Warren Macdonald

By Helen Y. Rolfe

I sign the permission for the operation with tears coursing down my face. Lying there naked under all those lights, I retreat into myself: searching for strength, crying, feeling a sadness like I’ve never felt before... knowing
I’m embarking on a journey into total darkness – and that, if I do come out of
it, things can never be the same again.
— from “A Test of Will” by Warren Macdonald

In April, 1997, on an island off Australia’s northeastern shore, Warren Macdonald’s life changed without warning. While on a quest to reach the island’s
highest peak, a freak accident occurred that left the avid outdoorsman fighting
for his life, his legs crushed beneath a one-tonne boulder. Delirious with pain,
cold, wet and unable to move, Macdonald struggled to stay alive as his hiking
partner went for help. Miles from civilization, Macdonald was trapped in a situation that became far worse before any glimmer of hope for survival arose. Strong will was his only companion.

Days later, after a complicated rescue, the operation Macdonald’s signature permitted was one that entailed the mid-thigh amputation of both his legs.

With the surgery, Macdonald’s entire sense of being was altered. It would take
some dedicated soul-searching to continue life the way Macdonald had approached it before: “always open to adventure.” Learning how to balance on a chair without his legs as a counterweight was one thing; preparing himself to reenter
the world as an outdoor enthusiast was quite another. Yet, he did it.

During months of recovery involving several more operations, intense physiotherapy and a period of hitting emotional rock bottom, it became clear to Macdonald that reclaiming part of the life he thought he’d lost – namely, access to the mountains – was the key to his survival. He began planning. Medical staff had told him that he would never walk again, but the doctors had never said a word about mountain climbing.

Less than one year after his accident, Macdonald reached the summit of Cradle
Mountain, a 1,545-metre peak in the central plateau of Tasmania’s World Heritage
Area. Nearing the top of the peak, and in a sea of emotion – “sheer joy at
having achieved something that seemed gone from my reach forever; the ability to
just be out in nature; deep sadness at the reality of what has happened to me” –
Macdonald found himself again.

With the peace and sense of belonging that Cradle Mountain had provided, Macdonald began to set new goals. His continued willingness to push the limits of his comfort zone took over, and a few months later a 28-day epic journey ensued to the summit of Australia’s Federation Peak.

The trip certainly gave Macdonald the sense of accomplishment he was yearning
for – “reaching Federation Peak’s summit only seemed to further ignite my burning ambition to discover just what somebody without legs might ultimately be capable of” – but more so, it proved a point. Federation Peak is located in a pristine area that was destined for development. (In the mid-’90s, a road was being built under the guise of a tourist loop. Conveniently, the road would provide loggers access to old-growth forest.) Prior to his accident, Macdonald had joined a few friends in an aggressive environmental campaign to protect this region. By protesting the road development, they were seen as “selfish and elitist.” Who were they to restrict access to the area from those unable to hike in there themselves? Macdonald’s sole purpose in climbing Federation Peak after his accident was to prove that where there’s a will, there’s a way, and that the wildness of a place is what makes it special.

Today, at home in Vancouver, B.C., Macdonald’s passion for the outdoors
remains paramount. The past few years have included successes like rock climbing
Yosemite’s El Capitan, ice climbing frozen waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies,
and completing the ascent of Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Macdonald realizes that, at times, his accomplishments make getting around
with a disability seem easy. It isn’t, of course, but his solution is to be organized. He’s a great fan of systems. The last thing he wants to do is go to the trouble of putting on his prosthetic legs only to take them off again in an hour for a swim.

“I try to choose the right ‘tool,’” Macdonald explains, “Full-length or ‘stubbie’ prosthetics, or wheelchair, for each task in my day.” As an above-knee amputee, he uses an incredible amount of energy to move around, especially when walking, so his biggest challenge is conserving that energy for when he really needs it.

Systems aside, the thing that is most apparent with Macdonald is his sheer
commitment to embracing life. Although he says he didn’t need to lose his legs to feel this way, he recognizes more intensely that “this isn’t a rehearsal, it’s now or never.” After the first few mountains he climbed as an amputee, and to stand again in such wild places, Macdonald knew he was back, “in a big way.”

In addition to the wilds, Macdonald’s experience has also led him to the keyboard (as writer) and podium (as a public speaker) with a sense of purpose. In his book, “A Test of Will,” Macdonald recounts the misadventure on Australia’s Hinchinbrook Island that changed his life. It’s a story that, with detailed honesty, explains the accident and all that it encompassed.

The writing process for Macdonald was a painful one. Before he put pen to
paper, he was nonchalant about revisiting the accident. “I was there for real;
I’ve already been through it.” How tough could it be? In fact it was like a rollercoaster ride. Macdonald completely “underestimated the emotions that would
be dragged to the surface in writing the book.” To create the story he wanted –
one of immediacy, giving a vivid taste of what he went through – Macdonald had
to put himself through every step of the accident again. Most of the book ended
up being written between midnight and 8:00 a.m., when he was in too much
emotional turmoil to sleep.

Like everything Macdonald commits to, the book has paid off. Although he began
writing it for personal reasons, the effect his story had on others became obvious with time. In an epilogue to the book Macdonald explains, “It seemed to provide inspiration to those grappling with this
strange thing we call ‘life.’”

Macdonald’s speaking engagements underscore the message of A Test of Will.
Even now, when he reads aloud from his book, Macdonald gets choked up. He
relates to a multitude of audiences. With the corporate crowd, he establishes a connection as early as possible so as not to lose their interest. At public events, however, Macdonald is “speaking to people with an affinity to things close to my heart, whether it be the environment, adventure or overcoming physical adversity.”

Macdonald goes on to say that “a lot of people come to these events because
they’re interested in how someone in my position goes about accessing the same
kind of places they love. Or it might be someone that’s ended up in a similar situation to me and is looking for ideas in how they might tackle some of the obstacles in their lives.” He encourages people to discover their full potential no matter what.

Support from family and friends goes a long way with Macdonald, but just as
important to him are his connections to community. To him, community is a group
of people who share common interests more so than geography. Macdonald belongs to both the climbing and amputee communities, and contributes wholeheartedly to both as an active participant – one who inspires and is inspired.

Still, the constant challenges for Macdonald do not let up. His partner, Margo
Talbot, says she “could make a full-length documentary on the events that we regularly witness in disabled parking stalls alone.” Talbot first met Macdonald at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in 2002. She too observes how people hold themselves back from life because of their fears, something she has strived not to do since getting to know Macdonald.

Speak of fear to Macdonald and he shares one of global proportions: “that
it might be too late to repair the damage being done right now to the environment, and that we turn the planet into one huge mall – that we don’t learn lessons from the past and end up with a world at war, again.” Hence, he shares his story to make people think.

Adventurer, environmental activist, author and inspirational speaker, Macdonald
has realized that since the accident, “it’s not so much how different my
life is, but how much fuller it is.”

Time is more precious. In Macdonald’s words, “We best figure out what we
want to do and get on with it.”

“A Test of Will” by Warren Macdonald (Greystone Books 2004, ISBN I-55365-064-6) is available in bookstores. For updates on Warren Macdonald, visit
www.warren-macdonald.com.

(Helen Y. Rolfe is a freelance writer in Canmore, Alberta.)