Unplanned Break

On New Years Day, we woke up at Lava Lava Beach Club in the end cabin. It was another glorious day on the Big Island and we set out on the semi-private beach to a spot where we usually found sea turtles. We settled at the spot but no turtles were around. Leisa wanted to stay on the beach a while longer and I returned to the cabin to get in a quick jog. I headed down the road toward the Kings' Shops mall. When I reached Waikoloa Beach Drive, I turned around and jogged back to the cabin. I checked my distance and it was only 0.9 miles. I decided I needed more steps so I started back down the road for another lap. Before I reached the turnaround, I stopped jogging and decided to cross the lava field between the road and Waikoloa Marriot. The black lava was soft but broken and sharp. I hopped over the field easily, not the slightest challenge compared to the boulder scrambling I typically do in the mountains. I got across the lava in minutes to a 2' dirt barrier between the field and the Marriot parking lot. Feeling energetic, I jumped on top of the barrier with my left foot and landed on my right.

When I landed, my right foot must have been turned slightly inward. The running shoes I wore had zero lateral support. My ankle rolled under my foot and I heard a pop. A bolt of pain shot from the right side of my ankle about 4 inches up the side of my leg. I muttered explitives I can't even remember, then started limping from the parking lot back to the road. With each step, I tried to access how bad the injury was. Every step was painful and after a dozen or so steps, I realized this was more than a simple ankle roll. I limped a half mile back to the cabin and immediately iced it. Swelling had already begun. When Leisa got back, I showed her the damage. We found an urgent care in the afternoon, but it was closed since it was New Years Day. We were half way through our vacation, but our activities were going to be limited the next few days. A double drag.

On January 2, we went back to urgent care and they sent me to the ER of Queen's North Hawaii Community Hospital. After x-rays, I was diagnosed with a closed avulsion fracture of the lateral malleolus of the right fibula. They put me in a boot and sent me on my way. The fibula is the smaller of two bones that runs between your knee and ankle. The tibia is the larger bone and a break in the tibia would have been much more serious. The fracture was at the bottom of the bone, so the ankle was stable. After a second set of x-rays, and a second review by my doctor at home, no surgery was needed. Rehab would consist of 4 weeks wearing a boot, and 2-4 weeks of physical therapy (overlapping the last week in the boot). When I wrote this, I was wearing the boot, two weeks and two days after the accident. Physical therpary starts tomorrow.

This was my first ever broken bone. I plan to rehab the hell out of it and be back in the mountains in the second half of February.

Aloha
Update 1/30/2024
I abandoned the boot for a flexible brace. I am in week 2 of physical therapy and it hurts so good. I do PT at home every day and I'm working in hip and ham machines at the gym to keep my legs from withering completely. Yesterday, I bought a pair of Saloman Ultra X 4 Mids with better ankle support than my Merrells. The ankle brace fits into the boot without fuss and I took them to an easy local trail for a two mile break in. I was feeling some minor pain on the way back, but consider it a success. I have another month or so of physical therapy, followed by a few more weeks to fully heal. Beyond that, I have to overcome the psych issue of trusting the ankle again. I am planning an off trail hike with my San Gabe friends at the end of February, but might have to take the road and meet them on top if I'm not feeling it. That will be a true test in multiple dimensions.

South Point, HI

Hiked: 12/31/2023
Distance: 0.5 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 0'
Elevation Gain: 25'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0
Round trip time: 15 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on South Point Road
Difficulty: Easy

This was a travel day, going from super wet Hilo to sunny Kona. We wanted to take the southern route to see a different part of the island. The first stop was Punalu'u black sand beach. I expected the sand to be hotter than regular sand but it wasn't. There were a few turtles sunning on the beach in an enclosed area and we saw a few heads pop up in the water. There were no restrooms at the beach, but there was one a short walk away at the camp site. It was a super nice beach and a draw for a lot of tourists, even through it was pretty far out of the way.

Beach with camp site in the distance

Next, we drove to South Point. The last ten miles or so are on a very narrow road, one lane at points. There were more people headed there and coming back than I would have guessed. We parked at the end of the road and walked a quarter mile on dirt and sand to reach the southernmost point in the United States. The point is well south of the Florida Keys. The shore was filled with shells, the rocks jagged, and the sea rough. Local fishermen were lined up along several sections. There was a jump off point on the western side where the sea was calm, but neither of us wanted to make the 40' leap, even with a ladder to get back up. We spotted a couple of snorklers on the western side bobbing in the swell.

Pu'u Huluhulu, HI

Hiked: 12/30/2023
Distance: 2.5 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 3440'
Elevation Gain: 161'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.1
Round trip time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: $30 National Parks Fee
Difficulty: Easy

Our second hike in Volcanoes National Park was Pu'u Huluhulu. It was the first summit on a very long trail where the floor is lava every step. The lava here came from an eruption of Mauna Ulu in 1969. There were places were the lava was broken or had collapsed into air pockets. It was genrally solid and 8-16" thick, though it occurred to me that it could collapse into other unseen pockets. Of course, it didn't and we enjoyed a mostly flat walk up to the summit. Like Kilauea-Iki, the trail was marked with large cairns of black lava rock. The trail continued for at least another dozen miles, but we were content to bag the nearest peak and turn around. A metal disc was on the summit with arrows to visible volcanoes. The smaller volcanoes did make me appreciate the size of Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa had been closed since it erupted in 2022. If we ever make it back, I'd really like to bag Mauna Loa.

2023 Retrospective