To the Woman I Nearly Put in a Ditch This Weekend

To the woman I nearly put in a ditch this weekend,

First, before I get into the story for anyone else reading, I just want to say, I'm sorry.

I left my apartment early Saturday morning to head to my friend's place in Hartford, Maine. I expected rain for the day but didn't pay much attention beyond that.

So, I was at my friend's apartment working on a project, all the while noticing some sleet and freezing rain. Then the power went out.

It was at that point I left thinking it may be a tricky drive home.

Now, my friend lives on what's basically a camp road. Yes, there are people that live there year-round but there's also a tree with a bunch of boards nailed to it with names of residents and seasonal residents. It's a dirt road in the woods by a pond.

As I'm making my way to the main road I realize that my little car isn't going to make it up the hill. I tried over and over again. It just wasn't happening. I called my friend who said that the road was a half loop and I could try the other direction as the incline wasn't so severe. So I backed all the way back to his place and switched directions.

The ice and slush was intense. I had to strike that balance between not driving so fast I went into a tree but not going so slow that I'd lose momentum and traction.

I'll be honest, I felt like I was barreling through the woods. I felt like I needed to. I was doing great all things considered. It felt like the longest ride ever. As I was about 600 feet from the main road my heart sank.

A car was coming in my direction.

With all the mental energy I could muster and a quick beep of my horn, I begged this person to back up and let me through. There was only room for one of us and I feared that if I stopped before getting up that final hill I'd be stuck. Plus I had no idea where to back up to.

She starts back (thank God!) and I make my way to the top of this hill. I then noticed that she stopped. I figured maybe she didn't dare go further and was hoping for me to get out of the way at that point.

Thankfully, I keep a shovel in my trunk. I was near what I'm assuming was parking for seasonal guests and started shoveling so I could back into it and this woman could go by.

So there I am ill-prepared in my Adidas sneakers shoveling away in this gross heavy rain and sleet. Eventually, I got my car out of the way.

Still, this woman wasn't moving. I figured, well, I have a shovel. Maybe I can help.

So, I moseyed on down the slushy hill and she informs me she's in the ditch and needs a tow.

I felt so bad! If it weren't for me she wouldn't be in such a predicament. I go to look at she's teetering on the edge of the ditch but I was determined to get her out. So I straddled the ditch and started digging until I unearthed some, well, earth. She dug out some of her other tires too and her plan was to hopefully wiggle out and not even try to go further down the road and get a ride the rest of the way home.

She gets in and with a little back and forth, some gas, and at least one of the tires coming of the ground in the process, SHE MADE IT!

I was so relieved!

I got back to my car that was stuck at this point but again, my shovel came to the rescue.

As I drove out I saw her safely parked. I didn't dare stop again.

Once again, to the woman I nearly put in a ditch, my sincerest apologies. Had I been a few minutes earlier or later the whole thing could have been avoided One thing's for sure, neither one of us expected that! I hope you and your car eventually got home okay!

-B.

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