Morrigan loving the water

Today has been a long day. I’m actually crying as I write this. When I said I like adventures, I should have been more specific. I don’t like the kind that involve emergency situations. Today was another one of those.

Getting a branch stuck in her harness

It started off as a beautiful day. My dad dropped my mom and I off at the trail with our dog, Morrigan. It was warm, the birds were chirping, and Morrigan was happily playing in the creek and swimming in the ponds. We were about to stop for lunch after an hour or so of walking when Morrigan walked off the trail and didn’t look quite right. Just then, my mom realized there was a rattlesnake on the trail and rushed to grab Morrigan, but it was too late. She had already been bit on her muzzle.

We were rushing to figure out what to do, but adrenaline was kicking in and we weren’t quite thinking right. It’s harder to figure things out when emotions kick in. I sent out a spot tracker message to my dad to come meet us, but we were far from the road where he dropped us off. At that moment, two other thru hikers walked up and asked if we needed help. I was starting to cry and we were both frazzled. Their names were Reed and Nicole. Reed ended up carrying Morrigan a quarter mile back to a small Jeep trail we had passed earlier. I was trying to call my dad as I was trying to catch up to Reed. When I sat down with him, I realized that Morrigan had a bite on her front leg too.

My mom had gotten a hold of my dad who just happened to have a cell signal because he was driving another hiker into town. He was now trying to figure out how to get to us.

Reed and Nicole continued on the trail and I was trying to call animal hospitals to see who had an antivenom. Mom was holding Morrigan who was getting too calm. Morrigan is never calm. I couldn’t stop crying. The swelling on her face and leg were getting so bad, I thought we were going to lose her. When we thought hope was lost, around the corner came two Jeeps.

The guys saw my distress and stopped to help. I briefly told them the situation and they drove up to my mom and Morrigan and began to swiftly and calmly move things around in their Jeeps to accommodate us. I was in one Jeep and my mom and Morrigan were in the other. They turned around and we were on our way, stopping only for 12 Jeeps coming in the opposite direction. My driver leaned out to the first of the opposing Jeeps and told them we have an emergency and we need them to move quickly. The first Jeep got on the radio to the rest and they all plowed through and out of our way. It was all so perfectly orchestrated.

The road we were on was not really a road, it was more of a line of several large boulders connected by dirt. My dad would never have made it to us on that road. If anyone has ever been on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, that is a little how it felt being in this Jeep on this road…but much rougher. These guys were amazing. I hope they didn’t hurt their Jeeps with the speeds they were going.

At the end of the road, my dad pulled around the corner. We stopped and I jumped out, giving my driver a big hug. Still not thinking, I didn’t even get his name, but I know he works with someone I went to high school with. We loaded Morrigan into my parents truck, said goodbye to the awesome Jeep guys, then sped off. We also picked up the hiker, John, that my dad was originally driving. I didn’t realize at the time that something urgent was happening with John’s wife, which is why he needed to get to town.

It was such a long drive to get to the animal hospital. We were all very quiet. It’s a miracle that we made it in time. When we finally pulled up to the building, they were ready for us after my earlier phonecall. They took her in, tested her blood to figure out which snake, got our consent (asked if we’d pay their price), then began the process of administering the antivenom. The vet came and talked us through everything. They’ll watch her and make sure she’s getting fluids, but they’re just making sure she doesn’t have a reaction to the antivenom. Now all we can do is wait.

My sweet Morrigan

Morrigan has so many emotional issues and she’s not very bright, but I love that sweet, crazy dog. If you can keep her in your thoughts and prayers until she comes home, we really appreciate it.

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***Update on Morrigan. She’s home and exhausted. She wasn’t even home one minute before she ran upstairs to hide and sleep in the closet (her favorite spot). She is terribly swollen in her face, neck, chest, and on her leg. She is black and blue all over but the worst is over. For now we are watching for infections and trying to get her to eat. If she doesn’t, it’s back to the vet tomorrow.