CDT - Day 73 - Cochetopa Creek to Middle Mineral Creek

7/6/15 Day 73, Cochetopa Creek M2013.4 to Middle Mineral Creek M2036.9 11,698′

Tent – Nights Spent Alone: 10

23.5, 1379.5 Trip Miles

Partly Sunny, Rain

Day’s of Snow: 7 – Day’s of Rain: 25 – Days of Hail: 13

# of Zero days: 6

6:37to 5:48 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

14 Chipmunks

6 Marmots

5 Ground Squirrels

3 Pikas

1 Cotton Tail Rabbit

Totals

1) 530 Pronghorn*

2) 244 Elk

3) 148 Chipmunks

4) 119 Lizards

5) 116 Wild Horses

6) 81 Deer**

7) 69 Marmot****

8) 50 Squirrels

9) 46 Ground Squirrels

10) 41 Cotton Tail Rabbits

11) 30 Prairie Dogs

12) 22 Horny Roads

13) 23 Pika

14) 17 Jack Rabbit***

15) 11 Moose

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

I was slow to get up this morning. It was a combination of the long day previously, the lumpy bed, the dew and the looks of the elevation profile of the day to come.

It was a day of wet feet from wet grass and muddy trails. At one point I almost lost my shoe in the mud. It went in red and came out brown.

The first part of the day was easy. I walked along a valley and slowly climbed to a saddle on the shoulder of San Luis Peak, which is a 14er. I probably should have climbed it but just didn’t care to at the time.

After that it was climb to a saddle then traverse a bowl then repeat. Four saddles later I reached camp. I did hunker down with Bessy in some trees on San Luis Pass. It looked like a thunder storm was rolling our way. We heard one rumble but that was it. It end up being low clouds and misty rain. (Low meaning under 12k)

I did run into to NoBos today. Spaceman and Thatch. They were very nice and pleasant to talk to. I have not seen a human since and that was around 9 am. My record believe it or not is only 26 hours without seeing another human. It was on the Long Trail in 2003.

There’s a light rain falling at the moment. Lucky I got here early and already had my dinner and a fire. I think that makes about 9 fires on this trip.

I stood and looked around the bowl I’m in and was taken back at the beauty. The places my feet have taken me are amazing! If you all at home could see what I do you’d probably cry like I do sometimes.

My next thought was where is the closest human to me? Where’s the close bear? (I have a White-Crowned Sparrow sign right above me) am I alone out here?

Scatman

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Get out there!