MILLINOCKET, Maine — When a hiking trip takes a turn for the worst, it can be a frightening situation.
Last week, hiker Jody Croft found herself facing her fears head-on during a trip to Baxter State Park.
“It is just crazy how beautiful it is up there, and it was a beautiful day to [hike]… and then it wasn’t,” Croft said.
While attempting to find the blue markers on Traveler Loop, a trail she and her hiking partner had never been on before, Croft misstepped and found herself falling headfirst onto a rock below the trail.
When Croft lifted herself from the rock, she found that she was bleeding heavily and didn’t believe that she could make it down the trail on foot.
“I just couldn’t do it. There was no way. Like, I couldn’t see because I had lost so much blood," Croft said.
Luckily, Croft packed a first-aid kit made by her friend.
Croft says that while she’d been on many hiking trails before, this was the first time she brought the first-aid kit along with her. Croft’s hiking partner helped to tend to her injury, but it was unfruitful.
Croft says no matter their efforts, the bleeding continued and worse than that, any amount of walking left her dizzy and nauseous.
“You’re three hours in, on top of a mountain — you know your head's bleeding and you’re like, ‘How the heck am I going to get off this mountain?'" Croft said.
Her hiking partner was able to find enough cellphone reception to call 911. From there, the authorities contacted the Baxter Park rangers who were able to land a helicopter on the mountain to get Croft the help she needed.
“They came in and they flew around — we heard them and then they landed, and that was just… I was in awe," she said.
Croft says she wouldn't have been able to make it off the trail without aid — or if her head had met with one of the more jagged rocks in the area.
“[The first responders] looked at me and made sure there was nothing they could see, and... took me to the helicopter. They were more concerned about the head injury and whether or not there was something more [serious],” Croft said.
She is extremely thankful to the first responders that helped her during her frightening hiking misstep.
“Just thank the people that help you. I mean, they don’t have to," Croft said. "This is the life that they choose, to help people, to rescue people. They deserve recognition for this. They really do."