Dan's Outside

Toe Hell and Back Again

Early this month (August 2006) I joined my Talusdancers friends for our annual Sierra pack trip. (I posted a trip report earlier.)

It was a wonderful trip into the Big Pine Creek drainage, an area that I had not previously visited, located to the east of the Sierra crest below Mt. Winchell, North Palisade, Mt. Sill, Mt. Bayley, et al and near Palisade Glacier, the largest in the Sierra.

About that toe…

About four days before the trip I was wandering through our home one evening with the lights off when I jammed my foot into a chair. We’ve all done that, right? Scream, mutter a few choice words, grab the toe, and a moment later you realize that you are going to live… and that next time you really ought to turn on the lights and watch where you are going, not that you will.

But a minute later the toe (little toe, right foot) was not OK. It hurt. A lot. And it was swollen and becoming bruised. I wondered if this time I really had broken it.

The next day was no better, so I stayed off it as much as possible. It sounds absurd now, but my thinking was “I can’t go to the doctor. They’ll tell me my toe is broken, and then I won’t be able to go backpacking.” Really. That’s what I was thinking.

So, I took it easy during the four days leading up to the trip. I found that I could walk with my hiking boots on as long as I didn’t lace them too tightly around the toe. Once on the trail – and under the influence of ibuprofen – it didn’t hurt too much during our first 5.5 mile uphill hike. On day two it was about the same on the very short hike to Lake Four, where we camped for three nights. I took it easy on day three, getting a lot of reading done. I managed a nice little day hike to Lakes Six and Seven without too much trouble on day four.

On the hike out on day five I thought my toe might just fall off.

While things were OK going uphill, they were definitely not OK going down. At a point about 5 miles down the trail I found myself in “grit your teeth, take it one step at a time, and try not to scream” mode. Things improved greatly once we got to the car.

Finally acting a bit less stupidly, when I got home I made an appointment to get the toe checked out. The doctor seemed somewhat ambivalent about it. Clearly the toe was still swollen but he wasn’t convinced it was broken. Plus, what are you going to do with a broken toe – put it in a sling? The final result was that we did not x-ray the toe.

I had a return visit yesterday – for an overdue general physical exam – and we again took a look at the toe. This time the decision was to go ahead and x-ray it.

It is broken.

Of course, now it is almost 4 weeks later and the bone has probably healed in its slightly offset position. I go to the fracture clinic today to see what, if anything, the next step (ooh, bad pun!) might be.

So, bottom line: I’m a real bozo for backpacking (and subsequently day hiking) with a broken toe. On the other hand, I got some really cool photos on the trip. (Photos available in earlier posts at this site, at the Talusdancers site if you search for them, and at G Dan Mitchell | Photography.) Even better, I now have a great story to tell on future trips about The Time I Backpacked for Five Days with a Broken Toe…

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Update: Back from the orthopedist. The toe seems to be healing fine – in fact, he wasn’t quite sure why I was coming in at this point, four weeks after the injury. He did suggest that I should be careful about activities that strain the toe for awhile… like hiking. :-)
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August 29, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Toe Hell and Back Again

My Next Vehicle?

It is time (past time, actually) to replace my gas-hogging Dodge Durango. It seemed like a great vehicle when we purchased it nearly 7 years ago – at the time all three of our kids were living with us, shortly thereafter we used it to move two of them and their stuff to and from college in Southern California, it provided access to interesting places like Death Valley and the White Mountains, it carried large groups of Talusdancers back and forth to the Sierra,… and I could camp inside it when necessary. It was my main “going to the mountains vehicle,” though more recently I’ve been inclined to take our Honda Civic whenever possible.

But the time for such a vehicle has passed. There are only three of us living here now, and next year our youngest will be off to college. Moreover, I can no longer justify – or afford! – driving a vehicle that gets (at best) 15-16 mpg.

