In my last blog post, I was walking across the Bridge of the Gods, which links Washington to Oregon. My Washington hike was over, and mentally, I was ready for the over 400 miles hike through Oregon. In fact, I was anxiously looking forward to it. However, first I had to deal with my right foot. It was not doing well, and the last ten miles into Cascade Locks didn’t help. The last thing I wanted was Cascade Locks to be the end of my hike.
So, what’s wrong with my right foot? Well to start out, the first day on the trail at Harts Pass in northern Washington, I stepped on a rock and immediately knew something had happened to my foot. Then there was the toe nail on the same foot. The nail had broken on an angle and was digging into the skin on my foot. Yep, an ingrown nail. It hurt. I tried to dig the nail out a couple of weeks ago with no luck.
I checked into the Columbia Gorge Motel in Cascade Locks with the intent of resting up, eating (lost a lot of weight) and getting my foot to a point where I could continue hiking through Oregon. My immediate concern was the nail. Soaking the foot and staying off of it did little to relieve the pain, so I decided to go into Portland and visit an urgent care facility.
I checked with the Veterans Administration to find an approved urgent care facility. Then I caught a bus into Portland, which was about 40 miles away. Another bus took me to Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care in Fairview. There wasn’t a long wait to see a doctor. All I wanted them to do is cut the nail off, and I would be on my way. Well, the doctor got one look at my foot and said, “no way.” She suggested I either see a podiatrist immediately or go to a hospital. Right there, I knew my hike was over.
After returning to my motel from Portland, I packed my backpack. My room was reserved for three nights, but I left without spending the last night (August 5) in Cascade Locks. I took a bus back to Portland and eventually caught a redeye flight home to Florida.
When I got home, I went to the VA and had an x-ray done of my foot. Surprise! I have a fractured bone in my foot, and that toe was not looking good either. Getting an appointment with a podiatrist in Florida is not easy. The VA hospital couldn’t see me for almost six weeks, so they sent me to a private doctor. He took another x-ray and confirmed that my foot was fractured. The toe was an easy fix and he did not have to cut off the nail. As the office visit was ending, I told the doctor I want to go hiking again. He asked, “when?” I told him, “Monday.” Yeah, that wasn’t going to work and he grounded me until October.
So, let’s review. I hiked for about three weeks with a fractured foot and a nail that was digging into my toe and bleeding. And all this happened in one of the tougher sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, the northern Cascade Mountains. But if you think I’m crazy. I was hiking for a time with a guy who had a broken toe. He decided to tape it up and keep going. Personally, I think all hikers are nuts including myself. Even so, Cascade Locks turned out to be the end of my hike anyway.
