Nelson Sullivan's hobby as a child was making avalanches at the gold mine. He would stand on the edge of a large pit ( the Haile Gold mine near his home in Kershaw SC was the sight of strip mining) and kick the ground until it came loose and avalanched. One Saturday afternoon Nelson slipped while doing that, fell down onto a ledge, and broke his ankle in many places. What followed was a lengthy hospital stay and a metal pin inserted into his leg to keep it together. Despite the long recovery period, the accident benefited Nelson in the long run, as it kept him out of the draft which was sending thousands of young men his age to have their lives wasted in the Viet Nam war. Video by Nelson Sullivan