A group of us wanted to start getting a few longer hikes under our belts in training for some upcoming lengthy adventures we have planned for mid summer. The weather looked promising for May 19.
This just happened to be Victoria Day in Canada. A little history — Victoria Day falls on the Monday preceding May 24.
I remember a verse from my school days in Nova Scotia: “The 24th of May is the Queen’s birthday. If we don’t get a holiday we’ll all run away.”
But enough with the history lesson and on with the hike.
Kelly put her thinking cap on and came up with the idea of hiking up the Lake Road to Indian Head and returning by the scenic Gill Brook trail. This would total roughly 10 miles. I had made a reservation for the Adirondack Mountain Reserve for parking just in case we needed it so we were all set.
At 7 a.m., we parked at the lot and were off. It was a chilly start but we all like hiking in cooler temperatures. Lots of laughs and stories and before we knew it, we had hiked 3.5 miles on the dirt road to the intersection of the trail.
Remembering all the rain we had for the past few days, we made the unanimous decision to take a side trip to Rainbow Falls. The falls did not disappoint. The ice cold water was crashing dramatically over several rocky ledges. The roar of the water was deafening as it dropped down 150 feet smashing on the jagged rocks below. We posed for a few photos even though the spray was soaking us.
It was hard to leave such a spectacular force of nature but we had miles to go.
Back at the intersection, we took a short break and then headed up the trail. The trail is steep and rocky in places with a couple of ladders to help in the climb. In no time at all, we arrived at the summit. It was totally overcast with a wind that had a bite to it. I’ll take that over hot and buggy. Regardless of the weather, the views are amazing. There were only a few hikers that came and went but we visited with each and every one.
After an extended stay, we hoisted our packs on our backs ready to begin our descent on the Gill Brook trail. We spotted a heart shape in the rocks so Kelly and I walked over to take just a couple more photos. I snapped a couple of shots, turned around, took one step when my foot caught on a small ridge on the rocky summit. I remember thinking to myself, “This is not going to be good.” I took 3 long steps trying to catch myself and down I went. Hard.
The girls rushed over. They unhooked my pack so I could determine if anything was broken. After a minute or so they helped me stand and we moved over to a spot sheltered from the wind. There was plenty of blood from my hand and my pants were saturated with blood at the knee. I was in good hands as Kelly is a very experienced hiker and Mary a retired nurse. Kelly retrieved a first aid kit from her pack and did a great job wrapping the areas to stop the bleeding. (I was actually waiting for her to haul out a sanitary pad for the cut as I knew she usually packed one for emergencies such as this.) I was feeling a bit nauseous and my teeth were chattering. They got my hood on and jacket zipped up and we discussed whether to call the rangers to give them a heads up — just in case. I was feeling quite a bit better and didn’t want to contact the rangers as I felt I could walk out with Kelly in front and Mary behind. We chose to return the way we came up as it would be a shorter time on a trail. It was a slow trek as we were being super careful.
A mile later (not sure how long that mile took us) but we reached the Lake Road. Kelly volunteered to jog down that 3 plus mile private road to the gate to ask if they could send a truck to pick us up. Mary and I made a sling from a spare jacket as my hand was throbbing hanging by my side. The walking was going well and my knee didn’t hurt too much.
After a half hour or so a truck arrived as Kelly had flagged down some workers. What a nice bunch of guys as they drove us down the road and to our car. I knew I was in store for a trip to the emergency room so we headed to Elizabethtown.
Upon arriving at the hospital, I was quickly signed in, put in a room along with Kelly and Mary followed by an examination by the doctor and several x-rays.
The results showed a broken bone in my hand and my knee required 9 stitches. Ribs were only bruised. The entire staff was wonderful and my doctor had us all in stitches. (Me literally)
As I think back on our hike, I can only say how grateful I am that I did not hit my head or break any large bones. I could not have asked for any better caregivers. The amazing part is as bad as the cut was, I did not rip or even scuff my favorite LL Bean hiking pants and all the blood was removed by using a bar of Fels-Naptha on it.
Of course, it had to be my right hand. It has taken me a while to type this using only one finger on my right hand but I do have a lot of free time now. No hiking, biking or paddling for a while but at least I can walk.
Happy Trails.