Mileage: 27.4 miles (1184.3-1211.7)
I woke up late around 6:30am and didn't break camp until past seven. I filled some water and walked the road and then the bike path under I-70, a road ice I'd driven tons of times to go skiing.
Now, I'd walked there from Mexico. Pretty cool. I dried out stuff at the Herman Gulch Trailhead with the first patch of sun in close to 24 hours.
There were spectacular wildflowers in the meadow heading towards Herman Lake. Huge patches of Blue Columbine, Paintbrush, Parry's Primrose, and Mountain Bluebells graced my path, with high peaks rising in the distance.
I split off from Herman Lake trail on the CDT and clouds started to gather, signaling the storms were coming earlier than usual.
I got to about 12,400' before it started to dump on me. The thunder rolled in and it didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon. With ten more miles above treeline I decided to hunker down in my tent and wait out the storm - the first time I'd done so on the entire trail. There were no trees to hide under so it was basically my only choice other than to risk getting struck by lightning or freezing.
I fell asleep, cooked up chili a Colorado Trail hiker had given me and right as I was about to pack up saw guy coming up the ridge - it was Chimichanga who I'd met two nights ago coming out of Breckenridge. He kept moving as I packed up, anxious to get over the 13,100' peak before another storm came.
I packed up and caught up to him after a couple miles. We had a wonderful ridgewalk, with mountains peaking in and out behind the clouds. It was made all the more spectacular since you had no idea what you were surrounded by until it emerged out of the fog. Soaring peaks and endless ridges on all sides.
We started heading down when it started raining again. We hid under a tree starting around 6pm when it really started to pour. I hung out until 7pm before I decided I would head to Winter Park for the night. I was super soggy and ready for some real food and a dry bed after setting up my tent in the middle of the day - I didn't want to set it up twice! Chimi stayed because he had gone over Gray's that day and was understandably exhausted. I had another beautiful walk along the ridge, as it finally cleared up for sunset.
I got to Berthoud Pass by 8:30pm but it was a tough hitch as it was getting dark. Probably twenty cars passed me by and it was suddenly pitch black and 9:15. I contemplated setting up camp as the clouds were gathering and it looked like it might storm. I yelled a four-letter word in frustration - why wouldn't another human pick up someone obviously in need? I was literally waving my hiking poles over my head.
I decided to wait five more minutes. A red jeep headed my way up the pass - I waved my hiking poles in the air - and he stopped! A kid from Boulder. Dropped me off at a hotel on his way. At first the lady said $80 and I told her I walked from Mexico and she said she child do $60. I took it. And the restaurant was even still open, albeit a bit expensive, I had a giant spinach salad and a cheeseburger with a beer and fries.
I topped the night off with hot tub and hung up all my stuff to dry around the room and then collapsed in the king size bed. What a difference a few hours can make.
No comments:
Post a Comment