broke back mountain–literally, not the other kind

Did one or more of your parents ever use the line "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt"? Well, Saturday afternoon that warning came to pass for my sister and her friend when Fran and Amir volunteered to take "the kids" up to Snow Basin for a sledding adventure.

Boots, mittens, scarves, over inflated inner tubes, slick fliers and the riders clinging to them flew down the mountain with great velocity. Four-year-old James was a trooper, climbing up the hill, again and again, always exclaiming when he reached the summit: "this is the most awesome sledding day ever!" But the chilled thrills ended with the conclusion of that infamous "last time" down the mountain.

Reaching nearly 50 miles an hour, the black donut carrying Fran, Amir, Grant and Abby hit an iced-up mogul at the bottom of the hill, sending everyone flying. The agile kids must have bounced out somewhere in the slide, but the "older drivers" did not have as fortunate of a landing. Amir suffered a concussion, and his shoulder and cheekbone took a good beating. X-rays later showed two compression fractures in Fran's lower vertebrae and possible bruised kidneys. Upon hearing that she was at the emergency room for a cat scan, Fran's friend texted his sympathy for her cat.

In spite of the outcome, Abby still contends that it was the funnest ride of the day. Get better Auntie Frannie and Amir.