7/11/15 Day 78, Saddle M2083.5 to Meadow M2110.1 1o, 536′
Tent – Nights Spent Alone: 10
26.6, 1452.6 Trip Miles
Mostly Sunny,
Day’s of Snow: 8 – Day’s of Rain: 29 – Days of Hail: 13
# of Zero days: 7
6:30 am – 6:45 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
Wolf
Buffalo
Critter Count
34 Elk
9 Marmots
5 Deer
2 Pika
1 Chipmunk
Totals
1) 530 Pronghorn*
2) 281 Elk
3) 153 Chipmunks
4) 119 Lizards
5) 116 Wild Horses
6) 96 Marmot****
7) 89 Deer**
8) 50 Squirrels
9) 46 Ground Squirrels
10) 41 Cotton Tail Rabbits
11) 39 Pika
12) 30 Prairie Dogs
13) 22 Horny Toads
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 forgot to turn my alarm on last night and we got a late start. It cost us about 2 miles. Neither Rafiki or I wanted to cook and then climb 2 two miles at 7:30 pm. We had already done 26. The reality is we need to do the miles so our last day into Wolf Creek isn’t a monster.
Today started slow and the views were great. As the day went on it got harder and the views became incredible. Today was single handily the best visual day of the trip. It may top all three trails. I’m not sure I want to say that just yet.
Many times during the day I brought myself to tears at looking what lay in front of me. The beauty was so intense. Of course I took tons of pictures but they won’t do it justice. Seeing what I saw today completely confirms my decision to flip up to Wyoming and Southbound back to Cumbres Pass.
I dreamed of the San Juan’s being lush and green. Pockets of snow clinging to slopes and higher peaks. Marmots, Pikas and Elk abound. This is what I have gotten. It’s magical. Words cannot do these mountains justice. One must see them to fully grasp their grandeur.
Scatman
Brand Ambassador for: Outdoor Research, SuperFeet, Ibex, Julbo, Petzl, Dude Wipes, Platypus, ClifBar, Feed The Machine, and Aqua Mira
@scatmanat
Get out there!
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