It didn’t take me long on the trail this morning to realize that I needed to interrupt my hike and seek medical care. Me chest hurt mildly, but every so often I felt excruciating pain either near the left of my sternum or under my left arm. I worried that there might be a snapped rib whose sharp ends were cutting into flesh.
Knowing that the usual cure for cracked ribs is just several days of rest, I didn’t think 8 worthwhile to try the American medical system again since it wouldn’t change the fact that I needed to be off trail for a period.
I looked at FarOut and saw a road 9 miles ahead that I could get to. I called and texted Puzzles. When he finally replied he gave me Rockhound’s number. Rockhound have me a price of $175 to get to Bangor, where I could fly home from. I told him it would take me until at least three to get to the road.
Then a mile further along I saw a sign with: “Chairback Mountain Rd 1.4 miles”. I texted him a photo of the sign, and he told me to walk the 2 miles to Gorman Lodge. He said he was leaving right away but I would probably get there first.
I was relieved I didn’t have to walk another 7 miles. I also hoped I might catch a flight out today if I got to Bangor early enough. But the ticket prices for today were $400 more than those for tomorrow, so I booked myself into the Quality Inn Bangor Airport and Rockhound drove me there. He wasn’t terribly talkative. Except he did keep telling me what a deal I got, saying he should be charging me $250.
So that’s the end of my thru hike for the time being. We’ll see what the doctors say. I hope to come back in two or three weeks – probably by car – and finish those last 5 or 6 days. I only have 91.7 miles to go!
Mile 2102.2 to mile 2106.2 = 4.0 miles
A plane crash site. Happened in winter. Father and son both survived.
