Day 106 to 112: Diarrhea, the end of California, the end of the PCT ?
Day 106
19 July 2019
Mi 1500 - 1518.9
I got to Dunsmuir at 6am and quickly got a hitch to the trailhead with another hiker just doing a section of the PCT. After a few miles I realized today was going to be a long one.
My stomach was in pain and I stopped every two miles to take a break. It did not go away so at 3pm I decided to call it a day and set up camp. I have several hypothesis as to what caused this very uncomfortable pain but I’m pretty it’s most likely some bad water I didn’t filter on my last day in the Sierras. I had a filter now though so hopefully this is the first and last time I have this kind of stuff on trail.
Day 107
20 July 2019
Mi 1518.9 - 1539.7
The pain is even worse than it was yesterday. At that point it’s a full on diarrhea and I won’t go into too much details but being out in the woods with pretty severe diarrhea is not fun.
So I did another short day hoping that it would go away on its own soon. This is the first time I’ve been sick on trail and it’s really not great. It gets to you and everything seems annoying. The worse is realizing that you do smaller days so you’ll be in town in even more time. Furthermore minor inconveniences turn into much bigger ones. I’ve known since I started that the PCT is a mental challenge, not a physical one but when they both affect each other is when it gets really rough.
Day 108
21 July 2019
Mi 1539.7 - 1573.8
My Stomach felt a little better today but I’m still not doing great in the diarrhea side of things. However with an improved stomach and moral I was able to crank out some big miles and felt pretty good towards the end of the day. Maybe there is an end to this after all!
I was up on a ridge towards the end of day and enjoyed some very nice views.
Day 109
22 July 2019
Mi 1573.8 - 1607.3
I’m fairly certain the diarrhea is gone now. It really took a toll on my spirits and I seriously considered quitting the PCT during these past few days. I’ve had thoughts like this in the past but they always go after a few hours. This time it lasted a long time and it really got to me. Back home when you’re sick you just curl up in a blanket and watch Netflix. In the middle of nowhere you still have to walk for more than 10 hours everyday.
I kept on pushing though and I’m happy to be able to big miles again.
Day 110
23 July 2019
Mi 1607.3 - 1638.5
A pretty standard day on trail, not much happened. I’m really looking forward to being done with California and entering Oregon.
Day 111
24 July 2019
Mi 1638.5 - 1655.9
I got to Seiad Valley at 1pm and I’m officially done with California! I don’t know if you remember but back when I first flipped up to Northern California I skipped / road walked a section from Seiad to Dunsmuir due to some sketchy snow. I completed this section today so my steps are now all connected from the Mexican border to Ashland in Oregon!
I made my way to Ashland and decided to take a zero to celebrate this milestone and forget the last couple of days which were pretty hard to deal with mentally.
Day 112
25 July 2019
Just a chill day in Ashland. A few meters from my hotel there is an organic supermarket selling actual cheese and bread. Sure it costs 10 times more than in France but man it felt good to have some actual cheese and not the pasty orange flavorless cheddar looking stuff that is usually sold in supermarkets.