Start: 1312.4
Stop: 1329.8
Today’s Miles: 17.4
Total CDT miles: 1022.2
Pebbles is officially 16.6 miles ahead of me as of right now! He did keep hiking last night to get to the warming hut, so I started the day off 5 miles behind him. He took the road down and around some of the high elevation today, which put him ahead on trail. He still had to do over 20 miles today, and the way I’ve been-I didn’t think I’d have made it back to trail today if I took the road. I have tons of food, so I stuck to the redline… plus, I know if I passed a motel while feeling as cruddy as I do-I probably would have booked a room.
The first 5 miles weren’t bad, the initial climb was taxing but not as bad as I was expecting it to be-and it was gorgeous! It did still take me forever though. I definitely wouldn’t have made it to the warming hut before dark last night.
Once I got towards the top of the climb, I started running into day hikers. So many, in fact, I checked my watch to see if it was a Saturday. Nope. Only Tuesday! Gotta love Colorado! I waved and smiled and said hi to everyone, some were chatty, some were on a mission. Especially when I was on my way down and they were heading up! I don’t blame them at all for that.
At the bottom, where the road intersects, I could either go 14 miles down the highway into the town of Winter Park, then figure out from there how to go back up to trail on random roads and attempting to use that app Gaia that I don’t understand, or I could continue on the trail and immediately climb to the top of Mount Flora. My crazy self decided to climb. It was actually one of my better ascents. Maybe it was because of all of the day hikers out there to bear witness, but I made it to the top much faster than I thought I would.
At the top, you could either start down towards rock switchbacks or head over the mountain traverses to several other peaks. Thankfully, this was not a hard choice at all, because I could literally see the snow piled on all the mountains to my left, and very little snow down the mountain I was standing on top of. Down I went. The rock switchbacks were very well done, to where almost every step was a smooth one, but my feet were aching with the constant downhill for miles.
Towards the bottom of the descent, there were patches of snow. I traversed one-well, half way before I kicked my own steps in going up hill and cut half of it off to rock scramble the rest of the way around. Everything else I could mostly avoid. I stopped for lunch and realized too late that the only water I had available already had electrolytes in it, so I wouldn’t be able to cook some ramen for a hot lunch. Instead, I sat for about 15 minutes and ate a Kind bar, gagging a little, then kept pushing.
At the bottom of the valley, I was able to get water, and then start heading back up a tiny bit-going around another mountainside, before descending steeply for another few hours. At 4pm, at the actual valley floor, my feet were fried and I was hungry again, so I sat in the shade of some pine trees and ate a hot meal. I also took some ibuprofen.
I still had 6.4 miles to go to where I wanted to camp, just on the other side of another huge climb. It was 4.5 miles to the top of that climb, and a little over 2 back down.. I only made it 3 miles up. I got to a stream and decided that this was good enough. Once again, I was concerned about attempting to continue up and getting stuck with fading sun.
I can see that there is some snow ahead, and the top of the climb is several hundred feet over 13,000. I know I can’t sleep that high, and with my slow pace on these ascents, plus getting a text from Pebbles and knowing there’s no way I’m catching up to him today or tomorrow.. if ever.. I didn’t see the point in suffering up that last 1.5 miles just to be forced to continue coming down to find somewhere to camp in the dark. Plus wouldn’t get to see any of the views.
It is what it is, and honestly, this spot is pure pristine beauty, so, I’m ok with calling it short, 2 days in a row. Tomorrow, I sincerely hope I make it a bit farther. There’s the significant climb first thing in the morning, and then a steep descent-followed by some ridge walking and meadows. Hopefully I’ll get to at least where Pebbles is tonight, but preferably 4-5 miles past that. From there, there’s some small elevation gain and loss all the way to Grand Lake, the next town I get to stop in.
If I can get 20 miles tomorrow, the following day I could potentially get into Grand Lake by pushing 23 miles, since I’ll be past the big gains and losses. Fingers crossed! That’s my plan anyway. Pebbles thinks he’ll get to Grand Lake on Thursday, too.. but it would be early morning for him I’m sure, compared to my rolling in late-if at all. Otherwise, I’ll get there Friday morning.
Ok, it sure is cold up here on this exposed mountainside. Time to try my best to warm up and get some sleep. I might even leave earlier in the morning, if I can make myself get up! (I left at 6:20 this morning.) I think the sun will pop up quick way up here, I won’t be in any shadows, so that’s good.. get that climb out of the way! Sweet dreams yall!