Day 66: South from Twin Lakes with Jason

Mileage: 18.2 miles (1022.5-1040.7)

We got a late start as some high school kids kept us up for most of the night - at least I hope they were in high school! I was also exhausted from the day previous, so was happy to lay while the morning sun warmed up the tent. I had come to the unfortunate realization that I needed to walk back to where Jason and Kat picked me up at the campground to keep my route continuous from Mexico to Canada, regardless of which direction I was heading. So, I grabbed some empty water bottles, left my pack with Jason and headed back the two miles on the road to the Lakeview campground. It was an easy walk without the pack and I was able to get a quick hitch back down to where Jason and I camped after refilling our bottles at the campsite.

By the time I washed the grime off from the day before and we got all packed up, it was close to 9am. It was fine though since we set out to do less than twenty that day, great to help me recover some. We walked along the Twin Lakes for awhile and crossed over the dam, admiring the views of Mt Elbert, the tallest peak in Colorado, to our south.

It was a beautifully clear day and despite his heavier pack, Jason was keeping a good pace. Before we knew it we'd completed our first five miles and had a nice break for water and snacks. It was cool hiking with Jason, because despite playing ultimate frisbee with him for three or four years, we really didn't know all that much about each other's lives. It's funny how you can spend so much time with someone in a group situation, but when you get out in the woods you're able to get to know someone so much better.

We talked about our childhoods and parents and what it was like growing up in Omaha when we did - Jason is a few years older than me but we share a lot of mutual friends between frisbee and since Omaha is so small.

There was quite a bit of climbing after the initial flat sections and sun beat down hard on us as we ascended the south-facing slopes. We were treated to Colorado Blue Columbine and Wild Roses, interspersed among the Aspen and Douglas Fir groves. The occasional Bolete or Puffball mushroom would pop up in between, as if saying 'hello, don't forget about me!'

We took a lot of breaks as we ascended, which was perfect to give my legs a rest from the day before - I had to remember this was only my second day hiking in the last two weeks, so I did need to take it easy. Jason would take a short break and keep pushing up the hill.

We climbed up and down, up and down, reaching a stream in each valley to replenish our water as needed. Jason was carrying quite a bit of water so we actually didn't even need to fill up too often.

The day pressed on until we reached a beautiful, sprawling valley north of Mt Harvard, and decided it would be a good spot to camp. We saw a few campsites on the north side of the stream, but I always like to cross a river before I camp, just in case it rises overnight or proves difficult. In this case it turned out to be a bad move, as almost immediately after we crossed a downpour came out of nowhere.

We immediately hid underneath two fir trees, which provided surprisingly good shelter. Unfortunately, the rain poured harder and harder until it turned into hail. And then the hail seemed to get bigger and bigger, until it was dime-size at its peak. We cooked our dinner under the trees, trying to avoid being pelted by the hail. After about 45 minutes we were shivering and the storm didn't seem like it was going to pass.

We started jogging in place to keep warm and watched the clouds hopefully. We debated making a break for it back across the river, but noticed the sky lightening slightly. Ten minutes later the rain had subsided to a drizzle and we made our way back across the river to make camp under another fir tree.

We squeezed the tent under the fir and then squeezed ourselves into my tiny tent, happy to finally be somewhere dry and warm. We got our things together for the next morning, shared a bowl, and immediately fell asleep.