Day 4 – Thursday 7/16/2020 – 1319.7 – clear skies, sunny, hot, dry. I woke too early and tried to go back to sleep. I got up at 4:25 am and was on the trail at about 4:55 am. I had a pop tart along with some MIO and vitamin I (AKA Advil or Ibuprofen) for breakfast. The pop tart is quicker and easier that Raisin Bran. I like being energized with MIO and I did the first 6 miles in two hours. I am still on a dual track road. There are rolling ups and downs. It’s getting hotter and the sun is blazing. I finally took out my umbrella which allowed me to take off my hat. There was a cool breeze – it felt great. At mile 1313 I came across a northbound thru-hiker. We stopped and chatted. His trail name is Ginger Balls. He said the next three waters were icky but the best one he’s found is after that. I’ll get to it tomorrow because it’s too far for me today. I got to my goal at 12:15 pm. That’s quite good, but quite early in the day. My lunch was tasty especially the apple and cheddar cheese along with a 1/4 ham slice. I set up my tent and I am hanging out in it. The wind is gusting. The sun makes the tent like a sauna. So I have the umbrella open inside my tent to shade me and make me be cooler. I’m sweating regardless. Dinner of potato cheddar soup was so-so. I won’t buy that one again. While in my tent I did my daily chores. Now I’m waiting for it to cool down before I try to sleep.
Category: Daily Log
Daily Log: Day 3
Meetup: Day 3 – Wednesday 7/15/2020 – 1300.3 – sunny, hot. I got up at 4:36 am and was on trail by 5:23 am. I’m finding that eating Raisin Bran isn’t good right now. I seem to be choking it down. So I’m switching to pop tarts next. I only have 9 miles. It should only take me to 9 am to get there. The trail was a double track road. It isn’t exciting but so much easier than cross country point to point across brush & sage. Along the way I passed more markers for the California Trail and its Seminoe Cutoff and the Oregon Trail. Near the end was a CDT paddock with two cases of water and a register. I sat a few minutes and wrote in it. The previous entry was NOBO on 7/11, four days ago. Immediately after leaving I noticed a stick or something in the distance silhouetted on a hill. My next glance showed it had moved to the right. Then my next glance it was gone from the top and appeared to be moving down. I was less than a mile from our meetup and it was Justin coming to meet me. Sweet! We walked back to the Jeep together talking about our adventures for the past three days. The rest of the day was resting, eating, cleaning, and prepping for the next section. He offered to cook breakfast but I wanted to leave early so instead he cooked sausage, scrambled eggs with cheese in a bun for lunch. Yummy! The afternoon included a short drive to a hilltop where we got cell reception. I was able to post a bunch of pictures to my CDT blog. Because hiker hunger hasn’t struck me he made small burgers with chips for dinner. Now it’s time for cowboy camping again beside his Jeep. I’m in my warmer sleeping bag tonight. There are cows about but generally they stay away. Tomorrow I’m going to try pushing it a bit to cut the distance to the meetup from 2.4 days to just 2. It’ll be my first MIO and Advil (ibuprofen) day. Good night all.
Daily Log: Day 2
Day 2 – Tuesday 7/14/2020 – 1291.3 – woke at 4:30 am and hiking at 5:15 am. I was a long way from the trail, but surprisingly it didn’t take long to get back on it. The first bit was point to point over chaparral but then I got on a dirt road which is so much easier. I passed by Oregon and California trail markers. At 1 pm I stopped for lunch at Weasel Spring and I should have stopped for the day but there were no good camping spots. So I went on and finally tented on a grassy flat with cows. They weren’t happy and moved off. I’m hiking on the high plains 8700’. There are no trees. The morning starts out calm but as the day progresses the wind gusts from 5-15 mph. My little tent is not good in wind. With no trees there are no wind breaks. Nor are there any flat open areas. Everywhere is sandy soil and low to the ground bushes. The soil is very compact and hard to push in tent stakes. Today I had to use a rock as a tent stake hammer.
Daily Log: Day 1
Start: Day 1 – Monday 7/13/2020 – ended at mile 1271.0. I woke at first light around 4:30 am, packed up, ate Raisin Bran for breakfast, and headed out at 5:18 am. The morning was cool and partially cloudy. Cheerfully I marched along. I consulted my Guthook app regularly to stay on the trail. The sun came out on my right and I said my normal “Good morning Sun”. After about 2 hours I had done 5 miles. I was movin’! So I looked at my mileage and it said I was at mile 1253 and had done 4.9 miles. Suddenly at that moment I realized that I had hiked NORTH and I should have been going south. OMG! I immediately sent a satellite message to Justin [“You won’t believe what I did, I WENT NORTH OMG, I’m 5 miles in and heading back.” Jul 13, 2020 8:04 AM]. I turned around and started speed hiking back the way I came. I kept thinking of all our plans for the next 3 days we’re kaput. Finally I could see the tiny Jeep in the distance. I worried he’d drive off before I got back to the Jeep. Made it. Justin was still there. I told him my terrible goof. I got some water and headed off now in the right direction. I was nearly running to make up the lost miles and time. By 11 I had hiked the number of miles I had planned, but there was no where to stop. I needed water and the next one was way off trail and 6 miles away. So on I trudged. I got there but I was exhausted and the water was littered with cow dung – ugh – not great. Nevertheless I put up my tent. The wind is rattling it. I hope tomorrow is less stressful.
Daily Log: Pre-Hike/Day 0
Prehike 0 – Sunday 7/12/2020 – I will be starting at Guthook’s Southbound mile 1257.6 – We drove from about 7 am until 6:30 pm. It was a long day. We chatted as we drove and the time went by easily. I helped drive, but Justin did the vast majority. At the pull off we found the CDT trail marker and knew we had arrived. I did my final prep as Justin talked to Stephanie on the phone – amazing, we had cell service! After a dinner of chicken, carrots and snow peas I set up my bed – again cowboy camping behind the Jeep with Justin on the roof tent. I plan on leaving as soon as I wake up so we said our goodbyes and our see you soons.
Daily Log: Pre-Hike/Day -1
Prehike -1 – Saturday 7/11/2020 – On way to South Pass City WY with Justin in his Jeep. We stopped at Rita Blanca National Grassland for the night. I set up my tent while Justin cooked dinner. Then we sat down in chairs with his table and our plates to eat. A delightful beer later we were done eating and chatting. We looked at the sky in the distance and it looked very threatening. Within five minutes the wind started to blow. It pulled two tent stakes out and my tent collapsed. Hurriedly we got up and started scrambling. Plates away. Table and chairs into the Jeep. I went over and got my tent in my arms and stuffed it into the Jeep. The wind continued to blow. We sat in the Jeep and waited. A front went through. The sky got darker. Next the rain started. And then boom – the lighting began. Flash, flash, Boom, boom. The lightening travelled past us. The rain fell steadily and lightly. The sky behind cleared. and then it was all past. So I began to set up my tent. And in the trailing edge of the storm the wind picked up and rattled the tent. What should I do? The wind was getting stronger and so I decided to put it away. Justin offered that I could sleep in the roof tent, but I finally decided to rough it and cowboy camp – no tent, just under the stars. He angled the Jeep into the wind and he helped me hold down the tent drop cloth while I put down my mat and sleeping bag. It was now 10 pm and dark, so I laid down. Justin climbed into the roof tent. The wind was vicious and blew sand into my face. But overtime the wind died down. It got hot again and I unzipped my sleeping bag into a semi-quilt. Finally around 1 am I fell asleep. Wow, that was something! What a way to start an adventure.
