Monday, September 2nd

Monday, September 2nd. Day 76

Today's miles = 15.1 Total CDT miles = 1,128.3

This morning as I was packing up my stuff to begin hiking I see a North Bound hiker crossing the bridge over the stream. I waved and in return he said, "Spins?!". I couldn't see well enough to make out who it was but by the voice it sounded like Stylz. Stylz is a guy I met in Damascus Virginia while thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. I then ran into him again on the AT somewhere in New England. Stylez also hiked the PCT last year and I actually finished the trail the same day with him and lent him my rain pants (as he had to hike back to Hearts Pass after the PCT in a snow storm). He then mailed my pants back to me with a thank you hat that actually fit my hair! I have not seen Stylz since the last day on the PCT and here I am standing in the middle of the Godforsaken desert and he comes walking up. He joined Baboon and I for breakfast as we talked about the trails and the water situation for the desert. He had attempted a North Bound thru hike of the CDT this year but had to get off in Colorado due to a family illness. Now he is just back out here for however long, I'm not sure.

After talking to Stylez for a while I finally got on trail around 10am. The hike today was hot and dry...it being the desert and all. Qball and Saftey Officer, two fellow South Bound thru hikers whom I had yet to meet came walking by this morning while I was taking a break on the side of a car trail. I talked to them for a bit before they took off again at a pace that could almost be called running. The rest of the day was uneventful until around 5pm when the clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, and the sky let loose. Now, I am in the Divide desert basin. I was unhappy about yet fully prepared for the heat, the dry air, and the almost complete lack of water and shade. What I was not prepared for was a full blown thunder and lightening storm with winds strong enough to knock me off balance. Ironically enough, this afternoon before the storm Monkey was listening to an audio book about the Geology of Wyoming when I overheard it say that it rains about once per year in the Divide Basin. Imagine that. The winds were so strong that I could barely set up my tent. I set up surrounded by piles of old cow shit. I couldn't touch the ground without touching it. In the end I didn't care. I was in the middle of a storm in the desert where I was easily the tallest thing around for miles and I knew I needed the safty of the tent. The cow shit mattered less at that moment.

I'm camped at the last water source for 30 miles. I need to bulk up on water and hike as far as I can tomorrow to get to that next water. It's the going to be a rough day tomorrow for sure.