Lots of decisions were made today.
First, we needed to decide which route we are going to take from here. We can either stay on the CDT redline or take the Creede Cutoff. The Creede Cutoff would save us about 100 miles and, as it is lower in elevation, would be easier.
The part of me that wants to finish this trail in a timely manner wants to do the cutoff - it would be nice to be even more ahead of schedule.
But the part of me that is so desperately in love with the mountains doesn’t want to miss any part of them, even if it means dealing with snow and blowdowns and The Wind. Even if it means getting behind schedule.
Plus, when I think about how Future Beth would feel, I’m pretty sure she’d regret not taking the redline.
I’m not completely sure taking the redline is the smartest move, but it feels right. Nick agrees.
Second, I had to decide what to order for breakfast. We ate at The Rose and everything on their menu looked great. I ended up ordering the BLT with egg and avocado, AND I also ordered a chocolate chip pancake. With coffee. It was fantastic.
Third, we needed to decide whether or not we should take another day off. This decision was easier, if only because we have some incredible Trail Angels willing to take us back to Wolf Creek Pass tomorrow. No second zero for us.
Finally, and probably most important, I had to decide on what shoes I should get. While it’s a little early for me to replace my Brooks, because of all the issues I’ve been having lately, I decided it was time to try different shoes altogether. Since there are a lot of outfitters in this town, today was the perfect opportunity to try on a lot of different shoes. It took me a while, but I finally decided on Salomon Speedcross - this seems to be the shoe I gravitate to because I wore Salomon Speedcross on the last part of the PCT, too. Fingers crossed these shoes help, at least a little.
New Salomans next to my old Brooks. We found a hiker box at one of the outfitters - hopefully my old Brooks will make another hiker happy
While we walked around town, doing chores like get new shoes and replace our Darn Tough socks (mine were very old and worn out), we constantly bumped into Gump and Juniper. I really like them! They have decided to flip up to Wyoming to hike the basin because of all the snow in the San Juans, which is another good strategy.
We sort of match - Juniper and I both wear Salomans, Nick and Gump wear Altras.
On the walk back to the motel, I called my dad to wish him a happy birthday. I love you so much, Dad! Happy Birthday!!!
Once back at the motel, we had to sort our food, clean our filters, update the resupply spreadsheet (Nick), update the blog (Beth), and fix the hole the branch made in my backpack (Beth).
When all the chores were done, I rewarded myself by opening the Colorado letter from my Happy Trails party. In it, my friend Candice wrote, amongst many other things, “Be Like Water” - I like the reminder to be fluid and flexible, which is particularly useful now. She also included a fun little puzzle, which was fantastic because I love puzzles. Thanks, Candice, see you soon!
A delightful letter from Candice
There is a little concert going on next door right now - it’s refreshing to hear live music. Let’s just hope they don’t play all night (I’d like to get some sleep before we venture back out to the snow, blowdowns, and The Wind.)