Day 23: Mile 301.6 to mile 324.4
8.13.21 -
22.8 miles +2,800 -3,200 ft
Segments: 17-19
I woke up and it was just so dark out. You can really tell that the sun is rising a little later in the morning now. I got ready by headlamp and took a little longer than usual tending to my new blister. I let it air out overnight so this morning I had to put moleskin and leukotape over them. It’s a bummer that these shoes (Altra Olympus 4) plus the higher miles are not working for my feet. I have a feeling the blisters will probably be here to stay for the rest of the trip. Hopefully the upcoming nearo days will help?
I finally got hiking at 6:15, hobbling a bit due to my sore feet, but eventually got a rhythm in as I approached the highway to Gunnison. I crossed the road and continued a very mellow climb through meadows and finally - alive trees! I should also note that the entire day of hiking was on double track/ county dirt roads/ old ranch roads. This meant the tread was not terribly rocky and it was decently graded the whole time. Well, the last bit of this first climb was on singletrack and it was pretty steep, but only for a little bit.
Once at the top, the trail gradually descended on a forest service road. I met a nice, northbound lady just as I was about to pee named Pooh Bear. She was so funny and nice and informed me that trail magic was down at the bottom of the road! Wow! Soon after I met her, I met Apple, the man doing the trail magic! He was on a little stroll & letting people know. I was pumped! I pretty much sped down the road at that point. He had such a nice set up. Individual pies, Gatorade and coke, and tons of water for us if we didn’t want to deal with the icky sources coming up. He also had a domed shade and chairs! I signed his canopy and sat down for about an hour, eating and chatting. It’s always so nice to get magic, and this man was so helpful. He’s from Ohio, so pretty much exactly the picture of Midwesterner kindness. A few more southbounders trickled in as I was getting ready to leave. I thanked Apple and was off.
The rest of the day was… boring but interesting. I was essentially being chased by a thundercloud aaaalllllll afternoon. Thunder eventually clapped around me, but I never even got a sprinkle. But I could see the rain in the distance, usually right behind me. The trail undulated throughout the cow land along forest service & ATV roads. I finished segment 18 at a dirt county road that I had been following for a bit and was surprised to see many RV campers in the area. Once here, the trail started climbing - the biggest of the day. It was gradual at first, and since I was not getting rained on, I took advantage of that and sat and ate my lunch before the trail got steeper. After lunch, I listened to my podcast and just climbed and climbed. Thankfully, the climb wasn’t brutal thanks to the grade of the dirt road. At the top, I had a bit of service so I checked the upcoming weather, which looks better than before! And then I checked my email to see if the hostel in Lake City responded to me… which they didn’t. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a place to stay.
Then the descent came, and more thunder boomed. When Cochetopa Creek finally came into sight I rejoiced! No more foul water! The clouds were looking very ominous though, so I got going. Only a little bit down the trail, I saw a large clearing with a tent set up. And tons of cows around it. Ha. I mentioned to them that they were a cow magnet. They were really nice ladies - Polé Polé & Long Legs and I asked them if I could set up nearby since I was tired, the clouds looked rainy, and I had hiked enough miles for the day. They happily said yes, and I was content with finally having a camp mate for the evening.
I set up in the wind, and nestled into the tent, happy to have time to do all of my chores since it was only 5 when I got to camp. I took my baby wipe bath, got into my sleep clothes, and cooked Mac & cheese by the fire pit. We have very easy access to the creek which is great too. I turned in pretty early in the evening just because I wanted to lay down! I did some math and figured that I would finish the trail probably on the 23rd, maybe the 22nd or 24th. But for now, I’m just trying to get to the road to Lake City by 12:30 pm on Sunday - 2 days from now! They have a free shuttle for hikers to town, which is so nice of the volunteers who run it. And on Sundays, the local church hosts a hiker feed! Can’t pass up home cooked food!
Right before going to sleep, I left the tent to readjust the guylines since they had slackened in the earlier wind. I also vented the tent as much as possible: there’s already the tiniest bit of condensation forming on the inside, which I knew would probably happen given the location of my camp: near a creek in a river canyon. But hopefully the venting of both doors being open will help a little. It’ll be colder in the tent though, so I pulled out both pad attachment straps to keep my quilt snug around my body all night.
