Spending some time at the Saufleys'

After 48 hours in the hospital, 4 catscans and 2 x-rays later, I was discharged Friday night with a cast on my right arm and the good news that I have only internal bruising in my left side. I was very happy to get out of the hospital and have the IV taken out of my arm. Garrett was a very big help feeding me my liquid meals (wasn't allowed to eat because of the concerns about a torn organ) and itching my nose occasionally (with the IV in my left arm and the splint on my right arm, I felt pretty lame!). We arranged to have a trail angel couple, Bill and Helen, pick us up from the hospital and take us back to Agua Dulce and Hiker Heaven at the Saufleys. Thank you Bill and Helen! When we got to our home away from home all of our hiker friends who had been there two days ago had left and new hiker friends had arrived. We heard that Heaps and Todd and Monologue had stayed an extra day in case we had come home from the hospital a day earlier, which was really nice of them. They had all left a card with their well-wishes.

We've now been here in the guest house single-wide trailor that the Saufley's devote to hikers for 2 days resting and moving very little. It's hard to watch hikers come in for a night and then head back out to the trail when all we want to do is be hiking. Although I can potentially hike with a cast on my arm, the main concern is the abdominal pain I'm still having when I breathe, laugh or sneeze too hard. Unfortunately that means I can't watch any of the comedies the Saufley's have on the movie shelf. We are going to play it by ear, but hopefully be able to rest for a week or two and then get back on the trail. Donna and Jeff Saufley are extremely nice and generously people. They have 8 friendly dogs who love to be petted and several horses. This is probably the best place along the whole trail to be cooped up with an injury.

If we get too restless here, we may rent a car and explore California a little. Hopefully we can skip ahead by the 18th or 19th of June to Kennedy Meadows where we can resume our hike with our friends and still with enough to finish the trail in Washington before the snows. We can return and do this 250 mile section between here and KM in October when the Mojave Desert should be nice and temperate. I feel silly for having such a trip-altering accident when I wasn't even hiking. But I guess you never know what will happen and once it does, all you can do is go with the flow. We are very committed to getting back on that trail and when we get depressed we just think about all the beauty and adventure yet to be had.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We have surely felt your support and community even when it seems we are so far away. Be sure to check out our photo album because I'll be posting some new pictures in the next few hours.