August 15th, 2009

 

20 Miles

My first full day’s trek in Wyoming and it was a bit of an adventure. I was confronted with a pretty intense storm of hail, lightning, winds over 35 miles per hour and of course rain as I came into Ft. Laramie. It is just tough doing the trek and all that it entails and then also having to be a video producer at the same time puts a lot of stress on the situation. You can do one or the other, but it is tough to get the shots that you want when you are trying to survive this storm. The wind was so strong that it ripped the cover off from my cart (and it is fastened on there pretty tight) and it proceeded to send it into the next county. So here I am trying to just make a few feet at a time and getting soaked to the bone and then lightning hit about ½ mile away and that sent me straight to my truck. I don’t mind dealing with the elements, but I don’t deal with the lightning. So as soon as the lightning and most of the rain passed, I got back out into it and walked in the rain to Ft. Laramie, found the local park and was about to pitch my tent there, but decided against it when the sign said that the auto sprinklers are on from midnight to 4AM. I am tired of getting soaked and so I opted for the local campground with a shower, since I hadn’t had one since I left the hospital. Which brings me to my next point, I have been itching ever since I left the hospital, not just a little itch, I mean an itch to where you want to scratch your eyes out kind of itch. Well I couldn’t really figure out what was going on until tonight when I showered… I have a rash all over my upper torso. Where it came from, or what medicine am I allergic to, I have no idea. I kept thinking that it would get better but it seems to be getting worse, so I suppose that I need to call the doctor to find out what is going on.

So staying at the campground, the owner knew of my situation and asked if I was doing my own cooking and I affirmed that I did and he then said that I could raid what was left in his garden to help with my supplies. Since this was my last trading area until Fort Bridger, I gladly accepted and dug up about 8 pounds of red potatoes, about 2 pounds of string beans and 6 partially ripe tomatoes. What a bounty! I then proceeded to make a soup with the red spuds, some onion, some string beans and just a hint of chicken bouillon. Man was it good! I had some for dinner, breakfast and for dinner again on Monday.

By the way… I am about to lose my mind because I haven’t slept in weeks. I think that we have had this discussion before because the trail is next to the trains

and I typically sleep within a block or two of the tracks because that is all the larger that these little towns are. So if you want to get just a glimpse of my night, get on the internet and download a train whistle blowing it’s series of warnings, and there are about 6 of them, and then start playing them as loud as your sound system will play them without blowing up the system or getting arrested by the police because your neighbors have turned you in for disturbing the peace. Ok, now put it on automatic to where it will play at this intensity about every 10 to 20 minutes and let it run for 24 hours! Do you get just a little slice of my night? If you think that I am kidding, you are totally wrong, I have been dealing with this insanity of weeks and weeks and my brain never gets into REM. So… let’s see how much you have been reading and paying attention to my blog and see how many of the following questions that you get right.
Why am I losing my mind?
Lack of sleep
I want to scratch my legs, and now my body till it bleeds
I have hemorrhoids
All of the above
What is the most miles that I have walked in a day?
26.7
25.8
28.3
30.1
What was I picking when I got my chigger bites?
My nose
Currents
Mulberries
Choke Cherries
The reason(s) that I am not sleeping is:
I have arthritis and it’s cold at night with only two small blankets
I have to get up and let the trains drive through my tent every 20 minutes
Air brakes are legal in every little small town in IA and NE
I’m hungry
All of the above
Name 4 kinds of beetles, spiders, ants, or cock roaches that I have killed on my face as I sleep in the middle of the night?
What berries, vegetables, and tubers have I been able to supplement my diet with?
Those that guess correctly and get 6 out of 6 get to come and help me pull this handcart over the Rocky Mts. because apparently you have way too much time on your hands and could use something to occupy your mind.