Date: 2007-04-21
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Stealth Site Before Garenflo Gap
Miles today: 10.4

April 21, Head Cold, Schmead ColdI convinced myself to get up at 7:24 a.m. today even though it was 39.9 degrees and I was stil tired. I knew we had a long day. I felt pretty sick and doubted I had what it would take to do all of our planned miles. I was moving very slowly and my head seemed like it was in a fog. I actually forgot to brush my teeth.We left camp at 9:30 a.m. and I was in rough shape. The day started downhill and I was tired so I knew the two mountains we had to climb would be quite a challenge for me. I automatically started thinking options up in my head. We would cross a road before the first mountain so I sort of decided that I would hitch into Hot Springs.The trail was very pretty. Lots of stream crossings, which I love in warm weather - and warm weather it was. We even soaked our feet in one of them! We hadn't done that for weeks! I also stopped dead in my tracks when I came across a HUGE tree. Huge. I just had to wonder how old it was because I don't even think two people could have wrapped their arms around it. It was exciting. But, still, I felt sick. We met Ursula and Edgar with their dog, Lottie. Edgar told me she was like Toto in the Wizard of Oz - can you believe that!? They were a nice older couple with heavy accents.Soon, we were at Lemon Gap - my only way out to Hot Springs without hiking over mountains. We stopped for lunch there to give folks a chance to come but the only people that came didn't seem interested and, by then, I had sort of decided to push on a little anyway. I did toss around the idea of sitting by Ursula and Edgar's car until they came back though. For lunch, I ate beef jerky, a tuna meal, and a cinnamon roll-flavored protein bar.Anyway, I had another bailout plan - there was a shelter at the top of the first mountain that I could stay at if I felt terrible. We started up the first mountain, Walnut Mtn., and I felt miserable. I had to stop very frequently to catch my breath, my head felt like it could explode at any moment, and I was just exhausted. I decided Walnut Mtn. Shelter would be my home for the night. Then we got to the shelter.I rested for about twenty minutes while Certain got us both water. By that time, I had decided that I could endure the pain one more time to get over Bluff Mtn., the next mountain and our last huge climb before Hot Springs. So, we pushed on. Before left the shelter, we met Bumpa. He is so named because it was the closest his grandson could get to saying "grandpa". Cute.I felt better going up Bluff for some reason. On the way up, I tried to count every tenth of a mile with a very unscientific method of guesses. I only ended up being four tenths off though. We made it up to the top of Bluff in a jiffy and I actually did not feel as bad as I had on Walnut.At the summit, there was a huge pile of rocks and boulders so Certain and I rested on them for about twenty minutes. It was really nice. I had a butterfly land on my Croc and hang out for a while. Nice.We pushed on after that while we kept our eyes peeled for stealth sites. I had to stop at one point to eat a snack because my stomach felt like it was eating itself. We ended up hiking a few more miles to get water and then we came across this great once-used road that was now just clear with some random trees. Home! We set up camp and I was very happy to be there. I even got to dry out some of my damp gear in the sun before dusk. The night was still very warm and I didn't even need my fleece! We made dinner (mashed potatoes that I could not taste) and then went to bed. It was a nice night and I was glad to turn in early,I slept with my tent's vestibule open all night - so thankful for warmth. - Sound of PocketMail light, Certain rummaging around in her hammock, nothing else.Post Trail Thoughts:Wow. There is nothing worse than hiking when you feel sick. Well, there are a lot of worse things but not many when your job is hiking. When Certain went to get water at Walnut Mountain Shelter, I called Eric and I remember just wanting someone to feel bad for me - the way only your mom would. I was at my wits end and ready to be better!