July 21-22, 20 06

Planned 6-day hike turns into 2-day due to near medical emergency

But something just didn't feel right for me during the whole planning & packing stages, and it wasn't the record breaking heatwave predicted for that week either. I couldn't put my finger on the nagging feeling, so I chalked it off to too much general stress.

We left North Van. Thursday (20th) afternoon and drove the long route via Lillooet - Carpenter Lake with my Beetle as the Westy decided it wanted to visit the shop instead. So be it.

We camped at the Freiburg Rec. site on the side of Tyaughton Lake and located the trailhead with the help of the GPS that evening so we could get off to an easy & early start the next morning.

Settling into the tent that night, I suddenly became aware of a searing pain in my left tonsil - the ultimate weak link in my body. Chalking it off to allergies in this 'foreign' land, I tried to ignore it, but woke up over and over throughout the night to that sharp, gritty pain that I'm all too familiar with.

The meadows were in the fullest bloom I've seen in years - everything that possibly can grow up there was in full splendor.

The trail began to gradually, then quickly, descend to North Cinnabar Creek. Egads! We were NOT prepared to give up our hard earned elevation - no matter what the darned trail did.

So we opted for the "mounatineering route" marked on the map and quite visible to us at that point. We headed through some scrubby trees, and broke into the alpine meadows climbing steeply up to the bare ridgetop.

It was now 5:00 and were now directly above Cinnabar Basin where we followed a distinct path down from the ridge into the meadows.

On the short descent the pain in my throat began to verge on unbearable. And there was nothing at all in my first aid kit to even slightly relieve the pain and pressure. We hiked to the fast flowing creek where I soaked my hot feet while Andre scouted for a place to camp.

We hiked about 5 minutes down the creek to a field of heather and lupin on a ledge about 8 feet above the creek. The moment we stopped and slung off our packs the first battallion of oversized mosquitoes found us. They sent word back to the 2nd through 10th battallions that there was some good fresh blood available and we danced around in the late afternoon heat pouring on the bug juice and covering our heads with bug mesh hats.

But sleep was never to come. At almost 7,000 feet the pressure in my sinuses was like a bowling ball had been stuffed into my face and my throat was clamping up. Five minutes felt like an hour, and by the time Andre came to bed I was a desperate mess. I could barely talk - breathing was difficult enough. I tried to stay as quiet as possible to at least let him get some sleep, but I spent a good half the time sitting up or propped up on my elbows just focusing on breathing. I was desperate for sleep, and my senses were becoming paranoid to even the slightest breath of movement outside the tent.

The first bird starting calling at 3:30, well before the first shimmer of light arose over the Yalakom Range at 4:30. I crawled out of the tent and made some hot porridge (which I burned), and back in the tent actually fell asleep for an hour. I awoke gagging for air from a dream where a helicopter had landed in the meadows and airlifted me out, I felt so much worse. Andre and I decided all we could do was head back - whatever I had, allergies or a cold, it was not going to get any better up here.

I stumbled along behind Andre in a thick fog of sleep deprivation and sinus and throat pain. My strength was beginning to fade, but I had no choice but to tough it out. I was pretty thankfull we weren't any further in.

We stopped for a quick lunch break at 11:30, but I felt as though I was being tortured. I just wanted to get down. On the descent my ears began to plug up, and the left one felt particulairly swollen and irritated. It seemed like an eternity, but it was only 2 1/2 hours before we were back at the car. Andre lifted off my pack and I broke down in a mess of tears and snot (sorry - a more elegant word escapes me at the moment). A native forestry official happened by in a pick-up on his way up to Mud Lakes and very concernedly gave us some bottles of ice water. Andre loaded our gear into the car and drove us back to the Freiburg Rec. site where we plunged ourselves into the warm water of Tyaugton Lake.

Though the swim was much needed, I began to fade fast afterwards. I could barely move and the thick, swollen pain in my left ear & tonsil was excruciating. Andre began speeding me to Lillooet, 100 km's away, in hoped of making it to a pharmacy before closing. But on the way there it became apparent I'd need a doctor.

In Lillooet we drove to the hospital where a nurse and doctor were immidiately available. They checked me over saying I had a very severe sinus and ear infection and that I was lucky to have made it down when I did. Apparently at high elevations sinus infections can actually become life threatening due to the pressure.

So, they drugged me up pretty good with antibiotics, tylenol and Andre got me some heavy duty decongestants at the pharmacy. I managed to stagger out of the hospital back to the car in the 42 deg. heat and Andre drove us to the grassy beach next to Seton Lake. We spent a few hours there before camping in the BC Hydro campground where I had to lie on the picnic table as he set up the tent. Despite the heat we both slept like rocks right through the night.

We spent most of the next day back at the Seton Lake beach, then drove over the mountains to Lillooet Lake. I felt much better by now and we spent the evening just swimming and swimming in the warm water.