Another Long Walk: Day 107: Taking a Turn for the Worse

June 22: When I woke up, I wasn't feeling so great. I'd been up much the night battling the persistent slugs. The mosquitoes had finally called it a night by 11:00, but they were back at the first hint of morning. And as a whole, I just felt awful. I didn't feel sick--just tired and worn down with a complete lack of appetite. I hoped I wasn't getting sick.

I packed up camp and headed out after eating only half my breakfast. The first five miles was exquisitely easy--nearly completely and totally flat. After that, a bit more rugged and muddy. At one point, I slipped off a bog bridge and landed in knee-deep mud. *grumbling* At the next creek, I deliberately walked through the water to clean off the mud rather than use the bridge across it.

After cutting off the shoelace I had knotted the day before, I strung in the new lace. I have to say, I was a little shocked at how white those laces were! Quite a contrast with my shoe! But those laces won't stay white for long...

I arrived at the next shelter after about 10 miles, where I met TJ and Slingshot who seemed pretty excited about meeting me, and I felt a little guilty that I had absolutely no idea of who they were. Of course, they'd been behind me for most of the hike so they'd seen my register entries while I never saw theirs so it makes sense, but I still felt a little bad about not knowing who they were. One of them described me as, "The man, the myth, the legend!" which made me laugh. I liked how it sounded it, though. I'm a legend! But does someone have to become a myth before he becomes a legend? We had a quick conversation about that before they hit the trail again.

I tried to eat some snacks, but I just wasn't feeling hungry. At all. I nibbled on a couple of cookies but that was it. Then I continued onward, because what else was there to do?

Late in the afternoon, I arrived at the Mt Wilcox South Shelters, where I took an hour long nap. I don't normally take naps in the day, but I was just feeling so tired and lethargic I couldn't help myself. It was tempting just to crash there for the night, but after that hour-long nap, I felt a little better and picked myself up, ate a single cookie and moved on.

I didn't have far to go to reach the Mt. Wilcox North Shelter which is where I stopped for the night. Despite eating almost nothing the entire day, I still didn't feel hungry and skipped dinner. I knew I needed the calories, but I just couldn't make myself eat.

When I arrived at the shelter, nobody was there as of yet. Not surprising since it wasn't especially late when I arrived, but as time marched on and nobody showed up, I started thinking that maybe... just maybe... I'd have the shelter completely to myself. If I did, it would be the first time on this hike I had an entire shelter area to myself. By 7:15, that evening, nobody else had arrived, and I wrote in my journal wondering if I'd have the shelter to myself. The next day, I'd write next to my ponderings in a blue pen to contrast with the black ink I used earlier, YES!

Nobody ever did show up at the shelter and I'd have the whole shelter area completely to myself. It was kind of nice. =) I didn't know it then, but it would be the only shelter this entire hike I'd have completely to myself. (Even during my 2003 thru-hike, I only had two shelters completely to myself. It's a rare event to be treasured!)