The Washington Outdoor Report - week of August 22

It’s something I’ve done a hundred times before. Have the dog jump into the cab of the truck, go find a remote place to camp, and escape into the woods for 24 hours. With bad news raining down about Afghanistan, coronavirus restrictions returning and more I told my family I was getting away. When asked where, I said I would be staying at a remote U.S. Forest Service campground or trailhead along on near Lake Wenatchee.
Finding an uncrowded place to camp was challenging and much to my surprise, despite campfire bans, a number of campers (especially in Lake Wenatchee State Park) had campfires burning merrily away in fire pits. Eventually I found the quiet place to camp I was looking for, a dispersed camping site near the Chiwaukum Creek trailhead. There was only one camper in the area, some 200 yards away. With no cell service I was assured of a quiet evening without any phone calls or the distraction of the internet.
Things went well at first. My springer spaniel, Georgia and I enjoyed a nice walk at dusk and then I quietly played music from the stereo in my truck while I enjoyed the emerging stars and the sway of the pine trees in the slight breeze around me.
Then I got a low battery warning in my truck. This seemed strange, I hadn’t had troubles with the battery before and was surprised just the stereo playing for an hour would cause this. Then I remembered it had been a very, very long time since I had changed out that car battery. My efforts to start the engine were in vain and I was well and truly stuck. Being late, I got my jumper cables out, opened the hood of the truck, and resolved to contact the unknown camper early in the morning in hopes of getting a jumpstart.
With Georgia and I sleeping under the canopy covering the pick-up truck bed, I clipped a leash onto her so she could take care of business one more time before we called it a night. I had only walked a few steps down the dirt road with her while gazing up in the stars when she suddenly bolted on the leash. I have no idea whether she scented or saw a deer or other animal but I was completely unprepared for her lunging the way she did and I fell both awkwardly and hard onto the road.
As soon as I hit the ground, I felt a very sharp pain around my left ankle. I got to my feet and knew the situation was not good. I suspected at the very least a sprained ankle and possibly torn ligaments. I did manage to get Georgia and I into the back of the truck and slept fitfully until daylight. With no cell reception and no way to walk far for help, my options seemed limited to this.
The pre-sunrise, 200-yard walk to the other camper’s site as a painful, shuffling affair. I knocked on the back of the truck canopy, having no idea what reception I would get. A young woman opened the canopy and I told her I had injured my ankle, had a dead car battery, and needed a jump. She said she needed to get dressed and pack up her site but promised to meet me back at my truck.
The walk back to my truck was equally painful but when I arrived the young woman, who said her name was Rod, was there to meet me. It took a few minutes but we were able to jumpstart my truck battery. We struck up a conversation during this time and I found out that not only was she a seasonal backcountry ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, but that I had met her on a hike up the Icicle Creek Trail a year earlier. The Forest Service did a good job hiring Rod, she was definitely a life saver for me!
Back on the road I checked in at home with my family and off-loaded Georgia before heading to the walk-in clinic. There I found I hadn’t sprained my ankle but instead had broken my leg, my fibula to be exact, just above my ankle. Now I have a cast on my foot and a likely operation to look forward to repair the damage.
As for Georgia, the photo taken while I’m writing this article says it all. She is looking, and acting, very guilty. She doesn’t need to worry though, all is forgiven, though she will be missing her daily walks with her dad for a while.

John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com

Editor’s Comment:
I’m sorry to hear about your unexpected injury and hope your back to full health soon. I can’t resist the opportunity to make a shameless plug here though. When your off for some personal quiet time and off the grid as they say. The attached photo could be a life saver. My son gave me this a few years back. It’s a jump kit in a box! Just charge it up at home and when your battery fails you hook it up and it will instantly jump your car battery. It fits in a glove box!