Bit off more than I could chew with today's hike in Niagara. We went from Short Hills PP to Rockway CA to Louth CA, on the Bruce Trail. 10.5 km. Piece of (slightly difficult) cake on a normal day in the summer.
I brought my snowshoes, as I knew they had some deep snow. The Bruce in that area is extremely rocky and steep (both ascents and descents) in some sections. At km 8, my energy level was seriously flagging, and as I finished one stupid-steep ascent over rocks hidden under the snow, my snowshoe got stuck mid-stride and I fell hard on my bad knee, slamming it onto another rock.
.
Right now it looks like someone pasted half a purple plum on that knee. I'm very lucky that I didn't smash my kneecap, as I'd have been royally screwed at that point. We were at least an hour away (walking time) from any form of civilization.
On the bright side, I chose to leave my camera at home today, due to the snow in the forecast (which did happen). I don't like worrying about it getting wet. Had I been wearing it when I fell, my $1000 lens would have been toast.
The hike took 4.5 hours to complete, which is nuts, but speaks volumes about the conditions. Then it took me 2 hours to get home (instead of 50 minutes), thanks to heavy snow and poor road conditions.
Bleah. Time to relax.