What Happened Next

Man plans, God laughs.

– Yiddish Proverb

Two days after we climbed Colvin and Blake we were ready for our next set of mountains: Basin, Saddleback, and Haystack. We would access these from Johns Brook Lodge (JBL), a bunk house tucked three and a half miles into the woods. To get there you leave your vehicle at a place called “The Garden” (nicest name for a parking lot I have ever heard) and hike to the place. 

We had planned to spend our first day walking in, the second summiting Basin and Saddleback, the third Haystack, and the fourth out. However, as time got closer we kept reading about how quickly The Garden fills up, especially on weekends. We would be there on a Sunday morning. At the last minute we decided to arrive early in the morning to make sure we got a parking spot.

We arrived around 4:30 a.m. The lot was two-thirds empty. That’s the last time RunningBarb takes parking advice from strangers on the Internet. No matter. We waited until it was a little bit light, then were on our way. We arrived at JBL around 8:15. Now we had a decision to make. We could stick with the original plan and not hike that day, or we could take advantage of our early start and climb at least one peak. We decided on the latter and were on our way around 9:00 toward Saddleback. We hadn’t gotten very far when it started to rain. That did not seem like a big deal. We have hiked in the rain in the Adirondacks many times. Plus, rain was predicted for the next two days, so it seemed unavoidable. 

The first few miles weren’t difficult. The trail was wide and well-marked. There was the usual mud and rocks, but nothing dramatic. After a bit we came to a few giant rock faces. These were a little trickier. They were steep and, with the rain, slippery. We took our time and kept going. Our waterproof jackets were not so waterproof after all, and we began to be soaked through. 

Soon we came to a set of ladders, which were a welcome sight. We continued up. There was more rock face, then a muddy trail. Eventually we were at the top of Saddleback. It was exposed and windy there, so we immediately turned back without taking time to eat our celebratory Snickers bar. I was getting really cold. I stopped for a minute to pull a wool hat out of my pack. 

What goes up must come down, so we headed back in the direction of the lodge. Again, a muddy trail, a rock face, and more trail. By then RunningBarb was starting to warm up. The hat was helping, and the rain had stopped. The arms on my jacket were starting to dry out, and what was that I saw in front of me? A shadow? I looked toward the sky to see the sun peeking out from behind a cloud. This hike was starting to look up. (Yes, I know we were going down.) All right, then! I was feeling pretty good and thinking Wow, I just bagged my third peak of the trip, and I only have six more to achieve my goal of becoming a – and then crash!

“Owwwwwww!”

I looked behind me to see Mr. K sprawled out prone on rock. 

Oh. That’s not good. 

I didn’t say or do anything. I knew (from experience) that once you fall on a hike you need a minute or two to get up and move on. I waited.

Soon he sat up and rubbed his shoulder. “This really hurts,” he moaned.

Oh. That’s not good.

“Can I do anything?” I lamely asked. I wondered if we were going to need help. Mr. K had a satellite app on his phone (iPhone 15 Pro in case you are curious), but it would be hours before anyone would arrive. We were still wet, and if we stayed and waited would get colder. We had space blankets with us. Do they really work to keep you warm?

After a few moments he stood up. That was good.

“I can’t lift my left arm,” he reported.

Oh. That’s not good.

As mentioned about 150 times in this blog, climbing 46-ers is a full body experience. How would he manage with the sudden inability to use a limb?

Well, maybe he couldn’t move his arm, but he could move his legs, so we slowly and gingerly made our way down the ladders, over some more rock faces, and eventually back to the muddy part of the trail. He was in pain, but kept soldiering and shouldering on and on until we finally got back to JBL.

And to our surprise, sitting on the porch rocking chairs, was a gaggle of emergency medical technicians.

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