Marble Chris Phillips, who also goes by “Mischief,” loves hiking. The 34-year-old from southwest Virginia is a long-distance hiker, adventurer and landscape photographer, whose works can be seen online.
Phillips had no idea that one day in November 2018, while hiking along the Appalachian Trail, that he would walk from the Knot Maul Branch shelter in Virginia to retrieve some water in the morning, but would only be able to crawl back. He shared his story with the Cherokee Scout while making a stop on Nov. 12 to visit a friend and member of his support team, Donna Jardine.
Phillips recalled that it was snowing that day and very cold, as the temperature had dropped into the low 20s. He walked from a trail shelter to get some water, and the ice had to be broken in order to retrieve any.
As he went to stand up after breaking some ice, his foot slipped and Phillips fell backward, hitting his head on a rock. The fall knocked him out cold.
When he woke up, his feet and lower legs were in the water, and it was approaching nighttime. Phillips remembers how cold it was, and there was a lot of blood everywhere. He stood up, only to fall back down again. His feet were frozen.
Phillips tried getting back to the lean-to shelter so he could gather his things, but he passed out again. That night, the temperature dropped to only 12 degrees.
“I didn’t really feel any pain until my feet started to warm up the next day,” he said.
Phillips was alone, out of food, had no phone service and was in a lot of pain. Eventually, an older man and a young girl found him. They were able to provide him with some food and water. The next day, when they were able to get a cell phone signal, they called for help.
Phillips’ accident happened on Nov. 28, and he was rescued and hospitalized on Dec. 1. He went to two different hospitals before a third hospital in Winston-Salem was able to address his needs and treat his injuries. He had deep frostbite.
They operated on his feet, having to remove portions of the extremities. Phillips was sent home later, only to return to the hospital again with gangrene in his right foot, requiring more surgeries to save his life. He remained in the hospital an additional two weeks before being released back home.
Doctors told Phillips he would never walk again, let alone hike, and his family and friends believed the same. It was the worst news he could receive as a hiker.
Phillips was devastated, then depression set in. He suffered depression for several months before waking up one morning on a mission to prove everyone wrong.
Rehabilitation was more difficult for Phillips as he strapped a weighted backpack over his shoulders for an even greater challenge, hoping to accelerate his physical therapy. He wanted to work harder in order to get back to hiking faster. He knew he’d hike again, and eventually went from short walks to longer treks.
The only thing holding Phillips back were his prosthetics, as they kept breaking along the way with all the extra walking he was doing. They were basic prosthetics and not made for the type of activity he was doing. When COVID-19 first hit he stopped hiking, but he resumed in July.
Phillips needed a more durable prosthetic if he was to continue the hiking he was doing. He decided to make a 10-minute YouTube video showing a company what type of walking he was doing and what he needed.
As a result, he has a carbon fiber prosthetic that is far superior to what he had.
Since January of this year, Phillips has hiked more than 1,000 miles. He’s 289 miles in on the Benton MacKaye Trail, which starts in Springer Mountain, Ga., among the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
“I want to inspire as many people as possible to do what they want to do in life. Life’s too short. You need to live by experiences not possessions and anything’s possible, you just have to want it bad enough,” he said.
People have been kind to Phillips along his travels, offering to help him however they can when he’s in their area. He has set high goals for himself, as he wants to be the first amputee to hike all 11 National Scenic Trails.
His list includes 40 trails totaling 26,000 miles. The trails range from 30 miles to 4,400 miles. If he hikes 800 miles per year starting this year, he will be 62 years old when he finishes.
He has completed five of the 40 trails so far. If you’d like to follow Phillips on his journey through via Instagram, YouTube or Facebook, visit mischief_onthetrail.
You can also visit mischiefphotography.net if you’d like to see or purchase his landscape photography, which will help fund his journey through trails as a double-amputee hiker who is inspiring others.