Misadventures in Travel: Can you???

​Can you?
We had already paid for our tour of the Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg, PA  on December 20, 2015.   I was excited, I had always wanted to visit the farm at Christmas.   We had some time to kill so we went to the battlefield and made our way to one of the towers.  We explored a bit before spying the sign marking a hiking trail.
 
By mutual consent we immediately headed down the closest trial.  We didn't stop to think about anything.  We didn't think about our footwear.  We didn’t think about the trail conditions (AKA muddy ground.)  We just went.
 
About 500 feet (if that) down the hill my foot slipped in the mud.  I couldn't recover and down I went.  I heard something pop as I landed with my leg twisted beneath me.  It was a struggle to move and get the leg out from under me, without feeling mad pain in my foot.  But eventually I was standing I tried to place some weight on my foot.  It wouldn't hold any weight.  Jason motioned to a nearby stump, but I didn't think I could even make it that far at that moment.  So, I stood clinging to him as I kept all weight from that ankle.  I was convinced that I had broken my ankle.  I wasn't concerned with the prospect of getting myself back u the hill.  All I could think about was to ask, "Can you drive Stick Shift?"   We hadn't been dating all that long and it had never been discussed.  I had no concern other than needing to know if he could drive my car or if I would be giving him a crash course and letting him learn to drive stick shift on the fly in my car as he drove, because there was no way I was driving.  Jason later told me that he was SURE we were heading to the hospital!
 
After a few minutes I attempted to put some weight on my foot and much to my delight, I was able to put some weight on my foot, with some mad pain...but it worked!  We slowly made our way back up the hill to my car.  Not only was my foot hurting, but I was covered in mud.  Luckily, I had clothes in the car so in the middle of the parking lot (ok, I ducked behind a monument) I changed my clothes.  I also switched out of my tennis shoes and put on my hiking boots.  I did that for two reasons.  I was determined to conquer that hill but I also know that my ankle would fare better with the support of the boot laced tightly around the foot and ankle.    I lamented a bit about the fact that had I been in my hiking boots I probably wouldn't have been hurt.....but hindsight is 20-20.
Being stubborn, we carried on with our day.  I actually did conquer that trail.   I also made it to the Christmas at the Eisenhower Farm (what a disappointment....only one room had any Christmas stuff in it and that was a tree and some poinsettias).  I also made it to my family Christmas that evening.  I did NOT take off my boot until I was home for the evening.  I knew the tight lacing would help keep the swelling and pain at bay.  I knew that once the boot was off it would not be going back on too easily.
 
Yes, it swelled and yes it was painful in the days and weeks that followed.  But it healed and I will always remember that day