I have a heavy heart this morning. I just got word that a friend’s husband passed away (cancer) and this comes not even a month after another friend’s husband passed away (cancer). The three of us went to highschool together….we are in our late 30’s, and to have both deaths so close together is mind boggling. I’m hiking for them today. For the inevitability of all of our passing, but in sorrow that theirs was too soon. Missy & Melissa, I love you girls and wish I could be there for you.

The day started with snow. It blew in cold and fast…having looked at the weather report I expected it after noon, giving me time to hike up Mt. Taylor before it hit, but it started early. I fought with the decision to climb it or not, and after the sun had come out for a while and as I hiked toward the mountain, I had a break at the junction. Sure it was cold, but I could at least check out. I headed up the road to the summit trail,  turned a corner and realized the mountain was covered in snow already and it looked to be white-out conditions. Well, I turned around. While I’m solo I still want to be safe and enjoy myself, and that did not look like fun up there. Bummer, on a good day I bet it is a breathtaking view.

It was fun at first!

Getting deeper...

So I hiked on the CDT and got snowed on, and hiked and snow, and break, up because it was too cold for break, snow.

COLD but I was doing ok, I kept changing layers as it got cold then I got warm then the sun came out, anyway….i kept moving until I decided to put up my tarp and have a nice long lunch/nap in my sleeping bag…when I look up and see a pavillion! A shelter with a nice gravel floor! Wow! And cars….hmmm dayhikers?

So I set up all my stuff on the floor under the pavillion and proceeded to stay there for two hours in my sleeping bag. At one point a woman came out of the woods behind me; she had been trail running and that was her car, the other belonged to two other women running with her. People!

Sitting in the pavillion

We chatted for a while as I was still on the floor in my sleeping bag…ha! It was cold! One of the women gave me a banana and the other some crackers, nice!

Then I layed back down and dozed a while when I heard a car drive up the road (dirt forest service road…sometimes you have no idea how used or unused these roads are). Out gets a cop, he was concerned when he say someone laying there on the ground, but once I gave him my story he understood. He drives around now that more roads are open for the season to check things out. Ok, well when he drove off I packed up, I might as well hike some more.

What I looked like to the cop; I was napping.

A repeat of the morning. Snow, sun, warmish, cold, cold, snow…..repeat. At my last water source for the next 25ish miles I strapped 14 pounds of water to my pack, and the going was slow after that.

Wild horses!

I found camp and am DONE. It’s a cold night but I have my SMD tarp staked snug to the ground, and I have the hood of my jacket snug on my head…it’s almost too warm…I got this!

All my gear is doing awesome out here, super happy with what I chose to carry…my new Oboz Luna’s are SICK! I swapped my shoes out in Grants, and these babies were meant for me. We just cruise over the rocks like they’re nothing. I love the agressive soles on these things.

So tomorrow: hiking. Day after: hiking. Day after that: doing what I love, hiking.

And sucking on almond butter packets