Long night on the mountain

Wes and I finally went for our overnight camp at the top of Hidden Valley, last night. That hike is always difficult, but with 40-pound packs on, it was an intense workout. For once, I didn't feel guilty for missing a swim. All was well when we got camp set up. The weather was nice, we got a fire going and cooked dinner.

All smiles halfway up the trail. I had no idea about the misery that was in store for me later that night.

However, just before hitting the sack, we walked about 50 yards to a clearing by the rock cairn where we had cell-phone reception so we could call our wives and say good night. It was getting dark and as I was walking, I heard a shuffle near my foot, followed by the dreaded RATTLING sound. I looked down, and sure enough, about a foot away from my shoe was the snake. I immediately jumped back and Wes' dog ran after the snake as we yelled and called for her to come back. Fortunately, no one was hurt. But I was freaked out and retreated to the tent for the night.

Our view from camp, right near where I almost stepped on a rattler a few hours later.

Then it got worse.

I woke up at about 1 a.m. with what might have been the worse headache of my life. I was shaking uncontrollably, sweating profusely and I'm certain I was running a fever. Wes, being the good friend he is, helped me pack up camp a few hours later when I wasn't getting any better. I started vomiting, so we decided to quickly make our way down the mountain in the dead of night, so I could get some medicine/help. It didn't help that my knees were already shaky when we went downhill, plus the rattlesnake scare was still in our heads as we trekked down the trail in the dark. After what seemingly took forever, we made it to the bottom by 4 a.m., and I was home by 4:30 where Jen made me sit in a hot bath after swallowing a handful of ibuprofen. It made a world of difference. After about another hour, I was feeling a little better and I could finally lie down. My own bed never felt so good and I was out. I didn't wake up until 11:30.

I feel fine now, and I'm not quite sure what overtook me last night. Very rarely have I felt so scared. Jen thinks I was severely dehydrated, but I have my doubts, because Wes and I took a ton of water with us. I drank at least two liters before we went to sleep. With a ton of black widows in our garage lately -- where we store our camping gear/sleeping bags -- Jen also thinks I may have been bitten by a spider and that made me sick. Personally, I think I may have gotten food poisoning from dinner. But who knows... It may have soiled me on camping for a little while, but I'm glad to have a good friend in Wes, who didn't mess around and helped me get down the mountain when I felt like death. Jen, as always, was up late at night with me, too, and I am thankful to have the both of them in my life.

Thanks guys...