tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13460840402454868752024-03-13T05:32:39.760-11:003,100 Miles to Spread the Warren ExperienceJoin my journey to help send more kids to camp. To support my efforts, donate by clicking below!Reid Petit and Ryan Abrahamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16068337563645735968noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-51381380288847070972015-10-20T08:00:00.001-11:002015-10-20T10:20:50.330-11:00July 10-17 Day 75-82 Fun as a Family Darby - Leadore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fRGL6AUpV9U/ViaKjGoxSAI/AAAAAAAAD2k/WPwNKL2hH8U/s640/blogger-image--1899294095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fRGL6AUpV9U/ViaKjGoxSAI/AAAAAAAAD2k/WPwNKL2hH8U/s640/blogger-image--1899294095.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As a chef, I pride myself on being able to feed my fellow hikers in town when we have access to a kitchen. This was not so in Darby. We went to the nearest grocery store, where we, in true hiker fashion, couldn't decide on anything, so we picked up frozen pizzas. When we were back at the cabin I cooked up some pasta I had in my hiker box and we popped our pizzas in the small oven, one at a time. I managed to forget my pizza and burn the entire thing, setting off the smoke alarm in the process. Well done chef NomNom. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8CDya5xw-y4/ViaKkULd1AI/AAAAAAAAD2s/Va-ES-xDCmQ/s640/blogger-image-1284221517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8CDya5xw-y4/ViaKkULd1AI/AAAAAAAAD2s/Va-ES-xDCmQ/s640/blogger-image-1284221517.jpg"></a></div>(Guy, me, Mehap, Apache)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Mehap and I were sharing the no longer edible pizza, and so we satiated our hunger with the various types of pastas set out.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iDCNisKGHkU/ViaLecmAfVI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/pripdOWdTZE/s640/blogger-image-39505911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iDCNisKGHkU/ViaLecmAfVI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/pripdOWdTZE/s640/blogger-image-39505911.jpg"></a></div>(Rose and her dog!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We spent our zero day at a couchsurfer's house. Rose is her name and it was her first time hosting. She was a doll and actually hosted 5 out of 7 of us! Wow! </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sL5wsP-s_o8/ViaKf0GMuxI/AAAAAAAAD2M/iszC_NOqGBM/s640/blogger-image-1796121787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sL5wsP-s_o8/ViaKf0GMuxI/AAAAAAAAD2M/iszC_NOqGBM/s640/blogger-image-1796121787.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4eekHxfnxdI/ViaKaA_2jhI/AAAAAAAAD1s/szGOJ3Rz2GU/s640/blogger-image-93693109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4eekHxfnxdI/ViaKaA_2jhI/AAAAAAAAD1s/szGOJ3Rz2GU/s640/blogger-image-93693109.jpg"></a></div>(Apache)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d4MfV76359g/ViaKerOuFOI/AAAAAAAAD2E/iK5VEhJ15FM/s640/blogger-image-1408863730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d4MfV76359g/ViaKerOuFOI/AAAAAAAAD2E/iK5VEhJ15FM/s640/blogger-image-1408863730.jpg"></a></div>(Grim)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We hope we got her revved about long distance hiking! Darby is a cute town, filled with small stores and people who know each other. Even Rose, who had just moved there a month before was chatting with new friends she had made at the various businesses she took us to.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fufXYOynxaU/ViaLhadXXiI/AAAAAAAAD3Y/6txa569A_Cs/s640/blogger-image-1999689805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fufXYOynxaU/ViaLhadXXiI/AAAAAAAAD3Y/6txa569A_Cs/s640/blogger-image-1999689805.jpg"></a></div><br>
The next day we headed back to trail. Our goal for this leg was to do big miles at the start and then slow down when we got about 40 miles away. This was to allow Whistle to hike with us for a part of the leg. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hV6WcsoiLYA/ViaNn-WafcI/AAAAAAAAD3k/PbVNv-jfd2w/s640/blogger-image--451667001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hV6WcsoiLYA/ViaNn-WafcI/AAAAAAAAD3k/PbVNv-jfd2w/s640/blogger-image--451667001.jpg"></a></div>(Whistle and Grim)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">You see, Whistle had started the CDT in March and, as would be expected, ran into snow in Colorado, so after realizing the snow wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, she decided to jump around and hike different parts of the trail and the surrounding areas. It also meant that she didn't quite have her trail legs in the same way that we did, so, in order for her to hike with us and for us to do things in the time we wanted to, we had to get the big miles done sooner.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OEZ-7a9fLEA/ViaNqDFHnQI/AAAAAAAAD30/9HKC1ESgEHI/s640/blogger-image--320863237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OEZ-7a9fLEA/ViaNqDFHnQI/AAAAAAAAD30/9HKC1ESgEHI/s640/blogger-image--320863237.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">(Mehap and Guy)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vXEi2Iioc2s/ViaKdX73YSI/AAAAAAAAD18/sXT4DVJqwp8/s640/blogger-image--58857637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vXEi2Iioc2s/ViaKdX73YSI/AAAAAAAAD18/sXT4DVJqwp8/s640/blogger-image--58857637.jpg"></a></div>(Choo choo train!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hhfBA4EPbd4/ViaKhJjgkEI/AAAAAAAAD2U/1gOw99fbDrY/s640/blogger-image-1256670445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hhfBA4EPbd4/ViaKhJjgkEI/AAAAAAAAD2U/1gOw99fbDrY/s640/blogger-image-1256670445.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nWfuEU05sCc/ViaKiEXyxuI/AAAAAAAAD2c/MU0YAIokuiw/s640/blogger-image-1753767282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nWfuEU05sCc/ViaKiEXyxuI/AAAAAAAAD2c/MU0YAIokuiw/s640/blogger-image-1753767282.jpg"></a></div>(Llamas!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
Plans inevitably change and so they did. We couldn't seem to manage big miles. It wasn't like we tried particularly hard though! We were all finally really enjoying ourselves! Camp fires, giggles and belly laughs, late nights and sleeping in. We became a little hiker family and we loved it! This is what trail life was supposed to feel like!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--aC3czCdjUo/ViaNpEHe99I/AAAAAAAAD3s/wA_HzvWg1_A/s640/blogger-image-1169004888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--aC3czCdjUo/ViaNpEHe99I/AAAAAAAAD3s/wA_HzvWg1_A/s640/blogger-image-1169004888.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bOC6i-bltso/ViaLachqb4I/AAAAAAAAD24/_6sfVc0G67k/s640/blogger-image-732556599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bOC6i-bltso/ViaLachqb4I/AAAAAAAAD24/_6sfVc0G67k/s640/blogger-image-732556599.jpg"></a></div><br>
It had been getting rainier and rainier. We had one night during which it rained for hours, soaking our stuff and chilling us. Apache and I seem to have the hardest time maintaining our body heat during cold rains. Luckily it was near enough the end of the day that we all agreed to set up shelter and get dry and warm. Of course the rain stopped as soon as we set up. Typical.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PP6_FEmbFhg/ViaKcSClK3I/AAAAAAAAD10/xNaFAu9YT8c/s640/blogger-image-1751554949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PP6_FEmbFhg/ViaKcSClK3I/AAAAAAAAD10/xNaFAu9YT8c/s640/blogger-image-1751554949.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r1EJyU2N0is/ViaNrZTd1HI/AAAAAAAAD38/eMZJdn8HpuQ/s640/blogger-image--650851638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r1EJyU2N0is/ViaNrZTd1HI/AAAAAAAAD38/eMZJdn8HpuQ/s640/blogger-image--650851638.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8msZjTjRzjU/ViaLbi1OW2I/AAAAAAAAD3A/wpURJGKP6_Y/s640/blogger-image-1421317247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8msZjTjRzjU/ViaLbi1OW2I/AAAAAAAAD3A/wpURJGKP6_Y/s640/blogger-image-1421317247.jpg"></a></div><br>
It was around the 15th that we caught Whistle. She was waiting patiently at a trail head where she had been camped for a whole day already! Poor girl had to wait longer than expected fro us to get there. Grim and I arrived first and immediately gave her big hugs followed by a yard sale, setting all our stuff out in the sun to dry. The warm sun was becoming less frequent, so we needed to take advantage when we could. Whistle had brought extra food, thank goodness because I was a bit tight on food this stretch for whatever reason. Poor planning. It happens.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o4WYKk0UhIg/ViaLdE1z40I/AAAAAAAAD3I/I6DABNvSZwk/s640/blogger-image-2004633523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o4WYKk0UhIg/ViaLdE1z40I/AAAAAAAAD3I/I6DABNvSZwk/s640/blogger-image-2004633523.jpg"></a></div>(Wonderer, Guy, Mehap, Apache, Whistle, Grim- waiting for a storm</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">To pass)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
I was just finishing shoving cheese, crackers, and Oreos into my mouth when the others began to trickle in. We quickly put the rest of the food away because there wasn't enough for everyone, and spent another hour chatting and getting to know Whistle more.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WJrmDMeGS4U/ViZ2qDkmU5I/AAAAAAAAD1c/TlnwfdDg3AI/s640/blogger-image--623264669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WJrmDMeGS4U/ViZ2qDkmU5I/AAAAAAAAD1c/TlnwfdDg3AI/s640/blogger-image--623264669.jpg"></a></div>(Whistle left us jokes to find along the way)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
On we hiked, dodging thunderstorms along the way and seeing nature at its best. In such a large group, we couldn't help having an awesome time, even when the weather wasn't ideal.<br>
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Leadore was the next town down a long dirt road. There were too many of us to fit in Whistle's car, which she had parked at the trail head, so Apache drove Mehap, Guy on a Buffalo, and me. He returned and grabbed Grim, Whistle, and Wonderer. Leadore was hardly a town. One restaurant catered to our needs with a sassy waitress/owner/cook. Yup, one lady ran the whole place. We stayed at a 4 room motel where the owner also carved wood into animals to make extra money. He said that the hikers are the reason he can even stay open. Towns like these get hit hard during tough economic times. Once a mining town full with life, it was now crumbling, losing its residents as children become adults and want somewhere with more opportunity.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PJQ8-MpIh5c/ViaT6f2HUQI/AAAAAAAAD4U/IW6ClGbPXZU/s640/blogger-image-1638056131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PJQ8-MpIh5c/ViaT6f2HUQI/AAAAAAAAD4U/IW6ClGbPXZU/s640/blogger-image-1638056131.jpg"></a></div>(Whistle and Mehap)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
The morning we headed out we stopped in for breakfast to the only restaurant. The waitress informed us that she was not in the mood to cook today, so we should pick easy things. We did our best, choosing simple things, and when Mehap arrived belatedly, the spunky owner overheard Whistle offer him her leftover biscuits, gravy, and hash-browns, grabbed the plate and offered to throw some more gravy onto the plate. When she returned, she eyed Grim's plate and told him matter of factly, "You're not going to finish those potatoes. Put them on here for your friend." And so Mehap got a free meal and we all got a good laugh.<br>
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Frodo arrived with the RV that morning resulting in a bit of catch up on how Scout was doing with his hike. Then we all got back on trail sometime in the afternoon. 7.5 miles later we found a fire ring and set up camp. No need to rush right?</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D87cY9lZRVQ/ViaT323msGI/AAAAAAAAD4M/0BmIcpzSK7s/s640/blogger-image-434966628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D87cY9lZRVQ/ViaT323msGI/AAAAAAAAD4M/0BmIcpzSK7s/s640/blogger-image-434966628.jpg"></a></div><br></div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-69290039720888834082015-10-20T03:20:00.002-11:002015-10-20T10:20:23.006-11:00July 27 Day 92 Luxury and Hardship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Opz0RImfZqY/Viaux2qwThI/AAAAAAAAD80/6jk6kT-_B7g/s640/blogger-image--864343276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Opz0RImfZqY/Viaux2qwThI/AAAAAAAAD80/6jk6kT-_B7g/s640/blogger-image--864343276.jpg"></a></div>(Apache at lunch. Mehap missed the turn. He arrived an hour later so we got comfortable)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Trail magic is something given by someone wonderful. In this case it came from a lovely man in a white pick up truck with 2 thru-bikers in his car. He drove by us as we were on yet another dirt road walking down a mountain, approaching Sawtell, the resort town. He stopped to chat and see what we were up to. Looking suspiciously like hikers, we admitted that we were, in fact, hiking, and yes, it was as he had guessed, the CDT. After a longer than usual conversation about not all that much, we asked him if he knew of any good camping areas near town, which he replied with a cryptic "I just have to check on something up the mountain, but I'll catch you on the way down and let you know if I remember. I may have a solution for you."<br>
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That solution worked out luckily and he offered us a cabin to stay at! </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QVqVNbgj1Cw/Viauuji9fFI/AAAAAAAAD8c/51uqe_Kb0Q4/s640/blogger-image-245739190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QVqVNbgj1Cw/Viauuji9fFI/AAAAAAAAD8c/51uqe_Kb0Q4/s640/blogger-image-245739190.jpg"></a></div>(The cabin living room the thru-bikers!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">He was managing some rental properties and the renters had just left that day and the cleaning service wouldn't be in until the next day to make the place ready for the next renters, which meant we could crash in this luxury rental cabin with laundry AND a HOT TUB!!!! We were so excited! Talk about magic! I caught a ride 2 miles down there to get all the information from him because he had to head to a nearby town soon. Once I scoped the place out, and got all the rules and regulation sorted, I walked to the restaurant in town and noshed on yummy food with everyone. Just as we were finishing up, Wonderer walked in! We hadn't seen him for a while and were not sure what had become of him or how to communicate our good fortune so he could benefit too. Boy was he lucky to have pushed a bit to get in!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P27pAAwAkYI/ViauzBIvbTI/AAAAAAAAD88/7N9qO718Ivs/s640/blogger-image--392541034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P27pAAwAkYI/ViauzBIvbTI/AAAAAAAAD88/7N9qO718Ivs/s640/blogger-image--392541034.jpg"></a></div>(Food!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We popped into the store and grabbed some resupply, donuts, and drinks, and headed to the cabin to take care of cleaning up and soaking in the hot tub. It felt great!<br><br>
In the morning on the 27th we woke up from the nooks we had each taken over, scattered throughout the cabin and headed out. We had breakfast at the grocery store and an hour or so later had lunch at a Mexican Restaurant 3 miles down near Mack's Inn. We schedule our lives around food. It's a thing.<br>
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We had been able to check the weather and knew there was 100% chance of rain starting around noon, which is right when we left the restaurant. We had 18 more miles to do for the day, ending right on the border of Montana-Wyoming and right at the border of Yellowstone National Park. It was important that we made it because you're not allowed to camp within park boundaries without a permit and you have to camp at designated camp sites. So, realistically, we had to reach the border tonight, hike into Old Faithful Village tomorrow and get our permits, and hike out to a camp site. But first get through today.<br>
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The weather quickly turned dangerous as temperatures plummeted and a slow steady drizzle persisted. I was envious of Grim's umbrella. I was getting grumpy. I was getting cold. My rain gear wasn't enough to keep me dry, and my layers weren't enough to keep me warm. Apache and Grim were ahead while Guy, Mehap, Wonderer, and I were brining up the rear. Mehap and Apache didn't have pants to wear, and so they suffered the cold in their shorts. I don't know how they did it because I had a hard enough time WITH pants on!<br>
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About halfway through our trudge, when the rain had let up and turned to a light mist, we sat down to have a bit of food. It couldn't have been more than 15 minutes of shoving Cliff bars into our faces before I realized I might not be able to make it to the border. I could feel my core temperature dropping. I needed to get moving or I needed to set up my tarp and crawl into my dry sleeping bag. The heat of exertion would hopefully heat me up enough to get to camp, but sometimes that isn't enough, as I remembered from New Mexico and 9 years before in Alaska.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iuaFiNKEHUQ/Viauvhtjj3I/AAAAAAAAD8k/gUAz5--kCPY/s640/blogger-image--1199815703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iuaFiNKEHUQ/Viauvhtjj3I/AAAAAAAAD8k/gUAz5--kCPY/s640/blogger-image--1199815703.jpg"></a></div>(Hail!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
