Below is a blog written by Taylor
Back in 2015 I was run over by a school bus. The bus literally ran right over my waist. My pelvis imploded and my sacrum and lower vertebrae also were fractured. Would it be odd of me to say that this accident changed my life for the better? Would it be wrong to say that this accident became my strength? At 22, I lay in a hospital bed reflecting on my life up to that point with no positives. There wasn’t anything I was proud of, or even a direction at all. I had simply skated through life without ever trying to follow my dreams. I hadn’t even lifted a finger to change my predicament. Each day was the same, and I could only enjoy feeling sorry for myself.
Then, I nearly got killed by getting run over by a bus. My life went from being comfortable with at least having a job and a place to live. Everything suddenly changed, and everything became uncertain. I got slapped in the face by reality, and regret. There was this extreme feeling that I needed to live, and a sadness that my chances to do so were up. There was no way of knowing how the recovery process would unfold. I hoped for a full recovery, but it was too soon to know if I could possibly be that fortunate.
You only get one chance at life. There’s only one You. Lying there, I vowed to never take life for granted again. No matter what. From that moment forth, I would live to my fullest. I took control over my life’s direction, and became accountable for my shortcomings. I did everything I could to come back from the accident, and to move forward into a life worth living.
Fast forward just a few years. Everything has changed. Life has a direction. Life has meaning. From my lowest point, I’ve grown into a new way of living. I found my passion for ski mountaineering. What was just one small step of courage by trying something new and looking like a fool, became my passion, and my way of life. Walking across mountains is what I do. It gives me a sense of purpose. Ski mountaineering gives me that sense of freedom I always wished I had.
I am fortunate enough to still have my legs. Many people in similar accidents don’t have the privilege to do what they want. I recognise this, and will never take that for granted. Each and every ski tour for me is a gift. Each day I can stand up out of bed is a gift. I am the luckiest man I know. With such luck, there’s the opportunity to change, and I always am. Always following the dream.
I walk across mountain ranges because I am able to. My superpower is the fire lit under me from my past. The fire tells me to seize the moment, and be vulnerable. Lifes so different now. I am completely different. Getting run over by a school bus was the best thing that ever happened to me.
In just over six years, I went from never seeing more than a few inches of snow in my entire life, to being the first person to complete the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup in the winter. I skied the length of the Oquirrh mountains unsupported in February of 2020, and followed the Hardrock 100 ultramarathon on ski’s last spring in a single push. Life is only just now opening up to me. I am only now just seeing the possibilities of my life.
What are we capable of? Where can we go in a short period of time? Isn’t that just fascinating? Today you could look in the mirror and not be very happy with how your life has gone, but there’s always the future. You can change a lot by simply beginning. By simply taking small leaps of faith and being vulnerable. Life doesn’t have to be so monotonous. Just put on your boots and GO.
