What was supposed to be a romantic getaway for De-Anne Sack and her husband Greg Gruben quickly turned into a nightmare.
The couple from Sipekne’katik First Nation say they had plans to stay at the Nalu Retreat and Nordic Spa in Porters Lake, N.S., on Valentine’s Day.
“We noticed the road getting narrower and narrower and the Google Maps said we were like 11 minutes from our destination, and the road just turned into a path and next thing you know we’re in a ditch,” says Sack. “Emotionally, it was just like we need to get out of here.”
They spent hours shovelling the snow in freezing temperatures to get their truck out, only to still be stranded kilometers away from the resort.
Making the most out of the situation, the couple decided to enjoy dinner inside their car.
“(Greg) pulls out a roasted chicken, a dozen roses, a salad and a box of chocolates. So here we are in the middle of the woods, on an ATV trail, the dead of night, full moon and we had the most romantic Valentine’s Day dinner,” says Sack.
With only a golf club, a stick and a knife, the pair walked for more than three hours to the resort, finally getting there just after midnight.
“We’re just very supportive of one another. We got through it… (De-Anne) was more upset about the truck and I was like, ‘Don’t worry about the truck.’ I said, ‘You know, the most important thing is you,’” says Gruben.
But Sack says there were definitely terrifying moments.
“Because in the road, there were a lot of junctions and his phone battery (was on red). What if we turned left instead of right? And what if we did this? And what if we did that? And what if we walked all night? What if we froze to death?” says Sack. “I was like, this is just unreal. I just think it’s the grace of the creator, the grace of God, that got us to where we needed.”
Sack says she is thankful for the help of the Nova Scotia Jeep Club. They offered to help the couple after Sack posted about their situation on the Porters Lake Facebook page.
“I was not expecting the kindness,” says Sack. “They were, like, first responders…They were trying to find where our location was. They were calling my husband, and within two hours, they were there at the end of the road, ready to go. And less than an hour, they had him pulled out.”
Sack suffered several injuries during the ordeal.
“I had fallen a few times because it was slushy, it was icy, it was all kinds of terrain. And I looked at my left knee and I had a heart shaped bruise on my knee,” says Sack.
The couple says they will laugh about this situation for years to come, but vow to travel somewhere warmer next year.
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