On we went, Guy trying to continually ask me for updates on my perceived state of being, and Mehap trying to distract Guy from doing so. I'll admit I had a very short fuse by this point and was grateful for Mehap's efforts. I had let myself cry a few times already today, once because my hands were so unresponsive from the cold that I couldn't button my pants up after peeing. They sagged below my hip bones, driving me crazy for the rest of the day. Another time when a thundercloud passed directly above us, a mere second or two between flash and rumble, pelting us with extraordinary amounts of hail, sleet, slush, and finally snow, which persisted for the rest of the evening.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_Pwoe8G6cbQ/ViauwrYX6XI/AAAAAAAAD8s/bITjXcjirk4/s640/blogger-image--1783869311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_Pwoe8G6cbQ/ViauwrYX6XI/AAAAAAAAD8s/bITjXcjirk4/s640/blogger-image--1783869311.jpg"></a></div>(Apache surprised it's snowing in July)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We somehow managed to reach Grim and Apache, seeing their shelters peeking out from the trees. I found a spot somewhat sheltered under some branches near Grim and began the arduous task of setting up my tarp with frozen hands in the wet snow. Grim talking to me throughout the process to make sure I was still coherent. I found out the next day that he had made space in his tent in case I had gotten hypothermic and needed help bringing up my core temperature. That's why it's a good idea to hike with people, and that's why I love my hiking family.<br>
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I managed to heat up what little water I had left and make ramen for dinner. We were all dry, WE were wet, but we had no water left, and it was another 8 or so miles to the first water in Yellowstone tomorrow. Most people skipped cooking tonight, eating bars and snacks instead. I needed the heat. And so, with a belly full of warm noodles, I fell asleep to the soft sound of snow on my tarp.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-71798025873536721922015-10-20T02:25:00.000-11:002015-10-20T10:20:33.427-11:00July 23-26 Day 88-91 Perfect Moments and Lazy Days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RCFLpXDr_b8/ViaqDnfhfwI/AAAAAAAAD7w/QdKrse4ZEw0/s640/blogger-image--1857786729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RCFLpXDr_b8/ViaqDnfhfwI/AAAAAAAAD7w/QdKrse4ZEw0/s640/blogger-image--1857786729.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm in a funk. Not knowing what I want to do. To stay on trail, or to try to get to Warren? Did I really want to leave, or was it a reaction to not feeling connected to this experience the way I thought I would?<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hSCr-JnoYLw/ViaqG4Pi6_I/AAAAAAAAD8I/_ZSXrh7fxYs/s640/blogger-image--1149133749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hSCr-JnoYLw/ViaqG4Pi6_I/AAAAAAAAD8I/_ZSXrh7fxYs/s640/blogger-image--1149133749.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZBQR4nR6fQI/ViawDUIsk1I/AAAAAAAAD9I/2kvL8WrYgtw/s640/blogger-image-262882089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZBQR4nR6fQI/ViawDUIsk1I/AAAAAAAAD9I/2kvL8WrYgtw/s640/blogger-image-262882089.jpg"></a></div><br>
When we all woke up by the side of the road, we had a lovely sunrise in the crisp air over the flat stretch that surrounded us. There were some low mountains in the nearby distance that drew dark clouds to them and more double rainbows. It was one of my favorite mornings, watching the guys slowly wake up from the fogged up windows of Whistle's car. There was a muted quality to their conversations as I watched from our little metal and glass shelter. One of the guys would look at the other and say something. The other would laugh, silently from my perspective, but it was clearly a deep appreciative belly laugh with the most wonderful look of relaxed happiness in his eyes. This pure, relaxed joy feels so right, like the way it always should be. I knew I would never forget that morning and all it represented. That laugh made my eyes tear up. I didn't want it to end. I never wanted to see those faces, so care-free now, look hurt or anxious. It was only a moment, but the kind of moment that seems to go on indefinitely, repeating in a loop in your memory.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8SKAMKvg3vM/ViaqE81zrQI/AAAAAAAAD74/e-gh7ADCCr0/s640/blogger-image-1020094981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8SKAMKvg3vM/ViaqE81zrQI/AAAAAAAAD74/e-gh7ADCCr0/s640/blogger-image-1020094981.jpg"></a></div>(A photo from the last stretch)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
The guys had another couple of miles to do before getting to the highway. I had decided the night before to drive into town with Whistle. When it comes to road walking, I'm not exceptionally uptight about connecting my footsteps when it's only a couple of miles. Some people frown and lecture about the purity of the thru-hike, but I hike my hike the way I believe in, and getting to the restaurant for breakfast ASAP is what I believed in that morning. So Whistle and I enjoyed a leisurely meal and were soon joined by the others. We all got a room at the motel and took care of our town chores, which included a drive to a nearby town for resupply and groceries.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JafXax2MqE0/ViaqCTDlXwI/AAAAAAAAD7o/TFE4Jrugh5Q/s640/blogger-image--1934119845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JafXax2MqE0/ViaqCTDlXwI/AAAAAAAAD7o/TFE4Jrugh5Q/s640/blogger-image--1934119845.jpg"></a></div>(That's a lot of food!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We ended up Zeroing in Lima due to some severe thunderstorms that rolled in, all of us not feeling motivated to keep hiking. I know, you're probably getting tired of hearing that, but it's just the way it was. We were getting tired, in general. We got 2 rooms again, with Grim, Whistle, and me in the smaller one, and Guy, Wonderer, Mehap, and Apache in the larger room with the kitchenette. The gas station had DVDs for rent and the rooms had DVD players, which, if you've ever been deprived of flashy movie entertainment for this long, is such a treat and very exciting. We were a tad too excited and rented 3 movies along with way too much food from the grocery store in the nearby town. But, we managed to finish all the food, as hikers do, and left one movie unwatched.<br>
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It was a great snuggle day. Just lay around, let the muscles and joints rest as the rain fell outside. It was necessary. One of those sweet zeros that don't feel like an over indulgence so much as a rehabilitating respite. Not much else happened aside from interesting conversations with the motel owners who were looking to sell the spot and get out of Lima.<br>
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And so, with a lack of excuses to stay longer, we headed out the next day, taking the Mack's Inn cutoff, a shortcut that takes us through a resort town where we could get food and resupply. Apache and Mehap may have been the only one who planned for this resupply, carrying just enough food to get that far. The rest of us carried way too much food.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5bTY_906iwI/ViaqIEpGh8I/AAAAAAAAD8Q/LAnM_M2t1R4/s640/blogger-image--182215392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5bTY_906iwI/ViaqIEpGh8I/AAAAAAAAD8Q/LAnM_M2t1R4/s640/blogger-image--182215392.jpg"></a></div><br>
And then the best trail magic happened!</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-43754564438734809462015-10-20T01:59:00.000-11:002015-10-20T10:20:42.060-11:00July 18-23 Day 83-88 Rain, Warren, and Lima, MT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8BvAtpZ0iuI/Viah6pGxjuI/AAAAAAAAD54/v70_JGHpfEA/s640/blogger-image-1651519539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8BvAtpZ0iuI/Viah6pGxjuI/AAAAAAAAD54/v70_JGHpfEA/s640/blogger-image-1651519539.jpg"></a></div>(Me, Grim, Apache, Guy, Mehap)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The weather has been more temperamental recently with plummeting temperatures in the evenings and the regular threat of afternoon thunderstorms. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8q6ccP-SQq0/Viah0PSewbI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/y1tfoLMBvrE/s640/blogger-image--793739139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8q6ccP-SQq0/Viah0PSewbI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/y1tfoLMBvrE/s640/blogger-image--793739139.jpg"></a></div>(Guy, Apache, Mehap, Grim)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Our path takes us up and down on ridge lines all day. Legs exhausted, asthma wearing me down, rain, and cold. The motivation to push and do big miles is at a minimum. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TcBMggcj_p8/Viah8FexF3I/AAAAAAAAD6A/x-OKFzZwV0U/s640/blogger-image-847898380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TcBMggcj_p8/Viah8FexF3I/AAAAAAAAD6A/x-OKFzZwV0U/s640/blogger-image-847898380.jpg"></a></div>(Grim and Guy)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We are all happy to do whatever we end up doing, enjoy each other's company, get into camp before the rain, make a fire, and tell jokes over dinner. It is, overall, a very happy time.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NdrExM79fGM/Viah21EW3pI/AAAAAAAAD5g/bLqJjV3lSWI/s640/blogger-image--2126817033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NdrExM79fGM/Viah21EW3pI/AAAAAAAAD5g/bLqJjV3lSWI/s640/blogger-image--2126817033.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> This leg is full of getting to know each other more deeply and creating new dynamics in the group.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pZWRmdF3AB0/Viah3xRcAcI/AAAAAAAAD5o/_jdLg_-1Oq4/s640/blogger-image--1827879806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pZWRmdF3AB0/Viah3xRcAcI/AAAAAAAAD5o/_jdLg_-1Oq4/s640/blogger-image--1827879806.jpg"></a></div>(Up and down up and down)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
I've been enjoying the luxury of my sleeping bag liner. It's a Sea to Summit 25+ synthetic liner and it adds so much comfort in the form of added warmth and snuggle-ability! Having something soft on your skin makes those nights on trail that much more enjoyable and comfortable. A big thank you to Grim for making the recommendation!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_jIaZ-jvdFM/Viah1SFYxfI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/lPJqUmxkMpU/s640/blogger-image--2028115555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_jIaZ-jvdFM/Viah1SFYxfI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/lPJqUmxkMpU/s640/blogger-image--2028115555.jpg"></a></div>(Grim, Apache, Mehap)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
I've been hiking with Grim, Mehap, and Apache a lot, with Guy and Wonderer hiking on and off together. It's been good. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-32IY_pAK79s/Viahxq9wTBI/AAAAAAAAD5A/XGmHq9794k0/s640/blogger-image--1927317574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-32IY_pAK79s/Viahxq9wTBI/AAAAAAAAD5A/XGmHq9794k0/s640/blogger-image--1927317574.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've been continuing to push myself on the uphills and keep pace. I can feel myself getting stronger and faster. I am becoming a walking machine!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R_GdmkYk9LU/Viah5cmrS5I/AAAAAAAAD5w/f4hugK3qrFI/s640/blogger-image--1931785393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R_GdmkYk9LU/Viah5cmrS5I/AAAAAAAAD5w/f4hugK3qrFI/s640/blogger-image--1931785393.jpg"></a></div>(Wonderer looking stealthy at a beautiful lake we stopped at early to swim, fish, and make camp)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IJ784P_hixM/Viahy4ONOZI/AAAAAAAAD5I/BxibcyrtA7c/s640/blogger-image-1157580178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IJ784P_hixM/Viahy4ONOZI/AAAAAAAAD5I/BxibcyrtA7c/s640/blogger-image-1157580178.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
The transition from Nom and Guy as hiking partners to the bigger group has had its ups and downs as is normal in any group situation. Overall it is great though and any kinks in the system generally get worked out somehow, though often I don't understand how. Being the only woman in this group is interesting. Men communicate differently and they solve social problems differently. I have to admit, it was intriguing and a great learning experience!<br>
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This was the point on trail when I started to think about working at Warren. Why wasn't I there now? Why wasn't I directly impacting people's lives there rather than doing this? Was I being selfish? Was I enjoying this as much as I expected? It wasn't so much that I was questioning if I should be out hiking so much as I was questioning why I wasn't working at Warren instead. I kept these thoughts to myself until we caught up with Whistle again.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mkoq3mb6SUE/ViaoprJfGzI/AAAAAAAAD7g/VBFow66HNjE/s640/blogger-image-38973824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mkoq3mb6SUE/ViaoprJfGzI/AAAAAAAAD7g/VBFow66HNjE/s640/blogger-image-38973824.jpg"></a></div>(Strawberries!!!!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
She managed to let herself be convinced to hang out with us a little longer and drive her car to the road near Lima, where we would be theoretically getting a ride into town.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0HsKG7GxjRM/Viaooh7SvQI/AAAAAAAAD7Y/ll1cNSxWM7c/s640/blogger-image-582929685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0HsKG7GxjRM/Viaooh7SvQI/AAAAAAAAD7Y/ll1cNSxWM7c/s640/blogger-image-582929685.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sr6rF9rjpN8/ViaogHLoEkI/AAAAAAAAD6g/Yihis9HlwH0/s640/blogger-image--702927870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sr6rF9rjpN8/ViaogHLoEkI/AAAAAAAAD6g/Yihis9HlwH0/s640/blogger-image--702927870.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DhnMkXnw50s/ViaohDM5RtI/AAAAAAAAD6o/3uRoRdiOTK4/s640/blogger-image--1809453386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DhnMkXnw50s/ViaohDM5RtI/AAAAAAAAD6o/3uRoRdiOTK4/s640/blogger-image--1809453386.jpg"></a></div><br>
Double Rainbows find themselves living near Lima, MT. It is the gathering place for them. Almost everyday double rainbows appear in the sky as yet another thunderstorm passes, moving away from us. We feel as though we've found the end of the rainbow, and the treasure there is more rainbows to look at with an epic backdrop. I'll take that over a pot of gold. The cacophony of cows mooing and yelling at each other and at us reminds us that we are not THAT far removed from society.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pm46Dz9wlVw/ViaoiQRiZ9I/AAAAAAAAD6w/o4Ft7lTgy_8/s640/blogger-image-1992774466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pm46Dz9wlVw/ViaoiQRiZ9I/AAAAAAAAD6w/o4Ft7lTgy_8/s640/blogger-image-1992774466.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RTqF5GvHKaA/ViaonTUL4vI/AAAAAAAAD7Q/IM2Oq7DwATc/s640/blogger-image-64690975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RTqF5GvHKaA/ViaonTUL4vI/AAAAAAAAD7Q/IM2Oq7DwATc/s640/blogger-image-64690975.jpg"></a></div><br>
This relatively short section finds us on a meandering dirt road walk, taking us through fields where people and cows spend their time relaxing. We were not sure if Whistle was going to hike with us or just wait for us in Lima until, there she was waiting with Oreos, Doritos, and drinks by her car!</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ezY2FnGfxig/Viaok6PG9HI/AAAAAAAAD7A/Bb8Sn96Vzg8/s640/blogger-image--822105195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ezY2FnGfxig/Viaok6PG9HI/AAAAAAAAD7A/Bb8Sn96Vzg8/s640/blogger-image--822105195.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> It was just pouring rain on us as a storm passed through when we saw her! We only had a few more miles to go before we hit the main road where we decided to camp for the night, and Nero into Lima the next day.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aidsB04K9h0/Viaod3uCN1I/AAAAAAAAD6Q/Obs21z1im8Y/s640/blogger-image--1157494194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aidsB04K9h0/Viaod3uCN1I/AAAAAAAAD6Q/Obs21z1im8Y/s640/blogger-image--1157494194.jpg"></a></div>(Wonderer, Guy, Apache, and Mehap getting knighted)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
Whistle and I decided to just sleep in her car and chat about expectations, experiences, this summer, and plans after trail. That was when I opened up about my heartache for Camp Warren. How I missed the community and the love, singing songs, running around, and playing with kids all day. What if I called Dave and asked to work at Warren this summer? Would it work out? Would I regret getting off trail?<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BR1faVsDXKY/ViaojoSFRmI/AAAAAAAAD64/Z8aidBqYfIE/s640/blogger-image--1167624918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BR1faVsDXKY/ViaojoSFRmI/AAAAAAAAD64/Z8aidBqYfIE/s640/blogger-image--1167624918.jpg"></a></div><br>
Out of coincidence, Whistle would be driving through Chicago on her way back home to Michigan in few days. This gave me the opportunity to catch a ride with her and take the train to Minneapolis. It would be so easy! The temptation! I had to think about this. It would define my summer and my whole hiking experience.<br>
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I'll give it our day in Lima, then I'll make my decision.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-26326275734168039782015-10-07T10:36:00.000-11:002015-10-07T11:20:33.144-11:00July 9 Day 74 A Big Decision in Darby<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--NZqbbvCqLQ/VhWaoB4xewI/AAAAAAAADv8/zy_ImQesha0/s640/blogger-image--588270328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--NZqbbvCqLQ/VhWaoB4xewI/AAAAAAAADv8/zy_ImQesha0/s640/blogger-image--588270328.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I wanted to address my partnership with Guy on a Buffalo here. As I've mentioned, I have not done a thru-hike before, and have really never hiked much distance alone. My other trips were in groups. And so, my personal hiking preferences were unknown to me. With Guy, we hiked together, as in right in front of or behind each other, we waited for each other during bathroom breaks, we ate at the same times, had designated in-camp duties (mine was mostly cooking dinner), and coordinated many of our things. He is young, only 21, and he is a natural care-taker, always wanting to make sure I was well taken care of and didn't die. While this seemed like a good idea it became crippling. I was not learning how to set up my much anticipated tarp because he always set up the tarps, I was getting lazy about navigation, overly cautious about pushing myself, feeling a bit tied down really. And, as you can imagine, if you spend that much time with someone and don't even hike alone during the day, then you have NO private time to spend in your own head or on your own schedule.<br>
