Date: 2018-09-21
From: US 2, Gorham 1892.6

To: US 2, Gorham 1892.6
Miles today: 0.0

The doctor called me with my test results, and the good news is that Giardia did not show up. Excellent! However, the bad news is that I have Clostridium Difficile Colitis - commonly referred to as C. Diff. She advised that this is a not an uncommon GI ailment among hikers, can impact the elderly more severely (yep, I qualify) and is fairly contagious via casual person-to-person contact or by contact with contaminated surfaces (doorknobs, clothing, you name it). Good hygiene can be difficult/impossible on the trail at times, that¢s of course why hikers are more susceptible to contracting this malady. I apparently had (am having) a pretty severe case of it as manifested by my very frequent daily episodes of diarrhea, but I am fortunately on the right antibiotic (flagyl) and need to take the full 10-day prescription. The prescription can be renewed if necessary. I also need to continue with the probiotics, which I started taking yesterday. And eat lots of yogurt - which I can of course get here while in town, but is not available on the trail, HaHa. The doctor also gave me the green light to start eating regular food again, yippee - I had a pizza for dinner, it was soooo good! We¢ll see how the processing plant does with that. Although last nite was not a great nite for me here at the hostel in terms of bathroom visits, today things are a bit better. In any event I am very relieved by the diagnosis from the doctor, and am pleased to learn that I am on the correct antibiotic. It¢s as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. OK Opa I say to myself, it is time to get off your butt and hit the trail again!!!! My plan for tomorrow was to take advantage of the free shuttle to Pinkham Notch offered by the hostel, then hike back to Gorham. This two-day hike would take me over the Wildcats, Carters and Moriah, approximately 21 miles, with lots of climbs/descents. The weather forecast for tomorrow has unfortunately turned pretty ugly, with 70 mph wind gusts forecast for the higher elevations, and I¢ve been told that the rangers are strongly recommending that people stay off the mountains. I¢ve hiked (crawled) up a few mountains in my day in 50 mph gusts, and that is my limit - it is very difficult to stay upright in 50 mph winds. No way at 70 mph. Bottom line is I¢m going to have to hole up here at the hostel for another day. Fortunately I¢m comfortable here and the price is right at $22/nite, but I¢m getting very concerned that I¢m pushing up against the weather window of opportunity to get thru the Whites. Snow/ice could knock us all out of the box at any time - I saw 20s in the forecast for Washington for a couple days; I¢m not alone in that regard, others holed up here at the hostel share the same concern pertaining to the weather window. We¢ll just have to keep an eye on the weather and deal with it as best we can. Madison Hut is also closing for the season effective tomorrow, which presents another dilemma to deal with. Tonite I went to a Beatles concert at the town hall here in tiny Gorham. It was a bargain at $20, the band was great, brought back a lot of fond memories. I was a young teenager when the Beatles first broke onto the scene here in the US on the Ed Sullivan show on a Sunday nite. My dad couldn¢t stand them, I think I remember him saying something along the lines of ¢....long haired hippies....terrible music....they¢ll never amount to anything...¢. Hmmmm, we know how that prediction turned out, HaHa!I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel tonite. Goodnite.