Sunday, July 6, 2008

dead for a day

Sorry for the complete lack of blogging yesterday, but I spent the entire day pretty much dead, lying in a Vancouver hotel room bed (Extended Stay America again, but much cheaper than the one in Bothell, for some reason). I'm here for at least one more night before moving on. One big disappointment is that my room's TV doesn't get the Food Network. A shame.

Self-maintenance while at the hotel has involved peeling and scrubbing dead skin off my face and forearms, peeling and clipping calluses off my feet, and taking care of blisters on my pinky toes. Oh, and showering, shaving, and clipping my nails.

Saturday was all about rest. When I arrived at the hotel on Friday, I was too exhausted to think about doing anything other than flopping into bed and getting all that weight off my feet, so as you can imagine, my Fourth was spent watching the fireworks on TV. Whenever I got up from the bed, I moved about the room like an old man, and noticed that it wasn't just my feet that needed relief from the constant pressure of the backpack: my knees and lower back also began complaining once I had shed the pack and stretched out on the bed. They complained for most of Saturday, so I finally took four aspirin a few hours ago.

On Friday, I met not only Julie and Ralph-- I also met an avian assailant: a bird crapped on my head. Birds and I have a long history, so this wasn't entirely surprising. I managed to wipe most of the guano away and rinse both my hair and my wiping hand with a few mouthfuls of water from the Camelbak. No harm done, but I still marvel at how birds are able to hit what must be, from their perspective, such small moving targets. I'm not just talking about human skulls, either: the rearview mirrors of cars are another favorite target of birdy buttholes.

Got yelled at by another teen in a car on Friday. Caught something about "I hate..." and "...asshole," but didn't hear the person clearly enough to get the whole message. Part of the problem is that these people are too cowardly to pull up alongside me, say what they have to say, and wait for a response. No: the preferred M.O. seems to be a drive-by style. Very gangsta. Or maybe they think they're Special Ops, doing a strike-and-fade. Very heroic, in that case; I should admire them.

Heh.

Right-- off to bed. Again. Believe me, the legs and back need it.


_

5 comments:

northernflights said...

It's been said (and scientifically proven, apparently!) that underarm anti-perspirant/deodorant, applied liberally to the feet and ankles, is profoundly effective in reducing blisters.

Green Superfeet insoles might eliminate the knee click; at least, that's been my experience.

I just started carrying a 1-gallon water bottle on my hikes, instead of 1 liter. Love it!

If you get a break from walking on a hot sunny day and want to clean and air dry your pack, a big scrub brush, fels-naptha laundry soap, and a garden hose together will make it clean like new. Get it wet, rub the bar all over it, brush aggressively and work the lather into the fabric, rinse, maybe repeat. If no Fels-Naptha, it can be found at Fred Meyer, or Dr. Bronner's works but is spendy... maybe non-conditioning hair shampoo in a pinch?

Cheers and keep on! Miles

melancholy donut said...

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2053796

not at ALL accurate. guessed much of the time.

Anonymous said...

yew should dew some stretches throughout each daie. should be part ohv your routine hatte

Max said...

Try ibuprofen, works better than aspirin for body aches and pains. Sometimes a couple before activity that you know is going to make you sore will prevent the pain!

kwandongbrian said...

"rinse both my hair and my wiping hand with a few mouthfuls of water from the Camelbak."

I'm sure you poured water on your hand and wiped your hair, but I want to imagine you looking up, spitting upwards with great force, and leaning forward so the water lands on your head. Make a video of that if you have the time while resting!