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All of this was made clear after we went separate ways. I did hike a fair amount with Grim in this group, but it was in the way people usually hike together who are not married or a couple, sometimes one is ahead or behind, usually by no more than a half mile. Nobody waited for anyone when someone had to go to the bathroom. No one set up anyone else's tarp. No one worried if someone didn't show up at the planned camp spot at the end of the day. Everyone expected you to know and respect your own limits. If you needed help, everyone expected you to ask. It felt really good. It may sound a bit harsh perhaps, but it was so liberating, and it taught me more about how well I can take care of myself than if I had not separated from Guy. It also really allowed me to excel by pushing myself and going further with less. I didn't want to go back.<br>
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Another factor was the social comfort for me. Being with this group allowed for a different kind of conversation to blossom. I am 27. Most of the others were 27-35. Guy is 21. I had realized that certain conversations could not be had in depth simply due to age and experience differences between Guy and me. It had been so nice to be surrounded by people I related to in a deeper way. I felt, and feared, that if I remained hiking partners with Guy, it would re-isolate me from these kinds of conversations and connections. Something completely in my power of course, but an anxiety I felt.<br>
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And so I had made my decision. I was both excited for Guy to catch up and dreading it. I didn't know how he felt about the whole thing, but saying "I don't want to be your hiking partner anymore," no matter how nicely you put it, can still suck to hear. The dynamic would be completely different, I knew, and it would not be a comfortable transition for him.<br>
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On the morning of the 9th, at the trail head we had all camped at, and while we were still packing up our shelter, we hear Guy yell out to us in greeting, shortly followed by him strutting toward us with the biggest, goofy-from-exhaustion, smile on his face. He had apparently camped not 50 feet away from us by the pit toilets at the trail head! He had done something like 40 miles overnight trying to catch us. and giving up when he reached the trail head. He had no idea how close he was! We all celebrated and laughed and walked the last bit together into Darby where we split up. Kramers, Beads, and Papi went to a hot spring and town nearby where they stayed the night. Grim, Mehap, Apache, Whistle, and I rented an amazing multi-bedroom cabin with a kitchen and proceeded to cook and get to know Whistle.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e0QXq2p4Z0w/VhWapQtgPaI/AAAAAAAADwE/vqokXqAKHfU/s640/blogger-image-511022367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e0QXq2p4Z0w/VhWapQtgPaI/AAAAAAAADwE/vqokXqAKHfU/s640/blogger-image-511022367.jpg"></a></div>(Grim, me, Whistle)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
Whistle is Grim's friend from the Appalachian Trail, and she is awesome. Immediate liking to this woman. One of those strong independent quirky types. I felt like I was with a Warrenite. We actually knew a fair amount of similar Camp songs because she too had worked at a summer camp.<br>
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We had reached the halfway point (about) for trail and that meant it was time for the Half Gallon Challenge! Yup, you gotta eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Mehap was the ONLY ONE who succeeded. And really the only one who attempted! Well done Meeps!</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-85087411358538105762015-10-07T09:59:00.000-11:002015-10-07T11:34:18.980-11:00July 5- July 8 Day 70-73 Becoming a Stronger Hiker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cdqNMqLtfw4/VhWd3uadWvI/AAAAAAAADxM/P-0WUu6nBHA/s640/blogger-image-870659853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cdqNMqLtfw4/VhWd3uadWvI/AAAAAAAADxM/P-0WUu6nBHA/s640/blogger-image-870659853.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We refused an offer to take a historical tour of Anaconda in order to get on trail. We felt ready now, to make miles, and rock the CDT. At least I felt that way. Between my little epiphany on the mountaintop and the admittance of our feelings about hiking, I was ready again. I was resetting my hike, and making more of what I wanted it to be. I was going to be the creator of my own experience. This being my first thru-hike, I didn't now what to expect and I certainly didn't know how I hiked. What style was MY style? What had I been doing because I had been hiking with Guy for so long vs what I would have done without that influence? What would I need to make this authentic to me? I wanted to push. I wanted to make my body a better version of what it was. I wanted that challenge that I love in the weight room at the gym. I wanted to PUSH!<br>
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And so that first day out of Anaconda, I kept up with Apache and Grim, the 2 fastest in the group, for the first time. For 18 miles after noon. I was proud. Now could I sustain this? I was in much better shape and my feet were well conditioned compared to the very start of trail when I was trying to keep up with the guys I was hiking with. I was so soft and not ready physically for the challenge of doing 20-30 mile days back to back. But I felt great now! I wanted this challenge now, by choice.</div>
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The day was threatening to storm, but we somehow missed all the thunderclouds.</div>
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On the 6th we did 24 miles with 3-4 mountain passes. It was quite a day. I felt powerful and appreciative, something I hadn't felt in a while, and it was great! The views were no longer repetitions of other great views, now they were beautiful again. The world had regained its glow. We had reconnected with the CDT by now after the Anaconda Cutoff. It's always a relief when you get back on the trail officially. Something about it is comforting.<br>
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At the top of a pass we found Warren Lake, our destination for the day. A very buggy place, but a beautiful lake that was a great temperature. Apache, Grim, Mehap, and I got there and set up a nice camp fire and found sweet tent spots. As a respite from the bugs Grim and I took a dip and cleaned off the days sweat. Beads, Kramers, and Papi arrived a bit later, having eaten dinner on trail. I am not personally a fan of eating dinner before getting into camp, but some people prefer it that way. It does give you a nice boost of energy for the last stretch. I'd rather get to camp earlier and enjoy a leisurely dinner completely relaxed, and I know I can happily eat my dinner in the dark in my tent or in the rain in my tent, but making the effort to cook and eat before dark and then potentially hiking in the dark and setting up my tent in the dark and/or rain...it's just not my style.<br>
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The bugs though! Man were the mosquitoes out in full force!<br>
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On the 7th we did 26 miles of upupup DOWN upupup DOWN hail and rain upupup DOWN drizzle drizzle up down repeat over and over again. Today I PUSHED. I was tired. My muscles were very ready for rest. I was trying to really press on the uphills to improve my aerobic mountain climbing skills. I've noticed that my old exercise induced asthma, which I haven't had encounters with in maybe a decade, reared its head in the cold dry air of mountain ascents. I could rock the downhills and straight aways, but those uphills put me in a state of slowness and gasping I wasn't pleased with. And so the pushing. The training. The getting better.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aWnp4XhiKzM/VhWd6eamdAI/AAAAAAAADxc/nUfRoY6aUW8/s640/blogger-image-112193310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aWnp4XhiKzM/VhWd6eamdAI/AAAAAAAADxc/nUfRoY6aUW8/s640/blogger-image-112193310.jpg"></a></div>(Apache fishing)</div><div><br>
When we arrived to the water source, there was no water. Great. Peachy. I was a tad too tired to care. Mehap and Apache were behind us somewhere as they had decided to go fishing in a lake we had had lunch at. They got ultra light fishing rods in Anaconda, and Beads, Kramers, and Papi were maybe behind them? Anyway, Grim and I were in a burn area with no water, and no water for at least 10 more miles or something. Grim was awesome and took a stroll down into the valley where this spring should have been and, thank goodness, eventually found it further down and away from the trail. We filled up and I didn't even care to cook. I just ate a cold dinner, tuna salad with avocado and tortilla. When I was alone, guarding the packs from animals, Elk or deer or something stormed through the area twice, scaring me so badly! Good thing it was just hooved animals....that weren't moose.<br>
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Eventually some of the others showed up and others did not. We slept in the burn, surrounded by bare trees and charred ground.<br>
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On the 8th we had pretty flat ground but a fair amount of blow-downs, trees strewn hither and thither on the trail, making it more treacherous for us short people. We did a very quick 24 miles today getting to the trail head we were aiming for to put put us 5 miles or so out from Darby, our next town stop tomorrow. It was pretty chill, made a fire, hung out, had some fun flying paper airplanes that we made out of our used Ley maps over the fire. I was surprised a bit that Guy had not caught up to us by this point. I wondered how far away he was and if I was willing to wait in Darby for him if everyone else headed out before he got there. I'd grown attached to this group and I was enjoying the freedom of not having a hiking partner. I'll explain more about that in the next post. This one has gotten long enough!</div>
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Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-78635279585776067662015-10-07T08:04:00.003-11:002015-10-07T12:15:33.091-11:00July 4 Day 69 Independence Day in Anaconda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8S4_8gwU50k/VhWmkp0qYtI/AAAAAAAAD0g/CribqQo_s2k/s640/blogger-image--60239433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8S4_8gwU50k/VhWmkp0qYtI/AAAAAAAAD0g/CribqQo_s2k/s640/blogger-image--60239433.jpg"></a></div></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have to go back a bit, to getting into Anaconda, yesterday, which we did, via a terrible and long, hot, paved highway walk. ERG! I was trying to make phone calls to make the time pass, and NOBODY answered their phones! What were you all doing at that time!? Painful really. We finally got to town and headed straight for the gas station/casino. I fed myself the most delicious gas station hot dog EVER! Papi took advantage of the casinos "free beer if you gamble" policy. We really just wanted cold things and a/c. Once we were recovered enough, we headed into town and caught up to the others at the hotel as well as Apache and Mehap who had been taking some time off with Mehap's family. Showers, and all that jazz. Dinner at my favorite trail restaurant so far, The Baron! Oh my goodness it was amazing!<br>
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And so, on the 4th, everyone was excited about the parade. I'm not much for parades, or big crowds, so I decided to stay in and take care of some things. For example, my NeoAir Thermarest had found itself with a leak the last week or so. I would wake up at night with parts of my body on the ground as opposed to NOT on the ground. I was lazy about it for a while, continuously blowing it up again throughout the night, but I'd finally had enough of my laziness. Fixed that problem, hooray!<br>
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By 11am, I had gotten a message saying that everyone had misunderstood, and the parade was later in the day, but they were all at a bar and locals kept buying everyone drinks. So, having done a fair amount of journal catch-up and personal hygiene maintenance, I decided to venture out and join them. We had an awesome time, and it turned out the parade was passing right in front of the bar everyone was at, so we sat somewhere out of the way and watched the people of Anaconda celebrate.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SapNC5LqUes/VhWgSV1tbRI/AAAAAAAADxw/wlpjPx2PfR0/s640/blogger-image--992158700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SapNC5LqUes/VhWgSV1tbRI/AAAAAAAADxw/wlpjPx2PfR0/s640/blogger-image--992158700.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Th0wOIFd0v4/VhWgRHgAGrI/AAAAAAAADxo/wSp_sStB5bQ/s640/blogger-image-1180443073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Th0wOIFd0v4/VhWgRHgAGrI/AAAAAAAADxo/wSp_sStB5bQ/s640/blogger-image-1180443073.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> And then we all decided it was nap time.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nTrvyABTUgg/VhWgUwM07JI/AAAAAAAADyA/h20VNxLEGS8/s640/blogger-image--1945296224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nTrvyABTUgg/VhWgUwM07JI/AAAAAAAADyA/h20VNxLEGS8/s640/blogger-image--1945296224.jpg"></a></div>(From left to right: Kramer's, Papi sitting up, Mehap in the blue, Apache, Beads underneath me)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
The evening celebration was definitely the highlight. I have spent MANY a 4th of July at Warren, watching the little fireworks on the Athletic field, singing songs, wishing we could have those giant fireworks. Otherwise I've been abroad or way too close to the fireworks to really enjoy them. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3DedkKWqggE/VhWgToqazpI/AAAAAAAADx4/Lm-f0n8lYpI/s640/blogger-image-1902678471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3DedkKWqggE/VhWgToqazpI/AAAAAAAADx4/Lm-f0n8lYpI/s640/blogger-image-1902678471.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This, though, was really majestic. The managers of the hotel we were staying at invited us up in the back of their pick-up truck to watch from the best viewing spot in town, the cemetery. We all sat together and quietly enjoyed each other's company, the company of our amazing hosts, and the company of the giant fireworks in the distance, lighting up the mountainside.<br>
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Back in the hotel room, in the evening, after such a great few days together, we talked about hiker fatigue. The topic that none of us had wanted to broach, as it felt taboo to talk about how you didn't want to be out here in this beautiful place doing something people dream about, was finally out in the open. What a relief it was to talk about. It turned out just about everyone in our little group felt the same way. We were all exhausted. Whether it was just the heat, Montana, the flip, or something else, we didn't know. We all just knew that everyone was going through it. The CDT 2015 Facebook page was riddled with people dropping out or talking about leaving for no other reason than fatigue. It was like a mental virus or something.<br>
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Knowing that we were all feeling the same way helped us all to get back on trail the next day and keep walking.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gIwgY0YJMTc/VhWmiTLMlmI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/Ai46cIksSKk/s640/blogger-image--1272730492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gIwgY0YJMTc/VhWmiTLMlmI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/Ai46cIksSKk/s640/blogger-image--1272730492.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cpWgu3ifD8M/VhWmlngdkDI/AAAAAAAAD0o/iRP5UYhbrwQ/s640/blogger-image-638154214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cpWgu3ifD8M/VhWmlngdkDI/AAAAAAAAD0o/iRP5UYhbrwQ/s640/blogger-image-638154214.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pLu4HVRC5XI/VhWnk_LCVcI/AAAAAAAAD00/Smio2a6Yrfc/s640/blogger-image-1918390025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pLu4HVRC5XI/VhWnk_LCVcI/AAAAAAAAD00/Smio2a6Yrfc/s640/blogger-image-1918390025.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-87026806255594146302015-10-07T07:43:00.003-11:002015-10-07T11:59:11.424-11:00July 2-3 Day 67-68 Papi and Nom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7la4l5q6CJY/VhWiyN4R0OI/AAAAAAAADy4/SpU70iUN8AA/s640/blogger-image-903983748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7la4l5q6CJY/VhWiyN4R0OI/AAAAAAAADy4/SpU70iUN8AA/s640/blogger-image-903983748.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Grim made efforts to catch Kramers and Beads and left Papi and me behind. We would all be seeing each other in Anaconda for the 4th of July so it was not goodbye. I had connected very well with Papi very quickly. Bearclaw, back in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, had mentioned Papi and how awesome and insightful he is, so he was already someone that I had wanted to get to know better. This ended up being one of the most enjoyable few days on trail. At this point my body is in trail shape, I have my trail legs (when your legs are so strong they feel like they can go forever), and I had just been reborn or something emotionally. Papi was the right person to be with.<br>
