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Gramps
01-17-2011, 10:34
This is directed more at someone who has thru-hiked. How much illness does one generally just try to hike on through when on the trail? I am referring to such minor things as the crud and not serious stuff like pneumonia, flu, etc. I know it's a wide-open question with so many variables, but I ask as I generally come down with 1-3 bouts of crud a year. If I'm trying a thru from March-Sept., chances are I'll come down with it at some point.

Spokes
01-17-2011, 10:42
Never came down with any "crud" on my thru hike but I did suffer a 3 day bout of something similar as I passed over Hoosier Pass when I bicycled cross country the year before. Cleared up when I got on the other side and I associated it with altitude sickness.

Sure felt crappy. I typically keep hiking/biking if it's in my head but try to monitor it more if it's in my lungs.

BTW, thru hikers are more likely to get sick from sharing out of someone else's food bag than a waterborne illness.

Hope this helps. Cheers!

Lone Wolf
01-17-2011, 10:45
This is directed more at someone who has thru-hiked. How much illness does one generally just try to hike on through when on the trail? I am referring to such minor things as the crud and not serious stuff like pneumonia, flu, etc. I know it's a wide-open question with so many variables, but I ask as I generally come down with 1-3 bouts of crud a year. If I'm trying a thru from March-Sept., chances are I'll come down with it at some point.

avoid hostels and shelters and your chances of staying healthy go way up. seriously. hostels are nasty with germs and crap

the goat
01-17-2011, 10:47
avoid hostels and shelters and your chances of staying healthy go way up. seriously. hostels are nasty with germs and crap

so true, the only time i got sick on the trail was in gorham while staying at hiker's parasite.

Pete Moss
01-17-2011, 11:22
I found I was actually much healthier on the trail and with less illness than say in the office setting. What you will put your body through, after the first few weeks, will make your immune system stronger, in my expirience.

DrRichardCranium
01-17-2011, 11:52
Yep. On my thru-hike I never got ill.

garlic08
01-17-2011, 11:59
Ditto the above. I've never even had a sniffle while hiking. Getting back to town, with public restrooms, public transportation, door knobs, snot-nosed humans...now that's a different story.

CrumbSnatcher
01-17-2011, 12:13
avoid hostels and shelters and your chances of staying healthy go way up. seriously. hostels are nasty with germs and crap
AND don't share your GORP! or least don't let people just reach into your ziplock and grab a handful:eek: and keep your hands out of other gorp bags. you might as well swap spit and call the doctor ahead of time!:D

Lone Wolf
01-17-2011, 12:15
AND don't share your GORP! or least don't let people just reach into your ziplock and grab a handful:eek: and keep your hands out of other gorp bags. you might as well swap spit and call the doctor ahead of time!:D

I NEVER share food

CrumbSnatcher
01-17-2011, 12:23
I NEVER share food
I DONT DO GORP:D
I have gave food away to people out or low.
carried beer,sweets,snacks out of town on purpose to share up the trail,
but i have never ask anyone to share with me.

sbhikes
01-17-2011, 13:12
Didn't catch any colds while hiking either. I did get a 48-hour intestinal thing. That was my fault. I cut some fruit with my pocket knife and left it sitting in my hotel room. Ate some a few hours later. Shouldn't have done that. There's a purpose for refrigeration, dontchaknow? Anyway, I could not hike for 48 hours. When I returned to the trail I felt really weak and queasy but I still put in over 20 miles that day. I felt good by the end of the day. Hiking is good for the body.

Tilly
01-17-2011, 13:16
Twice I started feeling extremely run down and intestinally upset (I'm talking barely having the energy to stand up) that I think was due to not getting any sleep on the trail several nights in a row and then hiking all day.

Solution both times--stop hiking at noon or 1 pm, set up the tent, drink fluids, nap, go to bed early. The next day both times I was as good as new.

If you are feeling run down or even sick, remember to listen to your body! Nothing good comes through constantly pushing through things.

