Years ago, while a college student, I came close to death with a heat stroke. I ended up in the UT Hospital ICU with a temperature of 106 and still rising. That's the last I remember until I came through.
July 17, 2013
It is 5:15 pm. I'm huddled in my tent in a deserted camping area with rain pouring down outside and thunder booming overhead. You guessed it! It is my "welcome back, we missed you!" thunderstorm. It just wouldn't be right to have a day on the trail without getting soaked!
The morning started off perfectly. Susan and I headed out of Maryville around 6:30 and steered our way into Virginia and my drop off point. I enjoyed the few hours we had to talk and catch up on months of missed conversations.
My drop off was right by the interstate. There we said our goodbyes. I watched her drive away and then turned and headed back northward on the trail.
In reality, the trail actually headed due west all day. Over the next week I will move into some remote country west of interstate 81, and right along the West Virginia state line. Further north, the trail will swing back east of the interstate once again and head up through the Shenandoah National Park. Virginia contains more miles of the trail than any other state. It will be a long trek getting through it.
If you are wanting advice about stopping in the middle of a thru hike to take some time off and attend a convention, let me advise against it. The meeting in Louisville was great and worthwhile, but it is really hard to start back after being away that long. The transition from the air conditioned surroundings to the blazing heat was brutal today. My legs are aching and my hips hurting from the sudden plunge back into hiking with a pack on my back. The fat cells, which had began to reclaim my middle spent the morning laughing at me, bouncing with fiendish joy at every step I took. My lungs, grown used once again to the cool monitored air of civilization, fought the thick warm summer atmosphere of the trail as I walked.
My original goal for the day was a shelter 13.5 miles away. I set a secondary goal of a campsite at the 10 mile mark, just in case. The reality is that I have ended at a campsite only 6.5 miles along the trail from my starting point this morning. Several factors played into my short mileage today. First of all, it was 10:30 am before I arrived on trail and could begin. Another factor was my condition after being off trail for almost three weeks. It was in some ways harder to hike today than when I first began the trail in April. My mind knew what I should do, but my body was not ready to execute. The third, and unexpected, factor was the heat. I had hiked in some hot days in June, but I was not prepared for the intensity of July heat after being in air conditioning. I ran out of water before I could resupply. My energy level drained quickly to zero, and I began to feel panic.
Years ago, while a college student, I came close to death with a heat stroke. I ended up in the UT Hospital ICU with a temperature of 106 and still rising. That's the last I remember until I came through. Since then, I have had no major trouble with heat stroke, but have gotten sick on occasion when I overheat. Just last summer I had to cut short a Group Workcamp week because of heat. Until today, I never really thought about it has a danger for the hike. I guess I assumed that if God wanted me to hike, He would protect me from the heat. This afternoon, however, I started experiencing some of those old feelings of panic that come with the heat reaction. That is the major reason that I have stopped early. When I do overheat, it takes me days to recover. My mind gets fuzzy, and I loose all my strength and get sick in the stomach. My plan now is to take it easy again tomorrow, hiking the almost 8 miles to the next shelter. That should allow my body and systems some extra time to adjust to the outdoors once again. I also plan on getting early starts to my days so I can hike in cooler weather and perhaps stop and rest in the intense heat of the afternoon.
It pleased me to say that my ankles were not a real problem today. The trail was easy on my feet and there were no real challenges to deal with, however. I am still optimistic about things and will move ahead one day at a time. Thanks for all the prayers and encouraging words over the past few weeks. It is good to be back.
It is 5:15 pm. I'm huddled in my tent in a deserted camping area with rain pouring down outside and thunder booming overhead. You guessed it! It is my "welcome back, we missed you!" thunderstorm. It just wouldn't be right to have a day on the trail without getting soaked!
The morning started off perfectly. Susan and I headed out of Maryville around 6:30 and steered our way into Virginia and my drop off point. I enjoyed the few hours we had to talk and catch up on months of missed conversations.
My drop off was right by the interstate. There we said our goodbyes. I watched her drive away and then turned and headed back northward on the trail.
In reality, the trail actually headed due west all day. Over the next week I will move into some remote country west of interstate 81, and right along the West Virginia state line. Further north, the trail will swing back east of the interstate once again and head up through the Shenandoah National Park. Virginia contains more miles of the trail than any other state. It will be a long trek getting through it.
If you are wanting advice about stopping in the middle of a thru hike to take some time off and attend a convention, let me advise against it. The meeting in Louisville was great and worthwhile, but it is really hard to start back after being away that long. The transition from the air conditioned surroundings to the blazing heat was brutal today. My legs are aching and my hips hurting from the sudden plunge back into hiking with a pack on my back. The fat cells, which had began to reclaim my middle spent the morning laughing at me, bouncing with fiendish joy at every step I took. My lungs, grown used once again to the cool monitored air of civilization, fought the thick warm summer atmosphere of the trail as I walked.
My original goal for the day was a shelter 13.5 miles away. I set a secondary goal of a campsite at the 10 mile mark, just in case. The reality is that I have ended at a campsite only 6.5 miles along the trail from my starting point this morning. Several factors played into my short mileage today. First of all, it was 10:30 am before I arrived on trail and could begin. Another factor was my condition after being off trail for almost three weeks. It was in some ways harder to hike today than when I first began the trail in April. My mind knew what I should do, but my body was not ready to execute. The third, and unexpected, factor was the heat. I had hiked in some hot days in June, but I was not prepared for the intensity of July heat after being in air conditioning. I ran out of water before I could resupply. My energy level drained quickly to zero, and I began to feel panic.
Years ago, while a college student, I came close to death with a heat stroke. I ended up in the UT Hospital ICU with a temperature of 106 and still rising. That's the last I remember until I came through. Since then, I have had no major trouble with heat stroke, but have gotten sick on occasion when I overheat. Just last summer I had to cut short a Group Workcamp week because of heat. Until today, I never really thought about it has a danger for the hike. I guess I assumed that if God wanted me to hike, He would protect me from the heat. This afternoon, however, I started experiencing some of those old feelings of panic that come with the heat reaction. That is the major reason that I have stopped early. When I do overheat, it takes me days to recover. My mind gets fuzzy, and I loose all my strength and get sick in the stomach. My plan now is to take it easy again tomorrow, hiking the almost 8 miles to the next shelter. That should allow my body and systems some extra time to adjust to the outdoors once again. I also plan on getting early starts to my days so I can hike in cooler weather and perhaps stop and rest in the intense heat of the afternoon.
It pleased me to say that my ankles were not a real problem today. The trail was easy on my feet and there were no real challenges to deal with, however. I am still optimistic about things and will move ahead one day at a time. Thanks for all the prayers and encouraging words over the past few weeks. It is good to be back.
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