As I share this, my beautiful family hike at Tent Rocks National Monument on sacred Cochiti Pueblo lands in New Mexico was four weeks ago today, on April 14, 2025. I actually still remember it as a wonderful and special day, despite the unforgettable adventure that followed not long after coming down from the outlook. My one simple misstep (on an ankle I’ve previously sprained) and the crack of my left ankle bones are definitely still vivid for me. The extraordinary adventure that followed and the outpouring of compassion and help from so many people are even more vivid. I’ll remember that with awe and deep gratitude for the rest of my days.
As I laid there awaiting rescue and giving my ankle Reiki for an hour and forty minutes, I still managed to take this scenic photo of what I was gazing at that entire time.
Those hoodoos felt like they were standing over me and guarding me. It gave me the sense of being encircled and held as I laid upon these ancient tribal lands. In my inner prayers, I even called out to the ancestors of this land and my own ancestors for support. I immediately sensed a circle of souls all around me and had a vision of light beings encircled. Almost before I could share that, my mom was sensing that invisible circle as well.
My mom also kindly took the photo of me lying where my misstep happened as we waited for the rescue team to hike their way up to where I was. My fracture had happened fairly near the peak of the Slot Canyon Trail hike at Tent Rocks National Monument. That location was out of cell service range and my ankle fracture was severe. There was no way I could hike or hobble back through the canyon.
My brother who was hiking a bit ahead of me reached me first after I cried out in anguish, “Ahhhhh… I just broke my ankle!!!” Kneeling over me, he knew the break was beyond the Eagle Scout training of his younger years. We locked eyes, and I said, “Nathan, what are we going to do?”
Thankfully……. the answer to that would unfold with the help of many people we had never met.
Incredulously, the hiker right behind us was a physical therapist who immediately offered aid, did a visual assessment of my injury and helped us strategize. My brother and step dad quickly headed back down the 1.5 mile trail through the canyon to get help while the PT and his wife hiked up to the peak outlook to attempt to reach emergency services by phone.
While I continued holding my ankle and giving it Reiki, my mom sat beside me. Yes, I was verbalizing all kinds of questions without answers and simultaneously apologizing for this happening (because our family has being planning a first time summer Europe trip together for over a year.) The idea of this misstep and ankle break sabotaging that shared experience brought a tear to my eye before any sense of physical pain. Yet, that concern was set aside as our focus returned to the moment and to trusting that everything would be alright. We both managed to remark that at least this had happened in a beautiful place where we were surrounded by rock guardians upon sacred lands. Time was suspended, and we had an interesting sense of calm amidst the emergency. Surrendering to the moment does that…
And….. it was only minutes until the first of thirty to forty other hikers came by us, in what became an ongoing cascade of caring, concerned helpful people. Not one person looked away. Everyone seemed to genuinely, compassionately feel for me. We could feel the very real outpouring of their hearts. Someone in every hiking group reached out to us. One hiker after another stopped to ask, “Do you need help? Is there anything I can do? Do you need food? Do you need water?” Again and again, it was truly amazing. The goodness in humanity was palpable. We were experiencing it.
I now have a visual memory seared in my brain of my mom with her big beautiful blue eyes widening into a divinely doe-eyed gaze and her mouth gaping open in awe as she commented on the outpouring of kindness. She remarked that she hadn’t talked to that many people in a day in a long time… probably since my daughter’s wedding.
Incredulously, that unified feeling of open hearts and bonding with people was similar; yet, these were all people that we had never met.
Gratefully, a married hiking couple came by and the wife offered me pain medication. It was welcomed! It probably saved me a lot of discomfort over the next sixty+ minutes.
And…. thankfully, our fellow hiker the PT had managed to get an emergency call out via satellite on his phone from the trail outlook.
That call had alerted the first responders before my brother and stepdad had gotten down the trail far enough to get service. I’m sure that call shaved a precious extra hour that it might have taken for the rescuers to arrive.
The first rescue team member to reach me was the park ranger that we had chatted with as we arrived to the trail entrance. His name was Scotty. We knew that because my stepdad makes friends with everyone. When the young park ranger got to my side I said, “Scotty, can you beam me up?” He smiled warmly and responded, “I would if I could!”
I soon learned that I was in a location that couldn’t be reached by the helicopter rescue like I’d been hoping for as I’d laid there for almost two hours since that moment I’d stepped down, heard my ankle bones loudly crack and saw my foot skewed at an unnatural angle.
When the other rescuers arrived, it was a combined team of a dozen first responders most from the Cochiti Fire Department. All were there to help transport me, including the Cochiti Fire Chief Andrew Chavez who was the team lead and paramedic. He got my IV set and pain medicine dispensed before they wrapped my dislocated broken ankle with its compound (open) fracture and placed me in the Stokes basket. Luckily, I could not see the small protruding bone on the inner side of my left foot thanks to my thick colorful hiking sock.
Then…. the next significant portion of my ankle adventure began as the rescue team carried me through the Slot Canyon Trail. My family followed right behind us.
