Bumbling About

Ya know what I won’t miss? Ice and frost ALL over my tent and anything I left in my vestibule.

The final night slept like any other night, but I was feeling the excitement of the trail hit my system as I packed up my FREEZING things.  My camping choice was a lower altitude camp near water.  I think my camp was at about 8,522 feet above sea level.  After camping at 12,200, 12,500, or 12,800 you would think that the camping at 8,500 would be nice and warm!  Heck no, my final night had the most ice I’ve had on the entire trail!  Good thing it was my final night.  I stayed dry and plenty warm, but packing a wet and frozen tent is not fun.

I didn’t take many pictures on my final segment.  I was in the hiking zone.  The last miles of the trail was filled with people, but I was the only thru hiker many folks had seen so they constantly stopped to talk.  Which was great, but I kept feeling like a broken record.

There was a false summit though…

I don’t know why this signage exists, but randomly on the trail is this trailhead marker.  Only gravel and dirt leading to it.  I am assuming a road is near this sign, but this was not the terminus of the trail.

BAM

There it is!

I lived through the trail!

I cannot tell you how happy I was to do this trail and how many memories I will be taking from the trail.  The people were amazing, the weather… well, that could have been better, but it was a spectacular experience!

At this point, I need to decide what to do next, but first, beer, meet up with P2P, and then catch a ride with Paul to Grand Junction.  I will miss you CT!

Though day 41 will be the final day, day 40 was a day of appreciation as I looked at the beauty all around me.  The crisp air, the trees, the mountains, and the isolation will all be missed.  I, like many others on the trail, have found that I can be at peace with myself and can do well without others around me constantly.  I can rely on my decisions and can logically work through problems.  I think this trail has also helped me to put certain problems into a perspective that’s appropriate.  I know that sounds like I am trying to compare decisions like, where to camp, get water, and how many miles/altitude to deal with are nothing compared to what is experienced in the workforce, but still.  I believe this trail is what I needed at this point in my life and on this day, I knew I am a better person coming out than I was going in.

A word from the wise, be careful on talus and loose rocks.

Strategery

I have finally faced a section that a different consideration was added to the plans.  Late in the CT, there is a segment where water is scarce.  By scarce, I mean 22 miles between water fill-ups.  While in Silverton, I purchased a 1-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper to bring my max water supply to three liters.  While hiking I found a discarded water bottle, so I figured I would carry 3.75 liters of water for this 22 mile stretch.

This segment had a lot of hunters in it, but that didn’t change the trail.   The trail was a forest walk with spectacular views.  The smell of pine was crisp and the colors amazing.  I love it when the weather and the forest bless me like this!

I carried far too much water, so the night before, I ate double dinners, this morning, hot drinks, and I still had plenty of water to get me to Taylor Lake.

I didn’t need water, so I kept going!