It all started out like any other day. Leaving Pakiri Holiday Park around 730am with a lofty goal of making it to the Dome Cafe by 5pm to eat a burger for dinner.
The walk up to the start of the trail was steep, really steep. At the top we were passed by a couple from Germany I think. They were quick and hiking with no poles, which was the first time I've seen yet. At the top the trail entered into a nice track following a truly magnificent old forest. We kept hiking along the outside fence but never entered the forest. The track ten led steeply down a terrible muddy slippery section through gorse of course. Right near the bottom, the last 1% I slipped and fell on my ass, right onto gorse plants. Fantastic, great way to start the day. Getting up from my fall I had to push up on gorse that was now on the ground beneath me, thus causing many thorns to puncture my skin. Luckily being so close to the bottom I found a flat spot, put down the pack and got the clean wipes out. Cleaned the mud off and pulled about 30 thorns out of my arms, hands and legs. Instant itching occurred and drove me nuts.
The rest of the track was quite uneventful, just forest and more bloody itchy forests.
That was until a muddy cliff that dropped straight down. I threw my poles to the bottom and my initial idea was to Tarzan my way down using vines and or branches to a set of trees half way down. The branch snapped and I was flung down to the trees, I lost my balance and tried to grab onto the trees. Unluckily there was a TA sign with two nails sticking out of it. My right palm found one of the nails. So yeah, adrenaline kicked in, I ran back up found a flat spot,dropped my pack and got my med kit out while bleeding everywhere. There was a lot of blood, more than I thought there could ever be coming from a hand. My initial thought "IM GOING TO DIE, in this stupid ass jungle all alone and in the mud". That's when a truly bizarre came to mind, you know in Ace Ventura When nature Calls? Probably not, but there's a scene here Jim Carrey gets speared by well, spears on each leg. And throws his two arms over his thigh and then th other...I did that, once, while blood flew onto my pack. I got a patch onto the cut and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. I then screamed because I knew the two Germans were behind me so they could help. I could get the tape right enough and then cut it by myself.
Two minutes later they were there and I felt instantly better, " I'm not going to de alone"!! They helped wash it out and tape the gauze patch tightly around my had. I then used my scarf to tie it around my hand to try and keep my hand clean to stop infection infused mud.
I knew I would need stitches, I took off the gauze at one point and the cut was pretty nasty. Really damn nasty.
2km walk out of te forest, then 7km walk to Matakana where the Medical clinic was obviously closed...at 100!!! On a bus to Warkworth.
Got it stitched and cleaned by 5pm. Fantastic.
Puhoi paddle tomorrow? Sure why not, how bad could that go. It's only a hand. Still have my arms.
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