Also inspired by just going with whole family to new Robin Hood movie: “Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions” -- never give up, aye aye!
it can’t be too hard, can it? This is America, they’re in a national park, of course there’s a nice well-marked trail, the guidebooks are exaggerating the difficulties, right? And I’ve done a couple hikes recently, more in shape (or more used to the agonies & pain of slogging along)
Then across Edmonds ferry to Kingston and drive to trail head (don’t stop at Quilcene Ranger station and ask any questions or worry that they will advise you not to go by yourself -- heck, I even brought my bike helmet along pretending I was going to wear that up as guidebooks advised -- because they just didn’t even care: “Oh, we only maintain the trail up to Lena Lake, we don’t know anything beyond that!”)
Start off at noon from Hamma Hamma (so nice, they had to say it twice) Road trailhead:
kinda crowded, kinda steep, but wide, well-maintained trail, and nearly everyone only going to Lena Lake campsites.
Quickly tired carrying 44 pounds in 2 backpacks (one daypack in front and Duncan’s backpack, probably a little too small for me!), but persevere...Lena Lake beautiful:
and where was that one other solo hiker who had signed in & wrote he was going up The Brothers, too?
Oh well, freeze dried lasagna, peach zinger tea and a little Yukon Jack in my lukewarm instant coffee -- ahh, an early night sleeping under the stars and now I know why everyone brings tents even in good weather cuz little scampering creatures kept scrambling onto my tarp and away again, looking for food or sumpin’.
Beyond the tree line I come up against a sheer near-vertical wall (pant pant!) but -- if I’m even in the right place! -- one guide book says: “From here [6000 feet], either bear right under the summit block to the ridge or go straight up through a narrow chute.”
So, I’m tired, why not take the shorter route? I drop my two walking sticks and start climbing up this wall, 30 or 40 feet high and kinda tricky to find hand and footholds at times.
I was taking it easy, figuring I could reconnect with the less steep trail to the right but then I got up to look and, whoops, it’s a sheer drop on that side -- oh no -- and to the left, same thing, and christ, I can’t go back up the way I came, that’s too scary, what am I gonna do now? The cliff above me is even steeper so that’s not an option...and there hasn’t been any cellphone reception anywhere on this trail (believe me, I’ve tried!) so I can’t even call for help....
Ack, it’s now about 3, no time to ponder and get colder feet, there IS some small vegetation growing to the left, I can only hope this continues down, so I start clambering down this, then I hear a tiny avalanche of scree to my left, look over, and wow! it’s another hiker! “Hey! Do you think this is a good way to go?” and he quickly reassures me, yes, that looks fine, there’s plenty of handholds, so I keep going, but it seems to get harder and I’m even wearier, reach the end of the small evergreens, hanging by my hands, can’t find a foothold, oh well, here goes nothing and drop..........
about 10 feet at least onto hard rock, owwwwww, first onto my right ankle then onto my butt....
then joins me, quickly assesses the situation, pulls out some ibuprofen for me, finds a walking cane, and becomes my savior and guardian angel!! He had been going back and forth under the ridge I was on, looking for the way up and had pretty much given up but also was a saint to descend at my super slow pace and help me out, leading me to ice water for my ankle (already very bruised and swollen) and showing where I could simply slide down the scree and ice without falling off another cliff!! I wrench my ankle 2 more times in excruciating pain but know I have to continue & do -- sheesh, this trail down would be hard with 2 good legs! And now I have to count on my always-quite-atrophied left leg to bear the major weight, hoping that my always-near-dislocated left knee doesn’t also snap! Greg -- a super fit triathlon veteran -- doesn’t ever show the slightest frustration or aggravation at how I’m slowing him down but then does disappear for long time ahead -- oh well, that’s okay, I can’t lose the trail now...and then he reappears minus his pack but with a headlamp: he had gone all the way down to base camp, dropped off his stuff and came back with flashlight worried that I might have to finish the day walking in the dark -- what a saint!!
But we do make it down by about 7:45pm -- one other solo hiker also gave up after trying several routes -- so a dandy 12+ hours of hiking for the day, whewwwwwwwwww
Again not much sleep, but what the heck, got a steep 7 miles to go, Greg wishes me well, but I manage to fit my boot over my immensely swollen foot:
and hobble off (also can hardly sit cuz of my bruised coccyx & got a nicely scraped up right arm to boot)….the moderate inclines not so bad but every boulder and root stopping me short, not so much pain (amazingly!) but the tedium & exhaustion in using my upper body and makeshift walking stick to traverse the bumpy path incredibly wearying – doesn’t help that I’m even feeling nauseous so not up for any more of my (mashed up) PB & J sandwiches or hardboiled eggs or even now-sickenly sweet gorp….
And why did he do this five more times, once at least hitting my head with feet or wings? Was it cuz my hair looked like a rats nest? Well, I did put on my hat and he then left me alone.
And on & on & on I trod….I’ve learned my lessons now: no more solo hikes, some mountains ARE hard to summit, so many of the ‘nervous nannies’ were right (for once), etc, etc,…..
But all this “I told you so”s hardly helps my incredibly long and arduous ordeal...9 + more hours along this Sisyphean trek and I make it back to the car...whew, and my foot can still press the pedal...
immediately to the nearby Geoduck tavern for an oyster burger sandwich and dark beer, another ferry home, Duncan had pulled out an old pair of crutches from the garage, ahh!
But now as soon as I finally pull off my shoe and sock, 9 yr. old Lucy runs away screaming...(!) Maybe this view is why:
And Karen insists that we go to the emergency room, where we stayed from 9:30 till 4am what fun! Everyone was sure I had broken plenty but x-rays and cat scans proved them wrong -- but one hell of a sprain, that’s for sure!
And so now I limp around with this cankerous eggplant with elephantiasis (sounds like a Salvador Dali painting!)
And then there’s a story that Lucy and neighbor pal, Sasha, wrote while I was away (before anyone had heard any news):
Here’s the first sentence:
“Pandora goes on a hike, suddenly a demen [sic] pushes her off a cliff.”
!!
