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How Thru Hiking Almost Killed me, and why I want to Continue!
Starting the CDT southbound at the Chiefs Mountain alternate
Hello Everyone! My Thru-Hiking Journey
My name is Crigas, and in June of 2024, I set out to complete my triple crown by thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail (Jump to My CDT Journey). I felt incredibly excited to begin and took significant financial and physical risks to embark on this journey. Although I sacrificed a lot, my desire for adventure on these multi-month backpacking trips never wavered—until something completely unexpected nearly took everything from me.
A Passion for Long-Distance Trails
Before my CDT attempt in June, I introduced myself in a post, but to summarize, I had already built solid experience thru-hiking long-distance trails.
- In 2021, I completed my first thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail.
- In 2022, I gave in to my obsession and successfully hiked the Pacific Crest Trail.
- In 2023, I fulfilled my mother’s lifelong dream by hiking the Appalachian Trail with her.
After saving up for the CDT, I felt eager to complete the journey and earn the title of a triple crown thru-hiker (Learn more about my Triple Crown Goal).
The Journey Begins – And Takes an Unexpected Turn
Stepping onto the Continental Divide Trail, I welcomed the thrill of a new adventure. I had saved up a decent amount but spent a big chunk on upgraded gear to better capture the essence of the trail. While that investment made me happy, it also left me with a nagging concern about running out of money.
What I didn’t realize was that things would get much worse than I had anticipated. (Jump to The Sickness That Changed Everything).
Sickness Strikes on the Trail
As I hiked, I quickly connected with fellow hikers, relishing the trail life I had missed so much. I met amazing new friends—ones I now regret not spending more time with. The solitude of the CDT felt refreshing at first, but it soon turned against me.
Near Augusta, MT, after leaving Benchmark Wilderness Ranch, a sudden wave of sickness hit me. With town far away, I felt lost.
- I camped in the same spot for two days, unable to eat for 48 hours.
- Friends behind me brought medicine and encouraged me to push through a grueling 30-mile day to reach town. You can read Peg leg’s perspective here!
I reached Lincoln and, thinking I had recovered, prepared to continue hiking. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
A Mistake That Nearly Killed Me
Leaving Lincoln, I hiked toward Helena and made a rookie mistake—an exhausting road walk in the middle of a scorching summer day.
- I reached camp feeling just as sick as before.
- My condition worsened—I struggled to keep food down and barely managed a few miles before collapsing.
- Eventually, I made it to Butte and went to urgent care.
At the clinic, I couldn’t stop shaking. When they handed me a form to fill out, I realized I couldn’t even write my own name. The front desk worker sensed something was wrong, checked my pulse, and saw a shocking 240 bpm. I stood on the verge of a heart attack or stroke.
An ambulance rushed me to the hospital (See My Life-Threatening Diagnosis).
hooked up to a plethora of IV bags in Butte MT
A Life-Threatening Diagnosis
After ten IV bags and extensive medical tests, doctors diagnosed me with Traumatic Rhabdomyolysis—a condition where overexertion breaks down muscle tissue, releasing damaging proteins into the bloodstream and leading to organ failure.
The doctor told me, “One more day, and you likely would have died.”
Even after that diagnosis, my mother insisted I return to the hospital for further testing. Since I had never experienced anything like this before, she wanted to find the root cause.
We suspected that ticks I carried for over 24 hours might have triggered a severe reaction. Unfortunately, the specialist never arrived, and I spent days in the hospital, racking up an astronomical medical bill, waiting for answers that never came.
Frustrated, I left the hospital and returned home to Florida, where I spent a month recovering. (Jump to The Aftermath).
The Aftermath – Recovery and Defeat
I felt completely wrecked.
- Each day, I slept for 12+ hours, struggling to walk without passing out.
- Bright lights triggered fainting spells, making recovery in Florida nearly impossible.
Eventually, I regained my strength and returned to the Continental Divide Trail. But something had changed. The joy I had felt hiking with new friends was gone. Defeated, I left the trail and returned home, feeling crushed.
To lift my spirits, I hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail with some friends—a fantastic experience. But my excitement disappeared the moment I returned to town.
Not only did I come home to a Category 5 hurricane, but I also faced a Category 5 hospital bill.
The Harsh Reality of Medical Debt
I hadn’t realized that four days in a Montana hospital could cost more than $30,000 before insurance.
- For someone with a stable job, that might not seem overwhelming.