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He has a great story. Having worked in a very high powered desk-job in Seattle for a while, I think 10 years, and having lived a life of luxury and materialism, he got fired. He was out of the rat race by force, and it was the best thing that could have happened to him. In his 50's and not in any kind of debt or financial strain he decided to figure out who he was and who he wanted to be. One of the conversations I appreciated most was when he talked about focusing on the 7 deadly sins and removing them from his life one by one. Working on becoming his most authentic self, unabashedly pursuing true happiness on a deep, non-ego-driven, level, he found himself hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. And on the PCT, he found himself. Or at least a part of himself that he loved. And so, without initially intending to, he finished the whole thing.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BAr0-nXacoM/VhWiwtjeLFI/AAAAAAAADyw/VqbMuJvHceg/s640/blogger-image-69131232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BAr0-nXacoM/VhWiwtjeLFI/AAAAAAAADyw/VqbMuJvHceg/s640/blogger-image-69131232.jpg"></a></div>(One more way to get over a barbed wire fence)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
This summer, he is here, with me, right now, on the CDT. The things I can learn from him, and him from me! So many stories to share, books to talk about, and ideals to discuss! We just clicked and enjoyed a leisurely pace for those couple of days. I have had the privilege of realizing early on that I do not want the kind of life most Americans strive for, and so I do not have too may old habits that I need to break regarding that lifestyle.<br>
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This section of Montana was quite smooth, though the bugs were definitely out in force. We drank hot tea int he mornings and hiked a chill pace during the day, occasionally looking for strawberries, which were coming into season. Because we were taking the Anaconda cutoff, there wasn't any information about water sources on our GPS App, Guthook. This was generally not a big deal, but, on the final stretch into Anaconda, we found ourselves dry. It was still hot, this heatwave was not relenting, and we were now at lower elevations so the heat was even hotter than what we had been working with.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a32afXkPLEQ/VhWjGsAuVaI/AAAAAAAADzQ/ln79NZFDFmo/s640/blogger-image-611946551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a32afXkPLEQ/VhWjGsAuVaI/AAAAAAAADzQ/ln79NZFDFmo/s640/blogger-image-611946551.jpg"></a></div>(Drying tarps out from condensation in the morning)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We ended up on a dirt road realizing that we might not have water until we got to Anaconda, in 30 miles. We could get off trail, and get water from the Animas river, which was 10-15 miles away, or we could try to stop a car if any passed by. I was really thirsty. My mouth was gummy. My body was covered in so much salt from sweating that you could actually feel the salt crystals all over my skin. We knew there might be a stream that hopefully wasn't dried up, near the road and we kept trying to listen for the sound of running water down below.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U0c8Uzu45mA/VhWizfBbyGI/AAAAAAAADzA/Cgt_Q_NZ0Lg/s640/blogger-image-1856296591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U0c8Uzu45mA/VhWizfBbyGI/AAAAAAAADzA/Cgt_Q_NZ0Lg/s640/blogger-image-1856296591.jpg"></a></div>(The bugs!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
And then Papi heard it! Running water! One of the best sounds EVER! We made our way down the steep slope to the stream in the reeds and immediately filtered and drank the cold water. Such a good feeling. I half bathed, splashing water on my arms, legs, and head, and Papi took a proper bath as I waited by the side of the road above. We were going to carry extra water this time. No more going thirsty. Of course we ended up having flowing water nearby for the rest of the day.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-48612684135796685342015-10-07T07:18:00.001-11:002015-10-07T12:06:45.781-11:00July 1 Days 66 Finding my Fire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Wt-i08LrCbw/VhWldNZYXVI/AAAAAAAADzs/qOdIwUQbV2Y/s640/blogger-image-1985527301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Wt-i08LrCbw/VhWldNZYXVI/AAAAAAAADzs/qOdIwUQbV2Y/s640/blogger-image-1985527301.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This began the time of exceptionally social hiking. While before it had just been Guy on a Buffalo and I with a short bout with others, now it was Grim, Kramers, Beads, Papi Chulo, and me in a more substantial way. Well, as substantial as hiking together on a thru-hike goes. The dynamics around me were changing and it felt weird. It was pleasant to have new people and more conversations that lit me up, but it was unpleasant in realizing that normal human social dynamics still applied.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YnU1krczHvE/VhWlg3nYmEI/AAAAAAAAD0E/7F6g6AC3bKg/s640/blogger-image--1219526097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YnU1krczHvE/VhWlg3nYmEI/AAAAAAAAD0E/7F6g6AC3bKg/s640/blogger-image--1219526097.jpg"></a></div>(Grim, Kramer's, Beads, Papi Chulo)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
In an environment dominated by men, it is tricky when you, as a woman, encounter another woman on trail. In theory, or ideally, it would be fireworks and giggles, but it can also go into the catty, negative place. Women are socially trained to be passive aggressive. You can read great books about women's psychology and the non verbal warfare that occurs regularly in order to get ahead or to protect oneself. <i>Odd Girl Out</i> would be my recommendation on that. It is not seen as appropriate for a lady to be direct about having issues with someone. Even having issues is not seen as lady-like. Women are taught that it is ideal for them to be pleasant at all times even if there is an issue, which is why so many men don't understand why women behave the way that they do as adults. Sorry. I blame society for most of my gender's behavior.<br>
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Enough of my rant on THAT. My point being that the social dynamics changed in a way I didn't find appealing unfortunately. I was lucky enough to have hiked ahead at one point early on in this stretch and had some quality alone time with myself, which I hadn't had in a very long time. It was during this time that I found my love for what I was doing again. I was still pretty sad about leaving Pete and Val in Missoula and was still questioning if I was going to stay on trail or not, but then I rounded a corner after an ascent, and saw a view.<br>
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This view was not particularly grandiose or beautiful. It was just another beautiful view. But this one wasn't just another. It was the one that stirred something inside of me that had become depressingly dormant for the last few weeks. I felt so overwhelmed with understanding how connected we all are to each other and to nature that I actually started crying. I just couldn't help myself. The only way to describe it is that it was like the entire universe, all the atoms, were giving me the biggest, most loving hug. I felt completely relaxed and infinitely happy. This must be a taste of what enlightenment is like. And this is why I am out here.<br>
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I wanted to enjoy this feeling, relish it, and relish this beautiful place, so I walked on and stopped at a big rock field with huge boulders. I removed my pack and just lay in the sun on the rocks, being okay with being alone.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aRy2aa5iOeE/VhWlfQNg80I/AAAAAAAADz8/W7fMqii_eJo/s640/blogger-image-1482236841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aRy2aa5iOeE/VhWlfQNg80I/AAAAAAAADz8/W7fMqii_eJo/s640/blogger-image-1482236841.jpg"></a></div>(Rocks, Grim, solar charger)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
Eventually Grim caught up, as he does, and Papi soon after. We all enjoyed basking in this boulder field. Beads and Kramers were nowhere to be found. We began to guess that they had taken a cutoff somewhere that we had missed, so they were probably far ahead by now. I didn't mind.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-31192569022902342702015-08-18T06:23:00.000-11:002015-08-21T04:14:07.007-11:00June 28 Day 63 - June 30 Day 65 - Missoula Warren Alum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Montana wilderness continued as it does and we found ourselves on some dirt roads booking it to McDonald Pass. Machine Gun, Handstand, Grim, Guy, and me were all going to be getting into Helena together. Grim was ahead, he is fast, and I was behind him, with Guy just behind me. Machine Gun and Handstand were not too far behind all of us. I was worried that Papi would leave to Missoula without me, so I was keen to get to Helena as soon as I could. As we neared McDonald Pass, where we would hitch into Helena, I got a text from Grim exuberantly letting me know that Frodo was there with her RV waiting to pick us all up! Wow! She's amazing!<br>
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I was all excited about the near future in so many ways! As I was walking on the main road toward Frodo and Grim, a car pulls up to me and its Papi! He tells me to get in, so I do, and he drives me immediately to Helena where Beads and Kramers are packing up the hotel room they had stayed in the night before. They order me to shower and pack up ASAP so we can all head to Missoula. I let Frodo and Grim know so they wouldn't wait for me and I got myself ready.<br>
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By the time I was all set, everyone else was in Helena and we got to say goodbye. It was definitely bittersweet saying goodbye to Guy as we really weren't sure what the next week would bring for us as hiking partners. Would this separation mark the end or would it reaffirm things? Welp! We would find out. I was excited to take some time off trail and stay with family, regardless.<br>
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An hour or so later we were in Missoula. Papi dropped me off at Pete and Valerie's house and they quickly invited my hiking friends to stay at the house that night if they wanted to. The hospitality of these people really blew me away. Everyone said yes and then headed out to an arts and crafts market going on down town. I stayed with Pete and Val and we connected immediately. I could see why my dad got on so well with Pete all these years. Truly down to earth, good people.<br>
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They pulled out pictures of family from decades past, as well as old photo albums of my great-great-grandfather who kept records of everything. Just wow! Pete, I discovered, also went to Camp Warren as a kid! WHAT?!? How cool is that? I even got to see some pictures! Talk about amazing connections!<br>
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We spent the evening strolling around the art market, wading in the river and watching the rafting people float, watch Jurassic World, and go out for dinner with their son Paige. I spent the next day updating the blog and watching Orange is the New Black. It's my summer show and I was very excited to see that Pete and Val had Netflix!<br>
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The day passed too quickly and ended with Papi picking me up to see Spy with everyone at the movies. Hikers love theaters! We stayed up late that night chatting with Val and Pete, not knowing if we'd have the opportunity to say goodbye in the morning. We were going to be heading out early to return the car in Helena.<br>
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On the drive back the next morning my eyes were very wet with tears as we left Missoula. I had loved my time with Pete and Val and it was very difficult for me to leave. I had felt like their daughter, so welcomed and so comfortable. The idea of staying in Missoula crossed my mind more than once, but I found myself sitting in the rental car with the other hikers. My heart broke a little that day and I vowed to keep in touch and visit again.<br>
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It turned out that Grim and Guy had ended up zeroing in Helena and had just gotten on trail as we arrived. Actually it was quite the coincidence. Guy got on trail in the late morning and Wonderer was there at McDonald Pass trying to hitch into town. Guy called us to see if we were potentially nearby and we happened to be 5 minutes from McDonald Pass, so we grabbed Wonderer and had the opportunity to say another goodbye to Guy. Grim was planning to leave Helena soon, so we dropped Wonderer off in Grim's hotel room where he took it over for the next night.<br>
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After resupplying and getting new shoes, I was SO done with my Merrills (I got Altra Lone Peak 2.0), we met a nice man at the post office who gave us all a ride to the pass. Grim said he'd meet us at the water source, 8 miles down the trail, and so we camped there with Kathleen, who had gotten lost in the Bob for 3 days without maps or her phone, and Ben.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-17959758648772553162015-08-18T05:13:00.003-11:002015-08-21T04:14:14.966-11:00June 25 Day 60 - June 27 Day 62 - The Story of Dana Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lhq1v34DuTY/VdOvZIc2fEI/AAAAAAAADvA/uw1ZJGXXoZw/s640/blogger-image-1320246441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lhq1v34DuTY/VdOvZIc2fEI/AAAAAAAADvA/uw1ZJGXXoZw/s640/blogger-image-1320246441.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the part where I pull the bad blogger card as well as the serious hiker fatigue card. I stopped taking pictures. Whether it was because my phone's storage was full, I really do need to get a phone with more memory next time around, or I just wasn't seeing the beauty around me, I'm unsure. It was more Montana. A lot of the same. A lot of great views that all start to look like the same great views we just saw.<br>
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Anyway, Guy and I left Lincoln later than everyone else. They got on trail in the late morning and Guy and I took our time and hung out with Frodo at the pass. I was quite down on the day out of town. My mood couldn't seem to stabilize and I definitely felt like I needed some space. Guy was forced to listen to me lament existence for a while and ask him questions about what motivated him to keep hiking on. It was time for some solo hiking. We both came to terms with that idea. We were technically both out here as solo hikers and we had both wanted time alone to hike and experience the wilderness for ourselves. The opportunity came in the form of Papi Chulo.<br>
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Papi had plans to rent a car in Helena, our next town stop, and head toward Missoula, where he would meet his friend and go play in the hot springs nearby. Anybody who wanted to head that way as well was welcome to join. My dad reached out to me to let me know that I had family in Missoula and they were particularly wonderful family members who I should go visit if I could, his best-friend-cousin and his cousin's wife. The timing was spot on, as it often is on trail, and I decided to join Papi, Beads, and Kramers and head to Missoula for a couple of days. Guy and I thought this would be a great opportunity to have solo hiking time too. He would head out from Helena and take the Butte route, the official CDT, which is almost 100 miles longer than the Anaconda Cutoff, an alternate that most hikers take. I would take the Anaconda route in order to catch up to Guy and Guy would do big miles on the Butte and we'd meet in Darby. Lots of places you've never heard of, doesn't matter, it's a good plan.<br>
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Great. And so the stretch from Lincoln to Helena was rather uneventful aside from my lack of spirit and constant attempts at not bringing Guy down as I questioned the meaning of life. As we do sometimes. It was also toeing 90-100 Degrees outside almost every day. That may have instilled a deeper feeling of mortality and nihilism to my hike.<br>
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We had longer water carries than usual, like 10 miles up mountains, which wouldn't be terrible in theory but was because of the heat. On a particularly hot day near the end of this stretch we were looking forward to Dana Spring, the water source at the end of this particularly elevation-y 10 mile stretch. I had finally gotten to a point of irritation with clothing at this point that I took scissors to dress and cut about an inch and a half off the bottom of my hiking dress to use as a wrap around shirt/bra with my swimming suit style underwear. I couldn't wear more than that with this heat. Luckily my skin doesn't burn easily, but I did apply sunscreen just in case, especially to the paler parts of my now exposed body.<br>
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We both ran out of water by the time we got to the top of the climb and it was still another few miles downhill to Dana Spring. It would be an extraordinary understatement to say that we were parched by the time we saw the spring in the distance. Mouth gummy, head floating, body moving a bit more sluggishly than usual, but there was the spring, .5 miles ahead! A wooden fence surrounded the spring itself to keep the cows out, and the metal pipe was just down the hill allowing the fresh water to pour into a trough.<br>
