An update from the med team!
We are back to dealing with blisters again! We got a break from them for awhile. However, we have had a handful of new marchers since our rallies in Santa Fe and Taos, NM. Some of the new marchers have joined the march because they saw a marcher on the road carrying a sign about the Climate March and were curious. Generally, the new marchers have not had significant training prior to the march and feel compelled to walk every step from one camp to the next, walking further then they probably should.
The most common complaints we are hearing right now are that of headaches, shortness of breath and dizziness related to altitude sickness. We have been steadily climbing since Albuquerque, NM (elevations from approximately 7000 ft and heading towards 9600 ft). The most effective remedy for their symptoms seems to be keeping themselves well hydrated and an antidote in a small dark bottle by the name of “chlor-oxygen”. Just a few drops will do ya!
I have good news about one of the marchers that was featured in the previous blog. His name is Mack. He had re-injured the second toe on his right foot. His toe had been fractured in the past, and he required the use of crutches to get down the road. He is now without his “make shift” brace (a brace that consists of a board he found on the road and duct tape”), finally back to wearing shoes, and walking without the assist if his crutches part of the time. He has not missed a step. We are all very proud of him!
The med team will continue to deal with the various conditions we face as we head into the Rocky Mountains of Colorado!