Accessible east coast camping recommendations for a girl with a badly bruised ankle (and similarly bruised ego)?
TLDR: I injured myself and can no longer do any of the active things I had planned for the summer. I'm feeling stir-crazy. Do you know of any drive-in campsites next to water anywhere drivable from NYC (within 5 hours drive)? Please share your knowledge.
A few days ago, I fell from the top of an indoor rock-climbing wall and injured my ankle. I belong to a small community climbing gym, and I had only been there twenty or so minutes when it happened. People generally stay for 1.5+ hours per session, so I knew my exit would draw attention. As expected, the person working asked if I was leaving already. I responded that I only had a little bit of free time to work with today. Just trying to get in a quick climb!
I forced myself to walk out the door smiling without a limp or a grimace from the pain. The second I got outside I hobbled to the corner and called an uber home.
When there was no longer a difference between the size of my ankle and calf, I agreed to go to urgent care. I used my hiking poles to take pressure off my ankle on the journey there— mind you, I live in Brooklyn, so I was absolutely a rare sight.
One set of X-rays later, the urgent care told me it was just a sprain and sent me on my way in a half-boot. I initially refused their offer of crutches, then had to call sheepishly a day later to tell them I'd changed my mind because my ankle was worse. That night I used my crutches to take a 45-minute subway with one transfer uptown to see a show about a Scottish singer from the 1900s with my friend. An obvious truth I hadn't really considered before —NYC is not the most friendly to people with mobility impairments.
Three days after the fall, I showed up to work at the job I only started a few months ago and was told I can't be there in my condition. I knew that would be the case, but I couldn't call out either. I don't have any sick time yet. They sent me home anyway and told me to come back when I'm not in a boot and crutches.
At this point, my foot looked like it belonged on an entirely different body. It was also entirely blue. An appointment with a specialist later that day told me the damage to my ankle was worse than I thought. Torn ligaments and a dislocation. Leave it to urgent care to almost leave you with a poorly healed injury. The specialist put me in a soft cast and a full boot and said I'd be out of work for 8 weeks.
8 weeks off sounds like a vacation. Take away the ability to participate in any of your routines or planned activities for the summer. Take away all disposable income. Three days in and I already felt claustrophobic. 8 weeks left inside my apartment.
This summer I planned to hike all the high peaks in the Catskills (or as many as I could), go thru-hiking in California, and do a last-minute trip to either Maine or Alaska. All out the window. Morning cardio out the window. Climbing out the window.
Looking out the window as I type this, I'm feeling quite quarantined. I have additional imaging tomorrow, which will decide how bad things actually are. Regardless, I am determined not to go crazy in my apartment this summer. I'm looking for accessible ways to do the things I love. I think I would like to try camping at all the drive-up campsites I can reach that are lakeside/streamside. I'm also signing up for a fishing license. I joked to my partner that this summer I'm going to become dorito chip with no ass (from only working out upper body).
I'm the type of person who values my ability to do the things I set my mind to. I like getting up in the morning, moving my body, and doing something hard on my own. It isn't that I can't accept help from others, but I take pride in a certain level of independence. My partner has been extremely loving and generous with me the past few days. He has really helped me so much, and he knows it is hard for me to accept my limitations. I'm extremely grateful, but it is a major blow to need help doing things like making a coffee in the morning. I just turned 30, and this is the second injury I've had in the last year (I also broke my arm trying to do a handstand lmao). My constitution is feeling a bit shaken.
I may not be able to walk normally, but I can definitely sit in a camp chair or on a rock next to a body of water. If you know a place like this, please share.