Start: 1405
Stop: 1423.2
Today’s Miles: 18.2
Total CDT miles: 1095
I slept in until 7am.. I slept great thanks to the off and on rain all night. Everything was damp and glistening this morning.. making for pretty, woodsy views.
I eventually got to a gorgeous open meadow. The flowers were out of this world! I think my new favorite is definitely the columbine. So so pretty! From the meadow, the trail climbed up steep switchbacks and I was rewarded with some stunning views at the top of the climb. I’ll always love a switchback over just trudging straight up!
The downhill was gentle and rolling. When I got back into the tree line, I ended up eating lunch and finding a sunny spot to dry out my tent. It was the only thing damp from the rain overnight.. my socks dried out while I walked. The sandals are working nicely, too. No complaints here! My feet are loving the reprieve from the heel blisters and my toes getting some breathing room.
I took a much longer break than intended, and as always, I was slower than expected. I was texting Pebbles throughout the afternoon, and he told me not to aim for the shelter at the top of my current climb, because it’s gross inside.. covered in rodent poo.. which was exactly where I was heading! No thanks!
Once I read that, I started scouting out places to camp. I swear I took longer looking for flat spots than I should have. I got his text when I was already half way up the mountain and of course everything was slanted. I ended up stopping less than a half mile from the top at this small grassy bald before the next set of steep switchbacks.
My spot is simply beautiful. It’s chilly, and very windy.. so cowboy camping it is. I don’t feel like fighting my tent in this wind. There’s views for days up here and I can’t wait for the sun to set and get to watch all the colors glow. It’s going to be magical.. I can feel it. I’ve already eaten my dinner and I’m just relaxing on my sleeping pad, curled up in my quilt. It’s a bit of an early stop, but I didn’t want to have to hunt a spot on the downhill after this climb and risk it getting dark on me.
This is just perfect. I’m content. I’m on my own doing what I want, when I want. I haven’t felt stressed about time or distance at all today. Just kept moving forward, however long and far I could manage. And it seems I managed just fine. I do miss Pebbles, though. Dinner time talks are always more fun with a friend. But this is quite ok too. Goodnight yall.