View Full Version : Got sick in North CT South Mass this week
Gambit McCrae
09-10-2015, 10:37
Not saying what the sickness was caused by BUT I did have to come off the trail after a 50 miles journey thru southern mass
Didn't eat in 4-5 days
falling down
sweating PROFUSLY like never before
puking out both ends
delusional
I did travel thru 2 airports and shook too many hands at the beginning of my trip but as well the water in south mass was very poor in most sections. Probably only saw 3 clear springs but was drinking gallons of sawyer filtered water every day. Just a heads up out there
Most curious... saw a post on FB just a day or two back, of a hiker with a similar report, from the same area. Was that you?
Gambit McCrae
09-10-2015, 11:18
Most curious... saw a post on FB just a day or two back, of a hiker with a similar report, from the same area. Was that you?
31949 This look like the guy? Hese a real crazy...
Yep that was me
Just Tom
09-10-2015, 14:03
Water was good enough in CT, but we had problems with water after Sage Ravine too. Stopped at Race Brook site for water and the brook was dry aside from some really nasty standing water in a spot or two. Decided to chance it and continue over Mt. Race and Mt. Everett and filled up at the Guilderland picnic area. The two shelter sites nearby there were also dry. Raining today, thank goodness!
greenmtnboy
09-10-2015, 21:04
I don't know what I would do except follow strict guidelines on water purification; filter and chlorine drops? On avoiding Lyme/deer ticks, I try to avoid walking through grass, which can be difficult when the trail is grassy. I guess the ticks can jump up on things but can't fly....
Gambit McCrae
09-11-2015, 08:20
As I have returned home and am pretty much 100% as of this morning I believe it was either something I picked up in the airport or dehydration. I was expecting 70's that far north, it was low 90's and didn't even use a sleeping bag at night lol
Traveler
09-11-2015, 08:32
Sorry you were taken ill on your trek through CT and MA. It sounds like you filtered your water well and there have not been any reports of bad water along the AT or the other trails in NW CT/SW MA that I have seen if thats any help.
Glad you pulled through and survived to fight yet another day!
gsingjane
09-11-2015, 09:04
Gambit, you had horrendous luck with the weather here. I was thinking all this week about the backpackers who might be out there in our area, and I am not at all surprised you were taken ill. It may have been a combination of travel gut, dehydration, and mild heat exhaustion - seriously, it just never ever gets so incredibly hot and humid here at this time of year, as it did when you were out. And factoring in the normal late summer/early fall dryness - you had quite a time of it. Glad you're on the mend!
Jane
ill be out this weekend, and while its unfortunate the rain is coming back just in time for it, i still prefer that over 90's+ on the trail. I was out in Harriman a few weeks ago and got major dehydration and muscle cramps as a result, even with 3 1/2 liters of water and regular breaks. The water situation has been bad everywhere, especially married with the intense heat we've had. Glad you're ok!
Gambit McCrae
09-11-2015, 09:17
Gambit, you had horrendous luck with the weather here. I was thinking all this week about the backpackers who might be out there in our area, and I am not at all surprised you were taken ill. It may have been a combination of travel gut, dehydration, and mild heat exhaustion - seriously, it just never ever gets so incredibly hot and humid here at this time of year, as it did when you were out. And factoring in the normal late summer/early fall dryness - you had quite a time of it. Glad you're on the mend!
Jane
Makes me feel better hearing this. I was disappointed but I have also learned since then that I guess the walk out of Salisbury North 20 miles or so is one o f the toughest sections south of the whites? I did that in an afternoon, tough but I knocked it out. I didn't want to quit, but I didn't want to be a rescue story on the news either. By the last day I was confused and falling down, time to call it quits. Already planning next trip. This was my 31st trip on the AT in 2 years, just like fishing trips, motorcycle trips(for my pops) or any trip with a % of risk, your going to have shorter than expected trip times, unexpected problems and I have learned that if you dwell on the short comings it does absolutely nothing. Learn from them, and move on. Best way I can put it at ease is "50 miles is 50 miles". Trip 31 done keep on keepin on
Slo-go'en
09-11-2015, 10:37
Puking out of both ends sounds like nerovirus. Confused and falling down sounds like dehydration/heat exhaustion. The first can lead to the second, especially since it was so hot out.
JohnHuth
09-11-2015, 10:47
The symptoms are pretty generic, so it's tough to tell. I do know of people who have had similar symptoms not being anywhere near CT/southern Mass. I was up in Maine last weekend and my sea kayaking buddy got sick with something like that. I think it was a virus, but heat and dehydration made the symptoms and reaction worse. So, maybe something you picked up in the airport and then the heat/dehydration exacerbated the problem.
The hottest, most miserable hiking I ever did on the AT was between Salisbury CT and Great Barrington MA. And one of the most gorgeous hikes was a few months later, picking up from Great Barrington and continuing to Dalton.