There's thumbthing about camping

This past summer was the annual Vaeth family trek to Rocky Gap State Park - a 5-day camping trip. Our first day was filled with traveling and setting up and a late evening crab feast down by the lake. The crabs were full, the beer was cold and the glow sticks were bright (even though they did get stuck in the trees). Thursday was overcast and rainy. Bella's bike had a blow out and we decided to head to Walmart to get her a new bike as the old one was really getting too small for her.
The Walmart trip was pretty non-eventful. Bella rode her bike around the store as we shopped and Ian got lost for 15 seconds.
When we got back to camp it was raining and that put a damper on things. Suddenly, things got a little more exciting. Walter ran over to our site to let us know that Sue had a terrible accident. Sue yelled,"It's not a big deal." Walter then told us that Sue had cut off the end of her thumb and he was taking her to the hospital to have it reattached. I was a little surprised when Sue came over smiling and laughing and asking if I wanted to see it. Of course I did. I had expected her to take off her bandage to show me a thumb tip badly cut. What I wasn't expecting was her handing me a plastic baggie with ice and a paper towel in it. I was a little grossed out but eagerly took the baggie from her, opened the towel and screeched when I saw the tip of Sue's  thumb with the nail still attached right there in the paper towel. Eeew!!
Long story short, they reattached it. Call her for the gruesome details that are too much for me to repeat here.
Needless to say, the tip and thumb jokes started before she even returned from the hospital. But when she did, each time you'd ask how she was, she'd give a thumbs-up. Of course she couldn't help it considering how her thumb was wrapped - in white gauze 3x normal size - kind of cartoonish.
The next day was again uneventful as far as injuries. A bunch of us took a ride on the Cumberland Railroad on an old steam train to Frostburg. It was a cool ride. We went to the first car on the way up and stood in the vestibule and found ourselves covered in soot. Anna even had it in her belly-button. On the way back, we hung out in the vestibule of the last car. It rained again on the way home.
Saturday was finally a beautiful day, sunny and warm and we hung out at the beach. We rented a canoe and Bella, Frank and I took a trip and saw lots of turtles, ducks fish and birds. Colson had a great "Colson" day; he played volley ball, football, and hung out with the big kids, went mountain biking and got to eat more s'mores. In the evening, after dinner I started thinking about the evening's fire. I coerced the youngsters into going to fetch fire wood. I got the money for the wood out the Pilot and as I closed the door I suddenly realized my right thumb was closed in the door. Ouch is not the right word. I was speechless and couldn't breathe. Unfortunately, I also couldn't talk and I just breathed heavily as I tried not to cuss in front of the children and fell onto the ground. Sophie seemed to understand something was odd about my behavior and came over to see if I was OK. I still could not speak but she saw the blood and went to fetch ice and paper towels (very calmly I may add).
Turns out it hurt like mad but the cut was not deep and nothing seemed to be broken. I wrapped it in towels and ice while it swelled and slowly calmed down. As family members mingled from camp to camp, the news of another thumb injury spread. Of course, more jokes came. 

Sue was not at camp during my injury but when she came back she visited me and we thumbs-upped each other. And made some lame thumb injury puns. Laughter really is the best medicine. That and vodka. I did make a drink for myself. That and the ibuprofin had me feeling better in no time. 

So now it's 3 months later. Sues nail came off but the scar looks great and things seem to be healing very nicely. I lost half of my nail but it's growing back. I have a small scar too but nothing compared to Sue's. Mine would be much better had I not caught it in the mouse trap last week, but that's just just how I roll. Being injured is just a way of life.

Hopefully, our next camping trip won't be so injurious. At least no one died this time. But that's another story I'll tell later. Here is the teaser - It's best not to ignore the sound of human suffering in the woods in the middle of the night.  Someone just might end up dead.