Continuing with the story of our snowy weather last month…
So Tony’s and my expedition through the snow to get supplies in town was ill-fated. Three miles from home, and a mile and a half from the highway (plus another four miles into town), the truck got stuck in a snow bank.
Tony tried to dig his truck out, but beneath the snow was a scum of fresh mud from the rains that came before the snow. His tires spun fruitlessly, and we knew that there was no way out.
We made the decision to walk home, based on an arrangement that my younger brother Lehi would get Tony’s other 4x4 vehicle and meet us as we walked towards home. The fact that someone would meet us at least half way was comforting.
For the first ten minutes, the walk was easy. We walked in the truck’s tire tracks. But the wind shortly blew snow over ruts, and we were trudging through knee deep snow.
This was very strenuous activity for me. I had not done much physical activity since I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my leg last August. In fact, as my heart rate shot up and I got short of breath, I started wondering how all of this physical activity was going to affect my clot.
A few minutes after we started walking, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the cold settled in. I had to stop and pant every few steps, and soon Tony was ahead of me. As it grew dark, we got a phone call from my brother Lehi. He had got the other vehicle running, but he got stuck on a half a mile away from ou
r house.
It sunk in – there was no one coming for us. I would have to walk all the way home in the dark, in the snow. Tony disappeared over the horizon, and I was alone. Exhaustion was starting to overwhelm me. It is one thing to walk three miles. It is quite another to walk that far in over two feet of snow.
I felt like stopping to rest, but the cold would start seeping into me every time I stopped. I knew that if I stopped, I would freeze to death, so I pushed on.
One of the most frustrating moments was when my oldest brother called to see how I was doing. I told him that I was tired, but pushing on. He wished me luck and then hung up. To me, it felt like someone telling me, “I hope you make it.”
My hands were numb. I couldn’t feel my feet, and there were a few minutes where I started to actually get worried. I started to pray out loud.
I followed the trail that Tony blazed. He left the road and began to cut across a large meadow that would take us more directly to our house. On the horizon, I could see the flicker of headlights where my brother Lehi was stuck. I started to walk towards that point of light. A fog rolled in, and soon I couldn’t see the headlights. I couldn’t see anything. I was walking blind through the snow. I kept heading in the same direction, and soon I could see the headlights again. But there was this weird phenomenon where it seemed that no matter how much I walked, the headlights seemed to be getting further and further away.
After what seemed forever, I arrived at the truck. Tony and Lehi were trying to dig it out. I got into the truck and sat down. My muscles were buzzing. My head felt numb, and the warm air from the heater hit my lungs. I started coughing and coughing until I gagged and nearly threw up.
Tony got the car going, and we started for home. We got stuck again, but only one hundred yards away from the house. So I walked home, where I was greeted by Martha, Temple and the worried kids.
They sat me down by the fire and wrapped a blanket around me. I didn’t want the food or hot chocolate that they had prepared. All I wanted was tepid water. I immediately went to bed and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up a couple of hours later, and both of my legs were cramping up very badly. I writhed in pain for a while until the cramps went away.
But the next day, when I woke up, I felt better than I had in months.
That Saturday, my brother-in-law David returned home in his four-wh
eel drive truck, bringing some of our food with him. He got stuck in almost the same spot that we did and had to walk home.
Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day. The sun glistened off of the white landscape. I made a decision. I had survived the other night. I was tired of being afraid of physical activity due to the blood clot. I don’t know what came over me, but I decided to hike back out to David’s truck and get the food. Temple decided to go with me. So did my children Sophie and Christian. This time we were better equipped. It way daytime, and we took Gatorade with us.
We set off in the tracks th
at I had made previously. Tony joined up with us, determined to get his truck. I let them get ahead of me. I set my own pace and enjoyed the walk. We made it to David’s truck, and then decided to push on to Tony’s truck. We managed to get unstuck, drove into town, got supplies, but on the return trip, we got stuck again. And had to make the trip back. But I felt good after this walk.
We were snowed in for close to a week, and the kids had to stay home. After the county sent snow plows, we were finally able to get the car out. But then we were forced to stay in Concho for close to another week, because the mud was so horrible that our poor sedan couldn’t make it home.
What a joy it was to finally make it home. And what a joy it was to e
xperience such a snowfall. Still, I will be glad once the summer is here.
