Heat, Humidity, and Hospitals : A day off The Great Trail

So once again, we have come to a halt in our trek. Yesterday we ventured through the beautiful cities of Cambridge and Kitchener amid 38 degree heat. By 4 pm Sonya looked and felt sicker and sicker, and was pretty badly sun burnt. As such we stopped early and got a hotel room to sit in air conditioning. At dinner and at breakfast this morning she couldn't eat - not even ice cream. 

 

This morning at 6 am when went to continue on she almost collapsed once she was beyond the veranda of the hotel into the heat.  She didn't make it back to our room before she was ill and shaking.  It was clear then that we were not hiking 30 feet, let alone 30 km today. 

 

A hour later she was at the hospital being treated for heat exhaustion - a mild form of heat stroke. 

So, I made the decision today to stay another day or two and perhaps move on in a bit to St. Jacobs and Elmira. In a hike where we have walked through snow blizzards, tropical storms, and hurricanes the ongoing extreme heat (slated to be 40+ for the coming week) is something that we have not yet faced.

However for Sonya's health we are taking the day off The Great Trail. I know it is an extra cost and some might think it an unnecessary luxury, but I don't want her to push on and make herself sicker or take any chances. 

While the trails of the GTA, Hamilton, Brantford, and now Cambridge and Kitchener have surprised us by being through amazing green spaces, the heat and humidity have taken their toll.  In the coming weeks we are due to shift from forested pathways to concession walking for days at a time, which would be challenging at the best of times and now that it is regularly over 40 degrees the situation has become tougher.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sean

See you on the trail (under a patch of shade)!

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