Hiking with Ear Issues: My Experience. Gear Part II.

Yesterday, we loaded our packs and headed to Hanging Rock State Park. At just over a mile on the trail, I continued to get dizzy and ended up throwing up 3 times. Not fun. I did make it back and carried my own pack over a mile after this. Whew. Do not recommend!

While we were at Red River Gorge, I was diagnosed with a middle ear infection and started antibiotics. After about 3-4 days, I felt a lot better. One day, early into the infection, I took Sudafed because of the ear pain. On one particularly hard climb, my heart rate got up to 194!

To get through the hike, I stopped frequently and did deep breathing exercises to lower my heart rate before proceeding. Sudafed is not a healthy option, but it takes care of ear pain!

By day 7, the last day of antibiotics, I felt normal, had no pain and the discharge was normal. Fast forward to this weekend- it’s back. I opted not to take Sudafed because of the heart rate effects.

Last year, my ENT ran tests and my right ear drum (the affected ear) did not move normally. He gave me the option to try budesonide rinses to see if this helped the eustachian tube dysfunction. For the past year, it has helped. This has been my only bout of infection and vertigo since last year. The next step, according to the ENT, is  eustachian tube  dilatation.

I made an appointment to go ahead and do this procedure. Even with the rinses, my right ear has stuffiness. This is an issue I have dealt with since childhood. The only problem is that I can’t get in until December 30. Sighs. I am on a wait list if someone cancels. A friend of mine told me that she had this procedure and it resolved her issues. Best part? She doesn’t have to take any medication.

We are still working through the gear we have at home. Surprise! We have a LOT of camping and hiking gear. We are trying to use what we have.

Here’s some of the other gear I’m bringing (that I did not mention in my last post).

Kula Cloths. This are great for peeing in the woods when hiking or camping. Treated with silver, they are antimicrobial. They are only for #1. It saves on TP for us ladies and less waste to bury on the trail.

Trowel for digging holes for human waste.

Garmin Montana GPS. We are able to message in emergencies and have extraction insurance for each of us up to $100,000 each.

Sea to Summit long titanium spork.

Adotec Ultralight Bear Locker: Grizzly Bear Resistant Bag. I have the Grizzly as opposed to black bear because for a few bucks more, it protects against both bears. I DO plan on going out west to hike and camp again. The AT allows these Kevlar bags.

Marty is ordering a Bear Vault to carry his food. Some national parks only allow bear vaults. This is why he is getting a different one than mine.

Battery packs to recharge watch and phone. We thought about solar, but we already have many battery packs.

3L hydration bladder (inside my pack).

Yeti 34 ounce plastic water bottle – we received this for FREE! It’s not the lightest plastic bottle, but it’s what we have.

Mushers secret paw cream for Ghost’s paws.

My Pillow Camp Pillow.

Small pot for MSR Pocket Rocket. An old camp mug!

Decided not to carry:

North Face Thermoball shoes for camp. Too heavy.

Tea kettle mentioned in my earlier post. The pot is lighter.

In the next few weekends we are planning on doing some overnight hiking and camping. We need to test out our set ups and make sure we will be able to do the 70 miles on the AT over 7 days!