Date: 2004-09-15
From: Black Brook, NH

To: Sick and Tired
Miles today: 12.5

Last night, the inside of my hammock and the tarp were wet. I had to get up in the middle of the night and adjust the guy lines of the tarp to allow for additional ventilation. I think the reason for this wetness was the location of my camping site; it was situated at the bottom of a notch in the landscape. Cold and thick air settles at the bottoms of valleys and notches.It got cold in the hammock and I slept restlessly. I refrained from eating a snack to generate heat because my stomach was still unsettled.In the morning, my stomach still felt lousy. I was not in the mood for food, but cooked a hot meal for breakfast because I had eaten hardly anything last night. Nutrition can not be neglected in such a physically demanding environment. I felt weak and tired on the trail, especially in the morning. As soon as I broke camp, I was ascending a steep slope for almost one thousand feet. During this ascent, I felt unusually hot. My forehead was warmer than usual during a climb like that. I determined that I was running a fever. After that initial ascent, I struggled up the slope of Old Blue Mountain (elevation 3,600 feet). I had to stop often because I felt so weak.While ascending that mountain, I heard water flowing somewhere in the dense concentration of spruce trees beside the trail. I needed to replenish my water supply, so I removed my backpack, grabbed my water bottle, and bushwhacked into the trees. It was almost impossible to move about these trees. They were growing close to each other. The dead branches from neighboring trees were intertwined. Fallen trees, logs, and hollows under the mossy ground were additional impediments to movement. The water source was the size of a tiny puddle, but the water was cold. My bottle was too big to draw water from such a small source. I had to use the cap of the bottle to scoop up the water and pour it into the bottle; it was a tedious affair. At one point, I let go of the bottle and it fell over. Some of the water spilled.On the return trip to the trail, my progress was blocked by a piece of wood protruding upwards from a log. Using my hands, I tried to break the piece of wood but was not successful. I became exasperated and slammed my shoe down on the stick, trying to break it. Instead, the downward pressure from my shoe created a see- saw effect. The other end of the log rose up like a booby trap. Dead branches were sticking out it. One of these branches jabbed me.It was difficult hiking while sick, but there were some nice viewpoints to enjoy. The upper elevations of the Bemis Range were covered with a mix of trees and long stretches of open terrain. The trail followed along the open stretches, zigging and zagging between the trees.The boreal forest is alluring, with supple mosses spread across the ground, and covering objects that fall upon the ground like dead trees.While descending from the Bemis Range, I took as nasty fall along a steep incline. I fell head first from up on a rock. My upper body landed in the dirt, with my hands cushioning the impact. I was uninjured except for a scrape on my shin.My plan had been to hike to a shelter located about ten miles from Rangeley, Maine. By mid-afternoon, it became apparent that I would not reach this destination; it would have meant climbing another mountain and arriving at dark. My preference is to make camp with daylight remaining.Accordingly, I strung up my hammock and tarp camp near a stream located four miles short of my planned destination. Three thru hikers have since passed by my campsite. They were pushing on to the shelter.A majority of thru hikers prefer sleeping in shelters. That said, a thru hiker I have never met spotted my camp and has just set up her tent nearby.I am feeling somewhat better after eating supper, but my stomach is still a tad unsettled.