Day 5- 8/20/18, 13.4mi, 2291 elevation
Rock Creek mi 64.4-Jefferson Creek mi 77.9
Donut Leaves Us and we Take it Easy
77.9 mikes in!! What?!? Only 400 to go- oh right.
Donut wanted help hitching at Kenosha Pass, so Rouge and I agreed to meet him there and help find him a ride to Jefferson. Well, when he got to Kenosha, his pack stay had busted out and was poking him in the back. So he said he was gonna have to bail and just meet us in Breckenridge in a couple of days. So we ended up securing this ride for him with this guy who was going mushrooms hunting down by Buena Vista. Then was gonna drop off Donut when he headed back to Denver in the evening at Dillon. So Donut got to go mushroom hunting….but he also gets to eat pizza tonight. Yum, pizza. My stomach just growled!
So after spending a couple of hours at Kenosha Pass helping Donut get a hitch and talking with some other Betsi and Stephani, we decided to head to the base of Georgia Pass. Not too far, it would make the miles come out for the next few days and we could take it easy after our long day yesterday.
We had three creeks after Kenosha Pass with significant water! Up to this point water sources have been pretty iffy.
We have seen a few more thru hikers! Met a couple of ladies who started at seg 4 and are hiking to Salida. They are Betsi and Stephani, in their 50/60’s and have hiked all over. They are fun, so we camped with them last night, tonight and probably tomorrow night too. We also met a hiker lady, Casey, going through just about 30 min before dusk. She was wondering how far up the mountain she would need to hike before she hit water. Hiking 30+mi days. Her knee was giving her a bit of a time, but she had hiked the PCT a couple of years ago. Planned 3 weeks (21 days) for the CT. She made it too! Fun to meet and connect with her, inspiration….
Most thankful for …. a warm fleece bag liner and a good down quilt b/c I slept well through doe pretty cold temps last night!
I saw God today….. this morning was COLD!! We shook frost from our tents this morning! I woke up around 5:30 and it took a few minutes to get motivated but I got dressed packed up and left to find a warmer spot to eat breakfast. It was SO pretty with these clouds moving across the mountain tops and valleys. My God moment was when I reached a ride just past Johnson Gulch and sun was shining on this wonderful spot to eat and reflect on God’s Glory!!
What I ate for supper…Mac and cheese with bacon bits. It was so good!!! Yum!
Fun Story…. well I know I have arrived as a hiker b/c I got asked by a guy if I needed a ride while I was at Kenosha Pass! And I thought hitching would be hard. Well, turns out I didn’t but a guy who was hiking with us did. So that’s how you do it- just sit under a CO Trail sign and eat lunch. No thumbs needed.
What I learned today… that longer is not always better. We only went 13.4 today and that was just fine! In fact we’ll probably have two more 13’s into Breckenridge. We decided to take it easy since we are still breaking in our bodies to this kind of work. Michaela (Rouge) is still having issues with her left knee, and at times today her right ankle. My feet are still a bit sore and my left knee acts up in prolonged uphill action. So we backed off took it slow with several longer breaks and still made it to camp by 4:30. We also had two ladies agree to join us there! Yay! Camp company I am becoming trail social. I love meeting the people hiking the trail.
Most favorite part of the day…breakfast and the morning hike to Kenosha Pass
Least favorite part of the day…Sitting around camp after we got here. I am starting to get to the point where longer days would be fine with me. I do get a bit bored on camp for that long.
Most useful gear of the day…phone and the too-large powerbank I carry to charge all my electronics. It allows me to use my phone for photos, texing, calls, audiobooks or music, In-Reach messages, Guthook app and also journaling for the blog in the evenings in my tent.
Food of the day…Justin’s dark choc peanut butter cup!!! Given to us by the guy who gave Donut a ride at Kenosha Pass. AWESOME!!
Song of the day…in Christ Alone, and Unlocked Doors by John Fullbright
What do I do during breaks…. well today I texted and posted to FB and WordPress. Got tired of waiting on Instagram so I gave up on it. I look ahead at water sources and camp locations. I try (unsuccessfully) to not look at the elevation profiles. Sometimes too much info can be harmful to a person’s psyche. I also eat, drink water, clean my feet and socks, talk with other hikers. Take my shoes off and put my feet up rest my back by laying down. Etc. Etc. Oh and never underestimate chocolate!