Date: 2003-08-09
From: Grafton Notch

To: East B Hill Road
Miles today: 10.3

Start: Grafton NotchEnd: East B Hill RoadMiles: 10.3Total: 1916.1Started the morning early with a feast of Earle's creation: eggs our way, biscuits, blueberry pancakes, bacon, orange juice, melon, coffee... I was sold on this place, so I was resolved to come back this evening, and the plan was that Shrek would camp somewhere nearby where I was picked up, so we could stay hiking together. I am really feeding off of his positive energy, and just being around the guy has brought my spirits up when I most needed it. But on the way to the notch, Earle was talking about women hikers and safety, telling me to never tell someone that I was hiking alone, than my husband was just nearby, whatever. And he told Shrek that if he hiked with me, he could come back to the Cabin tonight and stay for free, which was great all around. So Shrek and I hiked out, and found the terrain immediately kinder than it had been before. There was dirt underfoot, rather than rock, and the uphill was steady and graded. We tookk a half mile blue blaze to a vista, where we! saw Old Speck rising up in front of us, then returned to the trail and continued on to the next shelter. There we met Iron Toothpick, who was new to both of us. He was happy to hear that we had a rideinto Andover, and would tag along for the day. Up and over the various peaks of Baldpate Mountain, which were all rocky and bare, but offered incredible views, and were dry enough that slipping wasn't a big worry. The descent was a little rough, but we hadgiven ourselves ample time to mosy and still meet Earle at the road. The last three miles were said to be cake.But not long after we left Frye Notch, we passed six southbound girls, and then, not long after, another girl, without a pack, but with a whistle, yelling and wahistling for them to stop-- in french. In the next mile, we passed several pairs and threes of teenage girls, sitting on the trail, by their packs. We tried to find out what was going on, and, in broken english they explained to us that someone had fainted and they pointed northward. Further on, we finally came across the girl, with two of her camp counselors, laying on the trail and breathing heavily and half-crying. The counselors had focused on getting the group stopped and had not yet figured out what to do. Their phone was not working, andthe girl would be very hard to move, but it did not look like she was getting better. Neither did the counselors speak strong english, though we generally understood one another. I leant one my phone, and while she called the camp, which in turn called the Cabin for the number ! of a paramedic. Meanwhile, we sent Shrek to the road to tell Earle what was going on, and gradually found out that the girl had sat down before she had passed out, that she was having numbness and cramping in her hands and feet, blurred vision, and, despite her panic, her pulse was only at 60. She spoke perfect English, though, which helped a lot. The counselor returned and told us that the medic would meet us at the road, and before long, Toothpick and were on either side of her, walking/carrying her out. Two counselors accompanied us, and they took ther packs while we left ours, since they might need them once they reached the ambulance. The girls pack was opened and the items divided between. It was a bit rough. The girl awas conscious, but could not hold her head up, nor did she have the motor skills to do anything but lift her feet and scoot them forward. There was no control. We learned that she had been in the hospital the day before for extreme abdominal cramping, but none of the blood tests nor pelvic scans showed anything. I was thinking that it was something cerebral like a stroke, since the symptoms were so scattered and strange. It was not long before we started regretting having sent Shrek ahead, since he is far larger and stronger that either Toothpick or me. We took several breaks, both for her and us, and before long, we heard the waterfalls, which would be near the road. But once we arrived there, we saw how hard it would be to get her across. There was a path of single stones that a single person could hop, but certainly not two or three, with one very impaired girl in tow. And it wasnkt just getting our feet wet, but the bottom was rock and slipp! er, and were three of us to try to carry her, almost surely one would lose balance. One of the counselors stepped up, though, and quite impresively got the girl on her back in a piggyback and just walked her across. But, in perfect form, once on the other side, we saw the uphill ahead, gauged out energy levels, and decided against hauling her up that hill and over another mile to the road. It had ben over an hour and on flat and easy terrain, we had taken her a mile. We sent one of the counselors to the road.As it turned out, the medic was already on the way in. They had been standing at the road, but did not know which wa to go, north or south, until Shrek showedup and told them. A bunch of local volunteers were packing in equipment, and the medic was not far behind. We sat there for a little while with her, while a crowd circled around, but before long realized that she was taken care of, that we were done for the day. We went back for our packs.I was surprised, too, at just how far we had taken her. It felt like we were moving sooo slow, but we had gone ove a mile. By the time we arrived back to the fals, everyone was gone, and a hiker camping there told us that they had given her an IV, and she had walked out on her own. I was almost in disbelief. She was in such incredibly bad shape ony minutes before, and she had WALKED out?!?We finished out our last mile, and as we nearled the road, across the stream we saw a bunch of people. It took us a minute, but then figured out that it was the medics, the counselors, and ye, that was her up and walking. At the road, there were two ambulances, the sheriff's car, as wel as several locals handing out bottles of water and lingering. I took a picture of the counselors in front of the ambulance (the girl had already gotten inside), and then who do see but Cliffdweller, along with Nightwalker, who Earle sent to come to pick usup for dinner. What a crazy, crazy day. We went back to the Cabin, told the story a few times over, ate very very well, and I was passed out again on the couch by ten. Woke at midnight and moved to my bed.