- But as a full-time hiker, I was completely screwed.
- Insurance denied my claim saying it was completely self inflicted, forcing me to wait months while interest accrued.
Huge thanks to my mother for helping me, but the financial strain hit me hard.
Why I Keep Hiking Despite It All
Since then, I’ve worked relentlessly to get back to hiking. Why?
- The same reason basketball players return after an injury.
- The same reason boxers fight another round after getting knocked out.
Thru-hiking fills my life with unexplainable joy, adventure, and vivid memories—something no amount of money could ever buy. Ironically, though, if you’re like me, it just might. (See What’s Next for Me).
Feeling good and Hiking strong in Glacier before my sickness
Looking Ahead: Arizona Trail & CDT 2025
I’ve set my sights on the Arizona Trail and another attempt at the Continental Divide Trail in 2025.
These plans hinge on whether I can claw my way out of debt, but I believe passion makes the impossible happen.
My family raised me with a relentless work ethic and a drive that turns determination into results. As much as I wish I hadn’t endured this nightmare, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. That experience taught me more about myself than anything else.
I’m ready to sacrifice everything to make this my lifestyle rather than spend my life stuck in a job I hate.
Thank You for Reading!
If you made it all the way through this, thank you for your time.
I hope to resolve this soon and return to the trail.
Happy trails and much love to everyone hiking right now!
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Comments 14
Wow. I’m so glad you made it. I wondered why insurance denied your claim, that is bizarre, you would have died. Also ask for an itemized bill from the hospital; you may find things listed that don’t make sense or didn’t happen.
Specifics on the denial may help other hikers.
I’m glad you are healed. Until I started reading some Trek, I thought that rhab only occured after crush injuries or burns. I wish you the best.
I updated the post! They claimed it was self inflicted but I wasn’t doing anything out of my comfort zone. I have suspected it was due to the ticks i had on me. The doctor never showed though so well never know unfortunately.Thank you for the kind words!
Thank you for sharing such a horrible life threatening experience with all of us. I’m happy to read that it has not left you with a negative attitude about thru-hiking.
I don’t know if it is just me, but I wasn’t able to access any of your links except for Peg Leg’s blog post. I was so looking forward to reading them after I finished reading this post.
I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts.
Thank you! I fixed some of them so they lead to more info about the condition I had but i apologize i’m still not used to the platform too much. Hopefully I can post a bit more when I get on trail! 🙂
I worked in hospital billing years ago & in Bozeman Montana hospital. They usually will work with you on your bill & write off some of it for you. I receipted in someone who could only pay $5 a month & as long as we got that payment each month the hospital was ok with it – this went on for years with no problem for patient & hospital.
I would check back with them on what you can pay according to your job & don’t feel guilty about having fun!!
I also think you should do something outdoors for a job instead of one you hate. Maybe seasonal park ranger, outdoor education or work in outdoor shop like REI. Just some ideas for you & I’m looking forward to reading you CDT hike this year!
I’m working on it as best I can right now but I really appreciate the advice and thank you for the job recommendations! 🙂
Rhabdo isn’t caused by tick bites. You were dehydrated and ‘starving’ from a gastrointestinal illness, and then continued pushing yourself in a depleted state. The heat stroke from the road walk tipped you over the edge. Your kidneys were injured from dehydration and couldn’t eliminate the byproducts of your intense muscle use and tissue breakdown. That’s what rhabo is.
On my own through hike I met so many hikers during the NorCal heat wave who described early signs of rhabo to me, and seemed to have no understanding of how serious it is. The culture of pushing yourself through dehydration, on low (or no) nutrition, through extreme conditions – it’s really toxic.
Hikers need a better understanding of the signs and symptoms of heat stroke, of clinical dehydration, of hypothermia and of rhabdo. And then they need to actually act on them instead of always trying to push through.
Here’s a hot tip – if you’re hiking long days and you’re not peeing a decent volume at least twice every 24 hours, you’re at serious risk of complications from dehydration – including rhabdo.
Hey Jaimie! I agree with most of what you said. The doctors were the ones telling me that the symptoms from tick bites could have progressed into Rhabdo. I wasn’t pushing myself in any way I haven’t done before and I only wasn’t consuming enough nutrients when the symptoms were present. Tick bites can cause dehydration and extreme thirst in some cases after some research, although there were so many factors in my case it is hard to tell what the cause was without an expert there to help me.
