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| Moonrise over Ruby, my sleeping bag. Night! |
We're nestled in
a meadow near a trailhead tonight.
Cowboy camping in the wind under a nearly full moon. It turned out to be a pretty great day
considering the beginnings.
So the stomach
problem I had yesterday was debilitating today.
I grunted through five miles and made Melissa tell me stories to keep my
mind off it. I only cried once then, but
three more times once we made it to our water stop. (Sorry, Dylan and Bill!) There may be no whining on the PCT, but there
is crying. Eventually, I took two
Imodium, and that made me hikable. Thanks to Yogi for suggesting it in a first
aid kit -- never used it before, but would still be on mile 5 without it. Instead, we made about 12 today! We're taking long breaks to massage and
stretch the IT bands, and have been able to avoid major pain. Of course, one of these breaks was forced by
a young rattler who wouldn't let us pass.
I threw a rock and then thought better of it. Neither of us screamed, Mom!
The best part of
the day has been the end -- meeting a few fellow hikers at the watering trough
(literally, it's for horses ... and needy hikers), and then camping with
one. Adam from North Carolina. He joined us for dinner with a view ...
alongside a pit toilet between a barbed wire fence and the highway. We are this classy. But we were at least out of the wind for once
today!
Taking tomorrow
as it comes. We'll see how the belly
feels in the morning and how the knees are doing. Think of us at 5 am!
Doesn't sound like fun, Dor. Sure hope tomorrow goes better!
ReplyDeleteHi Dorothy and Melissa. Sorry to hear about glitches with knee and stomach. Imodium and aspirin have been really useful to us on the trail. I can remember when I tore the ligament in my knee in Ecuador and being beyond a farmacia. Some nice Brit lady gave me her last two aspirin. Haven't hiked without painkillers (or Imodium used on numerous trips) since. Hanging there! Pam
ReplyDeleteI told you about hiking sticks and rattlers! You can flip them off the trail with your stick. If they fall off the stick, it will at least get them moving out of your way. You are going to see more of them on the trail as time goes by, especially in the morning. They like to sun themselves to warm up in the morning on the trail. Lou
ReplyDeleteHi from home, Dorothy! That's really amazing about the acorn woodpecker; timely, too! Next Saturday (after owl prowling :-) I'm going on the Woodpecker Walk at Silver Falls -- Dylan's mom is going as well -- hope to see at least a few of them. The only ones I see around here are the Northern Flickers, but they are so strikingly gorgeous! Ask Guy to let us know if there's any add'l useful stuff we can deliver to him so he can keep you "care-taked"! Best to you and Melissa. You two are often in my thoughts and prayers! Beth
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