Poop Report: [If you wish to skip this, just scroll down to Trail Report.] For those of you who lack a sufficiently prurient interest in poop-related body functions and dysfunctions, I will hence forward confine the "fool of shit"performances to this section, which you are free to skip. I got through my first night with no major leaks or accidents. Though I did get up to pee in the night, the rectal discharge although present was clear liquid, as it was at first in the morning. Big relief. Pads last much longer when it's just wet stuff without the odor and color. By my first rest stop alas it was poopy, and I had to change pads. The bad news -- the town of Belden where I fantasized buying a box of maxi pads and roll of toilet paper turned out to be a small "resort" (trailer camp) and I was out of town before I realized it. The good news -- a rest area with a pit toilet and garbage cans where I could empty all my trash and where I could have helped myself to some extra toilet paper, had I remembered to do so. Right now the leakage seems to have slowed way down. Today's strategy is to eat as little as possible on the trail, and rest when I do eat to help my GI tract digest. I have had a major attitude shift after writing yesterday's blog. I said to my tummy, small intestine, big intestine "you've got more than 100 people praying for you" (I know, I know, I hadn't even uploaded the blog yet, but past-present doesn't really matter in prayer-time, right?). I got such a glowing sense of reassurance. Being loved,cared for, held. Everything was going to be alright. Update at end of day: Copious leaking in afternoon but mostly clear liquid, small amounts of brown. Suggesting strategy worked. But I really can't sustain it, I'm going to have to eat the food I brought. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Scary stream crossings, whacking through bushes growing into trail, thinking about how to interact with a mountain lion should I meet one: these put the problem of poopy pants into perspective. I am so grateful I didn't let this health challenge keep me off the trail. And grateful it isn't so bad that I would have no choice.
Trail Report: I slept late waking up at 6am to light streaming into my tent. (In the past I usually wake before 4am, wishing it were time to get up and get walking). I slept deeply and comfortably. Loving my tent, air mattress, the closeness of earth, trees, stars. Trail bliss. Photo 1 is the morning view from inside my tent.
Photo 2 shows the beautiful woods I walked through as I walked down the steep trail to Belden.
I stopped for a breakfast break at the bottom, looking back and up at the hill/mountain I had just walked down (photo 3) and wondering about the climb ahead. My hoped for tent site was almost 6000 ft and my break spot was about 2200. That felt like a big climb (2 Mt Constitutions) and I deliberately picked a tent site part way up -- there will be more climb tomorrow. I didn't even know that the walk up would be almost totally exposed to the sun and truly hot. (I kind of like the FedEx passing in front of the mountain I just climbed down -- a little bit of that other world of ordinary life just passing through).
The place I had planned to get water for the day turned out to be a very long steep scramble (no clear trail) down from the trail, so I decided a little nervously to go on. (Future creeks were referred to as "seasonal" and mid-July is not exactly creek season. ). The first couple were very dry or a tiny drip. I was starting to get nervous when I came across this gorgeous stream where I could fill my water bottle directly (no need even to use my little baggie/scoop). Photo 4 shows my beautiful little stream. Looks like a scene out of paradise, doesn't it?
Well we all know what's about to happen when we think we're in paradise. So my water is all filtered, I've had a long leisurely rest in the shade and along comes a hiker southbound who is delighted to discover another section hiker of a certain age (actually he's 5 years older than I am) and wants to regale me with Terrifying Tales of mountain lion sightings on the trail ahead. If his cautionary stories had not been not quite so long, slow, and filled with for me irrelevant and boring details, I might have been appropriately terrified. As it was, I felt I would welcome a mountain lion sighting right then if it would break the monotony of meant I did not have his stories. His name was Rock Something ( something like rock lover or rock enthusiast, he's a geologist and says the rocks are his friends. Perfectly nice and interesting man, I was just restless to hit the trail again and he did go on and on, on and on, on and on. ). So much for paradise. Here's his picture in photo 5.
To be continued in Day 2, Part 2
OH, I have to try the sideways approach to cross a stream; I shiver, shake and pray with stick in the water if not in a firm hold.
ReplyDeleteRiv, enjoy the special feeling of "I, the real, only I, am doing this."
Hanna