A Tick Trail Part 2: Things May Not Be What They Seem

Thursday AM

Ring, Ring.

Hello.

Mr. Micks, this is Angie at Dr. Matt's office. I have your lab results: negative for Lyme Disease and Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever and a few other things they normally check for: your white count is low as well as you platelet level, so he believes you contracted a virus. He wants you to continue to take the antibiotic because of the rash on your leg and come back in a month to have your blood checked.

Did you say, negative for Lyme Disease?

Yes, no Lyme Disease. How are you feeling today?

A little better but still a bit shaky; so did he say anything else about the rash?

How is the rash? Is it irritated or changing?

As a matter of fact, it looks a bit angry this morning, but there is no swelling or discomfort.

Well, that's good; just keep a eye on it, and if there is a change that concerns you give us a call.

Well, thanks. I guess I'll call in about a month and we'll see you then.

Sounds good. Bye, Mr. Micks.

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So, I amble into the garden room to consider the situation.  Certainly, I am relieved not to have Lyme Disease; there can be a number of long-term consequences that are unsavory, and I am feeling a bit better so I expect the virus has petered out and time will bring about a restoration of vigor and a cessation of the those blasted headaches and the exacerbated arthritis in the neck. The cognitive dissonance I have been experiencing about my backpacking discipline is resolved, since I thought I had checked myself for ticks and I just could not reason how I missed that little sucker, especially if he had to be attached for at least 24 hours and probably more. Reported cases of Lyme Disease are rare in Virginia.

So the only question that remains is:

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING ON MY LEG?

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I am posting this a few days after the lab report: the rash is fading and I am practically back to normal. I expect my blood test in a month will indicate proper white count and platelet levels, so, this adventure comes to a close.

Back on the trail soon!

A Tick Trail: Thar's Danger in Them Thar Hills

On my last hike I made note of what I considered significant natural encounters on the trail: a rattlesnake and a bear. I mentioned these because these creatures can cause serious injury to humans and therefore make the adrenaline rush a bit. I failed to mention that I saw ticks out there as well. Dog ticks are the bigger variety that we can see easily and I brushed one off my leg (no long pants on) on day three of that hike. Deer ticks like the one blown up at left are quite a bit smaller and evade detection, even to the most diligent observer.

Fast forward 10 days (Friday) from the end of that trek and Hiker Hank is starting feel a little feverish and achy. Thinking maybe I picked up a little virus, I did not do anything about it. The next day, Saturday was no better and I was pretty much useless around the house, but I still expected it to pass; that night I was wracked with trembling, fever, and aches throughout. There was no reason to suspect anything other than a virus; who gets the flu in the summer? Sunday night I sleep fitfully and wake up twice drenched in a cold sweat. M looks over and says: Hank, look at your leg! She is looking at the back side of my left thigh, which I cannot really see. There is a sizable rash around what appears to be a bite site. OK, now we are getting a little edgy; no trip to the ER, but a phone call to Dr. Matt and an early Monday afternoon appointment. I am feeling crappier than I have in 9 years. After some discussion Dr. Matt says: looks like Lyme Disease to me, we are going to treat you for that. Heavy duty antibiotics for ten days, should be feeling better in a few days. Diagnosis to be confirmed via blood test but the classic bulls-eye rash is evident. How about that new camera.

In reflection, those larger beasts in the woods proved to be no more that a novelty. The real danger to me was that tiny little deer tick that I never saw. You can bet that on future hikes I will assiduously check myself over at the beginning and end of each day. In order for me to contract Lyme Disease the tick had to be secured for a least 24 hours, likely more. How could I have missed that? Those suckers are tiny and dangerous; eventhough they do not make your heart pound when you see one, the bacteria they carry will knock the wind out of your sails, completely.

The Beginning of a Daily Trail: Two Miles in the Hood and Quiet Time

If I am going to be a conditioned backpacker then at least I need (and want) to be a regular walker. If I am going to be a faithful servant then I need (and want) to spend some time with the Master. So for about a year I have taken up early morning neighborhood walking to get those legs in shape and that ticker pumping. Each morning about 6:15, after the coffee gets going, I take one of several routes of about two miles. My standard and favorite takes me about 30 minutes and is exactly 2.0 miles, which calculates to a speed of 4 mph, about twice what I accomplish on backpacking treks.

So, out the back door and across the yard past M's garden on Forest. Those Shasta Daisies just keep multiplying. The garden is producing well; we had so much lettuce, cucumbers are prolific, beans OK, tomatoes on the way, other flowers in abundance. Now I head down Stuart Hall Road past Trinity Methodist and where C&T used to live back in the day of youngsters at home. Trinity is a wonderful part of the neighborhood. At noon and six in the evening the chimes play some of our favorite hymns, a fitting testimony to the grace of God. I walk over the creek and then up to Baldwin Road where I take a left. This creek flows down to the lake at University of Richmond. A walk over there and back takes an hour (about 5 miles) and is for the most leisurely of days. 

