Today started out nice and slow with coffee and soccer… and ended with a trip to the ER in Anchorage. We are all okay – just a bit of excitement on Six Mile Creek.

The Champion’s Cup of soccer was held today. Think of it like the Super Bowl of the Premier League. After a bit of tech work, we were able to watch the game. It was an awesome game – overtime and then ultimately decided by penalty kicks! Neither of boys’ favorite teams were playing but a team they both really don’t like lost, so it was awesome!

After the game, Leo went for a run that he said was absolutely gorgeous and the 45°weather was perfect but hard due to altitude. He’s gotten so tall, he is having to duck down under some of the beams🤪

We made sandwiches at our little cabin and then headed for our adventure day – whitewater rafting on Six Mile Creek at AK Flow. Since Hope is so tiny, we walked the 100 yards from our front door to AK Flow 🤣 Thankfully, they were prepared for rafting in frosty temperatures with dry suits that were latex internally with an additional shell keeps water out.

As we talked to the guides, we found out that all 3 were originally from North Carolina and were all graduates of Appalachian State! Small world! Suited up, we headed out. On the van ride over to our drop in, one of our guides was saying how low the water was because the snow melt had just started. This bit of information will be important later but for now, not a bad place to raft…

And we looked like a super hero squad in our dry suits.

We got a briefing on what to do and how to raft, and did a quick swim test in our dry suits and learned to pull each other into the raft… again, a bit of information that will be important later.

Six Mile Creek is made up of 3 canyons. When the water is low, the canyons get more difficult as you go along. When the water is high, they get gradually less difficult. In we went to Canyon 1. If this is the easiest one, holy moly! The canyon is crazy narrow and since the water was low, huge rocks are sticking up from the water and the sides. First rapid – wow! I almost fall out backward but able to get back in with help from Carter (our new friend and raftmate who is stationed in Anchorage) and Leo. Rapid 2, the flow pushes our raft into the side of the canyon and Mike slams into the rock wall! We pull into an alcove to check him and after a minute, he’s ready to go. Mike moves to the left side of the raft where Leo and I are so he doesn’t have to row as hard, and Michael and Carter handle the right side.

Rapid 3 really narrow, but we make it through. And then Rapid 4… boom 💥 we hit the rapid! Leo and Mike are thrown out. Mike pops up, there is blood everywhere! He has face planted into huge rock. Aeon, our guide, and Carter are grabbing him. When Leo pops up, Michael grabs Leo’s leg and I grab his life jacket. Thank you Jesus for protecting them both and for the helmet Mike was wearing!

We pull into another alcove and Aeon and Scotty, the owner of AK Flow, take over. After making sure Mike was okay concussion-wise, no loss of consciousness, nausea and pupils were good, they started cleaning his wounds. It was clear from the start that we were going to need more than bandaids and steri-strips. Thankfully, we were between canyons so the creek was pretty calm as we floated down to a put out spot where another guide was waiting with the van.

We said goodbye and thanks to our friend Carter, and climbed into the van. It’s a tradition in rafting for you to sign the van, so Michael signed for us all: “my dad left his blood at swim check 2” 🤦🏻‍♀️ (swim check 2 is location where Mike and Leo went in).

We walked back to our little cabin, changed clothes and off we went to the Urgent Care. Sometimes we talk about living way out, away from cities, but today we learned why that’s not a great idea. The closest open Urgent Care is in Anchorage… 90 miles away. I’m so thankful that the boys are older. We were able to let them stay back, watch the NBA game and then walk (because remember how small Hope is) to dinner. Our guide from today lives in town and gave us his cell phone number in case boys needed him tonight. (Aren’t North Carolina folks just the best?!?) So the boys are taken care of, and we are headed to Anchorage.

We get to the first urgent care at 6pm, Mike walks in and the lady abruptly tells him they close at six so they can’t see him. She gives us the name of another urgent care about 10 minutes away and off we go to that. This second Urgent Care was wonderful! The nurses, receptionist and doctor were so kind. The receptionist and I were trying to find a pharmacy in the direction we were headed tomorrow while the doctor cleaned the wound.

Unfortunately after cleaning the wound, the doctor said Mike needed internal sutures and they cannot do that at urgent care. They called Anchorage General and Providence Regional Hospital for us to check wait times. Providence Hospital won with a 2 hour wait (AG was 4 hours). But of course, we found the positive and had them laughing before we left.

The ER waiting room was something… actually no, it wasn’t. It was every ER, in every city, in every state. We masked up so we didn’t spend the rest of vacation with stomach bug.

Meanwhile, the boys walked back to The Dirty Skillet for dinner. When I texted to see how they were, they sent me a picture – somehow they ended up in a canoe??

Then I texted back and said send me a picture from dinner…

We clarified that I wanted a picture from dinner not OF dinner 🤣 so I got this

I further clarified that I wanted of a picture together and no dumb faces! And then I get this…

Then I gave up 🤪

Back in the ER, the wait was only about an hour, and then it was time to go back to another waiting room to wait. Maybe 15 minutes later, they called Mike back. Xrays were clear – No fractures just a whole lot of soreness. Thank the Lord! After some anesthesia, they cleaned the wound really well, and put in 8 stitches.

At 10:13, we walked out the ER.

Key takeaways… so thankful boys are older and we didn’t have to bring them with us. The almost constant daylight means that even at 11pm we aren’t driving home in the dark. We walked in the ER, and we walked out of the ER. Mike is okay with what’s likely a scar and cool story. And we are so thankful for God’s protection today!!!

I can’t even begin to think what tomorrow will hold but right now, we just want a hot shower and some sleep 🥰