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We quickly filled up our water straight from the pipe, no filtering, and drank a liter immediately. Then we proceeded to dump cold water on ourselves and dance around in joy at the prospect of being hydrated once again. It was a great time for lunch and maybe a nap in the shade, so we made our way to a copse of trees nearby with our full water bottles. There were chatted, ate, and dozed, covered from head to toe to keep the biting bugs away. We were in full horsefly and mosquito season now.<br>
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As I adjusted my position at one point, I opened my eyes and saw a hiker passing by, away from the trees, closer to the spring, Chrome Dome sun umbrella up. Could it be? It looked like Grim! I called out, startling Guy from his sleep, and sure enough, Grim turned and smiled and came our way! We were wondering when he was going to catch us! He had been sitting at the spring for an hour and a half without us seeing him in our tree shelter! We almost missed him! He told us his story about meeting some other hikers, Handstand and Machine Gun, who he's been hiking with, which slowed his pace down from our projected Grim catch up path. He also asked us if we saw the squirrels in the spring.<br>
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Excuse me? Squirrels in the spring!? Questions we communicated with silence and seriously significant looks to each other.<br>
"Yah, there's like 7 of them dead in there. Did you not see the post on Facebook about it?"<br>
"Nope...."<br>
"You did filter the water before you drank it right?"<br>
"No................" Uh oh!<br>
"They looked very healthy." Grim assured us.<br>
"Healthy looking dead squirrels?" Guy asked with a defeated laugh. The poor guy is vegan too.<br>
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After a bit of back and forth about who would get sick first, or at all, me or Guy, Grim concluded (he's a nurse) that Guy would be the more likely one to get sick because he had taken antibiotics more recently than me and he was vegan so his gut bacteria would be less ready to deal with rotting animals. Score?<br>
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This worry remained in the back of our minds for the next few days, waiting for an inevitable bout of severe diarrhea that never came. Thankfully. Those squirrels were eventually removed by the caretakers of the spring and future hikers were much less queasy about drinking the water, filtered or unfiltered.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-7034006463758936372015-08-17T07:47:00.003-11:002015-08-17T10:26:22.113-11:00June 22 Day 57 - June 24 Day 59 - A Blur and Birthday Into Lincoln, MT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ckncp1rumYg/VdJQPj8_6gI/AAAAAAAADuI/KHhMPuyk6qE/s640/blogger-image--635715915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ckncp1rumYg/VdJQPj8_6gI/AAAAAAAADuI/KHhMPuyk6qE/s640/blogger-image--635715915.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
June 22 - The Bob was blurring together. So much of the same. So much effort to make my legs move. My feet had developed new blisters and were having trouble readjusting to trail and perhaps to my new shoes, Merrills. Lots of river crossings, overgrown plants, nobody around, repetition. 29.4 miles today. Hot miles. Gatorade powder became something delicious after years of being something I would cringe at. That happens a lot out here. The things I enjoy eating and drinking would have been unthinkable additions to my diet not a few months before.<br>
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Today was an almost dry day for our feet, finally! Dry feet are kind of a big deal out here. Constant wetness and heat leads to increased bacterial growth, blisters, athletes foot, and stank! Guy was pretty adamant about getting in 30 miles today so we pushed later into the night, getting to a great camping spot around 10pm where we saw 3 tents on top of a hill. We tried to be quiet as we set up on another hill not too far away when we heard a sneeze. I yelled "Bless you!" and a head popped out. It was Papi Chulo, Beads, and Kramers! Yay! People! We had caught up to them!<br>
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June 23 - We had finally reached the Divide. Exposed ridges, mountaintops, lots of elevation gains and losses. Lots of amazing, expansive views. Over and over again, which slowed us all down. 21.5 miles today. It is also my birthday. I turned 27. Our initial goal was to get into Lincoln for my birthday, but that became an unreasonable expectation clearly after a while. It was a hard day. But a rewarding one too. Beads had just had her birthday and was carrying an extra balloon that she blew up and wrote "Happy Birthday" on for me. I tied it to my pack, feeling loved and appreciated! Kramers broke out in the Happy Birthday song continuously throughout the day, which always made me laugh.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JzHop_-aqYM/VdJQJei48oI/AAAAAAAADtg/3Il8vFR5mng/s640/blogger-image--1556126377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JzHop_-aqYM/VdJQJei48oI/AAAAAAAADtg/3Il8vFR5mng/s640/blogger-image--1556126377.jpg"></a></div>(Birthday love!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0dWQyPdQt6U/VdJQS1r506I/AAAAAAAADuY/dwL5AsuuElk/s640/blogger-image--490705355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0dWQyPdQt6U/VdJQS1r506I/AAAAAAAADuY/dwL5AsuuElk/s640/blogger-image--490705355.jpg"></a></div><br>
Eventually the balloon popped on my ice ax, and we caught up to Mehap and Apache at the end of the day. We also finally ran into Ratna and Wide Angle, who had also ridden with us in the van. They had gotten of in Butte and were going to hike north to Glacier, so we had been looking forward to seeing them as we hiked south. They were going to then hitch south to Chama I believe and hike north from there so we'd run into them again later! I was really happy to see them on my birthday and it was so nice to be around other people again.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x3FJEJ1hwtU/VdJQVgvuUgI/AAAAAAAADuo/IUWwdaAiUW4/s640/blogger-image--2004618642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x3FJEJ1hwtU/VdJQVgvuUgI/AAAAAAAADuo/IUWwdaAiUW4/s640/blogger-image--2004618642.jpg"></a></div>(Wide Angle, Ratna, me, Papi Chulo, Beads, Kramer's)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We all camped up high on a pass and watched the sun set and rise from the perfect vantage point.<br>
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June 24 - I had reached out to Frodo who was going to be in Lincoln and was picking up hikers and doing some trail magic since she and Scout had just gotten back from Alaska. I over estimated hoe quickly we could move with all o this elevation, so she was at the pass petty early. Oops! We ended up getting to her around 2PM vs the 9:30AM I had estimated. Talk about bad math. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ol9uzZl5MvU/VdJQNQl_7xI/AAAAAAAADt4/3rF1aJCpBF8/s640/blogger-image--757258465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ol9uzZl5MvU/VdJQNQl_7xI/AAAAAAAADt4/3rF1aJCpBF8/s640/blogger-image--757258465.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As we descended toward the pass she was waiting with a cooler of cold drinks, fresh cherries, and snap peas! There was a small group of us all in Lincoln, Me, Guy, Beads, Kramers, and Papi along with Carrot Quinn, Spark, Apache, and Mehap. We all went out for dinner to celebrate the 3 birthdays that had occurred while in the Bob!</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8CHW8uLrrDM/VdJQOd8sOtI/AAAAAAAADuA/7TRYxbA_0qc/s640/blogger-image--1099254229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8CHW8uLrrDM/VdJQOd8sOtI/AAAAAAAADuA/7TRYxbA_0qc/s640/blogger-image--1099254229.jpg"></a></div>(Apache and Mehap)</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-8012167196307969502015-08-17T07:25:00.003-11:002015-08-17T10:26:13.416-11:00June 19 Day 56 - June 21 Day 56 Heart of Darkness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r4D_YIyQFtc/VdJO_4-AZRI/AAAAAAAADs8/dUVQ09WwUvU/s640/blogger-image-1582203133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r4D_YIyQFtc/VdJO_4-AZRI/AAAAAAAADs8/dUVQ09WwUvU/s640/blogger-image-1582203133.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
June 19 - As Guy was setting up the bear hang last night, and I was setting up my sleeping area, I heard a rumbling coming toward me. Something big was moving very fast in my general direction. My heart rate immediately increased as my mind jumped to the conclusion that it was probably a moose. Moose are NOT to be trifled with. They can and will attack if they feel threatened or annoyed. My eyes were scanning the dimly lit brush beyond my shelter for something I could make out. It was one of those times I wished I had actually brought my glasses on trail. I was convinced I would break or lose them if I did.<br>
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A head emerged and to my utter surprise it was a light brown horse. A wild horse? It looked awfully well fed and fit and it trotted very purposefully over to me and then toward Guy and then down the road. It had a destination in mind for the evening. We burst into laughter as the initial tension needed a release and the randomness of the encounter tickled us.<br>
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This morning we ran into a ranger first thing in the morning who was leading a pack of horses and mules out and asked us if we had seen a horse pass through. The mystery was solved. They had all escaped from the ranger station that night and that horse never came back. She said that he probably went to the trail head as he was prone to do. A 28 mile hike for her to catch him today.<br>
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We did about 30 miles today, though 34 trail miles, having taken an alternate that cut 4 miles off. It put us in front of Apache again, who passed us later in the day very confused as to how he was passing us again! We all had a fun laugh about his confusion. He hadn't seen the alternate and so we were conveniently placed just in front of his path when we emerged from our little excursion. We camped in a burn area, surrounded by dead trees that make the eeriest noise as the wind blows through them.<br>
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June 20/21 - Today was a rough day. We only did 22.4 miles today and 25 the next day only because we just couldn't motivate ourselves. It was mostly me really. I have been down. I feel jaded, tired, emotionally exhausted. I'm ready to be done. I'm ready to do something more purposeful with my life. I feel selfish and purposeless. There is a lot going on in the world that I could be helping with and instead I'm hiking for 5 months. Completely self-indulgent. That's how it feels sometimes. Unfortunately my discussions about my feelings and my perceptions got Guy down too. That just made me feel worse of course. Now I was bringing him down, someone who hadn't had any hiker fatigue.<br>
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As we were taking a 2 hour break, staring at the Chinese Wall, a gorgeous part of the Bob where the Earth's Crust juts out of the ground, another hiker walks by and we chat with him. He talks about The Wind River Range, coming up in Wyoming. The Winds, he says, are so magnificent they make you remember why you fell in love with backpacking in the first place. I needed that. And I needed the bacon that some rangers gave us at the end of the day when we ran into them making dinner.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z2-8_-yheM0/VdJO8vX-2KI/AAAAAAAADss/XefOsEORLh0/s640/blogger-image--540179059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z2-8_-yheM0/VdJO8vX-2KI/AAAAAAAADss/XefOsEORLh0/s640/blogger-image--540179059.jpg"></a></div>(Bacon!!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
Just not feeling the motivation. I need to get my mental state in the right place. Even if I wanted to quit, I'd still have to get out of the Bob. All you can do is keep walking.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dJVlCyuqi38/VdJO917I_XI/AAAAAAAADs0/fd95I7iAkC0/s640/blogger-image-1837068111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dJVlCyuqi38/VdJO917I_XI/AAAAAAAADs0/fd95I7iAkC0/s640/blogger-image-1837068111.jpg"></a></div>(Chinese Wall)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FsXP2eqI4uo/VdJO2Peqb7I/AAAAAAAADsU/gWISPBXn_BI/s640/blogger-image--490656444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FsXP2eqI4uo/VdJO2Peqb7I/AAAAAAAADsU/gWISPBXn_BI/s640/blogger-image--490656444.jpg"></a></div><br>
The evening of the 21st we found this amazing campsite at the bottom of a hill and decided to cowboy camp there. We watched the stars and had a campfire where I cooked some tasty noodles. We slept under a big tree to keep the dew off of us and though a later night, a lovely one.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-17206556586506898622015-08-17T07:00:00.002-11:002015-08-17T10:26:07.261-11:00June 17 Day 54 & June 18 Day 55 - Welcome to the Bob<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1c7fqTEf6hY/VdJNaUWu0FI/AAAAAAAADr4/tB2zV50SF4k/s640/blogger-image--343758120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1c7fqTEf6hY/VdJNaUWu0FI/AAAAAAAADr4/tB2zV50SF4k/s640/blogger-image--343758120.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
June 17 in East Glacier became an unplanned Zero Day. We were a bit disorganized with our resupply, and decided to stay at the Hostel one more night as thunderstorm rolled in.<br>
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June 18 we had 30 miles planned. We were going to heading out of Glacier National Park and moving into The Bob Marshall Wilderness. The Bob is one of the longest and most isolated stretches we would be experiencing. There is an option to resupply at a place called Benchmark, but Guy and I had decided to do all 170 miles in one go. Our packs were heavy. We wanted to push as many 30 mile days as we could in order to make it through more quickly. The bears were supposed to be bigger here. We got an early start and ended up catching up with Scout in the thick of the overgrown greenery. Sometimes you couldn't even see the trail, the plants were so enveloping. We sang songs an told stories to make the grabbing plants more bearable.<br>
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Halfway through, 15 miles, we got to a trail head, Marias Pass, where Frodo was waiting with the RV to pick Scout up. They had a wedding to officiate in Alaska and would be heading out from there. Grim had a friend visiting him from Asheville, NC, so he was taking a few days in East Glacier. Apache had passed us along the way and was enjoying the trail magic Frodo was providing, hot cocoa and fresh fruit an veggies. After a long lunch, Guy and I headed out, Apache already far ahead. We gave hugs to Scout and Frodo and wished them well in Alaska.<br>
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Then we entered The Bob. The Bob was my low point on trail. The Bob was when I thought I was done. I was going to quit, to head home. The Bob almost broke me.<br>
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We did 28.7 miles that day.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-33322347349315945872015-08-17T06:49:00.002-11:002015-08-17T10:26:01.241-11:00June 11 Day 48 - June 16 Day 53 - Glacier National Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rxPk8vvGtR8/VdJJpd2Z6TI/AAAAAAAADoY/XMQIxR3u7w8/s640/blogger-image--247787599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rxPk8vvGtR8/VdJJpd2Z6TI/AAAAAAAADoY/XMQIxR3u7w8/s640/blogger-image--247787599.jpg"></a></div>(William, Scout, HoJo, Guy, Kramers, Axle, Me, Grim)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Guy, Grim, and I shared a room at the motel in Glacier. We had an early start to get to the Chief Mountain trail head on the Canadian Border. 6:30am, out the door and into Scout and Frodo's RV. With permission to cross the border, we took some pictures of Canada. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eNzz33NVyQs/VdJLP76yR7I/AAAAAAAADqA/zrZlegfiCxc/s640/blogger-image--46034247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eNzz33NVyQs/VdJLP76yR7I/AAAAAAAADqA/zrZlegfiCxc/s640/blogger-image--46034247.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B6oJvX-1hvo/VdJNUeOWmHI/AAAAAAAADrY/Yc8y3aq1sJQ/s640/blogger-image--842307038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B6oJvX-1hvo/VdJNUeOWmHI/AAAAAAAADrY/Yc8y3aq1sJQ/s640/blogger-image--842307038.jpg"></a></div>(Sunlight on the monument at Chief Mountain)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Generally the CDT would be at Waterton, which is much more scenic and has the monument, but it was closed due to snow conditions, so we had settled on Chief Mountain.<br>
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After more pictures at the trail head we finally got walking, feet to trail. It was a bit surreal. Our purpose as hikers is to walk. It's what we do and what we do best. Not walking means so much to us. It means not fulfilling our purpose. It's like losing a limb in a way, or finding yourself in a place where you don't speak the language. You feel lost and disconnected. Walking the trail brings you right back to where you're supposed to be. We're fluent here.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b4Q8GcDMxgo/VdJKxBu0bDI/AAAAAAAADpg/iUedlw_q0AI/s640/blogger-image-2089121325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b4Q8GcDMxgo/VdJKxBu0bDI/AAAAAAAADpg/iUedlw_q0AI/s640/blogger-image-2089121325.jpg"></a></div>(Welcome to Glacier and using my Duluth Lumbar Pack as a front pack- experiment)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
