Date: 2011-08-22
From: Guyot Shelter

To: Crawford Notch, parking area
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: fog

Woke up to a very wet shelter area from the previous night's rain. I was happy that I stayed in the shelter. I made a quick breakfast, got packed up and headed out with "Jelly Pants". Before getting on the trail, I got the phone number of the couple that followed me into the shelter area the day before. They live in North Conway and could provide a ride from the trail to the hospital. "Jelly Pants" and I decided to stop at Zealand Falls hut for lunch. Given that it was so close, we knew that we could get there before they had the soup ready to serve. We just took our time getting ready and with taking breaks. Except for the technical stuff of climbing down rocks, it was going to be an easy day of hiking because it was downhill all the way to Crawford gap. We stopped once for snacks at the top on a small hill then proceeded down the hill toward the hut. We past a side trail that we thought was a trail to an overlook but as we continued down what we thought was the trail, we began to realize that we hadn't seen a white blaze since seeing the side trail. Hiking the trail is very easy from a navigational standpoint because the trail is both well trodden and marked with white blazes. In thhe Whites, there are lots of side trails that are identified with signs but it's almost as if the park officials don't want to acknowledge the existence of the AT. There are relatively few blazes and the signs say nothing about whether a given trail is part of the AT. We have to look at our maps and/or guide books to see the name of the trail that coincides with the AT and then look for it on the signs. If one takes a wrong turn, they may not notice it for a while because the white blazes that normally confirms that one is on the Appalachian Trail can be a mile from an intersection. This was the case. Out came the maps. We looked closely and confirmed that it was a side trail to an overlook and not the trail itself. Still, we hiked along hoping that we read the map correctly. We finally saw a blaze and continued with confidence. We got to Zealand just before they were ready to serve soup. "Molehill", "Stinkbug", "So Far" and one other northbounder were already there when we arrived. Once the soup was ready, we each got a bowl along with some fresh bread. It was all outstanding as usual. After hanging out for a while, I decided to take off for the road crossing. I had 7 or so miles to cover quickly. "Jelly Pants" was going to the next camping area to meet up with a friend. We agreed to meet up down the trail because it was impossible to guess how things would work out as far as hiking schedules. This, of course, is typical for thru-hiking. The hike to the road was refreshingly easy. There was very few rocks to navigate around. I got to the parking area just before 4. As I arrived, I met a family from Oregon who were out for a short hike. We started talking and before long, they said they were willing to take me to town. Ahhh how the trail provides! The couple that I met yesterday could have given me a ride there but they would have had to drive out to the trail head to pick me up. It made more sense to have this family just take me to town since that's where they were planning on going. It's a hearty 15 miles into North Conway where the hospital is located. Right next door was an inn that was reasonably priced. I got a room, showered and then headed for the hospital. After a quick check in, they took an x-ray. The nurse practitioner took a look at the image then gave me the news. It was a nondisplaced fractured. In other words, I broke it but it didn't need to be set. I was surprised to say the least. Sure it hurt when it happened but it recovered so quickly that I thought it was just a bone bruise or something simple like that. I certainly was bummed. I had just gotten over a knee injury. I was also fighting a cold. I had to make a special town stop to deal with a failed water filter. Now, I had to make a tough decision as to how to handle the fracture. Everything seemed to be against me at this point. Even with all of that, I resolved to not give up. There was plenty of time so if nothing else, I could rest a week to let it get stronger. Tomorrow, I'm scheduled to see an orthopedic surgeon who would confirm the read of the x-ray and set up a treatment plan. The nurse made a quick plaster based splint and put me in a sling to protect it until I had a chance to see the doctor. For the rest of the day, it was laundry then dinner. I worked on a few journal entries then headed for bed.