Rescue from Wildcat Mtn in NH - first person

[peakbagger]

My rescue story off the “AT” (sort of)
A few weekends ago we had a warm day up in Northern Nh. I had all my winter prep done and wanted some exercise. When solo I tend to stick to popular trails and when there could be ice conditions I stick with wide open trails. Wildcat Mtn across from Pinkham Notch is four thousand footer and fills the bill and is 15 minute drive from my house. The hike up the summit and the AT iI used is via a ski trail that happens to have a maintenance “road” to the summit. The AT up Wildcat is somewhat infamous for its vertical climb. The “road” is steep in spots and washed out but ATVs and heavy equipment runs up it all the way to the summit. It started out cold but I eventually was in shorts and t shirt. It was uneventful until near the summit when a couple of ski patrollers came by in an ATV. I passed them at the top and they were getting ready for the upcoming ski season at the summit.

I went up the platform at the summit and then headed down. I was about 15 minutes down from the summit walking in grass and in the sun with a nice view. Next thing I knew I stumbled and landed badly. I knew I did some damage. I looked down and my foot was rotated about 90 degrees from where it should be and rotated vertically. The bottom of the leg did not line up with the foot. So definitely major dislocation. I was not walking down. I layered up a bit and made the 911 call. The upper mountain looks down at cell tower in Gorham so it has got good coverage.

The 911 operator answers and goes through the standard questions. She asks me where I am as my cell location is moving around a bit. I explain I am on the side of a ski trail called the Polecat. Her map obviously does not have ski trails on it. She spends a few minutes trying to locate where I was on the AT which is about a 15-minute walk back up the mountain. I explain my location a few times but she keeps trying to have me describe where I am on the Wildcat Ridge trail (the AT). I suggest she contact NH Fish and Game. She informs me that she has to follow protocol and hands me off the local dispatcher in Gorham. The Gorham dispatcher then asks me the same exact questions and has the same issue with location. Eventually I get handed off to F&G and get one of the “celebrities” from the North Woods law cable show., Chris Lucas. I fill him in where I am at and explain I am less than 40 feet from the maintenance road on the Polecat ski trail. My guess was around 3700 feet up (the base is roughly 2000 feet) He asks me if he could drive his truck up the maintenance road, I reply that he probably does not have to if he calls Wildcat ski patrol. He does and calls me back that they will be there in few minutes. I was starting to get cold as I was sitting in wet grass and no doubt a bit shocky. A few hikers come by and I let them know that they are going to witness a rescue. I am just sitting on the ground and not screaming so I don’t think they realize the severity. They get a bit closer and see my foot and then they figure it out. They offered to go for help but I let them know that the ski patrol if coming. They look up the slope and can see them.

The ski patrollers come do an assessment. They are used to high velocity rescues so collateral damage is more likely. I am definitely not a high velocity sports person 😉 Both are EMTs with the local ambulances and long-term ski area employees. They figure out that the ankle is the only damage so they get creative with Sam splints and immobilize the leg and foot. They pulled up the side-by-side ATV in front of me and with some effort and assistance I got up on one foot and transferred to the seat. They also let me know that they cannot administer pain meds but they could assist me if I had any. I had them go in my pack and get two 200 MG Advil’s and that was my dose for the day with an ankle fully dislocated. It was a slow bumpy ride down the mountain. They were keeping me talking and I love to talk so I asked them if they did many ankles these days. They did do one for a guest that slipped in the parking lot last year but most on mountain injuries are knees and shoulders due to the new ski boots in use.

At the bottom I get transferred to an ambulance and then off to the hospital in Berlin. When I get there the ER doc looks at my foot and informs me that he has to get the foot back in place ASAP and he might be able to do it without knocking me out but given my size and he and his nurses that they would not be able to restrain me as it was really going to hurt since they need to pull it out straight and then let it slide back into place. The ER doc was surprised I was not in more pain. No pain meds until the anesthesiologist on call can come and knock me out. After 20 minutes he shows up, asks me few questions and then gives me a shot. Next thing I know I am in a splint and they are taking X-rays. I have a completely broken Fibula (the small leg bone) and possible crack to the tibia (the big bone). It’s a classic sideways break. They send me home with prescription for Percocet and antibiotics. From the time of the fall to getting home was about four and a half hours which is record time for a mountain rescue since they did not have to mobilize a litter team and I never got to meet the celebrity fish and game officer. I never took the Percocet’s but have been going through lot of Advil (600 MG every 4 hours) which is acceptable under “doctors care”. Fast forward to today and I am at home with a 7” titanium plate attached to my fibula with 7 screws and 2 in the tibia to deal with a crack. I lucked out on a possible extra bonus 2 screws that would have doubled my recovery time. In theory it is another week to get the sutures removed (I am counting the days) and then 4 weeks with a removable cast with orders not to put any weight on the joint. From what I have read, it’s a long recovery to gain full function. The hardware can stay in but it is recommended it comes out in year as otherwise the bone does not regain full strength and the hardware can cause irritation.

So post-accident a few comments. I had picked the hike in advance to be on a popular trail with easy access. I was familiar with cell coverage in the area and knew I should have coverage. I also always carry a PLB in the pack so I had a backup. I had extra clothing but was unable to pull on an extra layer that I had over my ankle so I was bit cool in the legs and in the butt. I also had a reflective foil type Red Cross bivy bag. I did not need it but I would have needed to slit it as I do not think I could have unassisted slide my leg into it. I sat on my pack to get up off the ground eventually. I normally carry a small piece of closed cell foam in winter to sit on but it got taken out of the pack this summer. My pack has curved aluminum rear frame and is not that comfortable to sit on. I had adequate fluids in the pack for a day hike. (it’s usually 2 to 2.5 hours up and 1.5 hours down via he ski trail. My NH hike safe card was paid up for the year but since F&G didn’t have to respond, its not chargeable. I have been hiking since 1969 as a young boy scout including the entire AT as a section hiker and this the first major accident that required assistance. I have hiked in the White Mountains on the infamous rocky trails since 1987 and normally use two hiking poles. I usually carry them in my hands horizontally on easy walking sections like a grassy ski slope. I switched to trail runners 20 years ago and have used them while hiking in the whites for the same period of time. I have tendency to roll my right ankle when hiking on occasion. With trail runners it’s a few minutes of expletives and then I hike on and get up in the AM and go hiking again. Given its fall and the trail might be wet, I had switched to a mid-height Dunham Cloud boot as trail runners will get wet and cold. The Dunham’s have some ankle support but it’s not a high boot as I have short lower leg and a standard high boot laced tight enough to really lock in the ankle constricts my lower leg muscles. I cannot wear plastic winter boots for the same reason. When I look at the physics of it, the new boots created more of a torque arm when I rolled the ankle increasing the force on the inner leg bone.

So net result is long boring winter indoors feeding the wood boiler. Once I get the go ahead, I do have a club model stair climber and an exercise bike but getting around in ice and snow will be challenging. I picked up a knee crutch which is funky device that lets me walk around without crutches once my rigid splint is downsized. I have already dug through my gear and rigged up a microspike for its Vibram sole to assist with slippery conditions.

IMO it was just random chance I broke it while hiking, I have far rougher terrain on my wood lot.