22 miles
I wake up feeling drugged. I'm achy and have no desire to get up and walk. I know I'm the last one up at 6:40, but I don't care. I can tell Barrel is waiting for me, and he asks if I need any water jugs filled from the pump well. I thank him and hand him one of my liter bottles, wishing I had to energy to get up and leave with him. He brings back the bottle and I tell him I'll meet him down the trail.
I leave an hour later, not feeling any better. It's not that anything feels particularly wrong, it's just that I'm so exhausted walking for anything longer than a half hour is brutal. I take break after break, nodding off in my hands before I even realize I'm falling asleep. What the hell is wrong?!
I hit the lava fields, which are cool for about ten minutes, then I have to self talk my way through the fields, out of the sun, and then slouch, exhausted, against a rock. I think about taking a nap, but am worried I'll sleep for hours and it will throw off my schedule. I decide to call my mom and my friend Liz, hoping that talking to them will give me an energy boost. It works for a while and I make it to a stream around 2, only ten miles into my day.
I relax in the shade, wash my shirt out in the stream, and drink a liter an a half of water. I've been staying well hydrated, but just in case my exhaustion is due to not having enough water, I make sure to saturate myself.
Off the side of the trail I see a small styrofoam cooler that says Trail Magic. I open the lid to find some plums, oranges, a couple of small tomatoes, and some apple juice juiceboxes. I take a juice box, plum and tomato, feeling starved for fresh anything.
I relax by the river for about an hour, not quite sleeping, but in the half state of consciousness. I leave the stream, struggle for another two hours, and then around 5pm start to feel a bit better. I pick up my pace and come to what will be the last water source for 16 miles. It's 7:30, and I've gone 22 miles, and I feel like I need to end my day.
The Mosquitos are out in devilish numbers, and I work to set up my tent as fast as I can. I make food in my tent, not feeling hungry, but forcing it down.
It gets dark, and of course, having been exhausted all day, I'm not tired enough to sleep. I turn on my audio book and soon hear someone yelling "Hello?" I can tell by the voice that it's Borealis and I shout to him to come over. I'm surprised that he was so far behind me, and he tells me he went into a small resort town for about 6 hours today because he felt so tired. I sympathize with him and we wonder if we're sick.
He sets up his tent among the swarms of Mosquitos, and we talk about how his birthday is tomorrow, and that he wants to do a big day into Crater Lake for his birthday. I wish him happy birthday, and tell him if I feel better I'll hike out with him in the morning. Blegh.
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