Day 13 Adversity

Well I wouldn’t say I slept well last night. I really don’t know why, but I woke up at 2:30AM feeling very nauseous. This continued for the next hour until I finally crawled out of my tent and puked my guts out. After, I spent the next half hour going back and forth to a level spot to use the bathroom. Let’s just say it wasn’t a fun night. Aside from being sick, I slept probably 6 or 7 hours. I started feeling much better after I threw up, and fell back asleep from 4-7.


I’m pretty sure my sickness was from an electrolyte imbalance, as it only really lasted for a couple hours. Yesterday, after pushing through the 4 mile section with no water supply, I quickly drank nearly half a gallon. That mixed with sweating from hiking and the heat probably threw off my electrolytes, causing me to be sick.


At 7 I woke up feeling pretty decent considering what had happened just a few hours before. I had a very light breakfast and we started walking around 8:15. The weather was beautiful but the hiking was quite challenging. My right ankle started bothering me in the same way that my left has been. At the same time my left ankle feels much better. Spencer and I took the day quite slowly, making sure to not push ourselves too hard so as to not aggravate my stomach or ankles, or Spencer’s knee. 


Over the course of 17.5 miles we ascended Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountains, both of which are mostly bald and grassy at the top. 





After submitting Thunderhead we ascended and descended for the last 4 miles of the day, making it to Derrick Knob Shelter around 5:15. I am quite sore and tired. Tomorrow we were planning on going 21 miles to Icewater Shelter, but if it’s as hard and slow as today was we might bail and go into Gatlinburg after 18 miles. We will have to see how it goes.


Tonight the shelter is full, so we set up our tents outside the shelter. Pitching a tent tonight is a blessing and a curse, as I’d rather sleep in the quiet of my tent than packed into a shelter like a can of sardines with total strangers who snore. But also it is raining tonight so we will have to take down our wet tents in the morning. 


Difficult days like today are part of the experience. I’m incredibly grateful that I wasn’t sick for more than a couple hours. I’m grateful that while my ankles hurt and are slowing me down, they don’t appear to be seriously injured or preventing me from hiking. I know I will look back on today with laughing at how much it sucked. And there were beautiful moments too, on top of mountains with good friends on a grand adventure. 



Overcoming adversity adds to my motivation. If I made it through today I can keep going when it’s wet and I’m tired. And refusing to continue makes a waste of the efforts of the past. 


Instead of wasting my past effort I’m going to go to sleep, praying to not wake up needing to vomit.


Goodnight,


Walker 


If you want to follow Tyler or Spencer, here are their logs as well:


Tyler: https://tylerat2024.blogspot.com/?m=1


Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/baxter.bound?utm_source=qr&igsh=MWx4MzRqa3M4dGk3Mw==


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