Mileage: 27.4 miles (1294.1-1321.5)
I got up late, around 7am, having to catch a bus at 8:07 to take me back to the visitor's center, where I finished the loop yesterday. I packed my stuff, which was everywhere, and lined up all the food that I didn't want to carry - I was bummed that the hotel didn't have a hiker box, but there was nothing else I could do but leave it in the room - there's no sense in carrying something I won't eat.
I got coffee and muffins and ran over for a new bottle of water and also bought a bologna and cheese sandwich and hohos at the convenience store - these were two of my favorite foods as a child and I found myself everyday regressing back into my former eating habits. When I thought about it, it made sense - like when I was a kid, my brain is always telling me I'm starving and i also have nothing to check that impulse. The difference is as a kid I didn't know any better and my brain was still developing, whereas now I understand I'm poisoning myself but I'm too hungry and exhausted to exercise any control. The bus driver waited for me yet again and then I talked to Laura for half hour on the bus. It felt like we were in two completely different worlds and it was becoming harder and harder to bridge that gap of imagination - to pretend we were still an integral part of one another's lives when we barely were able to talk on the phone once a week.
I took a cool looking Ley alternate along the divide once I got to park visitor center, which was again a madhouse - literally people must have been insane to spend more than ten minutes inside.
The alternate I took had really stunning views back towards RMNP and all around. The biggest thing I noticed is it was getting flatter to the north as the landscape made its descent to the Red Desert and Wyoming. As I headed up the divide I met a couple from Missouri with vishla, who reminded me of my dog, Cooper, but way skinnier! I missed Coop a lot and often wished he was out here to keep me company, though it really wouldn't make sense in a lot of spots in the desert and griz country.
I talked to my dad and my mom, and then wished my sister a happy birthday down in Honduras. I hadn't seen her for a birthday in quite a few years since she'd moved down there, but it sounded like she had a good time. It was the longest is spoken to her on the phone in ages and it felt really nice and familiar, like home - something I don't often get to feel out here. We talked about our mother and other family members; deriving pleasure from everyone's quirks, knowing we both were just as quirky as the rest. Me, walking from Mexico to Canada and her, living the last few years in Honduras as a social worker.
Once on the crest, I looked back at Rocky Mountain National Park and admired it in all of its beauty. A few kids singing songs scampered down trail, jabbering a mile a minute about trout they'd caught. I just listened and realized how much a missed working with kids - their unbridled excitement was positively contagious and I couldn't suppress a giant grin as I egged them on: "How many did you catch?" "Five!" "How big were they?" "This BIG" holding up their hands. Their mom was anxious to get 'em going again so I said bye and left with a big smile on my face.
It was a little windy up top but really cool. I loved the divide up here, rounded and green, with a precipitous drop on the eastern side. I came off the ridge and back onto CDT after Crystal Mountain. A ton of dirt bikers had been tearing up trail, leaving big ruts full of mud, ruining the tread. There was lots of Moose poop and tracks everywhere. I saw a Moose after crossing the highway near the divide - a big bull with antlers. It just kind of looked at me as all Colorado moose have, mostly disinterested. I started the hike up towards Parkview Mtn at 12,200 and found place to camp next to Mtn Spice, whose orange tent I stumbled upon.
We caught up on each other's hikes as I made myself dinner and said goodnight.
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