'bout 10 yrs ago, Wifey broke her kneecap in two, split it in half, just walking w girlfriends downtown Boston. she was looking up at the sky when she tripped on a cobblestone then fell striking her patella squarely on the edge of a curb. girlfriends described the scene as from hell. lots of screaming. hailed a cab to the ER. by time I got there she was on pain meds but the thing had swelled to a grotesque semblance of a knee. she has surgery a few hours later after getting on morphine. she had a long recovery. as I was getting up from the fall I was remembering her ordeal & thinking how awful that would be if it happened to me on a remote trail. I've taken maybe 3 or 4 falls so far since starting to mountain bike. I sense a trend. so while I never gave it a thought before, I am now