After yesterday’s brutal finish I thought that maybe I am not eating continuously enough during the day. That maybe my fatigue is partly due to lack of calories. I have been munching during the day, but perhaps not enough.
Each night in my tent I have a ritual. First I just lay flat on my back for a few minutes and just let everything relax. I take everything out of my pack and put it in my pack cover rain fly. Now I can see everything. Next, I organize the next day’s breakfast and food to consume while hiking. I put it all in a gallon zip lock bag. Crackers, cheese, salami, gorp, energy bars, etc. This way I can put that bag on the top of my pack and I don’t have to rummage around in the main compartment looking for food during the day. Then I cook dinner. While it is cooking in my cozy I either organize all my stuff or write in my blog. With dinner cooked, I eat, then blow up my sleeping pad and pillow, unstuff my quilt and climb into bed. Now the writing continues or if really tired I nap for a bit. Somewhere in this routine I hook up the iPhone and Apple Watch to my battery pack to charge them up for the next day. The battery pack has been riding in the top compartment of my pack all day connected to my solar panel that is draped over the top of my pack. Every evening it is fully charged and ready to recharge all my devices. As long as the sun shine for a few hours each day I have all the electrons I need.
Today I only saw one person and a new one at that. His name is Cutie. Didn’t get a chance to ask him where he got the name. He is long legged and from a visual inspection of his pack he travels very light. He did me a huge favor. I carry my hanky entangled in my packs chest strap. Somehow my hanky fell off. He found it on the trail and delivered it to me as he caught up.
Today was a big drop of 2000’ over 6 miles, then a 2000’ climb over 5 miles followed by some gentle ups and downs over the next 6 miles.
At 16.4 miles from where I started today, my intended stopping spot, a stream was on FarOut and comments about a wonderful campsite. When I arrive I saw what they meant. It was a wonderful campsite. Level, grassy, fire pit, rushing stream and waterfall. Only detractor was the 25 dead trees surrounding the campsite that could fall at any time! I tried to ignore these trees. I set up my tent and cooked dinner. But I couldn’t shake the fact that anyone of these derelict trees could snuff me out in a terrifying instant. I took down my tent, packed up and hiked up the trail for another 1.2 miles, looking for a place to camp. I found a fairly flat spot next to Middle Ute Creek and set up there. It was a great place with the sound of the rushing creek only 10 feet away.
My solar panel draped over my pack works great. While hiking I have it connected to my 10,000 milliamperes battery pack. At the end of the day my battery pack is full it is big enough to charge all my devices, my watch, phone, inReach PLB and headlamp. I know the next day I can recharge its again to be put in service again. The only drawback is the weight. The panel weighs a pound. The battery half a pound. But I like to be able to charge my devices every night.
Cairns mark the trail across the tundra like environment at 12,000’
Often the trail is more ditch than path. These wooden markers help identify the trail
Some new non-pine trees
Typical scene as I walk the CDT thru the Rockies
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