October 4, 2013
So last night after talking with my sister and parents I decided that this is going to be the end of my hike for the year. It just isn't worth sitting in a motel room for who knows how much longer waiting to feel better. So, this morning I am ticketed for a bus to Albuquerque and from there will fly back to Portland.
This is certainly not the way I wanted to end my hike. In fact the only way I thought my hike would end is when I arrived at the Mexican border. I hate the feeling of not finishing something I set out to do, especially in light of all the other obstacles already overcome along the way. At times it seems to me that this is such a lame reason to stop, but then I realize that my health is probably the best reason there is to stop. Doesn't make it suck any less though. I'm hoping to get back to New Mexico next April to finish the remainder of the miles. Anyone interested in a little 450 mile hike?
As for the actual "travel" today, things did not go as planned. I got to the Greyhound bus pickup place an hour early as recommended by Greyhound and began the waiting game. The bus was scheduled to pick me up at 8:45 and get to Albuquerque at 10:15, leaving me plenty of time to get to the airport for my 5pm flight, right? Wrong. At 9am I called to see what the status of the bus was and it turns out it broke down in Flagstaff and was running 4.5 hours behind. No big deal, that's why I left myself so much extra time. I called periodically to check on the bus and around 12:40 the Greyhound guy in Gallup thought it was only 10-15 minutes away, and I suppose it was, but for some reason that I cannot understand and no one was able to explain to me, the bus never showed up in Grants and went straight through to Albuquerque. WTF. The folks at Greyhound assured me that the next bus (8pm) would definitely stop in Grants. Thanks. What the hell is the point of buying a ticket the night before if the stupid bus doesn't even show up! I thought I was buying assurance the bus would actually be there, even if it was running late. Guess I need to learn more about how business "works." So I called and changed my flight to tomorrow morning instead for an additional $150. Needless to say I never plan on taking Greyhound again if I can at all avoid it. And if I can't, then I'm going to make sure I leave an extra 24 hours between the scheduled arrival time and when I actually need to be somewhere.
After more waiting around the bus finally did arrive and I made it to Albuquerque and then from the bus station to the airport. And so begins another waiting game until tomorrow morning. Here's hoping for smooth sailing through the skies and feeling better soon.
Alex
Friday, October 11, 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013
October 1-3, 2013
October 1-3, 2013
Zero days in Grants, NM
On Monday the Mumms took me over to the clinic where I was able to be seen by a doctor. He basically concluded that I have a case of gastroenteritis, which could be due to any number of viruses or bacteria and due to the mild nature of my symptoms the best course of action is just to let it run its course, taking pepto bismol as needed. He also said that if I am still having issues in another week then I should return to a doctor for further tests.
So, the past few days I haven't been doing much of anything other than eating more yogurt/probiotics to try to get the good bacteria to take over my gut once again and knock out the bad guys.
My stomach still isn't feeling any different really so I don't really know what I'm going to do. I feel ridiculous just staying in a motel waiting for this thing to pass, but I don't feel like I really have any other options at this point. Ugh. I'm even considering ending my hike because I really can't see hiking another 400+ miles with this stupid stomach thing.
Alex
Zero days in Grants, NM
On Monday the Mumms took me over to the clinic where I was able to be seen by a doctor. He basically concluded that I have a case of gastroenteritis, which could be due to any number of viruses or bacteria and due to the mild nature of my symptoms the best course of action is just to let it run its course, taking pepto bismol as needed. He also said that if I am still having issues in another week then I should return to a doctor for further tests.
So, the past few days I haven't been doing much of anything other than eating more yogurt/probiotics to try to get the good bacteria to take over my gut once again and knock out the bad guys.
My stomach still isn't feeling any different really so I don't really know what I'm going to do. I feel ridiculous just staying in a motel waiting for this thing to pass, but I don't feel like I really have any other options at this point. Ugh. I'm even considering ending my hike because I really can't see hiking another 400+ miles with this stupid stomach thing.
