Had to quit my thru hike :/
Had to quit my thru hike :/
I made it 546 kilometres in 19 days, with ~350 left to go. Idk if my water filter failed or there was a hygiene slipup, but I woke up Thursday feeling super fatigued and that quickly slipped into beaver fever symptoms (or some kind of infection/parasite).
Now I've spent the last few days recovering on the couch and picking up reading again. Still feels like a big achievement, but I had a bit of a short time window to finish the trail. Now I'll probably be too busy for the rest of the warmer season and have to wait until next year. 
Sucks, but also still an absolutely amazing achievement. As a hiker those numbers are huge huge daily milage for such a long time. And to think it was one small mistake or an equipment malfunction that stopped you rather than your body or spirit giving up speaks volumes. I hope you get another crack at it next year.
I probably planned it a bit too ambitious in retrospect. I'm a very experienced adventurer and camper with some long canoe and cycling trips under my belt, so I'm well used to keeping up spirit and mental resilience in tough conditions, but never done a hike longer than a few days.
Hopefully you learned some lessons then for next time!
I'm glad you listened to your body and hope your recovery goes smooth
When I moved here I looked at one particular mountain daily for three years before attempting it. The first time I went up I turned back right beneath the summit due to dehydration. Getting down safe meant being able to do it again with a better sense of what I need to do it better. Turning back is always the right move where safety is concerned. Nature can't be taken for granted when a medical evacuation is hours if not days away.
Absolutely not! I'm lucky that the trail wasn't actually backcountry for most of it, and I had an emergency sat phone, first aid kit, etc. with me, but I have seen some shit go down in the woods and know when to be careful.
comrade giardia got you posting again
I hope your beaver gets better.
Thanks for keeping my beaver in your thoughts ❤️
I'm honestly so impressed with how much you hiked. Sucks you got sick but you sound like a badass
damn that's still hardcore.
i just do dayhikes and overnight backpacking and now it's too hot so i'm going to be antsy until fall. unless i can make the drive to the mountain
You got so far, you’ll definitely make it through next year
Honestly, still kinda badass.
Congrats for getting as far, and as fast, as you did.
Is that sort of pace now forced upon you by climate change, or is it possible to start earlier and get north enough before it gets too hot? Say in 2 years.
The pace was forced on me by the rest of my summer and fall being busy af, as well as difficult logistics on spots to stay (the trail I was doing has few official camping spots and they are far between). If I dedicate more time to it next year I could go quite a bit slower but I'll just miss out on all the other shit I wanna do in life, especially in the warm weather.
That's really impressive, good that you made it out okay!
