You will probably recall that on Thursday, July 28 I fell on a steep and treacherous rock descent on North Kinsman Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and twisted my ankle. I decided to call a retired Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Kim Brown, whom I had met just ten days earlier in Lake George, NY. Dr. Brown listened to me as I described the condition of my ankle over the phone. He said that I should have an xray to really know the condition of the ankle. However, he understood that an xray was not possible at that time. From what he could surmise by my description, he guessed that I probably had a severe ankle sprain. He suggested that I obtain an Air Cast Ankle Stirrup to use immediately and continue using it through the rest of my hike. I was able to purchase one by phone at a Rite-Aid Drug Store in Lincoln, NH. Lincoln was the closest town to where I was on the AT. Later the same day two AT hikers hiked five miles up and then five miles down the mountain to get it to me. After two days of rest and a small amount of walking on the tent pad where I had set up my tent, I resumed my hike. The Air Cast certainly stabilized the side-to-side movement of my ankle. Within a week after the injury the ankle felt much better. When I finished the hike, I seldom thought of the ankle.
I finished the hike on September 7. Two days later I called Dr. Brown. He thought it would be a good idea to still have an xray on the ankle even at that late date. Since I have been home the ankle is still slightly swollen and tender at times. Today I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Robert Coale. After an xray technician took three xrays of my ankle, I returned to await Dr. Coale. Within a few minutes the xray technician came to the room where I was awaiting the doctor. She had an expression of wonderment as she asked me if I knew that the ankle was broken. Obviously I did not!
When the doctor entered I told him my AT tale. He was quite surprised that I was able to continue hiking after just a few days of ankle rest, especially in the most rugged states of the AT-----New Hampshire and Maine. He said that I must have a high pain tolerance. I have never thought that I did. He described the break as an "Oblique Distal Fibula Fracture." He advised me not to jog or run for another four weeks. He described the break as clean and now mostly healed. He also said that in about four to six weeks the ankle should be fully healed and pretty much back to normal!
Now as I reflect on the whole episode I am glad that I didn't know that it was broken. If I had known, I most likely would have taken several weeks off and gone home. By now I would likely have been back on the trail still hiking. I believe that the old saying is true, "ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL!"
I hope to have one more blog within a few weeks to give you some final thoughts about my AT hike. I'll be touch!
