Hey folks,

I got back from about a week on Rainer last Friday. Ever since, starting just about exactly after we got home, I have just been dog tired. I'm always sleepy, feel kind of hazy, slow and stupid. Now, after plenty of days to make me think this isn't just recovery, I'm getting, uhm... tired of being so damn tired.

What gives? Anyone felt this before? Did I drink a bug? Filtered with a Sweet Water pump. Does that even sound like anything that could be in bad water?

Blah.

Anyway, thanks for your time.

With all due respect to the participants on this forum, I don't think you should look for a diagnosis here. If you feel fatigued, it could be anything from the yuppie flu to some obscure metabolic disorder and nobody here is qualified to express an opinion via the internet. See a physician; don't seek advice from a bunch of laypersons, however well intended.

I agree. It could be something not related to backpacking at all; it may have just developed while you were gone. However, be sure to tell the doctor you were just on a backpacking trip; it might cause him or her to look beyond the usual "civilized" suspects when arriving at a diagnosis.

Well, not going to try and be a doctor at all, but I can say I have had the same thing happen to me a time or two. I can go on a longer hike, be up 'til after dark and up as it just starts getting light everynight of the hike, and walk myself into the ground everyday for a week and feel fine every single one of those days.

The moment I get home though, the next day or two I'm usually tired(and hungry), even if I sleep great each night. I wouldn't say I was ever overly tired, just more so than a normal day at home.

However, as has already been suggested, it might be something to have a doc check out. Especially if you've been back for a week already. It might be something to be curious about.

I get that way sometimes after coming back from a hard hiking trip or even just a few days of really hard work. Always have.

Read the thread phat started about a low salt diet

Sometimes you need to just give your body a good rest and time to recover. The last time this happened I spent two days in bed sleeping most of the time. On the morning of the third day I woke up feeling like a new person.

When I was younger it only took one day. Good thing too, cause that's all I could afford back then

Anyway, I hope you're feeling better now!

Bill

Listen to the wise Pika.

Even if a doctor were to respond here, he/she could not give you an accurate diagnosis without testing and a personal examination.

My only advice is this: If your condition persists seek professional treatment.

There is such a thing as post-trip depression. I've experienced it after one-night backpacking trips and after three-month trips to Europe. There's something about getting home and back to the old grind after being keyed up and enjoying yourself that causes a let-down. It's a lot more than jet lag (on which I blamed the feeling after the Europe trips). It's worse, of course, for those who have to go back to work. Now that's really depressing!

Planning the next trip really helps, I've found.

I hope that by now you're feeling better! If not, please do consult a physician!

That's for sure. It hit me hard the very first time I came back from a real camping trip and lasted for a couple weeks. I was only 14 and had spent two weeks in the Sequoias. When we got back to the logging road I was ready to run back into the forest and never come out. The old timer that had brought me there told it was common to want to do that, but the 20 feet of snow that would start coming in a few weeks is what always stopped him.

It doesn't happen to me anymore, but I don't live in a city anymore either.

And, as OM said, I always get a spark when I'm planning the next trip.

Agreed with billstephenson. I spent three weeks in the Gila National Forest as well as other shorter trips, and getting back into society was very overwhelming.

rehdjac,

Any updates on your condition?

Hope you're feeling better.