I should really introduce this whole section, really most of Montana, with a bit of a forewarning. Montana was tough for me. It was tough for everyone. I don't know if it's because the state seems endless, being almost 1,000 miles of trail, or if it was the flip and the stress, or if it was the inordinate amount of being stuck in the trees and dense greenery. Whatever it was, many of us went through what I like to call "Hiker Fatigue." Every amazing view is "just another amazing view." Every step became tedious and motivation dropped off. Big miles didn't seem like an option let alone a necessity. The reason for being out on trail at all seemed to allude everyone. There was a distinct minority who did not feel this way. The rest of us did, and we did not talk about it. Until later, but I'll come back to it then, when we reach Anaconda.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pMX5RkOgoP0/VdJLWE8tRZI/AAAAAAAADqI/eI77OJyB7ZI/s640/blogger-image--1546633193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pMX5RkOgoP0/VdJLWE8tRZI/AAAAAAAADqI/eI77OJyB7ZI/s640/blogger-image--1546633193.jpg"></a></div><br>
For now, let's stick to Glacier. It is a beautiful place. Pictures can say more about my experience there than words can in this case.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q2bl8lr-Q4k/VdJLK2dqBpI/AAAAAAAADp4/UWBFZdBhYME/s640/blogger-image--324322717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q2bl8lr-Q4k/VdJLK2dqBpI/AAAAAAAADp4/UWBFZdBhYME/s640/blogger-image--324322717.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TCh-4ZMNq_I/VdJJjLq7xvI/AAAAAAAADoQ/bo_8Qf6JqU4/s640/blogger-image-222936141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TCh-4ZMNq_I/VdJJjLq7xvI/AAAAAAAADoQ/bo_8Qf6JqU4/s640/blogger-image-222936141.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xb9bEYruV40/VdJK_RsAs1I/AAAAAAAADpw/F0HZyLE9PmA/s640/blogger-image-19641039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xb9bEYruV40/VdJK_RsAs1I/AAAAAAAADpw/F0HZyLE9PmA/s640/blogger-image-19641039.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sSoDp6B8jFY/VdJMngHwNTI/AAAAAAAADqg/3q-oY7hAKTQ/s640/blogger-image--27030416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sSoDp6B8jFY/VdJMngHwNTI/AAAAAAAADqg/3q-oY7hAKTQ/s640/blogger-image--27030416.jpg"></a></div><br>
It felt like a constant uphill with these huge passes to climb for hours. The snow was there and we did use our ice axes to carve steps to cross snow fields. We even played around with glissading, where you slide on your butt down the mountainside, and we practiced self-arrest, stopping yourself from sliding down a mountainside using your ice ax.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Po5j4tcu2uY/VdJKcyvVYWI/AAAAAAAADpI/P4jzcmST7Eg/s640/blogger-image--1674335189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Po5j4tcu2uY/VdJKcyvVYWI/AAAAAAAADpI/P4jzcmST7Eg/s640/blogger-image--1674335189.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TPXFaNMzYps/VdJKJa8BvGI/AAAAAAAADo4/LhGs6AYJwQQ/s640/blogger-image--987529566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TPXFaNMzYps/VdJKJa8BvGI/AAAAAAAADo4/LhGs6AYJwQQ/s640/blogger-image--987529566.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MjYZaR7xopE/VdJLgOqaUfI/AAAAAAAADqQ/oJsE2nGZ3dI/s640/blogger-image--107384284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MjYZaR7xopE/VdJLgOqaUfI/AAAAAAAADqQ/oJsE2nGZ3dI/s640/blogger-image--107384284.jpg"></a></div><br>
The blue of the lakes and of the ice was that deep glacial blue. The water tasted like purity and looked too good to filter, so I didn't. No Giardia, yay! The mountains were epic and grand. Proud even, if you can call mountains proud. They seemed to puff their chests. We could see for miles and note with excitement at how far we had come.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4vaxk5xDW5w/VdJK4_83u3I/AAAAAAAADpo/iq6LpR6Y7F0/s640/blogger-image--1544564358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4vaxk5xDW5w/VdJK4_83u3I/AAAAAAAADpo/iq6LpR6Y7F0/s640/blogger-image--1544564358.jpg"></a></div>(Guy and Grim)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rp6fJhqK3ho/VdJKVX9cACI/AAAAAAAADpA/IBA8hHpwfaE/s640/blogger-image-2108238160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rp6fJhqK3ho/VdJKVX9cACI/AAAAAAAADpA/IBA8hHpwfaE/s640/blogger-image-2108238160.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MjJFyrpmOyo/VdJNPj4VAUI/AAAAAAAADrA/sEPCYqVtJuM/s640/blogger-image--1210696535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MjJFyrpmOyo/VdJNPj4VAUI/AAAAAAAADrA/sEPCYqVtJuM/s640/blogger-image--1210696535.jpg"></a></div>(Scout hiding from the wind)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
At the top of the passes the wind was so strong it could knock you over, or at least me. I'm not the most physically substantial of the group, so I get a bit more tossed around by the elements. Within minutes the cold air and the wind would cool your sweat soaked body and force you into more warm layers if you wanted to spend any amount of time enjoying the view. Or you could get hypothermia, your choice. The wind was so strong in fact that Axle took is gloves off for a moment and they went flying down the side of the mountain! He spent the better part of an hour searching for them successfully!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GAScbfjP4ss/VdJNRf8HjgI/AAAAAAAADrI/Pgv5UzQMCQk/s640/blogger-image-1523918500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GAScbfjP4ss/VdJNRf8HjgI/AAAAAAAADrI/Pgv5UzQMCQk/s640/blogger-image-1523918500.jpg"></a></div>(HoJo, Axle, Kramer's, me, Guy, Buck 30)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5l8V7KZkERc/VdJJbTTLvoI/AAAAAAAADoI/oOVuiVZ74VI/s640/blogger-image--129881168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5l8V7KZkERc/VdJJbTTLvoI/AAAAAAAADoI/oOVuiVZ74VI/s640/blogger-image--129881168.jpg"></a></div>(Scout, Frodo, Grim)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CkajRZSWGOE/VdJNN1M5u8I/AAAAAAAADq4/FWjHojpVvM8/s640/blogger-image-1893337632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CkajRZSWGOE/VdJNN1M5u8I/AAAAAAAADq4/FWjHojpVvM8/s640/blogger-image-1893337632.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wCEkdxSbaN4/VdJKhn9GYmI/AAAAAAAADpQ/2i1-zEKepkg/s640/blogger-image-1158838144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wCEkdxSbaN4/VdJKhn9GYmI/AAAAAAAADpQ/2i1-zEKepkg/s640/blogger-image-1158838144.jpg"></a></div>(Grim, me, Guy)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
William earned his trail name Sandman by sleeping in as everyone left camp one morning, forgetting to wake him. He had no maps of the area and didn't even know what the next campsite was! He somehow managed to connect with HoJo and found us all by the end of the day. Guy and I spent a lot of time hiking with Scout and Frodo, enjoying their stories and songs.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rdYDVZmBPSU/VdJJ0lv93WI/AAAAAAAADoo/ZDVWKmT6Uk8/s640/blogger-image--2031788841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rdYDVZmBPSU/VdJJ0lv93WI/AAAAAAAADoo/ZDVWKmT6Uk8/s640/blogger-image--2031788841.jpg"></a></div>(Just taking a break!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wuJW2hIA-Dw/VdJNMDPAdAI/AAAAAAAADqw/VeiRmsrfUyo/s640/blogger-image-1756482996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wuJW2hIA-Dw/VdJNMDPAdAI/AAAAAAAADqw/VeiRmsrfUyo/s640/blogger-image-1756482996.jpg"></a></div>(That way!)<br>
Our mileages were 20, 23, 15, 10, 10. Adorable is a good adjective to describe our plan. We all enjoyed early campfires, late starts, and meals together. It was a welcome break and a good reset as we got used to trail again.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SSIHRXrLGas/VdJNKtPFhXI/AAAAAAAADqo/y9-xEqNI8Gc/s640/blogger-image-2005187637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SSIHRXrLGas/VdJNKtPFhXI/AAAAAAAADqo/y9-xEqNI8Gc/s640/blogger-image-2005187637.jpg"></a></div>(Just being awesome)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XQzx0SMGSNY/VdJL_cG-p7I/AAAAAAAADqY/Z9Ov0kmr-xg/s640/blogger-image-918125773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XQzx0SMGSNY/VdJL_cG-p7I/AAAAAAAADqY/Z9Ov0kmr-xg/s640/blogger-image-918125773.jpg"></a></div>(We came from somewhere over there!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WsexSTP0mHw/VdJKoXdx3XI/AAAAAAAADpY/1Epm54nIUp0/s640/blogger-image-1444752428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WsexSTP0mHw/VdJKoXdx3XI/AAAAAAAADpY/1Epm54nIUp0/s640/blogger-image-1444752428.jpg"></a></div>(OmNomNom)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fMM3OT6IXMY/VdJJtHINK4I/AAAAAAAADog/Qdc_wSQzDyY/s640/blogger-image--1196236207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fMM3OT6IXMY/VdJJtHINK4I/AAAAAAAADog/Qdc_wSQzDyY/s640/blogger-image--1196236207.jpg"></a></div>(Serious wand shop in East Glacier)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y_bNC_xST9o/VdJJ-aQzfTI/AAAAAAAADow/-jsBlv6gYbI/s640/blogger-image-819087218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y_bNC_xST9o/VdJJ-aQzfTI/AAAAAAAADow/-jsBlv6gYbI/s640/blogger-image-819087218.jpg"></a></div><br>
We ended in East Glacier where we got a room at Brownie's Hostel and had a HUGE hiker dinner at Serrano's Mexican Restaurant. There may have been 20 hikers there. Many more people had decided to flip after we led the charge and it seemed like they were all here in East Glacier!</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-5904650270362693702015-08-17T06:20:00.001-11:002015-08-17T10:27:05.660-11:00June 2 Day 39 - June 10 Day 47 - The Waiting Place - Durango<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CfAM6g9qPYE/VdJEMvgtI4I/AAAAAAAADmw/yuGYTg8hsYo/s640/blogger-image-1026997115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CfAM6g9qPYE/VdJEMvgtI4I/AAAAAAAADmw/yuGYTg8hsYo/s640/blogger-image-1026997115.jpg"></a></div>(Snow gear! Merrill shoes, micro spikes, ice ax!!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And now we take a break from trail. This is the inevitable extended week of zeros to wait out the snow. This is something we were all warned about before heading onto trail. You might have to wait a week or two at different points due to weather. Plan to take 30 zero days because you just never know. This was the start of that for us. We had made our decision. We were going to Durango to wait out the weather and decide what to do.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E3oAdpmnrhI/VdJEaOQop7I/AAAAAAAADng/pWWh7G8593A/s640/blogger-image--349674195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E3oAdpmnrhI/VdJEaOQop7I/AAAAAAAADng/pWWh7G8593A/s640/blogger-image--349674195.jpg"></a></div>(Deep breaths)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
Twinkle, Ducky, and Badger were meeting Big Foot in Chama and they were all going to drive up to Durango and do some fun side trips as they waited out the snow. They were kind enough to give me and Guy on a Buffalo a ride there, where we met Guy's friend, Claire. She picked us up from Serious Texas BBQ (I dunno how serious it was really) and we said heart-felt goodbyes to our new friends. It was great seeing Big Foot again since I started with him in the shuttle and he gave my pack its first shake down, getting rid of the first round of extra weight back in Lordsburg.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_r8BtPoIuMc/VdJEV4gQHMI/AAAAAAAADnQ/GupDxK7Cjg8/s640/blogger-image-1803839841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_r8BtPoIuMc/VdJEV4gQHMI/AAAAAAAADnQ/GupDxK7Cjg8/s640/blogger-image-1803839841.jpg"></a></div>(Excuse my finger. This is Claire and these are cows)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We spent the next week on an Organic Dairy farm with Claire and her roommate Phil. Claire is the herd manager, dealing with the cows and organizing their schedules.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5FFcryyBNe0/VdJEOFWx9II/AAAAAAAADm4/H2naC6a3HLw/s640/blogger-image--1466096430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5FFcryyBNe0/VdJEOFWx9II/AAAAAAAADm4/H2naC6a3HLw/s640/blogger-image--1466096430.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Phil is the Cheese Apprentice, learning all about cheese making and helping the farm cultivate some new varieties. It was really cool to say the least. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gAOjplYXtKE/VdJETkWfRxI/AAAAAAAADnI/nA60pia8_OI/s640/blogger-image-1128322064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gAOjplYXtKE/VdJETkWfRxI/AAAAAAAADnI/nA60pia8_OI/s640/blogger-image-1128322064.jpg"></a></div>(Phil making cheese)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We ate a lot of great food there! Wow! Guy and I, mostly me, made dinner every night for Phil and Claire as a big thank you for hosting us and letting us use the car!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f7KmNXi2gBM/VdJEbjKncAI/AAAAAAAADno/4d1-QPIjt3Y/s640/blogger-image--2110815309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f7KmNXi2gBM/VdJEbjKncAI/AAAAAAAADno/4d1-QPIjt3Y/s640/blogger-image--2110815309.jpg"></a></div><br>
Claire's car is a stick shift, something I had dabbled with in Chicago, but had never mastered. She somehow felt confident enough with my driving skills to hand me the keys for the week. After a very short refresher course, I was on my own. Three peddles and many stalls later I felt pretty comfortable getting around Durango in the car! This was not a skill I had expected to pick up while on trail! So funny!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ElkhAEljjms/VdJESLTj1dI/AAAAAAAADnA/MbKOEKNoR5g/s640/blogger-image--357831942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ElkhAEljjms/VdJESLTj1dI/AAAAAAAADnA/MbKOEKNoR5g/s640/blogger-image--357831942.jpg"></a></div><br>
Guy and I spent our days exploring Durango, rock climbing at the gym, rafting on the Animas River, doing yoga in the grass, eating a lot of food, and researching the conditions in Colorado. We spent our evenings cooking and playing board games with Phil, Claire and others on the farm. It was the perfect little vacation from trail life. We were still in touch with Bearclaw and Grim to see what tey were planning to do.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bRmg-P7tnQE/VdJEFQ6oL8I/AAAAAAAADmQ/uv1rGCatayg/s640/blogger-image--764705171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bRmg-P7tnQE/VdJEFQ6oL8I/AAAAAAAADmQ/uv1rGCatayg/s640/blogger-image--764705171.jpg"></a></div><br>
Bearclaw made a decision to rent a 12 person van and drive it one way up to Canada with any hikers who wanted to flip north. She asked if we wanted to. Time to decide. At this point I was so over this decision that I really didn't care. It didn't mater to me in the end. All I wanted was to hike this trail and enjoy myself. The uptight social rules about hiking all the way through one way (no flips) was illogical to me. People out here create these standards for thru-hiking that are unnecessary. I just couldn't wrap my head around why you were less of a hiker if you flipped, or if you skipped 3 miles of paved highway walking, or didn't finish the entire thing in one year due to weather. And so I just want ANY decision to be made about what to do.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-to6TbAOSjxE/VdJEo7mgWXI/AAAAAAAADn4/2YIYyXGm-ps/s640/blogger-image-143478216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-to6TbAOSjxE/VdJEo7mgWXI/AAAAAAAADn4/2YIYyXGm-ps/s640/blogger-image-143478216.jpg"></a></div>(Claire, Guy, and Phil)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We finally settled on flipping up with Bearclaw. We would drive up to Glacier National Park, to the Canadian Border and become South Bounders. Flip Floppers. Phew! The snow was very low there, so Glacier would be safe and beautiful. The San Juans would be much safer in September when we would arrive back in Colorado. It seems like a no brainer now, looking back on it.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UVn97JUSGmU/VdJEJK5zasI/AAAAAAAADmo/rQ61joSuiec/s640/blogger-image-1402107010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UVn97JUSGmU/VdJEJK5zasI/AAAAAAAADmo/rQ61joSuiec/s640/blogger-image-1402107010.jpg"></a></div>(Guy, Claire, Phil, and me)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
June 8th the van arrives and we say tearful goodbyes to our lovely hosts, Claire and Phil. We load ourselves into the van and head on our way. It takes us 3 days and a fair few stops to grab other hikers who had found their way to various cities to wait out the snow. 12 hikers and 12 packs as big as hikers somehow managed to fit into this van. It was cramped. We were all very grateful to get out in Glacier and grab our permits. National Parks require permits for camping in designated camp sites. It's rather annoying for thru-hikers who are used to camping wherever they end up at the end of the day. We did it though.<br>
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Guy was keen on spending time with Scout and Frodo, a lovely couple he met through the Pacific Crest Trail, and they had taken Grim and done the Great Divide Basin to get it out of the way while we had been bumming around Durango. The basin, you see, is where the mountains split and go around 120 miles of dry, tick infested, desert. It's best to just get it over with. So, Guy and I were on the same camp schedule as Scout, Frodo, and Grim, while all the others who had joined us, Papi Chulo, Beads, Kramers, William, Axle, HoJo, Bearclaw, and Dirt Monger, were on an different set of camping schedules.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w4LL4id034s/VdJEH4236oI/AAAAAAAADmg/_klBjbOG0bg/s640/blogger-image--879055838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w4LL4id034s/VdJEH4236oI/AAAAAAAADmg/_klBjbOG0bg/s640/blogger-image--879055838.jpg"></a></div>(Hiker Trash waiting for permitting to be sorted)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YYD6lFw5Gfk/VdJEGhj6m7I/AAAAAAAADmY/M1jHAA9d9RI/s640/blogger-image--24654071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YYD6lFw5Gfk/VdJEGhj6m7I/AAAAAAAADmY/M1jHAA9d9RI/s640/blogger-image--24654071.jpg"></a></div>(Me, my dreams, and my Duluth lumbar pack)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
