Enduring the challenges of nature!

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Day 31, 25.04.19. Thursday.

Bought myself a laptop a couple days ago, need some entertainment and a tool to direct videos, photos and written text. So as well as paper to write on I'm gonna use my laptop in addition from now on, with writing only I have about 12 hrs of battery time which is enough to write for a few days before charging it again. But games or video-editing cuts it down to just a few hours, simple games give me about 7 hrs of playtime. Good for about 3 days of entertainment, however, videodirecting probably cuts it down to around a couple hours so I'm probably gonna do that in libraries or restaurants, there I have a source for recharging and can keep at it for hours at a time.

At the moment I'm trying to man myself up to take a thourough bath, no sun today, but it's not too cold outside. The water however is still 3-4 degrees so it's pain every time, well it's not as painful as when I first arrived and had to endure 1-2 degrees. I started by flexing my muscles to drive as much blood into them as possible and then jumped in knee-high water, after 30 seconds I started losing the feelings in my feet and after 1,5 minutes I had pain shooting up and down my legs. By that time it's best to get out of the water and into the sleepingbag. I never put my whole body under water at that temperature as that is very dangerous, you'll lose core temperature at an astonishing rate and could go into shock within a few seconds. Though I have also heard about people with very high tolerance against cold, like the Iceman from Iceland. He is able to withstand having only his head above 1 degree water for 15 min! I couldn't even dream about being able to do that.

I think nature is testing me big time, just a week after I started feeling better, I got a rash on my feet that itch like nothing I've ever experienced as an adult. Could be the dust from the highway or some farmland that I got inside my shoe while I was walking to get where I am now. I wasn't wearing socks just 5 days ago, and that's when it started. It could be some kind of mites or flee as well, too small to notice, it usually passes within a week or so as far as I know. Have to scrub my sleepingbag and inner tent as well, just in case. And wash the clothes or buy new ones, I think since I only got the rash on my feet that buying new clothes is overkill, new socks will do fine. Washed my hiking-shoes yesterday and are using my secondary jogging shoes as primary till the others are dry.

Yes I have two pairs with me, in case one of them gets wet was the idea, but this counts as well.

I scratched my feet good yesterday, then I poured 40% alcohol on and rubbed it really good. It didn't sting as much as I expected it would, and last night it didn't itch at all. So hopefully that's it for now. I carry a small bottle of alcohol with me in case of some emergencies, not to drink, but to clean wounds if the need arises.

Please no more challenges my way nature! I can take the rain that has been pouring down yesterday and today, and I'm ok with being exhausted from the heavy load or walking miles a day to explore the area. Either I'm the most unlucky nature-hiking dude on the planet or maybe nature have a sadistic sense of humor?

Going to be ok weather tomorrow and then on saturday and sunday it's going to be the same. It's good that the rain came, everything in nature has been waiting for it and afterwards it's going to be beautiful. Everything will flourish, grow and new life will appear, it's going to be so colorful within a few days.

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Comments

[Torgeir]

A life opportunities for freedom
Hi Ole. Thanks for the mail and the blog. Have you thinking about small solar powered bank( https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Hiluckey-10000mAh-Waterproof-Portable/dp/B076K2YV9X) I got one when i was on tent tour with my family this summer. But is was stolen 1 or 2 days after. So I don't really know if the effect was so good. I have to laugh a little by hearing you swim for 1-2 degrees. When I think I can stand in the shower. But you have a unique opportunity that not many others have or dare to take.I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey. Thank you for making my boring work day a little more exciting as I read your story.

[Gaia80]

Nice to be of some help...
Hey my friend! Thanks for your kind words :) At the beginning of the trip I checked with several electric stores for something that was powerful enough to recharge my laptop when out in nature for a week or so continuously. But in the end they're at best only usable as an extention of the batterylife and really doesn't charge fully when powered by the sun, also it takes a lot of time to charge as well. Also considering my issues with weight I had to give that up, it's just as well to ask some restaurant- of cafe workers if I can work on my laptop and charge it while I'm there eating or having a coffee ;) I'm happy that you like my e-mails and my blogs, I will try to make updates once a week or so, to begin with it's going to be a few updates per week until I'm done writing and editing from my journal to my blogs. I hope everything is good with your family? Say hello to the wife and kids from me :) And I hope to see you some time next year.