Considering we hiked less than 5 miles before noon, I think we did pretty good with getting in 19 miles for the day.  It’s far short of our daily goal of 25, but I’ll take it.

We both slept in, not waking up until 5:45. This certainly didn’t help matters, but what really slowed us down was the terrain.  We went up and over two passes this morning that were brutal.  It felt like we were back on the Argentine Spine/Gray’s Peak in that we basically went straight up and straight down both passes - switchbacks were not a thing.  We also lost the trail a lot, which slowed us down even more.  It was a fun adventure for sure.  And, again, the views made it all worth it.

When we stopped for lunch, it was demoralizing to see that we had only made it 4.5 miles.  I did my best not to worry about it and just enjoy the view and the food, both of which were great. Still, usually we’ve hiked at least twice that amount before lunch.  

While we were eating, a fellow CDT hiker named El Flaco walked by and asked if we saw an orange CDT bandana on the trail.  We said we did, AND that we had it with us.  His face lit up with delight.  We found the bandana two days ago and, seeing that someone had taken the time to sew a torn corner, knew it was important to someone.  It felt good to make someone’s day a little better.

After lunch, the trail was mostly flat for a while, which helped us to make up time.  All too soon, we were out of the Cirque of the Towers alternate and back on the CDT.

There was one river to ford as we left the alternate route- the cold water felt great on my tired feet and sore legs.  Once on the other side, I enjoyed some blue butterflies hanging out on the trail while I waited for Nick to cross.

Sadly, the views on the CDT redline weren’t as stunning as they were on the Cirque alternate, but they were still nice.  I enjoyed the rolling hills and the less intense climbs, that’s for sure.

We hiked until 5:30 and then stopped for a bit to boil some water for dinner.  Instead of wasting time just sitting there waiting for the meals to rehydrate (like we did yesterday), we got smart and hiked until they were ready.  We could hear thunder and see rain off in the distance, but thankfully it never got close to us so we were able to stay dry while eating dinner.  I must say, I really like eating and then hiking for a bit longer, especially because it gives us more time to enjoy the views during dinner. 

The 1.5 mile walk to camp was painless.  Nick is currently securing the bear bags to to a couple of trees while I write this -  it still feels unsettling to not have my food with me at all times, but I’m getting used to it.  

——— There is definitely something walking around outside the tent (it’s not Nick because he is safe inside now).  Maybe a deer or a moose?  It’s too dark to really see anything so I can’t say for sure.  

Along the trail:

Camp: