Daily Log: Day 51

51 2616.8 8/4/2021 sunny, hot. Woke and packed up and was on trail. I left Justin and the Jeep at 5:30 and got on trail at 5:38. I was slack packing today. There were reflective dots on trees to get from the campsite to the CDT. With MIO I was zooming. In two miles I was climbing the only major climb for the day. It converted to a road walk with massive piles of trees clear cut beside the road. I met “Hobbit”, “One Speed”, “Just Paul” near a pond and chatted with them about the upcoming trail. [Note: Unbeknownst to me at that time I had met both of them them on the PCT in 2014!] They helped “Sheep goat” with his Glacier transit by allowing him to join them on their permit. They also told me about upcoming trail magic – sodas in a cooler. The road walk was about 3 miles and near the end I found it and got a coke. Soon the trail left the road and went through some blowdowns. On the first ones I tripped, fell backwards and ripped a 2” gash in my left inside ankle. It was deep but not bloody. I immediately sent an InReach message to Justin. Then I ripped and wrapped it with my snot rag. Finally I bound it down with my belt. I found I could walk so I continued albeit slowly northbound toward Justin. I got cell signal and phoned him. I explained my injury. He was about 4-5 miles ahead. He grabbed his first aid supplies and headed south while I walked slowly north. We met about midway. He removed my belt and snot rag replacing them with butterfly bandages and an ace bandage. We slowly hiked the 2 miles to the Jeep. We drove into Helena to St. Peter’s Urgent care. Soon nurse Michael and doctor Cassie were working on me. In about two hours I was released with two sutures in my leg, a tetanus shot, a prescription for antibiotics and a bag of bandages. After the pharmacy we went to the Best Western and checked in. Dinner was at the Brewhouse Downstairs. I had meatloaf and Justin had chicken.  We both had beer or ale. Well that was quite a day. Very unexpected but the adventure continues. We might stay two more days based in the doctor suggestion we should delay 48 hours. Although we had planned a zero day tomorrow we never expected that a gash in my leg would require that. Night night.

I’m alway curious how rock slides form. Did some catastrophe cause them or was it something else.
On trail Justin unlashed my belt around the wound and removed the snot rag to examine it. Luckily it hadn’t re-opened or bled too much while I hiked the two miles towards him which was good (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)
He cleaned the wound with alcohol, used buttrefly bandages to hold it together, and later wrapped it with an elastic bandage (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)
Then we drove to the Helena Emergency Room. Hiking is always an adventure! (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)
I filled out forms and was ushered back to one of the rooms (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)
Justin stayed with me the whole time (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)
Nurse Michael and Physician’s Assistant Cassie took great care of me. Cassie had to open the wound to irrigate and clean it. (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)
Then she gave me two stitches – one on each end of the deep section. She told me that this is considered a “dirty wound” and must be left open to allow the body to secrete and drain any infection. Finally she applied a gauze sponge and gauze pad and wrapped the whole affair in a bandage. Also I was given a tetanus shot and a prescription for antibiotics (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)