
The worst fall I've ever had in my time as a longboarder happened about four years ago. I had just come off a downhill on my way home, minding my own business and making sure to be clear of car traffic. Maybe 20ft from the bottom of the downhill, my front left wheel hit something, and I hear a scraping noise like a squeegee on glass. I get thrown forcefully forward into the back of the HVAC van in front of me. I'm bloodied up from this, but thankfully nothing feels broken. I walk back over to my board, which has mercifully remained where it stopped, and I discover the reason for my sudden and painful expulsion from the deck. A goddamn walnut. A goddamn WALNUT, sitting in the middle of the street. Why was there a walnut in the street? Hmm? There is no satisfactory answer. I picked the little bastard up and chucked it as far as I could. The worst part of it? The long streak of walnut-rub left on the road behind me.