Wobbles

‘Wednesday 8th October 2014 ~12pm Continued…

This morning we have walked from ~7.30am.  3 hours, he said it would take.  3 hours my foot.  He has a real problem with our group and let me tell you, your group doesn’t like you that much either.

We are near a trout farm, but before then lunch.  The walk down was good actually, in amongst the clouds, through various local fauna and foliage.

My face still has pins and needles which is rather annoying.  We are at a level with Cusco now 3,300m odd.  It is definitely the Diamox.  So let me take you back to yesterday, 4, 500m – the lagoon.  Just before we hit the lagoon, K started to really struggle.  A finally took himself to the back of the group to find out how they were doing.  Too little, too late.  He put her onto a mule and we met her at the lagoon.

The lagoon I originally thought was grey and after resting my head for a while and opening my eyes I realised it was in fact a brilliant turquoise blue.  I peed (7? 8?) and made my way onwards.

After that it got distinctly tougher.  Not the hike per se, that was actually fine, just the everything else.

I cannot describe to you the physical fatigue my body felt, with the only thing keeping me going – the path ahead, the summit, the descent.

Though throughout all of it I am happy to say the demons kept themselves at bay, for this I am eternally grateful.

I had 2 wobbles.  The first I had stopped with A, somewhere above 4, 600m.  And for me, stopping just seemed to bring some kind of panic to me.  All of a sudden I had a major bout of dizziness and some sort of head rush washed over me.  I felt tears prick in my eyes and knew if I stopped I would collapse.  I saw LR looking at me.  I think I looked at her too and I felt myself say, ‘I have to keep moving’, so I did.

More later.’