stubsadventures

My adventures did have a distinct starting point. When I was 22, I took a winter survival course as leadership development working at the Boys and Girls Club in Halifax. It was two days of learning to survive in the woods, in the coldest time of year with minimal supplies. The second night was a solo exercise where you had a build a shelter and stay in it without anyway to communicate over night. It was probably at that time, the most uncomfortable I had ever been in my life between the cold and fighting my imagination in the dark woods for hours.

After that course, I learned what I was really made of and was ready for more. Poncho and I planned a 54km hike around a national park in NS. The hike was around the exterior of the park and we were the first people that season to do it. It was raining when we started out and rained on and off for the rest of the day. Day one, we took a wrong turn that added about 5km to the day. Generally not a big deal, until you are carrying a 50+lbs pack. The first night was uneventful other than how hard it was to sleep because of the rain. The next day, it wasn’t kind of raining, it was pouring. It never let up once all day and by mid day, we were walking in water up to our knees. We were doing the hike in May, so the ground was still frozen, keeping most of the water from soaking into the ground. When we got to our campsite that night, it was completely underwater. By that time, our spirits were dampened, we were soaked to the core, our feet were unbelievable sore from hiking almost 30km and we had to backtrack several km’s to try to break into a warden’s cabin we had seen. Poncho stealthy broke in (through an unlocked window) and we were thrilled to be out of the rain. Literally, every step was painful at this point and we were so grateful for a warm, dry place to sleep.

The next day, we woke up to a clear sunny day and we were pumped! Finally, a day without rain brightened our spirits and we were determined to get this thing done. We set out all smiles! Our energy level came crashing down when a couple of kms into the day, we encountered a bog. After reading the map over and over again, going over all  the scenarios there were no options but to cross the bog, what we were looking for was on the other side of it. Away we went, through freezing cold water that was up to our waists for several hours, looking for the bridge we needed to cross the huge raging river.

What we didn’t know, was that it had rained over 100mm in the last two days and the river had come up so high, it had washed away the bridge. Not being able to find the  bridge, we assumed we were lost. We wandered for hours through the water trying to find it before coming to the realization that according to the map, and our current location we had three options. #1 – somehow manage to cross the river which was at least 30ft wide and raging from the amount of rain. #2- hike back out the way we had just come, which meant back tracking more than 30km or #3, call for help. Using the topo map, we found the highest point and I called the park warden. He told me that they had been waiting to hear from us and that if we hadn’t called them by that evening that they were coming in to look for us. Then he told me they were sending a chopper to come pick us up. He asked us if we had seen a warden’s cabin and without telling him we stayed there, we said yes.

The next couple of hours involved us not actually believing what was happening, trying to find the path again and barely being able to take steps because of the intense pain our legs and feet were in. We eventually made our way back to the cabin and waited at the helipad for the chopper to come. When I watched it come over the horizon, it felt like we were in a movie. They had to take us back separately because our packs were so heavy and I was taken back first because I had been navigating and had to give a statement. Poncho went second, and they flew her over the area we had hiked. The park warden said that he has never seen the water like that in his career.

The rescue cost the province over $4000. Luckily, because we had registered for the hike and had all the correct maps and navigating equipment, we weren’t responsible for the cost. Free helicopter ride!

Stubs.