Date: 2018-06-28
From: Duncannon PA

To: ClarkÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek
Miles today: 17.9

I fell today. Pensilvania was true to its reputation and gave us a rocky trail all morning long. At one point I was heading up a steep hill going from rock to rock. I couldn¢t see a blaze, but there was someone in front of me so I kept going. We were both off the trail. The rocks were wet from the rain and my boots were not grabbing on to anything. One misplaced foot and I was teetering trying to catch myself. I failed. My foot slipped in an awkward direction and my arm slammed on the rocks. I just laid there.Nobody saw. Nobody heard.It felt like everything hurt. I thought about just laying there. Maybe someone would come along and pick me up.Sheila, you twit. You aren¢t even on the trail. Nobody is coming.I thought about two year old Cole running towards me with a huge smile, falling and then picking himself right back up. Did I ever have that kind of rebound?Then I thought about two year old Evan, his twin brother, always trying to block my way whenever I had to go to work. ¢Don¢t go momma!¢ He would plead. Then it was 13 year old Evan in my thoughts, hugging me when we last said goodbye. ¢You don¢t have to hike any more mom.¢ Still he is not wanting his momma to be away from him. I tried to wiggle all of my different parts. Everything felt ok except for my arm and my right foot.¢You don¢t have to hike any more mom.¢Then I thought of thirteen year old Cole, sitting on a rock somewhere waiting for his slow slow mother to catch up to him. He is so full of determination to reach the finish line.Get up off the rocks Sheila. That is the only way to get Cole to the end and to get home to Evan!I picked my sorry whimpy self up, found the trail and Cole and continued on. My foot, and my big toe in particular, throbbed. I numbed the pain with Advil.We paused for a break at Peters Mountain Shelter and then set out to go seven more miles before calling it a day. Cole went ahead with instructions to wait for me at PA325. I arrived and we crossed the road together. A roaring creek spilled over the trail on front of us. A white blaze beckoned us from across it. How on earth were we supposed to get there?We followed the creek down stream a short way and found a family of backpackers. They told us that the spillway on the local damn had been opened and wouldn¢t be closed until the weekend. They were going to camp out until the water went down. They also told us that hikers who had come by ahead of us had gotten a ride to the next spot where the AT crosses a road, thereby skipping 14 miles. Yet a third group had decided to hitch into town. There was no cell service by the creek. What were we going to do?We sat down by the creek and I pulled out our dinner to cook while we discussed it. We couldn¢t wait for days. We didn¢t want to skip miles. We ate our dinner and decided that we would camp here for the night and see if the morning brought a change in the water level.Cole set up the tent.Then a hiker named lord Snow arrived. I passed on to him The information regarding the dam and the options which had been presented. He had his own solution in mind.Further up stream the current did not appear to be as swift, but the depth was unknown. Snow took off his pack, headed upstream and then waded out into the flowing water. Within a few steps he was in over his head and trying to swim across. I stood there watching and thinking, I¢m a dead woman. The current was going to wash Snow down stream, and although I am undoubtedly a much weaker swimmer and the effort would be futile, I knew that I couldn¢t just watch someone drown and do nothing. I¢d have to try to help. I¢d fail. It all played out in my head it a long panicky five seconds as Snow fought the current. Then another hiker showed up, probably a much calmer and less dramatic hiker than me, I surmised as he laughed ¢There he goes!!¢Then Snow was back on the shore.¢We can probably swim across but our packs will be soaked.¢ He said.The water was much more shallow right at the trail crossing, but the current was also the swiftest. Snow stepped out into the shallow water to test the current. He stepped again. Step. Step. Step. The water was clearly pushing him, but he was strong enough to resist it. Step. Step. Step. Then he was across. He turned around and crossed again. ¢You guys can make it. I¢ll help you.¢¢Are you going now or in the morning?¢¢I¢m going now.¢Tomorrow the water could be lower, but it might not be. We were being offered help today. Now.¢Cole, take down the tent. We are crossing now.¢Cole ran to pack up the tent he had just set up while I got to work cleaning up from our meal.I put my phone and camera in a zip lock bag, then I took off my boots and tied them to my pack. I put on my crocs. I put on my backpack, leaving the waist strap undone. Then I approached the rushing water. Step. Step.The current pushed. I pushed back.Step. Step. Step.I was across.It was Cole¢s turn. He approached the current with Snow at his side.¢Undo your waist belt!¢ I hollard from the other side. He couldn¢t hear me above the sound of the creek.I hollard louder and gestured to demonstrate what I was saying. Finally Snow directed him to undo his belt. Together they stepped out into the current.Step. Step.I could see Snow giving Cole directions but couldn¢t hear what they were saying.Step. Step.Cole wobbled a bit, his arms flailing. Snow reached to steady him.Step. Step. Step.Then they were across. Not far from the creek we found a spot to set up the tent. I was still full of adrenaline, but it was quickly giving way to exhaustion. Cole was excited about what we had just done. ¢I guess that we have a story to tell now, don¢t we bud! ¢¢Yup¢I listened for a while for the sound of others crossing the creek, but I heard nothing except for the rushing water.