Our plan all along was to get back to the trailhead in one day. After some good food last night and two weeks on the mountain we felt motivated enough to make it happen. We were up before 7:00 in preparation. We were exhausted, but excited of the thought of staying in Los Penitentes tonight. We checked all of our luggage with the mules and only had a day pack with enough food and supplies to get us throught he day. It took us longer than we were hoping to get started on the trail. By the time we packup up everything and loaded the duffles for the mules, checked in with the permit office, and fueled up with a huge breakfast, it was already 10:00. My face was starting to feel more noticeably burnt and swollen.
We were making good time for most of the stretch to Casa de Piedra. About a mile before Case de Piedra, however, I noticed something was a little off. I couldn't quite put a finger on it, but I could tell it was my tummy. We reached the river crossing with the ranger station and the urge to to go to the bathroom overcame me and I barely made it to the outhouse. I was hoping after going to the bathroom that I would start to feel better, but unfortunately that was not the case. It was 13:30 and I was starting to run the numbers of how far we had left. If this was going to happen, we would definitely finish by headlight, and ~16 miles felt like an eternity.. We started to go and my stomach wanted me to stop. Within 15 minutes I knew this would be a sufferfest. I warned Jason that I needed to take it slow and I was far from right.
The pain eventually got too bad and and I buckled to the ground. I was dizzy, dehydrated, and my stomach felt like it was trying to claw out of my body. About another hour later I buckled to the ground again. This time I needed to empty my stomach and forced myself to throw up. I felt better, but my problem was that I was so dehydrated I needed to drink. Everytime I drank water, my stomach pain would build up to the point that I would crumble to the ground and make myself throw up again. It was a vicious cycle that I wish on no one. Now my only hope was to get to Pampa de Lenas by dark. The "Rocket Scientists" were luckily on the same schedule and had now caught up with us. Our radio did not work in the valley for Grajales. Zeb was kind enough to try and go forward to see if a mule could be arranged to pick me up from Lenas. The next few hours was a death slog in its truest sense. I led the way at an agoningly slow pace. Every gust of sandy wind felt like it would knock me over and the slightest of hills felt like the summit itself. After five hours of suffering, the ranger station was in site and a campsite was prepared and waiting. I still couldnt keep anything down, but at least we were at a place that I could sleep. The rocket scientists let Jason and I use their two person tent while they fit into their three person. They made Jason dinner and I luckily fell asleep. The ranger had arranged for mule transport with Grajales by noon the next day since my condition would be unknown. The last eight miles might have been the toughest five hours of the trip. A combination of dehydration, sun poisoning, and two pizzas and a half pitcher of wine the night before was probably the culprit.
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