Hello! So far, every near-o (a day under 10 miles), has been 6.6 miles exactly! Into Breck, out of Breck, and into Salida! Well, I couldn’t mess that trend up and since I went past 6.6 miles today, I had to make it not a near-o!
Did a ghetto patch of the seam that is compromised on my rainfly so I won’t get wet on this last half of the trail!
Plugged the little pin prick holes that I found too!
I hope this guys makes bank 😂 best sign ever
This sucker weighs at least 8 lbs!
Claire and I hit the sandwich shop when it was empty.. 30 mins later it looked like this! We highly recommend Sweeties Sandwich Shop in Salida! 😋
Our with the old in with the new socks! Thanks again Grant and Cody!!
After check out, last minute town chores, and of course more food, I was antsy to get back on trail! I had been planning on starting at 3 or 4pm but the weather was not super hot and I thought the afternoon would be a great chance to tackle or at least chip away at that 10 mile climb!
And he’s off again! (Thanks again Claire, miss you already! 😘)
Was a lake not long ago
You don’t say!!
Honestly everyone complains about this climb but it wasn’t bad! First three miles on a dirt road but no cars were on it due to the lake construction, so it felt like a luxury hiking trail!
Ruh roh….
Maybe my fav burster so far!
Raining!!
The new Fooses Creek Trail, it’s nice!!
Where the CT meets back with the CDT!!
It rained and rained and rained on me all the way up the 9.8 mile climb. Not the type of rain that I know will soon stop so I don’t bother with the rain jacket. No this was cold and wet RAIN rain… I put on my rain mitts as my hands were getting really cold, but still used my poles with them to climb up the mountain. My hands got SO cold in them that I completely lost dexterity in both my pinky’s and half dexterity in my ring fingers. I didnt like that..
Quad Squad was here!!
Looked a weee bit different on July 16 😂
Hole in the sky
When it finally cleared up, I was nearing my camping spot for the night. It was still so cold though, there was recent hail on the ground! Must’ve been coming down when I was getting rained on down in the valley.
I set my tent up next to an old emergency shelter that I had scoped in July when the Quad Squad and I did a 37+ mile IMBA Epic ride on the Monarch Crest! It was nice and dry in the shelter but my backpacking experience tells me to not sleep in a shelter unless you want mice running ACROSS YOUR BODY! Yeesh.. not again. So, I set up in some protected trees right next door!
It was so cold that I put on almost all my warm layers while I ate and stretched and did my teeth care. I’m
Glad I set up my tent right away because it started raining again right after I had finished! The shelter was sure a nice place to lounge out for a bit before dark. Dona wanted to know about some of my warmth layers, and this was the perfect opportunity to show them off! (Our apologies but please bear with the model, we were short staffed for the fashion show, and he was the only one available) 🤣
New this year for me: Senchi Alpha Direct 90 long sleeve 1/2 zip, Very very warm!
REI Merino Wool Leggings, toasty!
Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer, always in my pack!! 🔥
Also new this year, Mountain Hardware beanie, loving it!
I usually don’t hike in any of these layers, and never in my puffy. The only exception is on frigid but dry mornings, I will wear my leggings for a few miles and if it’s REALLY cold I’ll put my Senchi UNDER my sun hoodie. It’s too fragile to go on the outside. A branch would destroy it 😂 But it’s fantastic for a sleeping layer or for active insulation without much wind.
Tried out some cous cous for dinner, not too bad!
The ole storm shelter
Cleared up nice just before dark
Well, for once in my life it’s before 9pm and I’m done with the blog! My body feels great, my knees are 100%, my feet are in heaven with the two brand new Injinji toe socks! Those 15 mile days on the Collegiate East were certainly the right call! Now I’m ready to crank out some bigger mile days for this last half of the trail!
-Thanks for reading!
So glad you had those warm dry layers for the end of such a cold and damp day! And also the rain mitts!
ReplyDeleteYeah! 👍 meant to do the fashion show earlier but never had a need for all those layers at once until now!
ReplyDeleteI'm relieved that you ended your day dry, warm, and cozy without mice! And I am proud of you for strategizing a way to take the inclines easier so you could enjoy more and not be in pain. Knees are not to be messed with! Love you bro! 💗
ReplyDelete