05/07

Didn’t get much sleep last night. I spent the night tossing and turning in a futile attempt to generate warmth, slowly realizing I wasn’t sick exactly, just thoroughly exhausted .

When morning came, I noticed something was off with Nick. He didn’t grab my bear can, a little trade-off we normally alternate without thinking. He emerged from his tent late, looking like I felt. Said he wasn’t feeling great either. Fantastic.

We had ten miles ahead of us, trying to reach “Hot Springs”, North Carolina as soon as possible. We’d only packed for a short stretch between resupplies, gambling that we could push through this section without needing an extra stop. It’s a risky game to play when you feel like your body’s threatening a full systems failure.

The trail wasn’t terrible for the first few miles. A few waterfalls, some decent switchbacks. But there were still two nameless mountains standing between us and our campsite. Hiking when you feel sick isn’t just hard, it’s demoralizing. You feel like your body’s staging a quiet rebellion.

But there’s no pause button. You just keep going. Not because you’re strong or determined or brave, just because you have to.

We made it to a little cliffside camp tucked deep in a tangle of brush. Enough space for our tents and not much else. We stood at the edge of the rock face, fifty feet up, watching water crash below. A beautiful, slightly nerve wracking place to sleep.

Now we’re only about ten miles out from town. I called ahead to a local hostel that just reopened after recovering from hurricane Helene. We’ve got a plan. Get there, rest, reassess.

Going to bed early tonight, hoping we feel better in the morning. If we don’t, we’ll probably be holed up in town for a couple more days. “Hot Springs” NC, could be nice.