I May be Miss Broken Jaw, but I can Still go Backpacking!

11 days after my biking accident I found out I had broken my jaw. I had been out to dinner with my friend Amy and was chewing  on some Garlic Naan. I heard a loud crack and pop. The pain that shot through my jaw at that moment, about dropped me to the floor. It was then I admitted my jaw wasn't feeling any better since the accident. I went and saw a dentist the next day and had my jaw x-rayed

Before the dentist had seen the x-ray he told me he thought the pop had just been my TMJ joint popping because of pressure that had built up in the joint from the accident. He said I would have known right after it had happened if I had broken my jaw. However, after one look at the x-ray he said, "No, it looks like you definitely broke it."

After looking at the x-ray he thought I probably separated the bone further as I tried eating solid foods after my biking accident. He said the fracture was bigger on one end. After speaking with a specialist and determining that my bite wasn't off much I was told I wouldn't have to have my jaw wired shut, but that I'd be restricted to a liquid diet for three weeks and a soft foods diet for two more weeks after that. :(

Have no fear, my broken jaw didn't keep me from going backpacking! :) I took two short trips into the backcountry these past three weeks. One was an overnight trip in the Uintas and the other was a three day trip in the Beartooth Wilderness.The overnight trip in the Uintas was probably the hardest as I had just learned my jaw was broken and hadn't really figured out what things I could have that would give me substance in the backcountry. Beartooths was two weeks later and a few days before I was told I could start eating soft foods, so I cheated a little and ate some soft foods up in Beartooth :)

Pictures from the Uintas:

 

Beartooth Wilderness Trip: