It was another beautiful day for hiking, if maybe a little on the chilly side. I know it’s getting late in the season so I’m trying to decide if this is just how it’s going to be the rest of the way or not. I hiked in my alpaca hoody and my rain jacket most of the morning; right now, since it’s late and I’m no longer moving, I’m in all my layers - alpaca hoody, puffy, AND rain jacket. Being cold like this really makes me miss the desert. And Maui.
The best part of the day was hiking the ridge lines - I loved it. The Wind was incredibly strong up there, too, which added an extra element of fun to the day. While there were a lot of steep ups and downs to endure, I was just grateful to be out of the trees, where I can breathe.
Water sources were once again a bit of a challenge today, though. About 5 miles in we got water on-trail from a piped spring cattle trough. Two cows and 4 calves came running up to the trough as we were sitting to the side, filtering the water. They were running so fast that Nick was worried they were going to trample us. They didn’t, of course - they were just really thirsty, apparently.
The second water source was 0.5 miles off trail, but it was all we had so I quickly got over the extra steps. Nick and I had planned to meet there, but after sitting around for 30 minutes, eating lunch and letting gravity filter 2 liters for me, I decided to just grab some water for Nick so he wouldn’t have to walk all the way down and then all the way back up (it was pretty steep).
where I sat near the off-trail water, waiting for Nick
I had almost made it back to the trail, loaded down with lots of water, when I met Nick just starting his way down the side trail to the water. He told me be had gone off-trail for a bit earlier in the day, which is why he was so far behind. It made me glad I made the decision to bring water up to him - this way he wasn’t adding yet another bonus mile to his day. We took a short break together in some trees (it was so windy!) while Nick filtered his water.
The last 8 miles to the next water source, and where we are camping, were wickedly steep and very windy but otherwise uneventful. I was very glad to be done hiking for the day, though.
I did shed some tears today, but it was because I finally finished listening to The Overstory by Richard Powers and it left me feeling extraordinarily sad in a good sort of way. I sobbed for almost a mile as I contemplated the story after it ended. (Trees are a big part of the book and you know how much I love trees.)
Tonight we are camping at High Divide Outfitters, which is just off the trail and about a 1/4 mile from Stemple Pass. Dave, the owner, is very kind and has everything a hiker could want. He’s also letting us charge our devices inside the store, which is a nice bonus because I failed to charge my external battery at Laurie’s (I was having too much fun, I guess). He also has water, a Porta potty, a shed for us to keep our food in overnight, and a picnic table to sit on. I’d like to share pictures but he doesn’t want any pictures to be taken, which I must respect.
Nick and I thought we would have the place to ourselves, but just as we were finishing dinner a very tired hiker, Middle, huffed his way up the hill and over to the picnic table. Middle did a little flip - he was NOBO to Grand Lake and is now going SOBO. We didn’t chat long, but he seemed like a nice guy.
I should get myself to bed - we have a big day tomorrow. I was hoping to take it easy and take two days to hike the 27 or so miles we have left to our next resupply town (Lincoln), but the lack of water sources is thwarting that plan. It’s not the worst thing to happen, though, because getting in a day early means we might take a zero in Lincoln, which would make my body happy (I just can’t seem to get enough sleep these days).
Along the trail:
Camp:
Dave approved of this picture, otherwise he was against all pictures on the property