And so we were finally lookin at getting back on trail tomorrow. After all of this time and stress. Glacier, here we come!</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-29944088030773029202015-08-08T11:51:00.002-11:002015-08-17T10:25:46.802-11:00June 1 Day 38 Perfect Sunrises into Chama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5J6WiN0SBls/VdI_5lpsR8I/AAAAAAAADlU/7HxmdTqGrXg/s640/blogger-image--2071668664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5J6WiN0SBls/VdI_5lpsR8I/AAAAAAAADlU/7HxmdTqGrXg/s640/blogger-image--2071668664.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Perfect sunrises may only come once in a lifetime. You may be privileged enough to experience more than one perfect sunrise in your life. If so, give everyone around you the biggest bear hug you can muster because perfect sunrises fill you up with love to the point that it overflows and needs to be directed. Give it to those who have fewer perfect sunrises in their lives. I had a perfect sunrise today.<br>
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Twinkle, Ducky, and Badger left before me and Guy this morning, as we journaled and let the sun warm us slowly. We had cowboy camped last night, not afraid of the thunderstorms nearby. That's a lie. I was worried about getting rained on. BUT, we didn't get rained on and instead enjoyed a perfect night of cowboy camping, no shelter above us, just our sleeping bags and all of my clothes on. 11,000 ft is cold.<br>
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It was 18 miles to the road we were to hitch on. 18 miles, no problem. Not so much. It was some of the hardest miles I've done so far. Miles and miles of potholing through deep snow. And while Guy seemed to float above the snow, I consistently fell through it. I somehow managed to avoid impaling myself with the branches of trees hidden under the snow, though I did have a few close calls.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aUk2UEkxLng/VdJAH_b1jdI/AAAAAAAADl8/yh4jFJTK8VU/s640/blogger-image--2005575174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aUk2UEkxLng/VdJAH_b1jdI/AAAAAAAADl8/yh4jFJTK8VU/s640/blogger-image--2005575174.jpg"></a></div>(Trying to smile while post holing)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
The clouds were building above us and we could even hear distant thunder. We both prayed silently that we wouldn't be caught postholing under a storm. Our weather luck had held out pretty well so far, but it wasn't going to today! The storm inevitably moved over us and we rocked out to Spice Girls as we tried to make our slow way up toward Cumbress Pass and into Colorado.<br>
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Just as we passed the border of New Mexico the storm clouds cleared and the sun emerged! Seriously? It really does feel like I'm in a movie sometimes. It really did clear up just as we made it to the border. We took pictures, drank a mini shot of whiskey, Guy's first, and made our way out of the snow toward the highway.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dKMxB5mlY7U/VdJAJBuM9PI/AAAAAAAADmE/r2DVSnS71AY/s640/blogger-image--1735718359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dKMxB5mlY7U/VdJAJBuM9PI/AAAAAAAADmE/r2DVSnS71AY/s640/blogger-image--1735718359.jpg"></a></div>(The state border!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YOekaKK56rg/VdI_yWOkoZI/AAAAAAAADk0/dTEu2J_Os4Q/s640/blogger-image--564851794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YOekaKK56rg/VdI_yWOkoZI/AAAAAAAADk0/dTEu2J_Os4Q/s640/blogger-image--564851794.jpg"></a></div>(The view before dipping down to Cumbress Pass)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UzI_6txxkic/VdJAFbknNXI/AAAAAAAADls/W-bE265JqTs/s640/blogger-image-998909300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UzI_6txxkic/VdJAFbknNXI/AAAAAAAADls/W-bE265JqTs/s640/blogger-image-998909300.jpg"></a></div>(It's always Christmas here)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
The first truck that came our way stopped and gave us a ride back to New Mexico into Chama, where we booked it to the nearest pizza place and gorged on warm food! </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MW1-KExIO9g/VdI_2R1RTvI/AAAAAAAADlM/aXkeCyt2D9Q/s640/blogger-image-1051530182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MW1-KExIO9g/VdI_2R1RTvI/AAAAAAAADlM/aXkeCyt2D9Q/s640/blogger-image-1051530182.jpg"></a></div>(The hitch into Chama)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RXVV6YpYS9g/VdI_ztKjjAI/AAAAAAAADk8/6XRyhN-62r4/s640/blogger-image--374042254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RXVV6YpYS9g/VdI_ztKjjAI/AAAAAAAADk8/6XRyhN-62r4/s640/blogger-image--374042254.jpg"></a></div>(We ate it all)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Twinkle and his friends had taken an alternate that pretty much completely avoided the snow, so they got in hours before us! UGH! To know that is had been avoidable kinda kills you inside.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--JGMFXpOJ3c/VdI_0x7k77I/AAAAAAAADlE/i_hu135jdow/s640/blogger-image--1034590898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--JGMFXpOJ3c/VdI_0x7k77I/AAAAAAAADlE/i_hu135jdow/s640/blogger-image--1034590898.jpg"></a></div>(Guy, Twinkle, Guthrey, Badger - far right- and Ducky -near right)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We met them at the hostel in town and bought some drinks and food for the evening. What an exhaustingly glorious day! Now it was time to decide what to do about Colorado.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-46242642720161739712015-08-08T11:29:00.005-11:002015-08-17T10:25:37.520-11:00May 31 Day 37 Bears, People, Perfect Sunsets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OaR1ao80T7Q/VdI9UcAXXII/AAAAAAAADkA/IoyG71LSwBw/s640/blogger-image-2066695145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OaR1ao80T7Q/VdI9UcAXXII/AAAAAAAADkA/IoyG71LSwBw/s640/blogger-image-2066695145.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another waddling porcupine graced us with its presence this morning. We watched it post-hole in the snow with its short stubby legs. Shortly after that, as we approached an open field, we saw a mom black bear and her 3 cubs! Wow! So cool! Check "bear" off the list of must-see animals on the CDT.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QcYhGsZMOG8/VdI9ZwB_DsI/AAAAAAAADkg/fr6akiGBS-s/s640/blogger-image-88384322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QcYhGsZMOG8/VdI9ZwB_DsI/AAAAAAAADkg/fr6akiGBS-s/s640/blogger-image-88384322.jpg"></a></div>(Hiding under the tarp in the rain)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
The day progressed less impressively until the rains started. We were in no rush, so we set up the tarp and ate lunch shielded from the weather. Noshing on hummus contentedly we hear the sounds of a large animal moving near by! More animals today!? We sick our heads out of the tarp and see 3 thru-hikers, Twinkles, Ducky, and Badger! What a treat! It has been a while since we've seen anyone else out here, so their company was warmly welcomed. They chatted with us for a while before heading on. They had not seen Grim and Bearclaw either, which was very confusing indeed. Where were they?<br>
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We packed up our tarp and began to hike on through these beautiful valleys full of marsh. The beauty and the wet feet compliment each other well. A few miles in we see some south bounders heading our way. They must be section hikers. What a day full of people! As they got closer we noticed they had a decidedly aggressive pace and what can only be described as an annoyed pep to their step. Oh, it was Twinkles and his friends. Oh, that means we were all going the wrong way. I check my Guthook App to see where we are, and sure enough, we are off trail. Somehow we had missed a turn. This is normal on the CDT. Getting off trail is expected. You are told about it before starting. You cannot get frustrated by it. Factor it into your mileage because it is inevitable.<br>
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After a good laugh about the whole thing, we all got going int he right direction and headed up a large hill or a small mountain. The view was spectacular! We could see a herd of elk along with a large coyote or a wolf! Wow! This amazing view was accentuated by the music from Spice Girls, which everyone sang along to except Guy, it was a bit before his time.<br>
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Pit toilets are a favorite find for thru-hikers due to the built in privacy and likely presence of toilet paper. The pit toilet we discovered at a campground near some lakes was anything but exciting unfortunately. A poorly maintained (cleaned) pit toilet is much more uncomfortable than digging a hole in rocky ground and relieving yourself in a hoard of mosquitoes. It is what it is. On we hiked. Goodbye pit toilet.<br>
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Our goal was an 11,000ft summit to camp. We wanted to have an awesome sunset view and a great sunrise. It was totally worth the push through postholing and carrying extra water to get there. We watched epic thunderstorms from one side and a perfect sunset from the other. We forget that the world can provide us with such beauty when we have our blinders on all the time. You need to get up high to see this far.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uHo_kOpdV_M/VdI9bC10GrI/AAAAAAAADko/XNHVDe6JrBg/s640/blogger-image--946492189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uHo_kOpdV_M/VdI9bC10GrI/AAAAAAAADko/XNHVDe6JrBg/s640/blogger-image--946492189.jpg"></a></div><br></div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-91992611597819278342015-08-08T11:10:00.003-11:002015-08-17T10:25:27.025-11:00May 30 Day 36 The River Crossing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y-UeZooLHAA/VdI7-W7fLzI/AAAAAAAADjU/e2dw1IFyGPE/s640/blogger-image--1915356027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y-UeZooLHAA/VdI7-W7fLzI/AAAAAAAADjU/e2dw1IFyGPE/s640/blogger-image--1915356027.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Leftover hot chocolate is amazing the next morning. In case you didn't know that. And that is how we started our morning. With reheated hot chocolate! Oh and then we decided to add freeze dried strawberries and granola! OmNOMNOMNOM! SO good! It's about the small things out here. Anything to make a meal more memorable or different than the last 20 meals you've had.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pGhE091hlRQ/VdI7_8ojKiI/AAAAAAAADjc/nHDRLKGZJzA/s640/blogger-image-310885905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pGhE091hlRQ/VdI7_8ojKiI/AAAAAAAADjc/nHDRLKGZJzA/s640/blogger-image-310885905.jpg"></a></div>(Just another day filtering water)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
It was a pretty chill day overall, as they have been of late. A mix of dirt roads and trail with many trees and occasional fields of tall grass. We knew we had our "epic" river crossing today so we were mentally preparing ourselves for it. Barclay had been talking it up for a while, showing us pictured from Facebook friends ahead of us on the trail who claimed it to be chest height. The bridge, we knew through the same sources, had been wiped out, washed down stream, unusable. This is also the day we expected Grim and Bearclaw to catch up to us. If we had done the math correctly based on their speed and daily mileage, they should be here by now.<br>
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The river crossing came and went. It was as memorable as that, fortunately and unfortunately. We were kinda prepared for a big adventure. The water was about thigh high, refreshingly brisk, and the current wasn't that fast. That was that.<br>
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Honestly, I was rather tired of the fear-mongering out here. This was my last straw. I was done with it. Generally speaking, the conditions are never as bad as people make them out to be. For what reason, I am not sure, but I have a feeling it has to do with the desire to tell stories. Not in a bad way, but in a human way. Trail brings out the most human traits within us, and story-telling is such a part of human culture and communication. People want to have a story to tell. People want their lives to be interesting. People are out here to have adventures and to add spice to their lives. People want everything to seem a tad more dramatic than it really is. They want a story to tell. They want to entertain. Not intentionally misleading stories, but slightly over dramatized.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wNz0nwyKMSo/VdI8GICImAI/AAAAAAAADjs/eifCF2eAv9w/s640/blogger-image-1295232951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wNz0nwyKMSo/VdI8GICImAI/AAAAAAAADjs/eifCF2eAv9w/s640/blogger-image-1295232951.jpg"></a></div>(Porcupine!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
In other news, we saw horses and a porcupine today. I have not seen enough porcupines in my life. What cute critters. They waddle slowly, knowing that most animals can't attack them successfully. I wonder if we would move more slowly in life, enjoying the little things, if we weren't constantly afraid of things, being fired, not earning enough, being judged, the scary news reports, social status....<br>
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We ended our day by a big lake. Toilets and picnic tables abounded, as did the people. People fishing mostly, giving us funny looks. We decided to cook dinner there and enjoy the late sunset, but eventually headed back to where we belong, in the trees.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-88505615415540276052015-06-29T13:30:00.002-11:002015-06-30T06:57:53.910-11:00May 29 Day 35 Welcome to Snow - En Route to Chama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YrzzImFOrt4/VZLYnxi1XPI/AAAAAAAADaE/SnlXlCJZOi4/s640/blogger-image--1824984215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YrzzImFOrt4/VZLYnxi1XPI/AAAAAAAADaE/SnlXlCJZOi4/s640/blogger-image--1824984215.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another leisurely day. We woke up late, ate breakfast, and wrote in our journals still in our sleeping bags. Got on trail by 9! That's the latest for me so far. What was the rush? </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O8oERsXZFeQ/VZLYmp1WMoI/AAAAAAAADZ8/d0Ze37PYjAQ/s640/blogger-image--600260982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O8oERsXZFeQ/VZLYmp1WMoI/AAAAAAAADZ8/d0Ze37PYjAQ/s640/blogger-image--600260982.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">There was a lot of snow and it seemed to be melting substantially. There was water everywhere! Springs flowing, marshy areas, trail flooding, water everywhere!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e8FtsiJvilM/VZLTTiLACPI/AAAAAAAADZQ/k2LuMj43VhA/s640/blogger-image-1245258732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e8FtsiJvilM/VZLTTiLACPI/AAAAAAAADZQ/k2LuMj43VhA/s640/blogger-image-1245258732.jpg"></a></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6XOYaWs7vO0/VZLX940f8nI/AAAAAAAADZc/sOFDxJLU59k/s640/blogger-image--7545105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6XOYaWs7vO0/VZLX940f8nI/AAAAAAAADZc/sOFDxJLU59k/s640/blogger-image--7545105.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> It was a chill 19 miles today with a couple of wrong turns and the discovery of what the snow was going to be looking like up ahead. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Wvd44RUDUYU/VZLYLnsnX0I/AAAAAAAADZ0/OOXOM5ymACc/s640/blogger-image--518470103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Wvd44RUDUYU/VZLYLnsnX0I/AAAAAAAADZ0/OOXOM5ymACc/s640/blogger-image--518470103.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We first came across small patches of snow that became larger and larger, eventually becoming a constant post-holing situation. We would step onto the snow and it would give way and our legs would fall through. Over and over and over again. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-srKzJc4mXfg/VZLYJ_PhgLI/AAAAAAAADZs/49Rcc6Ku_M8/s640/blogger-image--948491176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-srKzJc4mXfg/VZLYJ_PhgLI/AAAAAAAADZs/49Rcc6Ku_M8/s640/blogger-image--948491176.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We saw that across the river there was practically no snow, so we crossed the river and made our way onto the snowless banks. That was much faster travel.<br>
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We found a nice camp spot up on a pass, surrounded by trees. There was even a fire ring! First things first, make fire and set up tarp. I got dinner going and checked mileage for the day, noticing, casually, that we were camping at 10,440 ft! Nice! We hadn't even realized we were that high up, which was a good sign. It meant we were acclimatizing. The more snowy the areas are, the harder it is to find dry ground. Generally the snow is in large patches, so avoidable when camping. This is what life was going to be like from now on I guess. But even more intense!<br>
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Dinner and hot chocolate for the night. It was setting up to be a cold night, so I hoped my Pashmina would do the trick!</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-83786395560639584062015-06-29T13:12:00.000-11:002015-06-30T07:08:26.754-11:00May 28 Day 34 Leaving Ghost Ranch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FJf4XPJZODQ/VZLbE5c5y-I/AAAAAAAADag/jVMGhKOD030/s640/blogger-image-1813373997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FJf4XPJZODQ/VZLbE5c5y-I/AAAAAAAADag/jVMGhKOD030/s640/blogger-image-1813373997.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We enjoyed the breakfast buffet one more time before heading to the computers for a last blog update and facebook scan. We said our goodbyes to Grim and Bear Claw while also meeting some new arrivals, Twinkles, Ducky, and Badger. We hoped we would see Grim and Bear Claw again, figuring they would catch us in a day or so. We'd take it easy, nice and slow. There was a big river crossing in this stretch that we had heard was up to your waist, so we wanted to all be together for that.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vLCdhL8ErFk/VZLbGH342NI/AAAAAAAADao/HmlwKYK3zZI/s640/blogger-image--654900685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vLCdhL8ErFk/VZLbGH342NI/AAAAAAAADao/HmlwKYK3zZI/s640/blogger-image--654900685.jpg"></a></div>(Cool cabin just outside of nearby Ghist Ranch)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We left at 1:30 and hiked for the hottest part of the day. It WAS hot, so we took a long break at the top of a canyon, encountering day hikers and painters. It was a very chill day, just making it short of the water source by 8 to camp.<br>
