A few weeks ago I backpacked up in the White Mountains to the summit of Mt. Carrigain. I went in through the Nancy Pond Trail which has some great waterfalls on the climb up and then some pristine mountain ponds up high. It was gorgeous in the sun but it was very hot and humid in the woods.
The final miles up to Carrigain are very steep and rocky and it was slow going for me. I downed one water bottle on the way up and had to portion out the other so that I had enough for cooking. Beautiful views on top of Carrigain but quite windy in the evening! I used my 30 degree UQ and a synthetic blanket as a top quilt. After I rejiggered my tarp the wind wasn't much of an issue. My insulation kept me fairly warm throughout the night. I met a nice woman named Lauren who completed her NH48 and was also camping at the top. We were greeted to a beautiful sunrise but while we were enjoying it I suddenly had terrible lower back pain. It just came out of nowhere and sent me hobbling back to my hammock.
Eventually I was able to pack up and descend but it was a hard effort for a while. Thankfully I caught up with Lauren and she gave me a ride back to my car. The car ride home was uneventful but over the next night I suffered from terrible abdominal cramps. I'm pretty sure the pain I experienced on the summit were muscle spasms related to dehydration, as was the constipation that plagued me the following days. Be sure to keep up with your hydration and electrolytes, folks! I thought I was drinking plenty but it turns out that I should have upped my intake. And probably supplemented with tailwind or another electrolyte replenisher. I still had a fine time and valuable lessons were learned. I hope you enjoy the video!
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