Fall Photos - and a Dangerous Hike

I'm sharing a few Autumn photos from various short outings and a brief story of stupidity.

Two days ago I went for a hike. Yes, an actual hike.

Task: Find the golden retriever

It was my week "off" and I had hoped (had been planning since last spring) to camp for a couple nights. However, the weather has been cold - either rain, snow or sleet and hovering near the freezing mark and I haven't been feeling great. It has not been camping weather for a sickie.  Friday looked like the only day this week where there would be a chance to enjoy an outing without rain or snow, so I planned a very short walk in the woods somewhere new.

It was quite nice (although near the railroad tracks so a bit unnerving when the train went by) but having done the short walk, I wanted to do something more - I wasn't feeling too badly.

I ended up at the Provincial Park down the road.  All I can say is I kind of got sucked into the woods. The autumn colours - yellow orange and red, the river, the lack of people anywhere (because of the temps and being mid day). At a certain point I realised I'd walked too far (I'd gone over a kilometre) and it would be tough for me to get back given my legs were weak and shaky.  Around this point I met a woman searching for a lost dog. She said I was on a loop and pretty much 1/2 way. You guessed it, I kept going.

It was cold enough that ice was forming on the foliage from the waterfall's spray

It was beautiful. Unfortunately for me, though, the woman was wrong.  I wasn't 1/2 way and by the end of the loop I was in bad shape. There was a huge hill to get up and I just didn't know how I'd do it. I was so weak and shaky. It was cold and there were flurries, the ground was wet and I hadn't seen a single person save the woman the whole time. I wondered if I quit and sat down how long it would take for someone to find me?...then I wondered how they would get me out? I wasn't near any roads.

Long story short, I did make it out by myself (very very slowly with rests and some crawling).  I got myself home and waited for the crash/relapse. The next day (yesterday) my POTS symptoms were off the charts - resting HR was very high, over 150. They are similar today (very bad OI, lightheadedness, semi blackouts and high HR). However, I have yet to fully crash.

Little mushroom in the moss

I don't understand it. I sometimes crash from a 1/2 hour outing and this was a hike of over 4 km!!! I haven't crashed as in the awful awful M.E. flu ache/breathing ache, crushing fatigue, and weakness that is quintessential M.E. I guess I should wait til the 48hr mark to say for sure, but I'm usually a 36 hour crasher.

Which begs the question, why? I'm not complaining - really and truly - but why? I'm usually not much of a crasher from mental or emotional exertion; however, I almost ALWAYS crash from even the smallest of physical activity (and/or infections) and this was a big one??!!

Update: 48 hours and I have crashed some.