Here's a typical street view with overhanging hardwoods and spindly pines. Over the course of weeks I see that same folk mostly with the same pets. Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, birds, cats, and leashed dogs are my animal companions.

Turning right I am now on Hollins Road, a lovely divided street with a small creek down the median. I ignore the sign that says Do Not Enter and forge ahead. At the top of the hill I turn right again onto Woodberry Road for one block then down the hill on Sweetbriar Road. To make the trip total 2.0 miles I bear left on Rock Creek Road and continue all the way down past Baldwin to Forest Avenue on the other side of Trinity. I zig zag over to University and then left on Arlington Circle which loops up, around and back to University. Another zig zag onto Essex Avenue for a block, a right on Fairfax Avenue and I am coming up on the back side of the house with a good view of the Mini-Monster (a short green wall that is supposed to remind me of the Green Monster in the Fens). Looks like the WSJ is waiting for me in the driveway, coffee in the kitchen and morning devotional materials in the garden room. I use a devotional guide called Encounter with God by Scripture Union, a plain Bible (no commentary), a journal, and prayer cards (index cards for various themes) to continue the day. My walk is peppered with all sorts of musings depending on what happened recently or the plans for the day. I make all these wanderings of mind into prayers since God is interested in what I am thinking and He can better speak to me in those quiet morning moments if my mindset is on Him. So there we have it, the beginning of a day ripe with opportunity.

New Trail: Day Three - Wildcat Ridge Trail to Rockfish Gap

Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 (day three of a three day hike)
Where: Skyline Drive (SNP) near Rockfish Gap

Weather: Mostly sunny, 60s to start, breezy, hot in the afternoon

Length: 13.5 m

Elevation change: Wildcat Ridge - 3000, So. fork Moormans FR - 2000, Calf Mtn. - 3000, Rockfish Gap - 1800

Duration: 8.0 h including break for lunch and more rest periods

Since I had kicked major trail butt yesterday or was it the other way round(?), I had a shorter hike today. My tent was thoroughly soaked underneath but I had a dry sleep so I call that a success. Stuffed all the wet gear in the appropriate sacks, loaded up the pack, had a quick oatmeal breakfast (love that JetBoil stove), and headed out, feeling well-rested and invigorated for the trek ahead.

The trail was altogether lovely this morning, with a mix of the normal closed in shadowy parts, to some open pasture and meadow. Having hiked mostly undercover until now, I was a bit surprised by how much the trail, usually no more than a foot wide if well-packed, was encroached by overhanging brush and grass. With recent rains and bright sun no wonder. There were places where recent trail maintenance had been performed but keeping it all clear is a major undertaking and the volunteers are doing a marvelous job. The up and downs were manageable and since I knew I had fewer miles to go, did not seem to be too challenging; just put one foot in front of the other as the song says.

My first encounter was with a local on horseback, out for a morning ride on one of the intersecting blue blaze trails. We had an informative one-sided chat regarding the history and geography of the area. My loquacious educator just would not let me go, saying something like: well, let me tell you about ...   I cannot remember how I broke the suction.


My second encounter was with Grasshopper, a thru-hiker and about my age. We had an uplifting conversation and parted ways. I am truly humbled by these hikers that do this day in and day out for months at a time. You should check him out at  Grasshopper's Blog. Come spring I plan to start with some of them at Springer Mtn. GA, the southern terminus of the AT and hike for a couple of weeks up to Hot Springs, NC. I have some serious training between now and then to be successful.

All during my trek, and for that matter anytime I hike, I want to see the natural flora and fauna. This can be problematic as a found out Monday confronted with an indigenous snake, but nevertheless it became the big event. Same goes for seeing a bear; I wanted to see one (many folks I had encountered mentioned seeing them) but not necessarily have to deal with a confrontation like I did with Mr. Snake. Well, here he is. This is not an actual photo I took since I had left my camera at home and my mobile was useless. So to the best of my recollection this is what I saw. He was thrashing about on the right edge of the trail enjoying the bountiful berries. He did not sense me, so I watched for a while, just enjoying viewing him doing his normal stuff. He was much bigger than I expected based on previous observations. After a while, feeling the pressure of my scheduled meeting in Richmond, I tapped my trekking poles together. He looked up, ears at attention and stared. I did not make eye contact and he moved across the trail and into the brush. Not seeing him now, I advanced down the trail tooting my whistle as a further encouragement for him to move on. Did not see him again. Now I am making a big deal of this and others talked about it casually, but again experiencing these events on the trail are what make it interesting to me, not watching you feet for hours on end to make sure you do not misstep.


