Dumb move. That’s all I can say. Taking my eye off the ball as it comes speeding at me. Not life threatening or a catastrophe, but maddening nonetheless.
I’m on my own now. Not hiking or camping with anyone so I default to my normal schedule. Wake at 5:30am, wolf down 3/4 cup of granola with a third of a cup of milk while letting the air out of my mattress and stuff my sleeping bag, place everything in my rain cover for my pack, set it outside the tent, collapse and roll the tent, then put everything in my pack, double check that I am not leaving anything and on the trail by 6ish. This morning it was 6:10am.
It was really cold and I was in the trees, pines, junipers and birches (they have not even started to bud) so the early morning sun was not going to warm me. The trail oscillated up and down each half mile, the up parts welcome as the exertion warmed me up. About 7 miles along I did something for the first time in over 400 miles - I tripped and fell. Usually this happens about once a day, but I have been careful. The trail was soft so the landing was gentle. I did however get dirt on the RX bar I was munching on at the time (probably the cause).
It was fun to hike on actual trail instead of road for nearly the first 10 miles. Then it turned into road for the rest of the day. Two track dirt roads, the kind you need a jeep with lots of ground clearance to negotiate.
I’ve been listening the the audiobook “The Emerald Mile” about about a speed run down the Grand Canyon in 1983, performed during a time of extreme spring melt off when the Glen Canyon Dam upstream could not hold back the runoff and the release of water in the Grand Canyon was at record levels. The book has excellent history of the canyon and of dams in America.
Today, I was right about the climax of the book. Our three hero’s were in their dory hitting outrageous rapid after outrageous rapid on their speed run. I, on the other hand, was motoring down the trail entranced by the book. I was supposed to be looking out for my only water supply of the day. I knew it was coming up in the next mile or two. It was off the trail a couple hundred yards, a cattle trough at mile 11.9 for the day.
I walked right by it.
About three quarters of a mile later I came out of my revery about the book and wondered where the water was. Must be just up ahead. When I looked at the FarOut app on my phone it said it was .75 miles back. For a minute I was confused. I passed it? Nah. The app must be wrong. Restart the app just I be sure. Still says the same thing. DAMN! That means I have to walk the wrong way for three quarters of a mile, load up with 3 liters of water and then walk that chunk of trail for a third time. How stupid! That extra mile and a half will shorten the distance I can go today.
Ever since yesterday I have been on a huge plateau. The elevation has allowed pine trees and birch trees along with the junipers and grasses. I saw five elk gallop away that I startled.
After covering 23.7 miles (really 1.5 miles less than that due to missing the water and having to retrace my steps) I was on the edge of a huge meadow. My position was just above it giving me a wonderful view. I set up my tent under a spreading pine tree with the opening facing the view. Also, I was only 30 feet off the trail so I could see who else was on the trail that might pass me. Sure enough, within an hour the parade started. First was Lee and Sue, the Tony’s from Colorado. Then came Aaron (now called Legs) and Grit followed a few minutes later by Kingo and Peppermint. Kingo and Peppermint stoped and ate in front of my tent so we got a chance to talk. As the evening edged toward night they decided to camp a hundred feet away.
Except for tripping and falling and missing a water supply, it was a great day.
Beautiful forest of birch and pine.
My first water source of the day, but I had enough to get me to the next source, which I walked right by.
One of the thousand of CDT trail markers. They tilt them so the “T” points the way. Look, real trail.
Back to rutted roads for the route
This is the water source I missed
The view from inside my tent. Very nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment