Kevin's AT Thru Hike

Day 63, Wednesday, 5/18 – I woke up in the middle of the night, freezing cold. I got up to pee, and that’s when I really started shivering. I was cold enough that my teeth were chattering, and I started to feel nauseous. It wasn’t that it was particularly cold out, it was just really windy. I didn’t clip my quilt into my sleeping pad, so I wasn’t trapping air to heat up. I tucked myself in, started to warm up immediately, and fell back asleep.

I woke up with a pounding headache. At first I thought it was related to being cold last night until Birthday Sandwich and Dillan told me they also both had pounding headaches. There was a lot of pollen in the air, so we think it’s related to that. Benadryl might be in the cards tonight.

We hiked 12 miles to Jennings Creek Parking area (mile 758), where we got a shuttle to Middle Creek Campground.

We checked in and got a campsite. As I was heading to the bathroom, a guy asked me if I wanted to make a few dollars. I really didn’t want to, but I saw they needed help, so I stopped to lend a hand. They were replacing an AC unit for an RV, and I helped them with the heavy lifting. They gave me $20, which I tried to refuse, but they didn’t let me.

Right after helping out the RV folks, I got a burger for lunch. Then, Birthday Sandwich and I sprayed down all of our clothes with Permethrin, which is an insect repellent. Hopefully this keeps the ticks down as we head North.

Birthday Sandwich and I were drinking milkshakes when Blaze of Glory stopped by. He had been doing trail magic and had some goodies left. We got protein shakes, energy drinks, and Gatorades.

Even though I only hiked 12 miles, I was exhausted all day. Birthday Sandwich and I hung out on the porch most of the afternoon while Dillan slept on a couch in the rec room. When Dillan woke up, he said he had a fever.

Genie, Splitzy, and Broadway also showed up in the afternoon. They too aren’t feeling well. I’m convinced I’m coming down with something. Even though symptoms are mild now, I don’t think I’m going to hike out tomorrow. I don’t want symptoms to worsen as I hike further away from modern conveniences.

Broadway, Birthday Sandwich, Dillan, and I all played Oh Hell together. It was Dillan’s first time playing, but he brought home the win.