Day Hikes are Dangerous Affairs from My Experience

After a busy running around day yesterday, (a funeral for Kira, and a trip to Home Depot for flooring, visting a four year old to drop off a birthday gift, etc), we decided to go out into nature to have a relaxing day. We decided to check out the Clayqout trail that starts at the Kennedy River and loops around some lakes. A peaceful enough suggestion, but given Kira's history with walking in the woods it was bound to be a disaster...and we weren't disapointed.
The first thing I should point out is that an 1986 Toyota Tercel hatchback is not really a rugged four wheel drive vehicle...so accessing the trailhead was a bit tricky, and walking trough an aldered in roadfor 45 minutes was a little reminiscant of work for the both of us, but eventually we made it to the trail, and started off on what used to be a boardwalk in the late 1980's/ early 1990's...back when people were still taking tothese woods in protest (and for the record, they won).
Time has not been kind to the makeshift boardwalk trail, but we plodded along for a little while, to Spire Lake, a lake recently created by a massive rockslide into the upper Kennedy River.
The spires of this lake are of course, the remaing snags from when the river valley flooded, not great for boating, but pretty enough to gaze at.
After the viewpoint, the boardwalk became more off camber, and a great deal slicker. Footing not secure in any fashion, it was easier to walk beside the boardwalk than on it. Now would be a good time to remind me dear readers of Kira's history with hiking injuries..there have been countless. Last year it was a sprained ankle on a trip to Brigade Lake...come to think of it, its usually ankle damage, our first real camping trip together she sprained her ankle...it's almost a tradition.
But today we broke ranks with the tradition of ankleinjuries...today we aimed a little higher...to the knee to be precise. walking ahead I heard the inevitable cry of pain and anguish, and turned to find Kira on the ground (boardwalk actually) howling in agony. She had some blood on her leg, but from a distance it didn't look to bad. Closer up it was the most frightening thing I've ever scene (slasher movie type gore here folks) but not life threating. She had slipped and fallen on her knee, which got dragged across the exposed head of a nail, which subsequently tore a 3/4 inch wide gash across her leg. It was deep enough to expose what a persons leg looks like under the skin...judging from what I saw, it may not be whats inside that counts. I actually found a hunk of subcutaneous flesh on the head of the nail. Kira...tropper that she is...resited the urge to pass out, and we patched her up with my shirt and some snow, and turned back towards the car.
We trooped out, discussing wether or not we would take her to the hospital. We actually decided not to bother, but when we got home, neither one of had a stomach strong enough to clean this gapping wound, so she went to emergency and came back with 15 sitches and a tetenous shot. The doctor said that if she hadn't gone in, it never would have healed. Oh, and for the record...thats going to leave a mark. Ouch!!!