On Sunday, July 21st, Mike and I were taking a hike on the Pipeline Trail in Millcreek Canyon.  It was around 8:20pm and we had stopped where that trail picks up Church Fork Trail.  Our dog had gone on the non-trail side of the creek.  Mike had gone to that side of the creek to get her leash untangled.  I decided this was a great time to pick up a rollie pollie that I wanted to show to Mike.  (They are called potato bugs out here.)  I went over to where the Pipeline Trail swings around to the little bridge over the creek and began to walk on the tiny path worn on the non-trail side of the creek.  I immediately started to slide down toward the creek with feet extended and an added twist to the left.  Quickly, I found myself lying on my back and about five feet closer to the water.  At that point, I could put my head down on the bridge that my feet had been standing on seconds before.  The pain was intense and I had no doubt that my foot was broken.

Somehow, I pulled and crawled, getting myself up onto the bridge.  Mike was right there.  His initial reaction was to carry me down to the picnic area at the Church Fork Trail.  This was not a terrible distance, but it is rocky, twisty, includes a bridge, and is downhill the whole way.  I got onto his back to attempt it, but decided (thankfully) that it was going to be a bad idea.  I got him to put me down right at the intersection of the two trails.  Cell phones don’t work up in the canyon and neither of us had our daypack on or, a water bottle.  It was hard to keep calm.  Since this was a popular trail, Mike determined that someone would be along shortly who could help us.  We resigned ourselves to wait as I started to go into shock.

The first person to encounter us was a nurse!  Her name was Natalie.  She was really gentle with me, trying to keep me calm and to get me to slow down my breathing.  It did not take her long to decide I needed 911.  She offered to run back down to her car, drive down the canyon, call 911, and alert the guard at the entrance.  Mike and I were alone for a while.  I was cold and shaking.  A runner came upon us.  He offered to help Mike carry me down, but we decided to wait for the nurse to come back with the EMTs.  Later, a man came by with his daughter.  They thought we were just lying in the middle of the trail, enjoying the evening.  After we explained our situation, he gave us his emergency blanket.  Mike wrapped me up in the blanket and put his arms around me to try to warm me up.  To keep me calm, he got me to sing with him.  We must have been quite the sight lying there on our sides, spooning, and singing in the dirt.

When the nurse came back, the EMTs were right behind her.  Luckily, they were just as kind and professional as the nurse.  They gave me an IV right there with pain and anti-nausea medications.  When they asked me what hospital I wanted to go to, I did not have a clue.  Nurse Natalie said, “Take her to the U.”, so I agreed.  They put me on a stretcher and four of them carried me downhill to the ambulance.  They had to put me down twice to be able to maneuver around all the obstacles in their way.  I just held my IV, waiting for the moving to stop.  After getting me into the ambulance, the individual EMT crews divided up their stuff and we were off on my first ambulance ride.  I was so cold, the EMT turned the heat on in the ambulance for me!

Nurse Natalie gave Mike and our dog, Sela a ride back to where our car was parked.  He was going to drop Sela off at home and to get some things for me, then join me at the hospital.  I did not arrive at the hospital until after 10:30pm.  Apparently, we spent about an hour and a half lying in the dirt on that trail!  Like everyone who helped me that day, the staff at the U were great.  It was a long, painful night of medication, nausea, bedpans, x-rays, splint application, and all that goes with a trip to the emergency room.  Mike was by my side all night.

They did not allow me to eat or drink all night, just in case they had to end up doing emergency surgery.  When they decided that was not going to be necessary, I asked for some crackers and water.  At 10:00am, I finally ate something.  It had been about sixteen and a half hours since I had eaten.  This made me feel so much better!  They had not wanted to release me until I could go to the bathroom on crutches, unassisted.  The nausea had made that impossible all night.  So, success!  I got home around 1:00pm on Monday afternoon.

My injuries are an avulsion fracture in the mid foot and a regular fracture at the back, bottom of my tibia.  The avulsion fracture refers to a ligament that tore bone fragments off in the top of my foot.  It hurts just to write about it!  Both injuries are equally painful.  On the following Friday, I got in to see an Orthopedist at the U.  I was very impressed with my doctor and his crew at the Orthopedic Center.  He gave me the wonderful news that I would not need surgery.  And, he set me up with an air cast, a knee scooter, and pain medication.  The bad news is I will probably end up not bearing weight on this foot for three months.  Since it is my right foot, this also means no driving!

I am almost six weeks out, the halfway point!  There has been a lot of bed rest, foot propping, swelling, foot icing, pain, medication taking, napping, crankiness, frustration, boredom, reading, etc.  I look forward to this being over.  However, I am so grateful for so many things.  I’ve had tons of time for introspection!  Mike has been so sweet and nurturing, taking care of me day to day.  I have had so many friends and family members participate in my healing.  I really am one lucky woman!

Growing up, snow was not something I encountered very often.  I am from a small town in southeast Georgia called Brunswick.  It is very close to Florida and is a coastal town.  Brunswick does not really have seasons.  The weather is usually very hot and humid.  Winter does bring cold temperatures, but very seldom does it bring snow.  In fact, I can tell you exactly when it snowed in Brunswick during my lifetime.  It snowed in 1976 and in 1989.  I was in first grade when it snowed in 1976 and I was pretty excited.  There was enough snow to scrape off the cars to make a snowman about twelve inches tall.  In 1989, I was twenty years old.  That snow caused power outages, car wrecks, and closure of the causeway to the island.  (Southeast Georgia does not have the resources to deal with snow.)  Consequently,I think the magic of snow got lost in the inconvenience that it caused.

Now, I am a Southern Woman living in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I have been here for five years.  Some of the license plates around here claim that Utah has the greatest snow on Earth.  As I write this, snow is falling for the second time since Fall started.  After five years, I still adore the snow.  When you wake up to fresh snow, it looks like everthing was sprinkled with sugar.  There is nothing better than a hot beverage, a fireplace with a roaring fire, my snuggly husband, my warm, soft dog, and snow falling outside the window.  That is my favorite snow combination.  I also like the sound that my snowboots make when they crunch through the snow.  Unfortunately, skiing and snowboarding are not meant for me.  I took lessons, but those sports are just contrary to my instinct.  And, I am not known for being an athlete.  Snow-shoes are my friends, though.  Yes, I can walk.

So, you won’t hear me complaining about the snow.  Right now, I am drinking an americano at a cafe, watching the snow fall outside the window.  It was enough to inspire me to write my first blog post.  I hope you all get to experience the beauty of a snow day.

Welcome to WordPress.com! This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!