Monday, September 9th. Day 83
Today's miles = 12 Total CDT miles = 1,263.9
I slept in this morning because I did not get any sleep last night. I fell asleep finally around 3am and slept until 4:30 when Baboon's alarm went off. An hour and a half was not enough sleep so I went back to sleep for another hour or so before I finally decided that I couldn't stay in my tent all day. It was still raining when I ate my Poptart all curled up in my sleeping bag. It hadn't stopped raining since it started last night around 7pm. It mellowed to a sprinkle as I was packing up this morning and continued to sprinkle until I reached the road to town. The hike to the road was pretty easy after Bridger Peak and I was able to get to the road by 11am despite how tired I was from having not slept very much last night. By the time I got to the road the sprinkle had turned into a storm and the rain was flying in every direction due to the crazy winds. The wind was bone chilling and after about 5 minutes standing on the side of the road at Battle Pass I couldn't feel my hands or feet. I had my umbrella but the rain was coming at me from every direction it seemed. It was perfect hypothermia weather! I had sent ahead most of my warm gear to Steamboat Springs to be able to carry all the water for the desert so I didn't have essential gear items that I usually carry. But I was in the desert up until yesterday and who would have thought a storm like this would have rolled in? I was done hiking and trying to hitch into town but unfortunately no one was picking us up. Probably because they didn't want dirty wet hikers in their car. But it was freezing and I was just about being blown over...did no one have a soul?? After about an hour of torture standing there I decided that I most certainly would get hypothermia if I didn't make an effort not to. So, I took shelter in the privy at the pass and made some hot tea for Baboon and I. We took a break from hitching to try to warm ourselves up before trying the hitch again. 2 1/2 hours later a man finally stopped and drove us into town. It was by far the most miserable and cold moment I have had on the CDT so far. I couldn't believe how the weather changed so drastically in the matter of a day. I was in the desert one day and by the next morning stuck in a storm on top of a pass with a wind chill below freezing.
The man drove us to the post office to pick up our packages then drove us to Riverside. Riverside had a bar and we were both in need of a drink. While in the car we saw Panama and Bethany walking on the street. They told us they got a cabin for the night and to go there and warm up. So, we went to the cabins first. The cabin was 50 dollars for two double beds and a bathroom. We definitely got what we paid for but it did the trick. I got a warm(ish) shower (after a late lunch across the street) and a bed to curl up in. It's amazing how quickly you can forget how physically miserable you felt when you're in dry clothes in a bed. I forgot instantly that I was frozen to the bone in a storm. Same goes for the trail in general. After a trail you go home and a few weeks later you forget just how miserable moments and days can be out here. You forget all the pain and discomfort. Then moments like today happen and you wonder why the hell you ever came back out here on a trail. And then a car stops, lets you pile in, and takes you to a town where you can shower and sleep in a bed then suddenly your ready to get back out there again. Funny how that is.
Once I was in bed after my shower I was in bed for the rest of the night. Baboon, Panama, and Bethany went across the street for dinner and drinks... and I laid in bed. I was exhausted from having not slept and being in the storm. I didn't eat. I didn't move. Eventually I feel asleep.
Today's miles = 12 Total CDT miles = 1,263.9
I slept in this morning because I did not get any sleep last night. I fell asleep finally around 3am and slept until 4:30 when Baboon's alarm went off. An hour and a half was not enough sleep so I went back to sleep for another hour or so before I finally decided that I couldn't stay in my tent all day. It was still raining when I ate my Poptart all curled up in my sleeping bag. It hadn't stopped raining since it started last night around 7pm. It mellowed to a sprinkle as I was packing up this morning and continued to sprinkle until I reached the road to town. The hike to the road was pretty easy after Bridger Peak and I was able to get to the road by 11am despite how tired I was from having not slept very much last night. By the time I got to the road the sprinkle had turned into a storm and the rain was flying in every direction due to the crazy winds. The wind was bone chilling and after about 5 minutes standing on the side of the road at Battle Pass I couldn't feel my hands or feet. I had my umbrella but the rain was coming at me from every direction it seemed. It was perfect hypothermia weather! I had sent ahead most of my warm gear to Steamboat Springs to be able to carry all the water for the desert so I didn't have essential gear items that I usually carry. But I was in the desert up until yesterday and who would have thought a storm like this would have rolled in? I was done hiking and trying to hitch into town but unfortunately no one was picking us up. Probably because they didn't want dirty wet hikers in their car. But it was freezing and I was just about being blown over...did no one have a soul?? After about an hour of torture standing there I decided that I most certainly would get hypothermia if I didn't make an effort not to. So, I took shelter in the privy at the pass and made some hot tea for Baboon and I. We took a break from hitching to try to warm ourselves up before trying the hitch again. 2 1/2 hours later a man finally stopped and drove us into town. It was by far the most miserable and cold moment I have had on the CDT so far. I couldn't believe how the weather changed so drastically in the matter of a day. I was in the desert one day and by the next morning stuck in a storm on top of a pass with a wind chill below freezing.
The man drove us to the post office to pick up our packages then drove us to Riverside. Riverside had a bar and we were both in need of a drink. While in the car we saw Panama and Bethany walking on the street. They told us they got a cabin for the night and to go there and warm up. So, we went to the cabins first. The cabin was 50 dollars for two double beds and a bathroom. We definitely got what we paid for but it did the trick. I got a warm(ish) shower (after a late lunch across the street) and a bed to curl up in. It's amazing how quickly you can forget how physically miserable you felt when you're in dry clothes in a bed. I forgot instantly that I was frozen to the bone in a storm. Same goes for the trail in general. After a trail you go home and a few weeks later you forget just how miserable moments and days can be out here. You forget all the pain and discomfort. Then moments like today happen and you wonder why the hell you ever came back out here on a trail. And then a car stops, lets you pile in, and takes you to a town where you can shower and sleep in a bed then suddenly your ready to get back out there again. Funny how that is.
Once I was in bed after my shower I was in bed for the rest of the night. Baboon, Panama, and Bethany went across the street for dinner and drinks... and I laid in bed. I was exhausted from having not slept and being in the storm. I didn't eat. I didn't move. Eventually I feel asleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment