Date: 2012-06-20
From: Peru Peak Shelter

To: Mad Tom Notch
Miles today: 4.6

OK, so if I start with the mundane stuff of the day, and eventually get to the "there was an ambulance involved" part later, you'll all be mad at me. So I'll get it out of the way first. Also, bear in mind that this entry was typed later in the day, indicating I'm OK to type, and posted at least a day later which most of you will recognize a a condition called alive!So after 4.8 miles of hiking this morning I came to a dirt road at a place called Mad Tom Notch. Really the only thing significant about this is that there is an old fashion water pump at the road for refilling water bottles. It was very hot and humid, and I had a long hill ahead so I filled and treated 3 liters. After which I started to notice an itch on my right index finger. Within minutes the finger was swollen to double its size, and feeling like it would burst, a few minutes more, and the palm and back of my hand started to balloon up too. I had not felt anything bite me initially, but assumed at this stage that I had been bitten by something, but no idea what. When the swelling started to move up my arm and my fingers were immobile, I admit I began to worry. I had already tried cortisone cream, elevation, cold water from the pump. No one had passed by in the half hour this had been going on, the road goes nowhere other than the trail head. My only walk out options were 5 miles over a high peak or 5 down a dirt road not knowing what I would find down there. On the trailhead message board was a USFS phone number for the Manchester office, so I called them basically for advice. I really don't even know how I got a call out, I had no bars and my battery was so low it was beeping, but I actually got a live person, and explained what had occurred. The man on the phone took my number and location and said he'd call back. Well he never did, but sure enough, about 30 minutes later a car comes shooting up the road flashing red lights,and a medic jumps out, then another car and another medic, and then a third. I would have felt quite foolish except that since I had made the initial call, my left hand had actually started doing the same thing and was now also completely swollen with the swelling starting to creep up both arms now.After a quick triage everyone decided that I was not in immediate danger, but needed to see a doctor. An ambulance was called to meet us, and I was whisked away from the trail. The doctor was also confounded by what could have caused such a weird reaction, due to it being both hands but different times, we mainly ruled out bites or stings, but decided it could have been a plant, though it is not a reaction anyone here had seen to any local plant before. The bottom line here is the doc gave me steriods and antihistamine, and warned me I may feel a little loopy and tired for the next couple days, and probably be best not to hike a while. Fortunately for me the Green Mountain Hostel is in town. I had not been planning on stopping here as it is not listed as open yet, but one call to the owner Jeff and he picked me up at the clinic, took me to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions filled and brought me to his beautiful hostel. The hands swelled up again one more time after I got here, but are almost normal now. I'm supposed to wait a day and see if this keeps flaring up, or returns to normal.Before all that happened I was actually having a great day. The night at Peru Peak was breezy, and a little warm. Just as I started getting set up a pair of women hikers came in and I offered to share my tent platform. They were just out for a couple of nights, and with a new tent, so it was fun watching them figure out how to put it up and helping when they got stuck. Thismorning's mountain came easier than I had been expecting for first thing in the morning. The uphill was breezy, and at the top was a nice rocky sunny and breezy area where I sate a while to cool off and dry things off. The downhill was rather hot and sweaty as the breeze was blocked by the mountain. I think my pace is picking up as I completed the miles I did hike in less than 4 hours, even with the 40 minute dry out break at the peak.Now I just need to get my hands sorted out and get back on the trail. Tomorrow will be a day off in town though to resupply and resort.