Gramps
01-17-2011, 23:11
avoid hostels and shelters and your chances of staying healthy go way up. seriously. hostels are nasty with germs and crap


I can vouch for that. When I went to Navy boot camp, there were 80-84 guys from all over the country living 24/7 in the barracks. Each one brought their own personal bugs and by the 5th week, almost 3/4 had gone to sickcall with URI, or upper respiratory infection, although we said it stood for (U)sual (R)ecruit (I)llness.

Blissful
01-17-2011, 23:13
I only got sick when I went home.

I also take Emergen C packets when I felt a throat tickle on the trail; instantly gone. I put a packet or two in my mail drops.

leaftye
01-17-2011, 23:28
I felt sick for the 3 days immediately after I returned to the trail. I couldn't even push myself to do 10 miles a day. I'm sure I got sick when I was at home. Other than that, I haven't been sick on the trail. Even when I feel like I'm getting sick, getting on the trail for a couple days makes me feel much better.

Peacock
01-18-2011, 01:50
I was doing a partial AT thru in 2010,spending 700 miles with good friends Eastwind and Loon. Eastwind was hospitalized for 8 days with ehrlichiosis. Loon had lyme disease and cellulitis. Little Foot and Doc developed lyme disease. Each of these men recovered and went on to complete the AT. I was VERY fortunate and never had an upset stomach. Keep checking for ticks and use plenty of hand sanitizer. Seldom Seen

The Weasel
01-18-2011, 04:27
If you're hiking with friends (either from the start or ones you find along the way) you're generally OK continuing with a mild illness, especially if it is a GI thing, since your friends can watch out for you. Upper respiratory things are far more risky, since they can turn into pneumonia in a hurry, even when it's warm, and that can be scary. If a GI problem lasts more than 2 days, it's time to see a doctor.

TW

TheChop
01-18-2011, 05:43
You mean other than the mental illness of wanting to walk to Maine? :)

Torch09
01-18-2011, 06:11
I got food poisoning or something (I'm no doctor, but I think it was from the under-cooked burger I ate) in Hot Springs. Cleared up in a day. No other issues.

CrumbSnatcher
01-18-2011, 10:36
I got food poisoning or something (I'm no doctor, but I think it was from the under-cooked burger I ate) in Hot Springs. Cleared up in a day. No other issues.
in 1999 i hiked off and on with a guy named cupecake
around Bland VA. i found out that he couldn't eat town food, he would get really sick anytime he tried. went to the hospital a couple times on his hike. that would of sucked! looking forward to grubbing on town food is a big highlight of a thruhike. we were eating dairy queen in bland, he was eating a tuna sandwich he made. yuck:eek:

So Far
01-18-2011, 10:44
GA-ME 2010. Had a flu leaving Erwin...Uncle johnnys revenge they called it. A cold in New England when the weather turned cold and a bad bacteria infection they got me off trail for 10 days. My saying was **** will buff out.

4shot
01-18-2011, 12:34
I had the "UJ's" revenge this year as well - took about 7 days to get over it completely, staff infection on right leg, lost a crown off of one of my molars about 3 days outside of Dalton, etc. Like the heat,bugs, rain,cold, c. it's just part of the hike that has to be dealt with.

BTW, So Far - appreciated the trail magic from your dad in Duncannon.

Jim Adams
01-18-2011, 15:39
You usually get ill from other people not from being outside and hiking.
I've never been sick on any of my hikes or canoe trips.
I did have slight altitude sickness on the PCT.

geek

garlic08
01-18-2011, 17:04
Though I never got sick, I saw plenty of people who did, for sure. Lyme disease is a big one, and I think skin problems were another. On the PCT (no major tick problems there), I saw more hikers get off trail temporarily for skin boils than for any other reason. That caused me to be very careful about cleanliness and preventive treatment of the skin (the body's largest organ). That's one that's easy to prevent, like washing hands and not sharing food helps prevent GI problems.