My ideal vehicle will…

• have four-wheel drive and decent ground clearance for rough gravel roads (It must pass my “Racetrack Playa Test,” or sometimes my “White Mountains Test.” I don’t do “real” four-wheel drive stuff, but I do drive some pretty rough roads)
• carry up to five people if necessary
• provide room to sleep inside in a pinch
• get twice the gas mileage of the Durango
• be relatively small
• be presentable for city use
• be quiet enough inside that I can hear the stereo/radio (iPod input is a plus!)
• have a place to conceal some gear inside
• accept a rooftop luggage box
• handle skis and bikes
• be reliable
• have relatively long service intervals
• …and be inexpensive.

Good luck, right?

So far, the following have caught my attention:

***Subaru Outback
– This is probably the leading contender right now. I think the current version looks pretty good and it seems to have a good reputation for quality. The minimum ground clearance seems to be about the same as my Durango. The small engine and manual transmission get EPA 23/29 mpg. It has full-time AWD. Some shortcomings include: doesn’t seem big enough to sleep inside, other options might provide more gear carrying capacity.

***Subaru Forester
– Seems like it might have many of the same positive qualities as the Outback. Looks more like it is intended for rough use – though I have no idea if this is really the case. Looks like it might have a bit more ground clearance, but I can’t tell from the info at the Subaru web site. Has full-time AWD. Mileage looks to be about the same as the Outback. Downsides: I don’t think it is as attractive as the Outback – in fact I would descibe it as “dowdy.” Note: Other than their appearance, I can’t quite figure out what differentiates the Forester and the Outback: they seem to have the same engines, more or less the same clearance, similar seating capacity, etc. Anyone?

***Toyota RAV4
– I’ve never really liked the appearance of the RAV4s (they look like toys to me), but the newest model seems to be a distinct improvement. The body styling is a bit less affected, and it is more than a foot longer than the previous model. Obviously, Toyota has a great reputation for quality and durability. Interior space looks good. I understand that the four-wheel drive has an option to “lock” at speeds below 25mph. Mileage seems to be in the same range as the automatic transmission versions of the Subarus. Downsides: Has perhaps an inch less ground clearance, only available with automatic transmission (minor nit), spare tire stored outside (though this does create more interior space). Given that they push a 6 cylinder version, I wonder if the 4 cylinder version has sufficient power.

***Ford Escape Hybrid
– A friend owns one of the older Escapes and likes it quite a bit. The hybrid engine claims quite good EPA mileage – above 30mpg city and highway – and should reduce CO2 emissions. Decent interior space. AWD available, and decent ground clearance. Downsides: While the hybrid system is fine for most driving, I wonder how it would perform on long, difficult climbs – say high into the eastern Sierra or to places like the White Mountains. I don’t have total faith in Ford regarding hybrid vehicles – this is their first. I understand that one really pays a premium for the hybrid version of this vehicle as well.

***Honda CRV
– There are a ton of these on the road around here, and I’ve had good luck with other Hondas that I have owned. It gets about the same mileage as the Subaru and Toyota alternatives. Body style is fine, if not exactly inspired. Downsides: “Real Time AWD” is not full-time AWD – I understand that it simply kicks in automatically when the front end starts to slip. Ground clearance seems a bit tight to me, especially around the rear suspension. Spare tire stored outside.

***Honda Element
– In a lot of ways this could be the ideal vehicle for me. It carries lots of stuff. It has AWD. One apparently can sleep in it. I’m OK with its appearance. It is a Honda, with all that implies about design and reliability. Downsides: Ground clearance seems even less than the CRV. Mileage is not as good as the other options. So-called “Real-time AWD.” My family thinks it looks dumb… ;-)

So, any other options I’m missing? Experience and feedback on these? There is a comment feature below, and site members (See About Site Membership) can post a discussion message. Keep in mind that certain things are not negotiable here (AWD, decent mileage, ground clearance, quality/reputation of manufacturer, etc.) This leaves out some other excellent vehicles such as Honda Fit, compact hybrids, etc. And, no, I’m not getting another Durango-class SUV either…

August 22, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | 8 Comments