and have a nice little family outing with our children, my wife and I planned a day hike to the Brown's Creek waterfall. The kids were pumped, a day hike, a chance to experience a water fall, and a day spent with dad (not enough of those as I look back.) Life was good. And let's not forget Izzie, short for Isabelle, our little Yorkshire terrier. She was loved beyond measure by our kids and what's a family outing without Izzie?
Our hike would take us up the Brown's Creek trail and after about 3 miles the water fall would be on our left, at least that is what I was told (what map, what hiking GPS). After slowly climbing the first mile, the trail flattened out and took us through a beautiful meadow and across the creek a couple of times. We decided to turn back before reaching the waterfalls, mostly because we were tired and still didn't know how much further it was. While crossing the creek by walking on a downed tree trunk, our little Izzie fell into the creek and immediately started bobbing up and down in the current. The next moment is still a bit of a blur, but I remember hearing one of the kids yell that Izzie fell in and she can't swim. Instinctively, I jumped into the river after her. Now, I too was bobbing up and down in the river, gasping for air, trying to catch up to Izzie. Somehow I managed to grab her and toss her to the river bank. But now, I was the one in need of being rescued. The rapids grew larger, the current stronger, and I was quickly tiring. I thought this might be the end and I wasn't sure if I could hold on. Then, I heard the familiar voice of the love of my life, my wife's voice. She yelled something like Stand Up! With the last bit of strength I could muster, I stood, and walked out of the raging river (creek). The kids showed little concern for my well being, they were doting over Izzie, now safe in their arms. But I did hear one of the kids say, Thanks Dad, for saving Izzie. You're our Hero!'
As we walked back down the trail, I enjoyed a rare, but one of those sweet moments in life, that I wouldn't trade for anything on earth. I didn't care about my wet clothes, the squish of water in my boots, or the embarrassment of nearly drowning in 1 foot of water; none of that mattered. I just walked along; bringing up the rear of the line, with my head held up, my shoulders back, and my chest pushed out proudly relishing the fact that, at that moment in time, on that particular day in life, I was my Children's Hero!
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