So Tony’s and my expedition through the snow to get supplies in town was ill-fated. Three miles from home, and a mile and a half from the highway (plus another four miles into town), the truck got stuck in a snow bank.
Tony tried to dig his truck out, but beneath the snow was a scum of fresh mud from the rains that came before the snow. His tires spun fruitlessly, and we knew that there was no way out.
We made the decision to walk home, based on an arrangement that my younger brother Lehi would get Tony’s other 4x4 vehicle and meet us as we walked towards home. The fact that someone would meet us at least half way was comforting.
For the first ten minutes, the walk was easy. We walked in the truck’s tire tracks. But the wind shortly blew snow over ruts, and we were trudging through knee deep snow.
This was very strenuous activity for me. I had not done much physical activity since I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my leg last August. In fact, as my heart rate shot up and I got short of breath, I started wondering how all of this physical activity was going to affect my clot.
A few minutes after we started walking, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the cold settled in. I had to stop and pant every few steps, and soon Tony was ahead of me. As it grew dark, we got a phone call from my brother Lehi. He had got the other vehicle running, but he got stuck on a half a mile away from ou
r house.It sunk in – there was no one coming for us. I would have to walk all the way home in the dark, in the snow. Tony disappeared over the horizon, and I was alone. Exhaustion was starting to overwhelm me. It is one thing to walk three miles. It is quite another to walk that far in over two feet of snow.
I felt like stopping to rest, but the cold would start seeping into me every time I stopped. I knew that if I stopped, I would freeze to death, so I pushed on.
One of the most frustrating moments was when my oldest brother called to see how I was doing. I told him that I was tired, but pushing on. He wished me luck and then hung up. To me, it felt like someone telling me, “I hope you make it.”
My hands were numb. I couldn’t feel my feet, and there were a few minutes where I started to actually get worried. I started to pray out loud.
I followed the trail that Tony blazed. He left the road and began to cut across a large meadow that would take us more directly to our house. On the horizon, I could see the flicker of headlights where my brother Lehi was stuck. I started to walk towards that point of light. A fog rolled in, and soon I couldn’t see the headlights. I couldn’t see anything. I was walking blind through the snow. I kept heading in the same direction, and soon I could see the headlights again. But there was this weird phenomenon where it seemed that no matter how much I walked, the headlights seemed to be getting further and further away.
After what seemed forever, I arrived at the truck. Tony and Lehi were trying to dig it out. I got into the truck and sat down. My muscles were buzzing. My head felt numb, and the warm air from the heater hit my lungs. I started coughing and coughing until I gagged and nearly threw up.
Tony got the car going, and we started for home. We got stuck again, but only one hundred yards away from the house. So I walked home, where I was greeted by Martha, Temple and the worried kids.
They sat me down by the fire and wrapped a blanket around me. I didn’t want the food or hot chocolate that they had prepared. All I wanted was tepid water. I immediately went to bed and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up a couple of hours later, and both of my legs were cramping up very badly. I writhed in pain for a while until the cramps went away.
But the next day, when I woke up, I felt better than I had in months.
That Saturday, my brother-in-law David returned home in his four-wh
eel drive truck, bringing some of our food with him. He got stuck in almost the same spot that we did and had to walk home.Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day. The sun glistened off of the white landscape. I made a decision. I had survived the other night. I was tired of being afraid of physical activity due to the blood clot. I don’t know what came over me, but I decided to hike back out to David’s truck and get the food. Temple decided to go with me. So did my children Sophie and Christian. This time we were better equipped. It way daytime, and we took Gatorade with us.
We set off in the tracks th
at I had made previously. Tony joined up with us, determined to get his truck. I let them get ahead of me. I set my own pace and enjoyed the walk. We made it to David’s truck, and then decided to push on to Tony’s truck. We managed to get unstuck, drove into town, got supplies, but on the return trip, we got stuck again. And had to make the trip back. But I felt good after this walk.We were snowed in for close to a week, and the kids had to stay home. After the county sent snow plows, we were finally able to get the car out. But then we were forced to stay in Concho for close to another week, because the mud was so horrible that our poor sedan couldn’t make it home.
What a joy it was to finally make it home. And what a joy it was to e
xperience such a snowfall. Still, I will be glad once the summer is here.
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