- CT Day 23, July 22, Saturday
- Start: S26 mile 10.8, CT mile 443.9
- End: CT mile 472.9
- Miles walked: 29.0
My alarm sounds at its regular 4:45AM. At the beginning of the trip, this was exactly right, getting me on the trail at 5:30, just late enough to be able to walk and see without a headlamp, but still way early in the morning, so I get the most walking during cool temperatures. After almost a month of hiking, sunrise time has changed so that I would need to adjust my alarm, if I were not finishing soon.
I am cowboy camping (sleeping out under the stars, with no tent). Colorado has been so dry this trip that I cowboy camped the last ten nights. Waking up briefly at 3AM, the Milky Way is clearly visible. Just before dawn, several satellites are visible. Shooting starts streak past every night. The weather is quite a change from my trip through Colorado in 2014, which had regular monsoon thunderstorms each afternoon for half the trip.
Some critter is nearby, making small noises. I don’t bother it, and it doesn’t bother me. Last night’s camping spot was among spruce and fir, at about 10k, too high for pines.
In the distance are snow-capped ridges. We might make some final visits to these peaks today.
My shadow waves to me as we start off walking.
The trail continues on a ridge, and one can see far below. Mostly the ridge is in trees, but sometimes the route passes out of trees and into views.
I hear few birds at morning chorus. My birding app, Merlin, identifies a hermit thrush by its call.
My phone timer sounds, signaling I must eat more food. I have set my timer to sound every hour during the day, and I eat a single food item each hour, without stopping– either a granola bar, tortilla with cheese, premium bar, or otherwise. I do not stop for lunch or any other break. Lately in the trip I do stop for 30 minutes around 4PM for first dinner and a half-hour break, and this allows me enough energy to continue hiking late in the day if I want to– perhaps until 8PM or so. I do not hike fast like younger hikers, but I can hike a long time, “relentless”, so I am told.
A haze cover mountains in the morning. I do not smell any smoke from distant forest fires. Perhaps morning moisture and angle of the sun are factors.
This latest section of trail is really well maintained, with superior drainage structures. A sign was left by trail maintainers, proud of their work.
The trail seems to be ready to climb some ridges, but just goes near for views. Then comes the climb to Indian Ridge Trail at 12.3k.
Finally comes the last high summit A few mountain bikers come by, riding on difficult rocky trails that I did not imagine they would be able to handle.
From high above, one can see Taylor Lake. The trail will climb down 1k feet to pass near the lake, for water at a nearby stream.
The trail passes along a really long talus traverse, perhaps one of the longest I have experienced.
The route climbs down to Junction Creek at 8.5k and a bridge, where more than a half-dozen hikers and bikers are camped. I start climbing late in the day along narrow short switchbacks along very steep mountainside with few prospects for camping. Suddenly a good wide campsite appears near dark at 9.0k. Cowboy camping again, for a last night.
Finally comes my evening routine– eat second dinner, separate out food for tomorrow, sponge bath, change into relatively clean camp clothes, stow food bag, lay out bedding, inflate air mattress and pillow (new equipment this trip) , climb into sleeping quilt with electronics and toiletries nearby, relax.
Finished audiobook Frankenstein (dramatic reading), by Mary Shelley.