Alaska - What the “Freak”?
May 8-9, 2023
Chatanika bridge ice dam
After witnessing the massive surge of ice pushing the Chatanika over its banks at our camp that morning, we paused at the bridge to see how much more was building further upstream before we left. In just a few days time, we had gone from wearing parkas and post-holing to watching the season melt into the ground and flow down river. Our previous trips to Alaska had been mid-winter for just a week at a time. I felt so fortunate to be here for the unveiling of Spring. It would be my first time to see the landscapes underneath revealed.
The morning excitement behind us, we headed back towards Fox under a collection of rain clouds that seemed determined to follow us all along our climb. Frequent rest stops now included road-side costume changes as we tried to acclimate between rain showers. After enjoying our post-climb reward at the Hilltop truck stop, we returned to the RV park once again.
Our neighbor and barking committee were there to welcome us back. Together we spent the rest of the evening around a campfire, drinks in one hand and pie from Hilltop in the other, sharing stories of our last week’s adventure and enjoying each others company.
Only Plans are meant to be broken…
Our grand plan, thus far, was on track. We were spending a couple nights at the RV park and then heading toward the North Pole to explore that direction until time to return to Fairbanks to pick up our rental car to visit family in Kenai for a week. After returning the car in Fairbanks, our epic ride would begin in Denali National Park then continue on the Denali highway to meet up with the Alaska highway, a side-trip to Haines, a ferry to Skagway, and then head over to the Cassiar highway heading South until reaching Prince Rupert to take the ferry back to Washington arriving sometime in early September. This fall we also made plans to meetup with our long-time hiking partner from Florida to hike around Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson in Oregon, before leaving with our bikes to explore Australia/Tasmania/New Zealand.
Good dinner with our friend & neighbor
We had one day to organize our resupply, do laundry, charge batteries and store-off camera photos before we left for the North Pole the following morning. Nivaun really wanted to visit the Turtle Club again, so we invited our neighbor to come along with us that evening. After sharing another great meal, we rode back to grab our bottles and fill them up at the local spring just down the road from the RV park. However in the next few moments, our plan inexplicably chose to spin off its axis - to say I had a freak accident seems ridiculous, and the extent of injury incredulous, but regardless - **it happened.
In a Freak Instant
Nivaun and I had just got off our bikes at the spring. Noticing a man in his pickup parked alongside the road, Nivaun went to see if he was waiting to get water and struck up a conversation. I followed. Mere seconds after I had joined in the conversation, I went to move from behind Nivaun, and my left knee and ankle violently sent me to the ground, smacking my helmet on the pavement, leaving me in utter disbelief and incredible pain. Nivaun as well as the man in the pickup were dumbfounded. I had done nothing unusual, the ground was paved, nothing had thrown me off balance. It was as if I had been shot or struck by lightening.
“Until you are broken, you don’t know what you are made of”
Mentally, I kept trying to recover on the spot, thinking this should be not be that big of a deal…. how can I be in such pain? Nivaun hurriedly arranged with the man in the pickup to transport me and my bike back to the RV park. Somehow I hobbled up the stairs and collapsed on the futon inside the reception area. Nivaun was convinced I needed to go to the ER after watching me continue to shake uncontrollably while still trying to take deep breaths. I just couldn’t get past the initial shock. Our neighbor bolted down the road to the local gas station for ice and then called the owners of the RV park.
Within minutes the owner pulled up in his truck and whisked us off to the ER. In the past couple years, I had been the one in the driver seat taking my mom to the ER after a fall. How could I possibly be on the receiving end and why now of all times? Amazingly it was just a few agonizing minutes spent in the waiting area, sobbing in Nivaun’s arms over the reality of it all, before I was atop a stretcher describing my pain level. To date, I can say this was my 10 out of 10. Several X-rays later, the Doc was back showing us the results. As always, first the good news (at least there was some) - my knee was still in tact, although highly traumatized. Then came the dreaded part, a fracture at the base of my fibula meant 6 weeks with no-weight bearing, a Cam boot and crutches. Our trip was over…because of a fluke mis-step. I was crushed, even though Nivaun had done his best to be reassuring.
To say we needed a Plan B at this time was an understatement. Plan M seemed out of the question for this scenario. The ER Doc was good, but I don’t think miracles were in his repertoire. So - it was time for Plan S - SAVE what we could of our plans somehow! As it turns out we had a Plan S x 2 - we just didn’t know it yet.
The Alaskan Code
We were still trying to process the news and what it meant for us while waiting on discharge details. There was one thing we both knew without saying it. We couldn’t stay here to wait this out and still make it back in time to meetup with our friend to hike this fall. And we couldn’t push those plans, if we were going to then leave for Australia, and be gone for over a year. We were both feeling defeated. Nivaun started to state the obvious choice, let’s just get a flight back to Seattle as soon as we can. In defiance of the whole ordeal, I immediately said “no, we can’t - Im not dying. We have to at least visit your family.” It seemed absurd to have come all this way and then disappoint his grandchildren because “grandma” can’t walk on pavement apparently (private eye-roll). The next challenge then, was where to stay for a week.
We were still running through ideas, as we headed back out to the lobby, where I was warmly embraced by the owner, who had been patiently waiting to take us back to the RV park. Back in his truck, he informed us that his wife had been preparing their apartment for us to stay in over night, so I could have a bed and all the other benefits of “civilized” life. Then we could sort the rest out in the morning.
The next day, Plan S magically came together. The owners agreed we could continue to stay in their apartment, offered to take us to town for groceries, and to transport Nivaun to pick up the car rental in a week’s time. So it’s time for me to reveal what Plan “S”x2 actually stands for - S is for SANTA and Steph. Actually Santa’s real name is Richard, but let me explain further.
From the time, Rich and Steph settled in as Fox residents a couple decades ago to bring Northern Moosed RV park back to life, Rich also took on Santa’s role at the North Pole in the winter season. In their life before Fox, they travelled by motorcycle on many adventures - so I now know the pictures of Santa riding a motorcycle are for real. Only these days, in the off season he drives a shiny new white truck soon to be trimmed with Christmas holly decals along the carriage and atop the hood.
If you haven’t already, you can now probably conclude, and this is how Nivaun will forever relay the story…I got a sleigh ride from Santa to the ER. And for both Rich and Steph, we will forever be grateful. As the next days and weeks would reveal, in the end we did get a Plan M as well - this was our own Christmas Miracle that made the end of our trip as meaningful as it could have ever been.
Even though I still question the ‘why’ of it all - we did come away with a deep appreciation for what Steph aptly explained is the “Alaskan Code” - which loosely translates to…out here in Alaska, even if neighbors don’t get along all of the time (or even know each other in our case), when someone is in need, you can bet a neighbor will be there to lend a helping hand - that is life at its simplest and best, and we got to experience it. Thank you Richard, Steph, Tony and Damon+ for being the neighbors and friends we so desperately needed!
Right to Left - Steph (Refuge Prep), Tony (Accident Rescue), Rich (ER Transport), Damon (Stabilizer & Transport Organizer) and his 4-leggeds, Sarge & Sheila (Sympathizers), the Gimp and my Rock.