A Zero With My Son – Long Road Day Fourteen

Day fourteen, Friday, August 29

At Ben’s house

Distance: Zero miles (154.9 miles total).

Night sweats, but why?

I woke up with night sweats again. I had left the window open to cool off and slept with fewer blankets, but my shirt was still damp with sweat. Where could this come from? Why didn’t I experience this along the way?

It seemed like a mystery. It was still concerning though, as that was the first symptom I had before I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was now in remission and expected to stay in remission for a long time. Worrying about it wouldn’t do me any good, so I put it out of my mind.

My plan worked. The rain was falling and I wasn’t on a wet, slippery trail, I was comfortable at my son Ben’s house. It was already 9:30 when I came downstairs, the girls were at camp and Melody was at work. Ben and I would spend the day together to run some errands.

First errand: funny hospital story

The first stop was the hospital to pick up medication for Ben. He jumped to get it, but there was no parking at the hospital entrance. Then, he handed me the keys and said, «Just drive around the circle and pick me up, I won’t be a minute.»

I made two mistakes. First, I couldn’t believe I was able to get the medication so quickly. So I thought, «Well, I’ll go behind the hospital, then I’ll turn around and go back to the hospital, and when I do that, I’ll start going around the circle.»

Everything seemed to be going according to plan when I arrived at a very nice place where a bus was waiting to leave. Lihat juga fdsf2. Here came my second mistake. I thought, «Great! The bus will be leaving in a moment,» and I got in behind the bus.

The bus didn’t leave. And he still hasn’t left. Then a car came and stopped behind me, boxing me in. Oops! Luckily the car behind me was delivering pizza, because a nurse came out and paid for a box and then the car behind me backed up. I wasted no time in following him back and returned to the hospital. Of course, by then Ben was already waiting and wondering where the hell he’d gone!

Second errand: REI, the temple of gear!

Next, we went shopping to adjust my hiking gear. At REI we had a great assistant who had also been a hiker. I asked him not to laugh when he saw the leather belt I had been walking around with, soaked and sad. He laughed, but was friendly, and pointed out cloth belts that will be much better. He also recommended waterproof gloves for hiking in the rain, a lightweight Patagonia jacket that I thought would help if the upcoming bare peaks were harsh, a brand new water filtration system (perhaps a luxury since I really only needed one replacement filter), and a sleeping bag liner. The lining was to keep me warm, because I had already been on the verge of feeling uncomfortably cold several times. Below freezing temperatures on the ridges are not impossible in a September in Vermont.

Third errand: food!

I had also developed a reasonable idea of ​​how much more food I would need, so I stocked up on extra freeze-dried packs and GU energy bursts at REI. At the grocery store I bought Almond M&Ms, more jerky and small sausages, more chocolate bars for lunch, and more dried mango.

These sandwiches would still be my lunch. To stay energized throughout the day, I started eating lunch twice most days. I ate half of my snacks in the late morning and the other half in the mid-afternoon. After the second lunch I began to hydrate dinner in my waterproof boat. That way the water would be completely absorbed when I camped and I wouldn’t have to wait an hour until dinner time.

Dinner and bed: a comfortable domestic day

Back at home we relaxed and chatted and I did the laundry. Once Melody and the girls were home, we headed to a place that specialized in rib dinners.

A rainy day brings out the raincoat… and the mischievous smile!

I started with a giant bowl of salad from the bottomless salad bar and then ordered the largest piece of meat with a large side of mashed potatoes. Even with the hikers’ hunger I couldn’t finish it, but I knew I would eat the leftover meat later, don’t hesitate!

Everyone in the house went to bed early, as the next morning they would take me back to the trail in time to return to the local fair. I stayed up late, answering emails, paying bills, and repacking my gear for the next day. I also began planning my assault on the North, optimistically hoping to finish it before September 9th, barring injuries, weather conditions, or other delays.

The Green Mountain Club has 12 chapters along the Long Trail. In the picture you can see that I had abandoned the trail at the beginning of Division 8. This is NOT the same as their map, which has 8 separate north-south sections covering the entire length of the trail (I was on Map 5).

In short, it was a simple domestic day, my first zero on the road. I really appreciated seeing Ben and talking to him about his cancer diagnosis. I was impressed with how well he was taking it.

When I finally fell asleep, I could still hear the rain falling and hoped it would end when I returned to the trail the next day.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.