Alex
September 30, 2013
September 30, 2013
Grants, NM to Zuni Canyon Road
4 miles
After breakfast and taking care of some town errands, Huck and I made it to the McDonalds on the edge of town to have a final snack before leaving Grants. I definitely should not have eaten there given my recent stomach issues but my hiker sensibilities led me to order food regardless. No bueno. My stomach felt terrible immediately afterward and we ended up sitting there for at least two hours while I hoped my stomach would return to normal or at least feel a bit better.
Around 2pm, my stomach still feeling bloated, I decided to at least give hiking a try for a few miles. We headed out and made it down the road to wheeler the trail headed away from the road and I decided that it wasn't a good idea to hike out still feeling off so I headed back to toward town while Huck continued up the trail. It was a tough decision to make but hiking has just been unpleasant and I can't enjoy the experience when I am constantly focused on the current state of my stomach.
I ended up calling the Mumms who came and picked me up and took me back to the motel. They are also going to take me to the medical clinic tomorrow to get checked out to see what's going on with my GI tract. Thank goodness for the Mumms.
Alex
Grants, NM to Zuni Canyon Road
4 miles
After breakfast and taking care of some town errands, Huck and I made it to the McDonalds on the edge of town to have a final snack before leaving Grants. I definitely should not have eaten there given my recent stomach issues but my hiker sensibilities led me to order food regardless. No bueno. My stomach felt terrible immediately afterward and we ended up sitting there for at least two hours while I hoped my stomach would return to normal or at least feel a bit better.
Around 2pm, my stomach still feeling bloated, I decided to at least give hiking a try for a few miles. We headed out and made it down the road to wheeler the trail headed away from the road and I decided that it wasn't a good idea to hike out still feeling off so I headed back to toward town while Huck continued up the trail. It was a tough decision to make but hiking has just been unpleasant and I can't enjoy the experience when I am constantly focused on the current state of my stomach.
I ended up calling the Mumms who came and picked me up and took me back to the motel. They are also going to take me to the medical clinic tomorrow to get checked out to see what's going on with my GI tract. Thank goodness for the Mumms.
Alex
September 29, 2013
September 29, 2013
24 miles
Today I felt surprisingly good for the most part and the miles went by fairly quickly while listening to audiobooks. Part of the road walk into town went right past a New Mexico State Prison.
Once getting to town Huck and I went to a grocery store to get some snacks and then called the Mumms, Hugo and Carole. While at the store we had an interesting conversation with a guy named Eli, who at first seemed normal, but as his stories were told it became clear that he was not. He is apparently a reincarnation of the prophet Elijah who was sent to save the world. Great news! Also, as of Thursday the universe began to shrink rather than expand. He told us to check out his website, which isn't up yet but will be in the next week or so. Ok Eli.
After that strange encounter we walked over to the Mumms to say hi. They provide water caches at various places along the trail, as well as shuttle hikers around the town of Grants. They invited us to stay for dinner of pizza and beer, so of course we stayed and also had the chance to learn about the surrounding area from the Mumms. They are very knowledgable and still get out nearly every weekend to explore somewhere new, finding petroglyphs and ruins of ancient cultures.
My stomach felt pretty good most of the day but my appetite is still a little lacking. Hopefully tomorrow it will be back.
Alex
24 miles
Today I felt surprisingly good for the most part and the miles went by fairly quickly while listening to audiobooks. Part of the road walk into town went right past a New Mexico State Prison.
Once getting to town Huck and I went to a grocery store to get some snacks and then called the Mumms, Hugo and Carole. While at the store we had an interesting conversation with a guy named Eli, who at first seemed normal, but as his stories were told it became clear that he was not. He is apparently a reincarnation of the prophet Elijah who was sent to save the world. Great news! Also, as of Thursday the universe began to shrink rather than expand. He told us to check out his website, which isn't up yet but will be in the next week or so. Ok Eli.
