Some days are set aside for perfection. The sun rises, the temperatures are just right, humidity is low, the company just the right person to share an adventure with, and this day had it all. It had it all except for me. It started out well and it ended on a very positive note but in mid ride I went off the track.
I met my friend Rhonda at Exit 8 at 8 am and we rolled down the highway in the Jeep catching up with one another concerning recent events in our lives as the miles rolled past. We got to the trail head in Catalooche at a little after 10:00 am. My current work schedule, the awesome 12 hour rotating shift fiasco, keeps me somewhere less than prime. I am tired most of the time, and I struggle with motivation and extreme fatigue resulting from sleep deprivation. I have been looking for some alternatives to give me more energy and I thought I had found one in one of the current popular supplements which shall remain nameless. I followed the directions before I left home and I was hyped, I felt energetic and mentally sharp and I bragged on it to my friend. At the trail head I looked forward to the challenge.
Sometimes, I pick trails in the Smokies because I have not done them yet. My goal is to eventually walk them all. I had texted my sister to see if she wanted to join us and she demurred, saying she had tender knees from a tumble and wanted to give them a few more days to heal. Donna had already hiked Pretty Hollow. Rhonda had looked up the trail on a trail app she favors and as we started up the gravel road that marks the beginning of the trail she told me that the trail app had designated Pretty Hollow a difficult trail with over 2300 feet of elevation gain total, the elevation gain happening mostly on the last third of the hike.
I did not know that, having picked Pretty Hollow because I had not done it yet…mmmm….I grinned, I was game, I had energy from my supplement. I could conquer Everest..I was chipper as.we passed the Horse campsite which was full of haulers, many people had brought their horses out to enjoy the beautiful day. We saw 2 elk enjoying a pile of hay next to a campsite. As we progressed up the trail we had to step aside for a large group of horsemen. They were not the only group we saw out and about on their horses either.
The trail followed the creek and at 0.8 mile we passed the juncture with Little Catalooche trail, The trail had a gentle incline as we made our way towards campsite 39. At 1.6 miles we passed the intersection with Palmer Creek trail. At 1.9 miles we arrived at campsite 39. We saw a couple of different groups of campers stirring around the backcountry site, which is probably one of the more heavily used backcountry sites in the park. The temperatures were perfect, the breeze refreshing as we began to climb in earnest.
We had gone a little ways up the steeper incline when my heart began to race and I began to feel a bit off. The supplement was a patch so I took the patch off and told Rhonda I wasn’t sure what was going on but I felt a bit wonky. I thought I would walk it off and be fine. I brushed aside her concern and we continued to climb. As we hit even steeper terrain my heart rate spiked up higher than I like to see it. I blamed being out of shape, but I am not so sure that was the cause. We would rest, my heart rate would go down, we would resume and my heart rate would spike. The trail was stunning, as we climbed we ran into pockets of wildflowers, The trail actually goes through 3 different echo systems and the different flora catches the eyes.
I was doggedly determined to reach the end of the trail, where it intersected with Mt.Stirling Ridge trail. We passed a smaller group, who then passed us as we were resting. At the trail intersect, the halfway point of our in and out hike, we caught up with the group again. They were sitting around the gap enjoying getting the hardest part of their hike done. The area was beautiful, the forest floor covered with tiny white flowers. It looked like a fairy land. I took off my backpack and sat down on a log. I was sitting there my eyes drinking in the beauty around me when my body decided to take it up a notch and my world tilted. I could feel my stomach roll and I couldn’t sit there. We were 5.6 miles from the Jeep and I suddenly felt like crap. Thankfully, this half of our hike would be down hill.
I sucked up my will power, I took deep breaths and I told myself I had no choice, I had to get back to the Jeep. Rhonda led the way downhill, and I walked and fought with my guts. Nausea would roll me and I would fight it down and I would determinedly plod on. It was a losing battle and even as I fought it I knew I would eventually succumb. I made it 2 miles before I admitted to Rhonda how much I was struggling. Immediately, she took a kerchief and wetted it and asked me what she could do. There wasn’t a whole lot, this was my crazy train and I was the only one on board. She paced me, looked out for me, helped me with her solid support and encouragement. There are times when God reminds us that even in distress there are blessings and she was mine. She was there when I needed, and she gave me space when I needed. When I finally lost my battle and emptied my stomach, she made sure I was able to continue and she took my backpack from me and carried my load and hers the last 2 1/2 miles out. After I threw up a couple of times I leveled out and trudged stolidly out of the backcountry with my friend.
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 