Starting around 5:30 this morning, a steady stream of day hikers walked past our tent on their way up to Grays Peak - I’m guessing at least 50, maybe more.  They just kept coming!  As we hiked out, we passed about 25 more making their way up. It made me grateful that we summited yesterday afternoon in the snow because we had it all to ourselves.

We took our time, sleeping in a bit and then waiting until the sun (the sun! oh how I missed the sun) dried the tent and our quilts.  It was wonderful to see the sun after not seeing at all yesterday - I just kept smiling at it, thanking it for making an appearance today.

On the way to our first meeting point, I felt a little soreness on my left shin.  I assumed it was connected with my ankle annoyance and ignored it.   It was a steady downhill for the first 4 miles or so and I figured my body was just protesting a little, as she tends to do.  Such is the life of a thru-hiker, always dealing with a new pain.

When we got to I-70, the trail ran alongside it on a bike path.  This made for fast hiking, which I was happy about - we were hoping to get in at least 22 miles today and the faster we got them done the better.  After about a mile on the bike path, I bumped into 700, who we first met a few days before Pagosa Springs.  He had also hiked up to Grays Peak yesterday, summiting around 7pm (and here I thought we were the only crazy ones).  He was chatty and ended up walking and talking with me.  I enjoyed his company, but after a while I sensed something was amiss - we should have gone under I-70 and have been at the Herman Gulch Trailhead already, yet we were still on that bike path.  I didn’t want to be rude and look at my phone in the middle of his story, so I waited a bit before checking the app.  

I shouldn’t have waited - when I finally checked our location I saw we had missed the turnoff and walked an entire mile off trail, which meant I had just added 2 miles to my day.  Ugh.  At least it was fast hiking and at least I had company.  After a while Nick called me, wondering where I was (we had cell service for a bit because we were right next to I-70).  Nick had missed the turnoff, too, but he noticed it after only going 0.3 miles off-trail.  

When 700 and I made it back to the turnoff we missed, we both laughed - it wasn’t marked at all and it was barely a trail.  I don’t feel too bad about missing it, except those off-trail miles did exacerbate my shin - the pain was a little more intense.  Still, I ignored it.

At the trailhead I ate a very quick lunch and then we were back on the trail - based on the water and terrain, we had at least another 14 miles to hike.

As we hiked, I noticed that now both of my shins weren’t happy with me.  Then I ended up missing yet another turnoff and went another half mile off-trail, only realizing it when I walked by a pond that wasn’t on the map when I studied it earlier.  (Nick missed the turnoff, too, but I met him on my way back so he didn’t go too far).  

I mentioned my shins (which were steadily getting worse) to Nick when we met at a stream 4 miles later, telling him I had taken a full dose of Vitamin I (aka Ranger Candy, 800 mg) because of it.  Figuring the Vitamin I would help, we planned to meet at the next water source 10 miles away.  

The hiking after we met for water was, once again, mostly on the ridge lines.  I was thrilled to finally see the views - they did not disappoint.

However, the more I hiked the more my shins protested - it was as if I hadn’t taken any Vitamin I at all.  I did my best to ignore it, but by the time Nick passed me I was on the struggle bus.  Soon after, we found a bit of trail magic nailed to a post, which brightened my spirits a bit.  Only 6 miles to go.

Then it started to hail, which seems par for the course these days.  It wasn’t too terrible as long as I remembered to not look up at the views - getting pelted in the face by hail doesn’t exactly feel great.  As soon as I got to the top of the last peak of the day, it started to thunder and hail even more.  I did my best to hike down as fast as I could, but since going down hurt my shins more than going up did, it turns out I wasn’t very fast at all.  I’m not trying to be dramatic here, but at one point I thought I was going to throw up from the pain, which continued to build.

I checked the app - only 4 miles to go.  They were all downhill miles, but still - only 4 miles.

I consoled myself with the fact that Nick would have the tent up by the time I got there (maybe 8pm at the rate I was going).  And I reminded myself that tomorrow we’re going to Winter Park and that maybe we can take a zero.  Then I attempted to go into the pain cave.

I didn’t stay in the pain cave for long because I have the best husband in the world.  As I slowly and painfully made my way down, I noticed he had stopped next to a pond in the saddle below (the pond wasn’t on the map) and was already setting up the tent.  I cried tears of joy and relief.  When I asked him how he knew I needed to stop, he said “well, first of all, you were way behind me.  Second of all, I just couldn’t pass this spot up.”

It IS a great place to camp, with views all around.  I’ve never been so happy to stop hiking early.  Only 9 miles to go until the road and a hitch into Winter Park - hopefully a good night’s rest will allow me to hike those 9 miles with some dignity.

Along the trail:

Camp: