6/30/15 Day 67, Twin Lakes to Illinois Stream 9275′
Tent – Nights Spent Alone: 7
21.3, 1233.3 Trip Miles
Mostly Sunny
Day’s of Snow: 7 – Day’s of Rain: 20 – Days of Hail: 11
# of Zero days: 6
6:32 am to 6:15 pm
Gila Crossings Final Total: 221
Tick Count: 4 (4 more crawling on me)
Wanted List
Mountain Goat
Grizzly Bear
Sasquatch
Black Bear
Bighorn Sheep
Velociraptor
Mountain Lion
Beaver
Unicorn
Critter Count
4 Marmot
2 Squirrels
2 Chipmunks
Totals
1) 530 Pronghorn*
2) 169 Elk
3) 119 Lizards
4) 117 Chipmunks
5) 116 Wild Horses
6) 76 Deer**
7) 42 Marmot****
8) 40 Squirrels
9) 40 Cotton Tail Rabbits
10) 35 Ground Squirrels
11) 30 Prairie Dogs
12) 22 Horny Roads
13) 17 Jack Rabbit***
14) 11 Moose
15) 9 Pika
16) 8 Snakes
17) 4 Coyotes
18) 5 Moles
19) 2 Fox
20) 2 Porcupine
21) 2 Rattle Snakes
22) 2 Toads
23) 1 Mouse
24) 1 Skunk
25) 1 Weasel
*181 from car, **3 from car, ***1 from car, ****2 from car
Today involved two climbs over 2,000 feet. The first was Hope Pass, 12,548′ and Lake Ann Pass, 12,588′. They both hurt.
Instead of the play by play I want to discuss my mood. Unlike on the PCT I’m not putting in the big days. In the beginning I had every intention of doing so. Just a few weeks ago I felt like I needed to put them in. Then the state of Colorado decided to kick my ass. As I mentioned the average elevation for the CDT in Colorado is 11,000′. This simple fact is making my world a very tough one.
If I had the energy or power in my legs I would do bigger miles but I don’t. The result is I’ve lost all impetus to want to pound out big miles. Not only that I’m hiking much slower than normal. The bottom line is I’m extremely tired and I’m okay with going slow. It’s not a race.
I’m sure when I get to the Yellowstone area I’ll pump out the 30’s. For now I just want to get back to Chama and not feel like a turd the whole way. I want to enjoy the San Juan Mountains, not simply drag my ass over each pass like today.
The constant high elevation is clearly a huge factor when hiking the CDT. It makes everything more extreme. I just hope I bounce back like I did once I left the Sierra like on the PCT.
Today was beautiful but so very tough. The view as you hike south over Hope Pass is a sight to be seen. The view south from Lake Ann is vastly different. It’s open valley and has a large reservoir, while Hope was filled with large mountains.
Scatman
Brand Ambassador for: Outdoor Research, SuperFeet, Ibex, Julbo, Petzl, Dude Wipes, Platypus, ClifBar and Aqua Mira
@ScatmanAT
Get out there!
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