Well, I have a little story along the Lines of Roman’s Costal Visit adventure. This is nothing as dramatic as Roman’s but did involve emergency services:) First let me start with it was a nice hike, always nice to get into the woods. I had to say that since they next few statements may be, well less then up beat:)
We finally got some rain here on the east coast. All my creeks water levels have been dwindling and less then photogenic. But on Thursday we had a good rain and on Saturday I finally got out to enjoy it. I had assumed that the 1.25” plus rains would make the falls nice. And they forecasted cloudy conditions for Saturday, so it was good. I woke up to a nicely cloud covered sky and prepared for a good day hike into Jeans Run’s gorge. I got there and headed down the trail about 10am and well, the cloud cover started to occasionally break. That’s ok, it’s still mostly cloudy. A half hour later I get to the creek and to my surprise the rain was only able to put it back to normal flow as opposed to the rush I was hoping for. Well, that’s OK too, I am in for a nice hike anyway and maybe a few new photos as I intend on going deeper into the valley this time. Off I go, hopping from rock to rock descending down into a gorgeous area that is infrequently visited by others. About half way down into the trail I made a long reach for a high step and heard a little tear in my pants:) No problem, they are old pants anyway, knowing I would be crawling some of the way on this trail. I finally arrive at my destination about 2.5-3 hours after leaving the truck. I really didn’t stop at all since I was planning on shooting all the stuff during my accent out of the valley. I would scope out good locals and get them on the way back. Plus all the time down the sun was growing in strength hindering the photos. Now at the bottom, and my subject in spotty sun, I had to await the next cloud bank. I decided to explore a little further down stream, and off I went onto a rock slide slop just up the hill from the creek. Another 10 minutes downs stream I found nothing interesting and decided in order to get home at a decent hour I should start the return trip. There were a lot of photographic opportunities and that would take some time. On the rockslide I turned around and started back. ONE misplaced step on a rock that rolled, and down I went! Unfortunately my boot stayed on the rock and with a loud pop, I knew my ankle was in trouble. I jumped up quickly and tried to walk it off but soon realized that there was a little more damage then a short walk could fix:) I started getting sick to my stomach at the proposition of returning to my car some 3 miles up hill. I walked a little further and got back to my original destination to find the sun had went behind a cloud and decided it was time for some photos and a rest.
Here it is.
I sat there, waiting for different lighting and contemplating different compositions, but I had a nagging problem. The pain in my foot was getting no better and it was very distracting. I just couldn’t sit there taking photos knowing I had the hike back. I tightened my shoe and took a few more photos and off I went. Well of course on this creek not far ahead I had to stop to shoot this angle.
And looking back.
But you know it’s amazing how much more energy you use with a gimp!:) I was tiring much more quickly so I placed my rests here:
and here
here
and about here I got another surprise
The skies opened up with a torrential downpour and light show. The small hole in my pants was now elongated to go from my waste to nearly my knee. While the cool drafts this ventilation afforded were refreshing, the rain was less then comforting. I packed up my gear and tossed a poncho over myself and backpack. I continued to hobble up the trail, my foot getting no better, and the endorphins helped keep it from getting worse. The now rain soaked rocks became slippery and more frustrating to climb. But if I could only get to the trail head at the creek, the last mile and a half on the smother trail should be easy. Well that was an misunderstanding. Here I thought the hard part was climbing to the top of the valley, where the mile or so on flat, slightly up hill path offered a repetition that was much more painful..
Well I finally got to the car and after informing my wife of my condition she insisted we spend Saturday night in the ER. 3.5 hours later, 3 X-Rays, and a couple prescriptions I left with this neat parting gift. An air splint. If any of you have weak ankles, this may be a worthy investment.
Aircast The irony, is it poured while in the ER, another 1.5 inches of rain. AND Sunday was fully overcast without rain. SUNDAY would have been much better:) I should be healed up I a month or so if anyone would like to go back with me?:)
