Last night was so great in the posh Big Rock Campground. Ed and I decided to sleep in until 6:30 a.m., since we had – what we thought – was an easy, relatively flat hike into Grand Lake. Not quite.
On our way before 8 a.m., we quickly clicked off the first mile-plus (2 km) on a gravel road. Then we hit the walk into Grand Lake. It began pretty easily, as we’d envisioned, but soon began to climb up a mountainside next to the lake. Guess I should have checked the elevation chart!
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Making Our Way to Grand Lake
The trail wasn’t great for many, many miles (although it was fine, relatively speaking). It wound uphill and downhill, often on slippery gravel/rock. The shrubbery along the trail was a bit overgrown, and repeatedly snagged our trekking poles.
Eventually it flattened out a bit, but then the trail wound through unsightly burned and blowdown areas. Our pace was slow.
At one point, the trail was pretty eroded and sketchy to hike. We ran into National Park Service personnel rerouting the trail farther inland, due to the erosion. Good plan!
Feeling Grumpy
I admit, I was grumpy, which colored my view of the day. I guess it’s because we assumed this would be a very easy day and, instead, it was challenging. Not just the scruffy terrain, but also the heat and sun. Which, let me say, I’d take over rain any day! Still, when you think you’re getting a walk in the park and it’s challenging, it can make you (or at least me) grumpy.
Eventually, we did make it to Grand Lake. YAY! As we hiked into town, a guy named Steve 
stopped us and insisted on giving us a ride into town. It would only save us a mile (=2 km), but I wanted to hike the entire trail. However, Steve was insistant, noting he always gave rides to CDT hikers.
So I continue to change my mind on what a “real” long-distance hike requires. Sometimes, I’m now thinking, you go with the flow. You take that ride into town that a local so badly wants to give you. En route to our AirBnB, Steve told us CDT hikers get a discount on a hamburger, French fry and ice cream meal at one restaurant. He showed us a local museum and the historical society. He passed on town history. This kind of stuff is priceless.
I am SO GLAD to have a zero day tomorrow!
Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: 14.5 (23.3 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 978.6 (1,574.9 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 2,121.4 (3,414.1 km)
Ed’s most valuable backpacking gear today: This new hiking pillow I got him, which has a strap on the back to keep the pillow on your sleeping pad.
