There will be no mutiny here. It appears that the Immune system has been feeling a little left out, unappreciated and apparently jealous of the skeletal, muscular and even the digestive system’s attention as of late, and has attempted a mutiny of sorts. It all started with “false flag” muscle spasms in the lower back, coupled with knee and ankle/achilles pain. If it were not for low end nagging inner ear pain that was later followed by coughing up colorful sticky goobers (too graphic for ya?) I would have thought all the muscle issues may have become “deal breakers” so close to the start of our thru-hike. Luckily, the muscular system ended up diming off the immuno thugs, after a session with my friend Erika Figge who beat the spasming muscles into submission (via percussion therapy). The muscle system then retaliated by coughing up the tell-tale nasty goobers, thus exposing the Immunes as the Prima donna’s they are, and once again, the Immune’s feeble attempt at insurrection has been quelled…thank you Alexander Fleming (penicillin 1928) and Tadeus Reichstein (first synthesized vitamin C, 1933). We will have no more thought of insurrection on the trail as we will be well armed with hand sanitizer, Emergen-C and cache of antibiotics for use, be there another attempted uprising.