Wounded Knee Hill

This past Saturday I packed into the Stanleys' cabin, #131 in Winter Creek. They only had a single animal load, so Slim and I got out early to beat them up to the cabin and to get back in time to help with the store and parking.

It was a relatively uneventful trip in, and I got to #131 before the Stanley's and the keys actually worked. So far, so good. Eric Woodyard had asked me to pick up some phone repair equipment from his cabin, #130 across the trail, up on a hill. His keys worked too and I quickly located the gear.

I loaded Slim, fueled him on granola bars and head down the hill. As I placed my right foot on the rocks that serve as a patio step, one of them gave way. I went down hard and really tweaked my knee. This event coincided with the arrival of the Stanleys. They heard the crash, looked up the hill to see me on the ground, and went about their business. They seem like very nice people, though, and I don't mean to suggest that they ignored my plight. They probably heard the stream of obscenities and decided to give me some space.

It doesn't matter anyway, as I was able to walk in a minute or two. But I did have two rocky miles and seven stream crossings before reaching the road. As I approached Roberts' Camp, I saw a Sierra Madre Search & Rescue crew headed toward me. For a second I thought that the Stanleys had called them to assist me, but they were just training. I dropped the phone gear in the Roberts call box then limped a miserable half-mile back to Chantry.

The knee really stiffened up overnight and I had a painful time of it on Sunday. I bought a neoprene brace and have mostly stayed off the knee all day today. It feels much better. I hope it improves by morning, as I need to pack for Tony and Chris Chasteen to cabin #40; then again to #40 on Thursday. Also the corral is now a mess because I haven't been able to dump the wheelbarrows.

Even a minor injury can really jam the works, and it's one more reason why I am so careful on the trails. My mistake on Saturday was to put more faith in that particular rock than any other rock because it was being used as a step. I am aware of so many things that can hurt me out there, and I expect the unexpected, yet I still get injured. I can only shake my head at the people who go frolicking carefree through the wilderness as if it were a city park.