My stepdad devotedly took on the role of photo documentarian taking pictures and videos of the impressive coordinations it took to get me out of the canyon.
Throughout the mountain rescue, I regularly thanked all the Cochiti fire crew, medics and rescue volunteers as they navigated the uneven, rocky and often tight slot canyon terrain all while carrying me.
I only cried out a few times for them to watch out for my left foot when it got unintentionally bumped during the two hour rescue hike.
In that well coordinated effort, the rescue team carried me in the basket the 1.5 miles through the slot canyon then transported me on a UTV to an ambulance that was in the trail parking lot before two doctors on a UNM Hospital helicopter Lifeguard crew arrived to do the initial setting of my ankle.
At the time those doctors arrived, they weren’t able to find a distal pulse in my foot. That was 4 hours and 40 minutes after I had broken my ankle and cause for concern. Thankfully, once they aligned my foot the full color and pulse returned. Also thankfully, I had been given medication for pain at intervals as the rescuers carefully carried me through the Slot Canyon Trail. Once my foot was initially anatomically aligned (OUCH!!!), the ambulance drove me and the doctors twenty minutes to where the helicopter had landed.
This unplanned adventure gave me my first ride in a helicopter which took me to Albuquerque’s UNM Hospital. Luckily, despite the Ketamine, I managed to look out and see the Rio Grande River below me and groggily appreciate a little bit of the view.
Upon arrival to UNM Hospital (the state’s only Level 1 trauma center as well as academic medical center), my helicopter medical crew and I were warmly greeted. I guess my doctor duo are kind of celebrities at the hospital. The Lifeguard crew is pictured on a calendar in the trauma receiving area. Well, you know what I had to do then…. Of course, I asked to have my photo taken with my “two” helicopter doctors and med-crew. I told them that I would have to show the picture to my retired fire captain husband, my daughter and my paramedic son-in-law (who is a redhead) because several members of the helicopter crew were redheaded guys too including the pilot (who stayed with the copter.) And so, here’s that special photo!
I saw (weeks later) that the Cochiti Fire Department, UNM Lifeguard and UNM Hospital had all shared posts about my “extended mountain rescue operation” on their Facebook pages referring to me privately as “a patient.”
My ankle adventures continued with more stories of memorable moments with humanity at UNM Hospital and many special medical caregivers. Thankfully, all turned out very well. I am one grateful, lucky lady and proved my strength to myself for sure! I’m also claiming the title of Bionic Woman now. LOL!
My first night at the hospital and the week that followed are a story for another time. I’m grateful for successful surgeries, skilled doctors, incredible nurses, the dedicated medical staff and all those who cared for me, visited me and supported me there at UNM Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My family and close friends were all honestly amazing. This wasn’t the brother and sister ‘siblings trip’ that my brother and I had envisioned, but it certainly was memorable! Thankfully my hubby joined the adventure there and drove me home on Easter Sunday.
Two weeks after the hardware was installed to fully repair the trimalleolar fracture of my ankle in New Mexico, I had my first local orthopedic appointment in Henderson, Nevada on May 1, 2025. My new, highly recommended, orthopedic foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Sibel complimented my UNM surgeon saying that my ankle was realigned well, surgically clean, healing nicely and he had done a good job!!
That first local orthopedic visit was full of good news including my doctor’s approval to go on our family’s long awaited Europe trip this summer!!! I’ll be mostly wheeling around instead of walking, but I’m thrilled that I can go! I am grateful too for the dear friends who will stay at our house while we are traveling. So Happy!
Now, four weeks since that fateful misstep, my ankle is continuing to heal very well, and I’ve been off all forms of pain medication for a full week. Admittedly, I have had markedly less sleep the past week and a half, but the piercing pains are gone and the pins and needles nerve pains have lessened significantly. I’m sure my sleep will improve (even if sleeping with the boot isn’t very comfortable.) Overall, I’ve made great strides (so to speak) and my progress just keeps continuing.
I’m getting around well on a knee scooter loaned to me by a dear friend and have been overwhelmed by the kindness and visits of so many amazing people that I love.
I am truly thankful for a multitude of blessings and for all those who have cared for me, helped, given support, visited, loaned medical equipment, cooked us food, and sent well wishes, gifts, flowers, prayers and healing energy. It has truly enhanced my recovery and my spirits. I love you friends and family.
Those who are reading this, if you are open to it, I would be truly thankful for any ongoing good mojo, healing vibes, loving prayers, Reiki, golden light, restorative energy and clear positive thoughts that you want to send to me. I am healing really well, and I know the love and energy already sent has played a significant part in that.
And now, I am sharing a BIG heartfelt thanks to my hubby who has been the conscientious devoted caregiver that we all knew he would be.
We are certainly bonding in new ways through this. 
This adventure was definitely NOT on my life bingo card. And yet, there are many gifts I can share from it already. I will in time. I am recognizing what a significant transformation I am experiencing. I am allowing that process to unfold…….
DeAnne Wolfgram 