I let the sun wake me up around 5:45. I laid in my tent for a few minutes and when I stirred I startled a Mule deer that had been grazing in the meadow a few hundred feet away. I roused myself, hoping my right foot felt better and that the further doctoring I'd done on my shoe actually helped, rather than hurt.
At first, the foot felt really stiff and I didn't think it looked good. But, as I walked my foot loosened up and I was able to walk on it more normally than the day before. It was still ginger, but I could walk! I was still hopeful I'd be able to find a pair of shoes while in town, but the odds didn't look great since each town close to the highway was quite small.
The sun turned the sky from
burnt red and orange to bright yellow and then eventually blue, with not a cloud in sight. Of course, the clouds would roll in later in the day, but I just enjoyed the respite from the clouds. I had 64 miles to Encampment, so I figured two 32 mile days would get me there. I hadn't originally planned to go in there, but like a bonehead I forgot to resupply fuel, so needed to stop. Two long days, but tomorrow would have a little more downhill so I looked forward to that and possibly a bed that night.
As I ascended the mountains began to open up, with lakes dotting the alpine landscape, some big and some small, but all perfect perched so high in the Mt Zirkel Wilderness. I imagined during the winter animals had free reign over the entire domain. Snow still sat in some higher places, perhaps never disappearing even with the hot summer sun.
I walked by Lost Ranger Peak and wondered the grim story behind that name and finally got my first glimpse of Mt Zirkel itself. There's an alternate that goes that way but it added nine miles and since I didn't have fuel, I wanted to make it to town as quickly as possible. Instead, I took the Three Island Lake alternate, which was quite beautiful meandering past a serene alpine lake and following its creek down to meet up with the CDT in the valley below. I was glad to be descending as the high country was full of wet, muddy meadows and my feet had been soggy all morning. I would miss the views, but not the sogginess. I was trying to savor my last alpine experience in Colorado, but I was ready for Wyoming, whose border I'd cross tomorrow.
I joined back up with the CDT at Seedhouse Road and two guys gave me an ice cold Aquafina that I wish had been a beer, but still thanked them kindly. I cooked my Ramen at Seedhouse Campground and disposed of my trash in their dumpster. I filled up my water bottles and set out after a brief shower. The clouds were building again, but you never knew if you'd get hit with a storm.
It drizzled a few times while I made my way from 8,000' to 10,120', where I'd end my day. Most of the area had been burned so it wasn't super scenic, but at least it was a gentle grade for the most part. I listened to Radiolab and This American Life to keep my mind occupied and not thinking about how my feet ached.
Finally, I topped out at 10,120' and just had a half mile to go. Looking back I could see the high country of the Mt Zirkel Wilderness, which I'd left just a few hours before. The towering peaks were the last real mountains I'd see in Colorado. Thunder rolled and I picked up my pace, with no time for nostalgia. I briefly descended before I picked a flat spot to set up my tent. I wolfed down a pop-tart and some cheese and was ready for bed.
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