Meetup: Day 15 – Monday 7/27/2020 – 1505.9 – partially cloudy, sunny, hot in sun – I woke at 4:45 am and on trail at 5:35 am. My first climb was slow and steady. It was not bad. I took double breaths and small steps. I made it to the top without stopping to catch my breathe. There was a long descent and I tried to not use my poles. At about 7.5 miles I took a detour to skip a bridge that was out. I got water when the detour rejoined the actual trail. Most of the rest of the day I was hiking a single track trail. I listened to my audio book to make the time pass. The last climb had worried me but it was not bad. I met Mappy, a section hiker, part way up. The sun made it quite hot for the last little road walk. Justin was waiting at the trailhead. So so nice to see him. I immediately started doing chores – especially preparing to do laundry, but first a shower for stinky ol’ me. After my shower we sat in the shade as I washed and rinsed my clothes. I hung them all over the Jeep to dry. The hot sun made drying quick work. I’ve switched to new shoes and socks – Oboz and Injinjis. Our dinner was pork burritos. Yum! We’ve decided to combine the next two sections into one. So our next planned meetup is canceled at Buffalo Pass. If all goes well I’ll see him in two days at Rabbit Ear Pass. However I have my biggest climb yet – 3500 feet in 8 miles.
