I was just a half-mile down the trail, and I was already running into piles of fairly fresh bear scat. However, also by the half-mile mark, I was really starting to feel the effects of the hike on my body. By 0.8 miles I was starting to get shaky legs, general muscle weakness, and my head was starting to spin a bit. And right at the 1 mile mark, the trail opened up and gave me just enough flat ground to drop my pack and take a seat. So, I plopped my butt down to try and figure out what was going on. I hated the idea that I might have to pull myself off the mountain before my hunt even began, but I knew something just wasn’t right.