Before I left home, I had contacted a trail angel, Mike, who was supposed to pick me up from the east end of Twin Lakes yesterday. But, of course, Pieter and Liz dropped me off in town on Thursday night because of the water filter issue, and yesterday I did an out-and-back on the trail. That meant I had a free (zero) day today.
But after looking at my planned mileage to get from here to Copper Mountain, my next town stop, I decided it would be great to trim down those miles, knowing now how difficult the trail is in these parts. So I asked Mike if he could drop me off today at the (nearby) Mt. Massive Trailhead north of town so I could hike back to the inn. That will allow me to trim about 2 miles per day (3.2 km) once I strike out for Copper Mountain.
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Heading South from the Mt. Massive Trailhead
The day dawned cloudy and cool, after evening storms last night. I see rain is predicted to hit every day for the next week. Rats. But it wouldn’t be so bad to get rained on today, since I’m just slackpacking with a tiny pack. So I tossed in my raincoat and some snacks and water, then jumped in the car with Mike.
Amazingly, Mike’s mother was from Sun Prairie, my hometown. That’s pretty crazy. He drove me past an area where they are mining for gold (!) and discussed the La Plata fire, which they’re saying was started by an abandoned campfire. It’s raging and not contained.
En route to the trailhead, we passed a gazillion people car camping. It was so unusual compared to this last week on the trail.
Trekking Back to Town
Today’s hike was just lovely for so many reasons. First, I had a light pack and could make great time, even on the uphills. While there were a few steeper uphills, a lot of the mileage was downhill. Most of the trail was tucked into shady forests and not great, exposed areas.
I saw SO MANY spots that would have been great for camping! They were flat, spacious 
and on soft, cushy pine needles. I really hope I can find good sites like these when I head out tomorrow.
While the day began cool and cloudy, the sun eventually came out and it didn’t rain after all. I know I won’t be able to dodge the rain this week, as it’s still predicted every day through next Thursday. But maybe it will be short-lived or overnight. I hope!
Tonight Shroomer and I are again having dinner. This would have been my dad’s 91st birthday, so I will toast him tonight with his favorite drink, a brandy old-fashioned. Cheers, Dad!
Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: 7.7 (12.4 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 880.3 (1,416.7 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 2,219.7 (3,572.3 km)
