Day 96 – High School

I slept well. A combination of things had put me in a good state of mind. I got to camp early. The camp was level with an easy bear hanging branch nearby, I ate well, rain was only a remote possibility and people were nearby (with their dogs.) I was also dressed right. I wore my rain jacket over my wool base layer shirt and I wore my hiking shorts. I was on the edge of being too warm in the evening and too cold in the morning.

My alarm went off at 5:15. I turned it off and allowed myself to get out of bed when it was light enough to see. Without looking at my watch, I broke camp. Would I get out of camp before 7? Or would it be later? I really hoped it would be 6:30, but it turned out to be exactly 7. Since I am not doing many daily miles on this trail, I am OK with that .

Formations

Those strange rock formations continue this morning for a few miles. You can tell that people enjoy them because the are surrounded by smooth paths made by human foot traffic.

The trail looks a lot like it did yesterday – medium-size pines with lots of space between them.

Why aren’t the pines more crowded? Is this from natural growth or does the Forestry Service thin the pines. And then I see this.

Is this how Colorado concentrates deadwood, or were these piles originally made from live trees. I am very curious. My guess is that these stacks are burned when there is low chance for fire, like during the winter. It’s a great idea, but so labor intensive.

Little ones

There are so many people in the trail today – mountain bikers, trail runners, section hikers and people just out for a stroll. One family goes by with a little one. The tike might be two. “Nothing like getting them out here early,” I say. The big sister (the only one with a pack) shows me a handful of gum drops. “We have to bribe him with these,” she says. I reply, “Sour gummy worms is what keep me going!”

It is unfortunate for this little mushroom to have grown right in the middle of the trail. But boy does it look happy!

With the forest so healthy around me, the views are just not there. This is the closest thing to a panorama I see all day.

But there are other delightful moments.

Elevation training

One of the reasons I chose to hike the Colorado Trail is that its elevation matches the elevation I will find in the PCT Sierra. Today’s hike will take me above 9500 feet for the first time. Let me tell you, it is not easy to get used to. There is no looking around and enjoying the beauty when climbing up a steep grade. It’s one foot in front of the other all the way. My legs feel fine, but I just can’t breathe.

Talking to one young man who wants to hike the PCT next year, I tell him how much higher it is here. He looks disappointed. “Are there no high mountains on the PCT?” he asks. “Sure there are, but the northern half never exceeds 8000 ft.” We are at about 9000 feet as we talk. The trail goes up and up.

The aspens really thrive at these higher altitudes. I am surprised at how big they are.

I can’t help feeling as I walk among the aspens, that I am being watched.

It has been a hard day of hiking. Colorado has taken me to school. At lunch I had to simply lay down for 15 minutes just to catch my breath and arrest my heart rate. Camping at these high altitudes tonight should also help.

Settling

With no rain in the forecast, I am “cowboying” it in camp. I walked past someone else cowboying this morning, and that increased my confidence to try it tonight. However, the earplugs are going in. While I have hung my food and removed all snacks from my pack, I don’t need any animal drama tonight.

• September 5
• Starting CT marker: 28
• Ending CT marker: 45
• CT miles hiked today: 17
• Total CT miles hiked: 45
• Total miles hiked: 1287
• Animals: mule deer doe