But now that we've had the opportunity to study the recovery plan in detail (and to discuss it with the nurse), we've learned some things. Most importantly, we learned that I'll be hobbling quite a bit by mid-August. I'll probably be able to place some weight on my right leg, but not all my weight. I'll still be in a boot and I'll probably still need crutches. We decided that it's time to cancel.
But it was a complicated trip. We were planning to visit the five National Parks in Alaska that we haven't been to (we've seen three). It's hard - really hard - to get to these places. Four would be by bush plane, and one was via an extremely rough and dangerous road. Cancellation would be even more complicated. Here is the high-level plan that we'd made. Several items were paid in full, and some were paid with a deposit.
It was so complicated, and the costs were so high, that we had decided to buy insurance, just in case. I'm glad we did. Some things like the hotels and rental car could be cancelled without any penalty. Other things, like the American Airlines flights into Fairbanks and out of Anchorage, would result in a complete loss (they will bank the cost for us, but we may not be able to use it). Everything else looked like a partial loss. In some instances, we stood to lose 50% of the cost. I would have to invoke the insurance to cover those losses.
I am happy to report that the cancellations have worked out very well for us. We're still out some money, but Bettles Lodge, Ma Johnson's Hotel, and Regal Air have been fantastic in their understanding of our situation by accepting our cancellation with smaller than anticipated penalties.
Based on those experiences, I will say that we will try to put together a very similar trip, using these same places in 2022.
Now, I have to try to recoup the rest from the insurance.
