We really enjoyed our time away these last two weeks. The Purdy family turned into adventurers, hiking more than 25 miles through trails that took us through the DuPont Forest, Pisgah National Park, to the top of Mt. Pisgah, and several other places. We had new boots and new backpacks to break in, and we were learning valuable information from short hikes that we will eventually need when we take on longer hikes later (we have designs on a hiking pilgrimage next year). Our longest hike of the trip was just over six miles, although we were two-thirds of the way through what would have been our longest hike of 7.5 miles when we had a little snag, so to speak.
We had returned to DuPont Forest two days before we were to head home. I had discovered a hike route online that would allow us to see four waterfalls in the park from start to finish. The online guide also mentioned a beautiful clear lake along the way that is perfect for swimming. It had a dock with a ladder for that very purpose. We had ticked off about five miles and three waterfalls when we stopped at the lake. The temperature was in the mid to high 80’s and we were wearing full hiking boots, so we decided to sit on the dock and dip our feet into the water to cool them off.
As an aside, we had already been swimming in mountain water earlier in the trip in Saluda, North Carolina where we were staying. There were fish in the water that occasionally liked to take a nibble to see if we were tasty. They pinched a bit, but they didn’t really hurt and were not dangerous. So I wasn’t too worried about this lake either. As I dangled my feet in the water I got bumped on the foot by something; probably a turtle, according to a ranger I spoke to later in the day. But again, I wasn’t worried. All four of us were enjoying the cool water, and Eva went around the lake to take our picture from a distant shore.
Shortly after the picture, Calleigh jumped and pulled her feet out of the water as if something had, well, bit her. “Something bit me!” she cried, as the tears began to flow. I looked, and sure enough there was blood coming from the bottom of her foot. I picked her up and carried her to a picnic table just off the dock and inspected her foot. I got out my first aid kit and wiped her foot clean with antiseptic and realized she didn’t have one bite, but two. And they weren’t bites. They were punctures. I made some kind of noise that got Donna’s attention, but I didn’t say out loud what I was realizing. I showed Donna the bite and with our eyes I could tell we agreed; Calleigh had been bitten by a snake.
This is when your Daddy-instinct starts to kick in. I don’t know a lot about snakes, but I know it’s not a good thing to be bitten by one. I also immediately realized that we were miles from our car. I finished cleaning the wound, put some antibiotic on it and then wrapped it up with gauze for padding and secured it. I told the girls we were going to head back to our car and asked Calleigh if she could walk at all. She could, she said, so we put her socks and boots back on, and we limped on our way. It clearly hurt, but she was a trooper.
After about a half mile I was figuring out how I was going to carry Calleigh the rest of the way when we met a ranger coming the other way in a truck. I flagged him down and told him what had happened. As a trained EMT he asked to look at the wound, and immediately said, “Yep, that’s a snake bite.” He informed me that the only snake around that would have been in the water and done such a thing was a copperhead. Apparently, they swim. He radioed another ranger, who also consulted on the bite with the same diagnosis, and they concurred with my intention to get her to an Urgent Care Center to get checked out. Given that it had not yet started to swell and because the pain was not severe, we realized she would likely be ok. Still, getting it checked by a doctor was the consensus. They gave us a ride back to our car and directions to the urgent care center in Brevard and off we went.
To speed up a long story, we were lucky. It was, most likely, a copperhead snake under the water that got her. Most copperhead bites are dry, meaning they don’t release venom, and we were glad to know this one was indeed dry. We had two puncture wounds to treat, but no venom to contend with. Calleigh had a sore foot for a few days (and still has the remnants of the bite), but nothing too scary. A snakebite was not part of the plan for our trip, but we endured it. In fact, I would say we triumphed in spite of it. It’s quite a feat for a seven-year-old to walk out after being bitten by a snake, and as everyone has readily agreed, she now has a great story to tell. Sometimes these things happen; the unexpected; the things that derail us; or even turn us around. It’s not limited to hiking.
Life is full of snakebites of one sort or another. We don’t plan for illness. We don’t plan for our car to break down. We don’t plan to get a pink slip. We don’t plan for a stock market crash. We don’t plan to get a divorce. We don’t plan to say goodbye to clergy after eight months. We have plans, of course, but none of these things are a part of them. They slow us down, they threaten to derail us, and at times they force us to change course and start again. But we can typically endure them, and even triumph over them if we persevere; if we don’t give up; if we ask for help along the way; if we ask and allow God to sustain us.
This bite has not scared us off hiking. We’re looking forward to getting back on the trails when we can. We all agreed that we would like to go back to western North Carolina again in the future. Onward and upward, I suppose. I look forward to hiking to another remote lake in the future, although I think I’ll keep my feet in my boots when I get there.
Tom+
We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs and birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen. BCP p. 840