After that strange encounter we walked over to the Mumms to say hi. They provide water caches at various places along the trail, as well as shuttle hikers around the town of Grants. They invited us to stay for dinner of pizza and beer, so of course we stayed and also had the chance to learn about the surrounding area from the Mumms. They are very knowledgable and still get out nearly every weekend to explore somewhere new, finding petroglyphs and ruins of ancient cultures.
My stomach felt pretty good most of the day but my appetite is still a little lacking. Hopefully tomorrow it will be back.
Alex
September 28, 2013
September 28, 2013
30 miles
Oh man, last night was a bit rough. My stomach was rumbling all night and I had to get up in the middle of the night to poo. From then on I couldn't even fart for fear of sharting. I took an anti-diarrheal med in the morning and that seemed to kick in after a few hours and I started to feel better. Unfortunately I still had very little appetite all day and I'm sure I've been at a calorie deficit since leaving Ghost Ranch.
The hiking today included an 18 mile road walk followed by a climb up the shoulder of Mt Taylor where I'm camped tonight. Nothing too spectacular in the way of views, but pretty easy walking overall.
I'm really looking forward to getting to Grants tomorrow and hope this stomach thing finally goes away. It would be great to get to enjoy the last few hundred miles of the trail!
Alex
30 miles
Oh man, last night was a bit rough. My stomach was rumbling all night and I had to get up in the middle of the night to poo. From then on I couldn't even fart for fear of sharting. I took an anti-diarrheal med in the morning and that seemed to kick in after a few hours and I started to feel better. Unfortunately I still had very little appetite all day and I'm sure I've been at a calorie deficit since leaving Ghost Ranch.
The hiking today included an 18 mile road walk followed by a climb up the shoulder of Mt Taylor where I'm camped tonight. Nothing too spectacular in the way of views, but pretty easy walking overall.
I'm really looking forward to getting to Grants tomorrow and hope this stomach thing finally goes away. It would be great to get to enjoy the last few hundred miles of the trail!
Alex
September 27, 2013
September 27, 2013
~25 miles
Today was not particularly fun in any way. It rained off and on for most of the morning, and when the rain stopped, a nice strong wind picked up where it left off. This was again in addition to my stomach feeling like crap all day. Having GI issues makes it very difficult for me to enjoy the hiking lately. Ayayay. If this thing doesn't go away by Grant I'm going to need to see a doctor I think. Bummer.
The hiking did go through some pretty cool badlands type terrain today, but I was miserable enough that I didn't bother taking pictures.
Alex
~25 miles
Today was not particularly fun in any way. It rained off and on for most of the morning, and when the rain stopped, a nice strong wind picked up where it left off. This was again in addition to my stomach feeling like crap all day. Having GI issues makes it very difficult for me to enjoy the hiking lately. Ayayay. If this thing doesn't go away by Grant I'm going to need to see a doctor I think. Bummer.
The hiking did go through some pretty cool badlands type terrain today, but I was miserable enough that I didn't bother taking pictures.
Alex
September 26, 2013
September 26, 2013
Cuba, NM to ???
25 miles
Today's hiking was again very mellow and actually pretty cool once the paved road walk at the beginning of the day was taken care of. It was primarily along the edges of various mesas providing great views of the surrounding area as well as the rocks of the mesa itself at times.
My stomach issues continued today, perhaps in part due to the greasy gut bomb of a burrito I had for breakfast. Not a good choice. It seems that my stomach started to feel better towards the end of the hiking day, but I'm not fully convinced I've seen the end of this trail tummy.
Alex
Cuba, NM to ???
25 miles
Today's hiking was again very mellow and actually pretty cool once the paved road walk at the beginning of the day was taken care of. It was primarily along the edges of various mesas providing great views of the surrounding area as well as the rocks of the mesa itself at times.
My stomach issues continued today, perhaps in part due to the greasy gut bomb of a burrito I had for breakfast. Not a good choice. It seems that my stomach started to feel better towards the end of the hiking day, but I'm not fully convinced I've seen the end of this trail tummy.
Alex
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