I didn't think ahead, and probably damage a gate latch, by forcing and bending it. I might not be able to use it until the spring. I'm going to look at how I'd fix it for the Saturday, which is warmer.
My anxiety got the best of me, and it's happened too many times in the past, with disastrous and irreversible results.
I suppose it's not to the scale of other situations, which some consolation.