Date: 2015-08-27
From: Grafton Notch, ME

To: Pittsburgh, PA
Miles today: 21.5

This is Box Turtle speaking from the Kedron Valley Inn in South Woodstock, VT. No, it isn't on the Appalachian Trail, because BT is headed for Boston and a flight home to Pittsburgh. A fluke slip of the foot on the trail in New Hampshire on Tuesday resulted in an ankle fracture that needs a cast for at least six weeks. Hike over! After hiking through some tough southern Maine terrain, including the Mahoosic mountains and Mahoosic Notch (often called "the most difficult mile of the AT" because it is a complicated boulder scramble), BT slipped on a barely sloping rock atop Wocket Ledge, just over the border in New Hampshire, at about 4pm Tuesday afternoon, barely a mile from that night's destination, a campsite near Page Pond. (The next day I planned to hike into Gorham, where Mr. Box Turtle was waiting to meet me for a couple of days of hiking together in the White Mountains.) Fortunately, there was cell phone service from the ridgetop location, and a nearby hiker (and then another passing by) helped me pitch and then settle in to my tent, where I expected I would have to spend the night before help could arrive. I was unable to put any weight on my left foot, and there were miles of steep, rocky terrain between me and any road. My 911 call summoned a crew of NH game wardens from the New Hampshire Fish & Game Commission, who are also charged with wilderness rescues. At about 8pm, two hearty young men shone their headlamps into my tent, having spent several hours using ATVs and hiking to reach me just after dark. They splinted my foot, packed up my stuff, and we agreed to try and get down the mountain on foot rather than call for a litter-carry (which would have required 18 people--three crews of six, taking turns carrying me!). I was able to hobble while leaning on one of the guys and using a hiking pole as a crutch, and sliding on my butt down the steep rocky sections, on the trail about .7 mile, then a bushwack through the woods (they had GPS devices guiding them) to the closest point where they had been able to drive ATVs. Two more rescuers arrived to help a couple of hours into this fun little nocturnal adventure. Our group of five moved pretty slowly (it was now near midnight and raining), but during a break to rest and eat a snack, one of the guys took the picture which I hope I have attached to this post. Not flattering to Box Turtle, and yet she looks alot better than she felt! After the mile and a half of walking, there was a rough (but actually kind of fun) ATV ride through thick brush for several miles. We got to Gorham at 1:30am, with delivery to the motel where Mr. BT was waiting. Decided to wait until morning before heading to the ER at Androscoggin Valley Hospital in nearby Berlin, NH. There the X-rays showed a fractured fibula just above my ankle. Fortunately not the joint itself--so no surgery, just a cast "for a minimum of six weeks." The whole event felt a bit like a bad dream (except when the rescuers shined their light into my tent) and Box Turtle is dismayed to have the trip end after 1400 miles and just when I was starting to envision its possible successful completion! I'll consider completing the remaining PA-NH section in May-June--or maybe I'll lop off New Hampshire, out of spite! Needless to say, the thought of not being able to get any of the hoped-for post-AT hike exercise--swimming, rowing, dancing and running were all planned--for six weeks is discouraging, not to mention the strict dietary discipline that is now suddenly called for after my four and a half months of guiltless heavy eating. But, hey, it could have been worse, and I had a pretty swell adventure. Gratitude is the feeling that comes first to mind when I consider the trip--for Ellis and my kids for being enthusiastic and supportive, for friends and family for their interest and communication, for the good fortune to have been able to experience so much of the beautiful and remarkable Appalachian Trail, for lots and lots of solitude, for the thrill of feeling self-sufficient (even if a bit of an illusion, well-demonstrated by my complicated rescue) for the interesting people I met along the way, and for those tough game wardens that helped me out. I'm afraid this sounds a little melodramatic. Greater time and wit would have allowed BT to convey much more color and detail about the journey; these brief entries do an AT thru-hike very little justice. Perhaps in the spring, I can redress some of that. But for now, Box Turtle is headed for...hibernation!