The rest of the trip was anticlimactic and delightful. After passing Jarman Gap and taking on a little more water to finish the trip I just idled along. I knew I was on a good schedule so I slowed my overall pace a bit.


The long decent into Rockfish was well-designed so I did not feel like my toes were banging against the fronts of my boots (trail runners today to be precise and I had them pretty tight). And before long I could hear the semis on I-64 groaning upgrade to the pass. Not an unwelcome sound but still a mile or so away. Finally dropping down sharply onto the parkway near the entrance I felt relief and euphoria at this modest accomplishment of 44.3 m in three days. All told, I hiked for about 22 hours of the 50 hours I was out, something I had not done since the boy and I went to Philmont 20 years ago. I am encouraged and looking forward to my next hike, yet to be determined.

New Trail: Day Two - Pinefield Hut to Wildcat Ridge Trail

Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 (day two of a three day hike)

Where: near Loft Mtn on the Skyline Drive (SNP)

Weather: Mostly sunny, 60s to start, foggy, breezy, hot in the afternoon, cool after rain

Length: 20.0 m

Elevation change: Pinefield Hut - 2400, Loft Mtn - 3400, Blackrock Mtn - 3100, Wildcat Ridge - 3000

Duration: 10.5 h including break for lunch

Up with the sun, had breakfast with the hut boys and out by 6:30a. I am a man on a mission with a decided 20 m ahead of me. I wondered if I could do really do it. The trail from here is a bit up and down with the major pull into Loft Mtn. 6 m away. Feeling good and loaded with water from the spring at Pinefield. I am carrying 2.5 liters in my hydration bladder and another liter bottle, enough water for a normal day. I refilled at Loft Mtn. had a bit of a break at the camp store, but no phone contact with M since yesterday morning at my start. I am worrying that she is worrying and that is distracting. I'm still looking at every dark spot on the trail for you know what kind of coiled thing that makes a "you are not welcome here" signal. 

As I hike up to the Doyles River Overlook I have my phone on and I here a welcome "plunk" meaning a text. I find a reception point and M and I have a catch up. Learning to deal with unpredictable and most likely infrequent conversations requires some acclimation. Now I am feeling really on top of the world and ready to push on. There are many people on the trail today evidence that the community is alive and well. 

As I push over Blackrock Mtn. I am watching my water and wondering where I am going to fill up; this is going to be an issue today. I know there is a spring at Blackrock Hut. When I reach the hut it's 0.2 m down there and, of course, 0.2 m back. Doesn't sound like much but I still have a long way to go (7 m) and I choose to bypass with hopes for a water encounter later. Maybe a bad decision.

Two hours later, about 3:00p, I am really beat and recognizing the water issue is upon me; I probably should have not passed the spring. I roll into the Riprap parking area on the Skyland Drive (the trail runs adjacent to it) and I am down to about a liter with no springs between me and my endpoint tonight (2 hours away) and the first water well beyond that tomorrow. What to do? I am so exhausted and conflicted I am immobilized: a good thing. There are a few cars in the parking lot (no people) but some passing the entrance in both directions (some people) and I am resting which I have not been doing enough of on this trek. I consider my options, one of which is to bail on the trek, stand at the entrance and look for an angel to carry me back to Rockfish, the truck, and home resulting is a shorter than expected trip and a learning experience. That option sounds better than just taking off down the trail, low on water, energy, and enthusiasm. As I consider hailing a vehicle to see if water is available an SUV enters the parking lot and out jumps a fellow for a moment then he gets right back in. I scurry over as he starts his vehicle and ask if he has any water he can spare. He dives into the cooler and comes up with a bottle. Many thanks and I am back to my pack. I reassess and with the added water, rest, and buoyed spirit, I feel like proceeding is a safer bet, so off I go. Not more than a few hundred yards down the trail I meet a group of about six 20 somethings from Philly on the end of their day hike. I probed,"Do you guys happen to have any water you can share since you are almost at the end?" Out came the bottles and before you can say "Holy Water" I am packed full with a quenched thirst. Now I am ready.

I push on with even more vigor to Wildcat Ridge (4 more miles) with a idea that a good campsite is available in the area.  I arrive at 5:30p with thunder crashing about, find a near perfect site, and up goes the tent for the second night. Soon thereafter the heavens open and the Ark floats by. The tent does admirably given the circumstances and some pilot error on judging terrain; I stay dry but most everything else was somewhat wet. After several rain bans passed through, the sky cleared a bit, just enough for me to fix my dinner, hang my bear bag and settle in. No one is sight or hearing since I left Riprap. 

I am bone tired but feeling a sense of accomplishment and success for making my 20, leaving me about 13.5 m for tomorrow. This I can do. I was going to rest easy tonight.