Got some terrible sunburn from last Sunday’s hiking in Mt Rainier. It was a sunny day but I thought it was not a big deal. It was not the first that I have been exposed to the sun. But I forgot a very important fact: I was wearing a sleeveless shirt and my upper arm and shoulder were not often exposed. After a whole day’s hiking, my whole arm and face got red and I still wasn’t paying too much attention. But the next day, things began to turn much worse. Strings of blisters began emerging on the shoulders and upper arms, the skin burns like hell. I basically can’t lift my arms at all. I simply can’t drive, can’t even take my shirt off without huge pain. Sleeping was a big problem too. I had a night of very bad sleep. Yinan helped me pierce the blisters and let out the liquid and treat it with vitamin E, aloe vera and facial creme. It got better for the next couple of days and still very painful. Today is when it really gets better. It looks like I can partially raise the arm and take off the shirt by myself. The left arm is almost free to move. I suppose I can drive now, at least with the left hand on the wheel. The skin is peeling off from the arms. I touched the skin and it feels so numb, not like a part of my body any more :(.

Hard lesson: never hike without sunscreen.