The morning started off with a shuttle over to an area with a few places that served breakfast. I decided to try Huddle House. My hiker hunger was ravenous. I ordered 2 whole meals and ate them happily. I did feel overstuffed afterward that made the shuttle ride back rather nauseating. I've been getting car sick from spending so much time going walking speed. I was also seated on the floor in the back end on a hot day packed in like a sardine. That didn't help either.
As part of the weekend long hiker shindig the white water rafting company down the street has offered a half priced rafting trip which I signed up to participate in yesterday. We got shuttled up the river then headed on out. Each of us has our own raft which made it more fun.
Halfway down we pulled off into an eddie to go swimming. It was a pretty nice swimming hole. It was cold water but it was such a hot day that I gladly went in. I watched as one of our guides walks up the river, jumps in, then got sucked under the water being spit out downstream. Him and our other guide took turns doing this as some kind of adrenaline fueled game. I decided to give it a try after asking about it. The goal is to make it up stream to this patch of calm water and then quickly swim over to this area in the middle where these 2 rivers meet. It will only suck you under if I curl up in a cannon ball. I give it a try. I didn't quite make it to the right spot. I barely dipped under. It was still like being on a fun wild ride. I just paddled to the side to get out of the current when I was ready. I had never been in a rushing river like this before. I tried again, Aida got it on film. It wasn't quite right but at least closer. I got some water up my nose but still had fun.
Third times the charm right because I asked for details on how to do it right and went for it nailing it right on the head. I hit the right spot and balled myself up tight and clear directions that as soon as I unball myself and lift my arms up that the water will bring me right up to the surface. The other times I didn't hold the ball long enough coming up too soon. I held myself in a ball calmly letting myself be sucked under untilI needed air. I raised my hands up but nothing. No surface. No air. I was concerned because I thought I was just under the surface. I reaching up hoping to hit air untilI was ready to burst. I was just on the brink of inhaling a full lungfull of water. It was terrifying but I tried to stay calm and suddenly I broke surface. Everyone had gotten quiet concerned thatI had been under so long. I was gasping for air and found my head was screaming and pounding. I couldn't think clear. I was confused and disoriented. It was allI could do to make myself weakly paddle to shore. It took so much concentration to get out of the current. I quickly removed my helmet. It was the worst pain my head had ever been in. Everyone thought that I hit my head but it was most likely from water pressure. I found out later that it got over 25ft deep in that place and that I could have been pulled down deep by a current. Or been spun in a circle among many other possibilities caused by the 2 rivers merging into one. It took awhile to feel better but over time it slowly got better. I had also been blasted by water in both ears. I couldn't get it out. I had been recommended to put hydrogen peroxide in each ear to clear the water out. Since no one had any would buy some during the nightly Wal-Mart run.
Uncle Johnny's had a table as a hiker box filled with lots of items. I found a shirt, sports bra, and shorts that all fit it surprisingly. They were all new, two still had tags on. I'm assuming that someone had bought them from Wal-Mart without trying them on only to discover that they don't fit. While putting the shorts on something felt weird. I wasn't sure what had happened, thinking there was a wood chip or something of the likes that got caught in the shorts and fell off. I shortly later discovered that it was my toe nail. It had caught on the edge of my shorts and lifted up. I can't begin to describe how distraught, worried, scared, and grossed out I was for the rest of the night. It was horrifying. I didn't know what to do.
I ended up going on the Wal-Mart run that evening to pick up hydrogen peroxide and to speak to one of the workers at the pharmacy that do consultations about my toenail. I got bandages for it and went back.
When I got back the hostel was doing loaded baked potatoes for dinner such were amazing. I tried my best to keep my mind off of my toes in the meantime.
When I finally looked I couldn't push the thing back down because the nail had already started to curl up on the edges and become brittle. I wouldn't be able to put it back in my shoe like this. I could look down from The back of the nail and see through under The nail out The other end in the front. The nail had to go. I soaked my foot in epsom salt water up soften it all up to help loosen it. The water in the river today is what made it possible.
A talent show was going on and people were saying that I should pull it off in front of everyone as my talent and that I would probably win. I was told that the show started at 9 but they actually started early and I arrived at the very end not yet ready to remove the nail. I wanted to work it off gently and with care which I did after the show ended.
I did win a bran new stuff sack in a raffle they put on next. So that made the night better. I stuffed my face with this delicious pastry that I bought earlier to drown my misery over my missing toenail. It was a hard decision on if I wanted to send it to my boyfriend or my mom since both suggested making it into a necklace. I will not be doing that. They can if they want to. I sent it to Ken.
