"That was dumb"

It's a start like any other day. But we know it isn't any other day. Steve, David, and I are debating about the best evacuation procedure. The things we can agree on are that Molly needs to see a doctor today, and that we need to get to the trail head to get the cars. The debate is on whether we take the trail, the road, split the group. Molly's major contribution is her commentary from the night before--"That was dumb."

"It would be stupid not to finish the trail when we're this close." David hates cutting trips short, and we only have four and a half miles to go. According to the map, it's an 800 foot descent over the last mile of trail. There's no way I'm going to be comfortable with Molly going down that. So I voiced my concern. David wants to push on and evaluate later.

In my mind, I set a deadline that when we reach the road, if David still wants to take Molly down the trail, I'm relieving him of duty and ordering him down the road. It isn't long before he is convinced that the best option is to send the boys ahead to the parking lot (with Steve and I), and he and Molly will take the road.

At the first sign of cell phone coverage, we call the outfitter. They agree to get the cars to us by 11:00. We make it to the parking lot at 10:30. No cars. Molly and David show up at 11:00. No cars. Not a big deal. I feel better now that I see the gleam back in Molly's eye.

11:30--no cars. I'm a little annoyed
12:00--no cars. I'm angry. But at least I've had a chance to wash some clothes and get them dry enough to wear. Now I won't stink for the ride home.

We manage to catch a park ranger. He gets a hold of the outfitter. Due to a miscommunication on our part, the cars were dropped at a different parking lot. Crap! Now I can't be angry at anyone! But it's a simple fix, and we're in the cars by 1:00 PM. Having been unable to reach a physician to get advice on whether to see a doctor nearby or wait until Cleveland, and based on how well Molly is feeling, we load up the cars and head home.

One more thing that I wasn't prepared for: David pulled me aside to tell me that he appreciated my being there. Apparently, having me and Steve there helped put him at ease. Now, David and Steve are my mentors. They are the two of the people in Cleveland I look up to the most. It's a surreal experience to have one of your mentors tell you that it's easier for him to deal with things when you're around. Unlike yesterday, perhaps this is a sign of progress.

Molly survived the ordeal. She did break her nose, but no reconstruction is necessary. The cut on her head is healing nicely. And as Danny so aptly put it, "Molly, you don't look so bad!" He said it as he patted her directly over the wound.