Been awake since 1:00. I dreamt that my code has destroyed a spacecraft and that investigative team is getting close. I dreamt that I chase a mangy coyote that has our cat. I dreamt we are escaping from an earthquake and that Lilalee is lost. I stay awake so as not to dream.
Awake I pant like I've just run the 440 for the first time since I was 18. My heart pounds hard and erratic. I shiver and sweat by turns. No position is comfortable. I shift on the pad. It is narrow and the ground is ice-cold to the touch. I've taken 400 milligrams of Motrin and drank nearly a liter of water.
I decide to go outside and pee. The wind has slackened. The waning gibbous moon sets in the west. All around the mountains are illuminated and colorless. The lake is black and despairing. I stumble and land hard on my arm. There will be a knotty bruise. I dust off. Something is wrong. It can't be the altitude. There's been no headache. No nausea. Maybe it's a flu or maybe my heart. I've got to get some rest or I won't be able to hike tomorrow. I've got to get some sleep.
