Day 137: A Mandatory Zero

September 14, 2015
Steven’s Pass – Skykomish (2476.0)
0 PCT miles today
2510.6 miles total
Today’s Elevation Gain/Loss: + 0 ft, – 0 ft

Sometimes it takes getting well to realize just how unwell you were feeling. I woke this morning feeling less than rested and still experiencing the extreme bodily and mental fatigue that reduced me to a useless rag doll last night. I tried hard to pull myself together and take on some of our “nero day” responsibilities, but when Mama Bear announced that we needed to be checked out of our room by 11am, I lost it. The very thought of going back out into the elements, let alone finding the energy to take a shower and pack everything back up, was more than I could handle. I fell on the mercy of Mama Bear and Pickles and within minutes it was decided that today would be a zero. I crawled back into bed, flooded with relief, and let my mom and fiancé take over for a few hours while I napped.

At some point today, while still laying in bed, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly hot and sweaty. This coincided with an overall improvement in my mental state and energy level, and it wasn’t until that point that I realized I most likely had a fever that had just broke. Suddenly my incoherent ramblings that I tried to sort out from last night’s blog, my weak body, and my uncontrollable shivering made sense. I don’t know enough about sports physiology to make sense of it all, but it seems like I actually hiked myself ill over the last couple days. With my fever broke, I regained much of my energy and was actually able to make use of the second half of the day, even though I still didn’t leave our hotel building or venture outside once all day. Pickles enjoyed a day exploring this tiny town, we were all impressed with our tasty dinner at the hotel’s attached cafe, and this evening Pickles and Mama Bear watched football while I laid in bed reading.

Today was exactly what both Pickles and I needed. At some point this afternoon, when I was still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the miles ahead of us, I reached out for support on the PCT Facebook page, and got more encouragement than I ever could have hoped for. Many of the kind words will stick with me in the days to come and serve as inspiration when the miles seem long or the climbs steep. We only have 9 days left of this insane and incredible journey and if our friends on Facebook are to be trusted, we’re absolutely going to make it.