Obviously I wasn’t there and I wasn’t your healthcare provider. And if your doctors said the ticket bites contributed in some way, then I’m not here to argue with their professional opinion. But the story you’ve told on this article is of someone pushing themselves physically in the context of dehydration, starvation and extreme heat.
You say you didn’t push yourself more than you have before – but that’s where a lot of these really sad stories come from – people know they are fit and strong at their baseline and that distracts them from paying attention to the real time condition of their body and the environment they’re in.
‘Not keeping anything down for 48 hours’ leaves someone physically depleted – clinically dehydrated, electrolyte deficienct, in starvation ketosis. Hiking out after that (though it might have been necessary!) was dangerous regardless of the fact that you could then keep down water and food. We normalise extreme physical feats because we’re used to them, but 30 miles is way too much for a body in that condition.
And then you describe a road walk in hot sun – one thing I find hikers often don’t understand is that there are conditions in which it’s not possible to keep up with heat stress and fluid loss. We see it in cyclists and runners all the time. Just because someone is fit and drinking water and consuming electrolytes – doesn’t mean their body can withstand the extremes of heat and fluid loss that happen when you’re exerting yourself in extreme heat.
I’m not here to tell you you were stupid or made mistakes. I’m glad you’re talking about the rhabdo you had seriously – and about how difficult the recovery can be (not to mention the extreme cost in the US).
The reason I bring up the ticks and the circumstances is only because some people will read this and think they don’t have to worry about rhabdo because it was caused by the ticks. Snd fundamentally it’s caused by extreme exertion and dehydration.
I have seen so many hikers – especially triple crowners – glorifying the serious medical consequences of their exertions and it really bothers me. That’s not what you did here at all, and I appreciate that.
I see what you mean now, that is essential to clarify. This condition is more common than people think and it is extremely important especially for thru hikers to take it seriously and know what it directly originates from. Many times I’ve heard people boast or talk lightly about pushing their body to the limits and that is alright as long as you’re not putting yourself into harms way intentionally, glorifying medical consequences is not good and sets the wrong precedent for challenging yourself. I definitely made some mistakes here but thankfully I survived to learn from them and share the experience to hopefully help other people. I appreciate your insight a lot and I hope this is talked about more because it directly correlates with any long distance hike no matter how strong a hiker someone is.
On the re-read I feel like my comments are quite
assertive! Sorry about that, and thank you for being gracious in replying to me!
Also I’m glad you’re okay! And I’m really sorry that you’re having trouble with the insurance company. That truly sucks and I hope you find a way to fight it.
That earlier comment about a payment plan of $5 a month or something – I’ve heard that’s really a thing. After 10 or 20 years, they may just write the whole bill off even. Have your mom send it in each month like clockwork, so you don’t get turned over to collections & their harassment.
Ticks? Spray your socks, shoes, & clothes with permethrin. Tick diseases are no joke. I know several horror stories of people who got Lyme’s. My 11-year-old dog has had both anaplasmosis & Lyme’s…his back right leg’s lame from it. Permethrin treatment of clothes lasts a couple dozen washings, & kills ticks before they burrow in.
Anyway, good luck & stay positive! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Crigas – Something remarkably similar happened to me on the CDT. I embarked on a LASH starting at the Canadian border headed south, with the intention of hiking to Yellowstone NP. It was hotter than I expected, but I made good progress until the Scapegoat Wilderness south of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The trail climbed up to the divide and the ups and downs were relentless in the hot sun. Camped out in the Valley of the Moon and was bit by a tick, that I pulled off w/ my fingers, probably injecting some of the tick’s contents into my bloodstream. The next morning, I made a bad decision, to stay up high and pass by a water source, with the hopes of making it to Lincoln. I got severely dehydrated and was super lucky to come upon some trail angels several miles before Roger’s Pass. They saw that I was in rough shape, gave me water and drove me to Lincoln. I checked into a motel, went to void my bladder and the pee was an awful shade of red/brown. Went to a restaurant, had a beer (which made the dehydration worse) and passed out. An ambulance delivered me to St. Peters Hospital in Helena, where doctors treated me for dehydration and worried about Rhabdo. After leaving the hospital I flew back home, and soon after fell deathly ill from a tick disease. Extremely agonizing headache, high fever it got so bad I actually hoped that death would deliver me from the pain. Diagnosis: Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever. I recovered and eventually completed the CDT and the PCT for my triple crown (did the AT previously).