Day 78: Up James Peak and through Indian Peaks Wilderness

Mileage: 28.1 miles (1221.7-1249.8)

I woke up at 2am and saw stars. I fell back asleep for an hour and decided when I saw stars again at 3am that I'd pack up my tent and take advantage of the nice weather, albeit in the middle of the night.

The four plus miles up 3,000 ft felt long. Very long. It was frigid with the never-ceasing wind above treeline. I wore every piece of clothing I had, including my new rain pants, and even while moving it was tough to stay warm. There were beautiful views as I got higher, lakes of clouds beneath me 360 degrees around, like I was on an island in the sky. As I hiked along the ridge up towards James Peak I looked down at the spectacular glacial lakes to the east of the divide. They were colored bright blue of fresh ice melt I've only seen up high. Crossing over James Peak the winds howled and I headed down after a quick selfie.

As I descended it started to drizzle a bit. I thought, not again! But as I looked up I saw a perfect rainbow had formed in the valley below over Winter Park. I guess the rain was good for something. The vibrant colors were truly brilliant.

As I walked up and down the gentle, grassy divide, a dense fog passed through. Navigating one cairn to the next was challenging but kind of fun. Then I saw black figure on the road, who I watched for a mile or two. It turned out to be an older fella with a grizzled beard. I took a break at Rollins Pass and he kept going. There used to be a hotel and restaurant at the pass, but after it burned to the ground a few times, it was shut down for good. Heading into the Indian Peaks wilderness I caught up with the man I saw on the road a mile or two later and we hiked together rest of day. His name was U-Turn and he'd started his hike in mid-March, taking his time along the way.

I slowed my pace a bit, but enjoyed walking with someone else so I didn't mind. We talked about our lives and everything from backpacking, to cattle

ranching, and gator hunting. He was from Florida and never hiked really before doing this trail, which I found amazing. He was a shorter, stout fella, who said he wasn't a fast hiker, but he kept up just fine.

We took a break to dry out stuff and get water, then again at the ranger cabin, which had clean toilets with paper and hand sanitizer, what a treat!

Besides some drops here and there we stayed dry all day, which was incredible! It made for some great walking. And a great day. Into Grand Lake tomorrow, woohoo!