Before I talk about today’s trek to Sargents Mesa Trailhead, a quick recap on last night. I found an OK campsite (a little slanted) and, as I noted last night, a little rain came while I was in my tent. Well, in the middle of the night it rained quite a bit. I heard a hiker go by in the rain at 4 a.m. Yikes!
When I got up, everything was wet, but at least I could pack up in dry weather. I got on the trail by 8 a.m., hoping to squeeze in an extra mile so I can make it to the trailhead leading to Lake City on Sunday. It was not meant to be.
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Tough Trek from Marshall Pass
Suffice it to say the day went like this: Sprinkles on and off, so I kept covering my backpack and putting on my poncho, only to have the rain stop. Lots of steep hills, one of which lasted several miles. That’s just so hard, especially with a too-heavy pack. The downhills and flats were super rocky, so I couldn’t make up any time. And lots of dead trees from 
some insect, so not the prettiest in many parts.
While I feel like I’m drinking plenty of water, I can tell from my urine and my lack of hunger that I’m actually dehydrated. It didn’t help that at the last water stop, I filled three liters – but then ended up dumping two because I was on miles of uphill and it was just too heavy. Hoped another water source would pan out, but it didn’t.
Bummer End of Day
Just as I was reaching a few miles of downhill, it began to rain. The downhill was rocky, my pack was killing me and there was no way I wanted to add 1 mile at the end (1.6 km). It sounds silly, but I was beat.
It’s been raining on and off since I set up camp, and it’s pretty cold already. So reaching Lake City on Sunday is almost a guaranteed no. We’ll see, though. Maybe I’ll suddenly adjust to the hills and elevation. Ha!
Oh, I ran into a lovely young woman hiking the CT – Bubbles from Minneapolis. But she powered past me and I’m sure I won’t see her again.
Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: 15.1 (24.3 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 506.4 (815 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 2,593.6 (4,174 km)
