I had the opportunity to go to Havasupai Arizona and spend some time in the sun. Hiking the 10 miles in and out is done when the sun goes down however in order to make it alive. There were several in the group who had gone in past years that were amazed at the changes that had taken place due to a breach in a dam that caused a flood this last year that changed many of the features. One waterfall has disappeared due to the river re-channeling and two new ones appearing.
While walking the trails and exploring the area it was nearly impossible to go more than a few seconds without seeing a lizard dashing for cover. Fortunately only one rattlesnake was encountered and it was without incident. The water is of course the main attraction and it contains a mineral that causes a beautiful blue color that begs to be jumped into. There was also a ropeswing and cliffs and rocks to spice up the ways of entering the water.
On the hike in I got a small blister on the end of one of my toes that caused me no pain and no concern for the duration of the trip. Nearly everyone else had numerous blisters and sores on their feet that looked far more serious and painful than my own. Although I concealed it fairly well, I had a distinct feeling of superiority and pride in my nearly unblemished feet and looked upon the bandaged feet of my tenderfooted friends with smugness.
Upon returning home on Saturday my toe finally did begin to feel the effects of the 30 miles or so hiked the past week and began to turn red. On Sunday it got a little more red. On Monday it also started to swell and I began walking more gingerly. On Tuesday I had a hard time putting full pressure on my foot while doing our patient rounds at work. On top of that I really was not feeling very good in general and was getting the chills and could tell I had a fever. I finally had one of the nurses at work take a look at my foot. She told me I needed to go the local urgent care place right away to have them look at it.
So I drove down the street to the urgent care and they promptly placed an IV and began administering antibiotic. They also gave me a numbing shot which I should have been numbed for and then lanced my toe to help it drain. I took the next two days off work and went back twice more for IV antibiotic treatment on top of an oral prescription. (In my own defence, the pictures of my toe are after I visited the Doctor and actually look worse than before I went in. I definitely would have gone in had my toe looked like this prior.) I am doing much better and I am hoping to be recovered enough for more adventures by this weekend.
While walking the trails and exploring the area it was nearly impossible to go more than a few seconds without seeing a lizard dashing for cover. Fortunately only one rattlesnake was encountered and it was without incident. The water is of course the main attraction and it contains a mineral that causes a beautiful blue color that begs to be jumped into. There was also a ropeswing and cliffs and rocks to spice up the ways of entering the water.
On the hike in I got a small blister on the end of one of my toes that caused me no pain and no concern for the duration of the trip. Nearly everyone else had numerous blisters and sores on their feet that looked far more serious and painful than my own. Although I concealed it fairly well, I had a distinct feeling of superiority and pride in my nearly unblemished feet and looked upon the bandaged feet of my tenderfooted friends with smugness.
Upon returning home on Saturday my toe finally did begin to feel the effects of the 30 miles or so hiked the past week and began to turn red. On Sunday it got a little more red. On Monday it also started to swell and I began walking more gingerly. On Tuesday I had a hard time putting full pressure on my foot while doing our patient rounds at work. On top of that I really was not feeling very good in general and was getting the chills and could tell I had a fever. I finally had one of the nurses at work take a look at my foot. She told me I needed to go the local urgent care place right away to have them look at it.
So I drove down the street to the urgent care and they promptly placed an IV and began administering antibiotic. They also gave me a numbing shot which I should have been numbed for and then lanced my toe to help it drain. I took the next two days off work and went back twice more for IV antibiotic treatment on top of an oral prescription. (In my own defence, the pictures of my toe are after I visited the Doctor and actually look worse than before I went in. I definitely would have gone in had my toe looked like this prior.) I am doing much better and I am hoping to be recovered enough for more adventures by this weekend.
The water does look beautiful! Wow, I think I would love to make that hike, minus the nasty toe experience. (By the way I was unfortunately finishing off my morning's bacon as I viewed your photos--BIG mistake!) I forgot to ask how much gear you all had to take and if it was difficult to arrange for camping space for so many people. I'll get more details next time we talk. Thanks for whetting my appetite (for more hiking- not bacon.)
ReplyDelete