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The moon was very bright tonight and shone through the branches creating beautiful patterns on the ground around us as we ate our couscous and talked about Alaska. Guy had a dream to hike in Alaska and see the wilderness there, while I had done my last trip, a 40 day backpacking trip through YMCA Camp Menogyn, in the Gates of the Arctic National Forest there. My guide, Mo, said it best, "the only thing bigger than the mountains are the clouds." It is a wilderness like I have never experienced before or since. Alaska is wild.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-17065108796929510902015-06-29T12:55:00.001-11:002015-06-30T07:13:36.124-11:00May 27 Day 33 Hiker Yoga Zero Day at Ghost Ranch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vM0q3GYsCFA/VZLcJHB3J1I/AAAAAAAADa0/xi6fdR7TcYE/s640/blogger-image--938944689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vM0q3GYsCFA/VZLcJHB3J1I/AAAAAAAADa0/xi6fdR7TcYE/s640/blogger-image--938944689.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Waking up, knowing you have nothing exceptionally important to do, no miles to walk, no chores to take care of, is one of the best feelings. The pleasure of a zero day. Bear Claw, Guy, and me got ourselves out of bed and headed toward the large dining hall where me and Guy purchased meal tickets for the buffet. It is a well stocked place! Hikers everywhere and so many food options. It is a recipe for an overfilled tray. We saw Radar and Peru there along with SOL and Andrew and so many more.<br>
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There is a cafe lounge area near the main office with nice computers that have fast WiFi, and so I blogged as I digested my food. Facebook was littered with questions about the snow in Colorado. What was everyone doing, everyone wanted to know. What was I doing? There was some stress and over analysis going on in the online world over these mountains. Were they even passable? Was it just a matter of getting snow shoes or was it legitimately an avalanche situation? People didn't want to be left behind. What were you doing?<br>
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Luckily more hikers gathered around the entrance, distracting me from this loop of worry. I went to go hang out in the grass with them and we all got to talking about, you guessed it, the snow situation in Colorado. I guess it was worse than everyone expected. It had been a low snow year until the spring. Suddenly the snow had caught up. We had all been naive in thinking it wouldn't dump on the San Juans anymore, allowing us all to start earlier. Some people already had their snow shoes, some people were talking about picking up their skis. What was I going to do? What WERE my options?<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wqI8VySrIUE/VZLcTFGz67I/AAAAAAAADbM/okM2eYegaXQ/s640/blogger-image--510481410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wqI8VySrIUE/VZLcTFGz67I/AAAAAAAADbM/okM2eYegaXQ/s640/blogger-image--510481410.jpg"></a></div>(Braiding Guy's hair)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
We decided on a hiker yoga class in the grass to help calm all our nerves and get some stretching for our sore muscles. I led a nice slow class that really focused on the hiker areas, tight calves and thighs, hips and hamstrings, while strengthening the arms and core muscles. Everyone felt better after that. More relaxed and centered. We could breath again, and go about our day more mindfully. It was nice. Just what was needed.<br>
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Until we got back to the room later in the day and decided to actively discuss the snow situation. Grim and Bear Claw had been hiking together and so were discussing what they wanted to do, what their options were. It would have been nice to stick together, especially if the snow was as bad as it seemed, but I also understand the difficulty in making a larger group decision. We talked about flipping up north to do the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming, a flat, hot, tick infested, shadeless stretch, and then coming back down and hiking north again. We talked about just seeing how things went and not worrying about it until we reached Colorado. We talked about taking some time off for a week to see if that would be enough time for the snow to melt. We talked about a lot of things.<br>
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I felt my anxiety creeping up and up and found myself wanting to leave trail. I was not on trail to get stressed out like this, to worry about making this decision on my own and being left behind by my friends. I was on this trip to grow as a strong individual and help Camp Warren. Was I out here for the right reasons if I was so worried about being left behind? I felt dependent and not in control of the situation at all. How was I going to get up north? If I tried to move forward would I put myself in great danger? I decided to wait until Chama. To see what Colorado looked like. Guy had a friend, Claire, who lived in Durango on an organic dairy farm and could potentially host us for a week as we waited out the snow. That sounded like a god option as well.<br>
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Guy and I will leave tomorrow from Ghost Ranch and head toward Chama. Slowly. Let the snow melt. Grim and Bear Claw would be staying another night and day to go up to a Spa and hot springs an hour away for a day of relaxation.<br>
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What am I going to do?</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-43953022372563117992015-06-29T09:07:00.000-11:002015-06-30T07:28:04.624-11:00May 26 Day 32 The San Juans From a Distance - Arriving to Ghost Ranch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yK0wviXqgj4/VZLfsoPgcPI/AAAAAAAADb4/kX9nvttEmCI/s640/blogger-image--694782657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yK0wviXqgj4/VZLfsoPgcPI/AAAAAAAADb4/kX9nvttEmCI/s640/blogger-image--694782657.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was a funny day. It was a day that included only 1 break in 25 miles. How exactly that happened, I am not sure. I think we kept misunderstanding the map and thinking we were closer than we were so we kept pushing. It was a lovely day full of great conversation and many laughs as usual. Very pleasant overall. We left camp at 7:40am or so and had a bit of up and downs, but nothing especially taxing. We did get lost due to getting lost in conversation, which will happen if you don't pay attention. I had been warned of this before getting on trail, so it's true and I should have known better. We never got seriously lost anyway.<br>
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At a couple points along the trail we were able to see the San Juan mountains, the ones covered in snow north of us. They looked like big bad mountains and the decisions ahead began to feel heavy upon us. You see, with all the late season snow fall we had to decide whether to push on or try to wait out the snow melt. The other option would be to find our way north an hike through Colorado later in the season. I had been avoiding this decision until we were closer because a lot can happen in a week or two. Guy and I had talked about just plowing ahead and seeing what the conditions were like for ourselves. People really like to over dramatize things out here. I think it is a mix of wanting to feel more epic than they already feel and different levels of comfort. People like drama. Seeing the San Juans now made me realize how real this decision was and how close it was. What WAS I going to do?<br>
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We arrived to what I thought was Ghost Ranch and were super confused. It was very empty and creepy. There was nobody there. No signs of life. It looked like a really old museum that was no longer used. And that's what it turned out to be. Ghost Ranch was still a ways further. Phew. On we went until we got to a cool suspension bridge, which we crossed and got REALLY frustrated with everything! The signage was not clear and it was very confusing. That was when we realized that we had not taken a break all day (21 miles in), so we sat down for an hour and ate some food.<br>
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Once we got our wits about us again we continued on until we actually made it to <a href="http://www.ghostranch.org/">Ghost Ranch</a>. It was MUCH better than I expected! It is used as a retreat center now, but<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_O'Keeffe"> Georgia O'Keefe</a> lived there and painted many of her famous works there. There is a great, healing energy about the place even though some of the staff had some bad experiences with hikers and no longer give us much respect. There were a few incidents, which could have ruined the experience due to the bad reputation hikers got from some past people who didn't follow the rules of the place, but luckily we were able to look past the attitude and enjoy our stay.<br>
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We found Bear Claw in the evening and she was kind enough to share her room with Guy and me. I cooked my dinner on my little stove in the bathroom and we shared some red wine before bed. Grim would be arriving tomorrow and we were all excited to see him again.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-48492173246805943882015-06-29T08:45:00.003-11:002015-06-30T07:36:08.738-11:00May 25 Day 31 Diverse Terrain in Our Own Time - En Route to Ghost Ranch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pk4hoh5_92g/VZLhjbVhF7I/AAAAAAAADck/e8XL-Qkdmdo/s640/blogger-image--1096639214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pk4hoh5_92g/VZLhjbVhF7I/AAAAAAAADck/e8XL-Qkdmdo/s640/blogger-image--1096639214.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This will be a huge surprise to all of you, but it was really cold last night, again. I had a hard time falling asleep with the cold. I still have my Pashmina scarf I use as a liner, but last night it didn't even do the trick. Oh well. I'll order a liner when I get to Ghost Ranch. Colorado is going to be much colder.<br>
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We woke up very late and stayed in our sleeping bags to keep warm. I made a mean hot chocolate y melting a whole bar of orange dark chocolate into hot water with powdered milk. Thick and rich! We left camp around 8:30, what a treat! Not too long after hiking, we ran into the Warrior Hikers, veterans who get a support RV along the way and have events to attend in different towns. We leap frogged with them all day.</div>
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It was a day full of different terrain and the San Pedro mountains, where we climbed up to 10,520 feet. We decided to have lunch at the top to help us get more used to the higher elevation. Colorado would be above 10,000 ft for very long stretches at a time. It was important for us to get our bodies used to it. As we descended, we hit a huge blow down area where the trees completely covered the trail. There was a lot of trail finding through here and I think I lost a water bottle or something along the way. That seems to be my thing. Losing water containers. One of the Warrior Hikers, HD Mama, lost her pants, which were hanging on the outside of her pack. No good.</div>
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After the blow down area we walked through meadows of dandelions, sage brush, and aspen forests. I continue to be impressed by northern New Mexico.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aInkuMK_dyM/VZLhljQrO2I/AAAAAAAADcs/4JqhAOBDyDs/s640/blogger-image--1833268307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aInkuMK_dyM/VZLhljQrO2I/AAAAAAAADcs/4JqhAOBDyDs/s640/blogger-image--1833268307.jpg"></a></div>(This is actually the trail.....)</div><div><br></div>
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We had checked the weather before leaving Cuba and knew there would be a chance of thunderstorms tonight, so we kept our senses peeled for any signs. A rumble in the distance alerted us to the reality of the situation and got our feet moving faster to get some more miles done before we might be forced to retire under the tarp. We had been taking it REALLY easy, so this was a good incentive to get moving. We did 22 miles in the end and never got hit with a storm.</div>
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We should get to Ghost Ranch tomorrow!</div>
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Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1346084040245486875.post-6118588132221960142015-06-29T08:31:00.002-11:002015-06-30T07:42:01.670-11:00May 24 Day 30 Hiker Problems - Leaving Cuba<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1ZZXch1JroM/VZLi7vS8b9I/AAAAAAAADdQ/tGNO11X4Ios/s640/blogger-image--258680056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1ZZXch1JroM/VZLi7vS8b9I/AAAAAAAADdQ/tGNO11X4Ios/s640/blogger-image--258680056.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today ended up being somewhat amusing. It started with a leisurely morning in the hotel room, sleeping in, catching up on journaling, and trying to will the WIFI to work. We had agreed to have a hiker breakfast at the nearby restaurant when it opened, something we had confirmed the night before. When we actually went there it was closed. Well done. We found another spot and ate big meals, I got my usual, pancakes with eggs and bacon, and others got giant breakfast burritos.<br>
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Scallywag, Hot Springs, and Old School were looking to at least zero in Cuba, Old School maybe longer as he had to order some new gear. Guy and I were antsy to head out and catch up to Grim, who would inevitably pass us, and Bear Claw, who had already gotten a ride back and was on trail in the early AM, in Ghost Ranch, our next break. We did some errands in town, which mostly consisted of me looking for Heet, the fuel I use for my cat food can stove. I had mentioned my search early on and Old School said that he had checked the gas station across the street from the hotel with no luck, so I decided to just walk downtown until I found a gas station that had some. <br>
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An hour or more later and I had not found any Heet! Though I had had the privilege of suddenly getting cell reception and needing to change a doctors appointment that I had made a year ago, not realizing I would be on trail. The service was very weak and I spent a frustrating 15 minutes on the phone with a frustrated woman who could not hear me well. I had to ensure her of the fact that I could not call another time when I had better signal before the date of my appointment. This was the only time. I had to remind her politely that we were both suffering here with my poor signal and needed to calmly work together on this. It was very frustrating. I was all riled up and rained on by the time I got back to the hotel and decided to try that gas station across the street from the hotel. I wanted to laugh and punch something when I found the Yellow bottle of Heet just sitting there. It would have taken me 5 minutes. I bought a small comb as well so Guy could tame his mane.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Me9CrZWMKzM/VZLi9ScGEqI/AAAAAAAADdY/0fA7tp-tDzw/s640/blogger-image--1981754255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Me9CrZWMKzM/VZLi9ScGEqI/AAAAAAAADdY/0fA7tp-tDzw/s640/blogger-image--1981754255.jpg"></a></div>(Hot Springs taming the beast)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
In a huff I walked into the laundromat where Hot Springs and Scallywag were taking care of their clothes, and Guy was napping, waiting patiently for me. I told my story while Hot Springs brushed Guy's hair. They lamented my not so terrible life and we all laughed about it afterwards.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mpjjf00CTfM/VZLi5wwAskI/AAAAAAAADdI/CESSkGK0zYk/s640/blogger-image--1101227590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mpjjf00CTfM/VZLi5wwAskI/AAAAAAAADdI/CESSkGK0zYk/s640/blogger-image--1101227590.jpg"></a></div>(Water everywhere!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
When the clouds and rain seemed to break, Guy and I said our goodbyes and finally left Cuba. We were in no rush, obviously, and were going to do the 1.5 day section in 2.5. There was a seemingly constant dumping of snow in the mountains north of Chama, so we needed to let it melt off anyway. Everyone was slowing way down.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aegn6PcaSoQ/VZLi4gkTogI/AAAAAAAADdA/JQvK6g4UrRI/s640/blogger-image--390288863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aegn6PcaSoQ/VZLi4gkTogI/AAAAAAAADdA/JQvK6g4UrRI/s640/blogger-image--390288863.jpg"></a></div>(Lush forests!)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
I think we did something like 8 miles to the trail head and found a nice little place to camp, sheltered by the trees. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AdzurpS1gJs/VZLi2pgQhzI/AAAAAAAADc4/hPbEYPBbnj0/s640/blogger-image-511175540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AdzurpS1gJs/VZLi2pgQhzI/AAAAAAAADc4/hPbEYPBbnj0/s640/blogger-image-511175540.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Guy helped me set up my new tarp, explaining the art of tarp camping as he taught me to tie bowline knots.</div>
Liahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749439366791214220noreply@blogger.com0