03 1755.1 6/17/2021 sunny, clear. Woke at 4:45 and was on trail at 5:20. Lots of mosquitoes buzzing my head so I ate fast. Later the mosquitoes were so bad I put my bug net on. First thing was a climb. Lots of huffing and puffing. Gotta get in shape. At the crest I began to encounter more blow downs. All day was one blowdown after another. Some were stacked six feet high. I would try to hike over but many required me to stop, climb up and descend. Bunches of blow downs looked impenetrable. I tried to go around but getting off trail is unsettling. And all I did was encounter more blowdowns. It’s exhausting. In four hours I did four miles. Embrace the brutality is the CDT. Today was brutal. I ended at 3 pm and covered about 7-8 miles. Oh and somewhere I lost my sleeping mat but still have my air mattress. And I ripped my pants on a stick and sewed them up. Tomorrow is 10 miles to Justin – OMG it might take me even longer.
