11th July
32.6 miles
Dirt road (1237.1) to Highway camp (1269.7)
It was windy during the night. At least it was on the several occasions that I woke. It promised to be an exciting day. The last big hill to climb before the long hot descent to the Great Wyoming basin. Well, not quite but it’s not that far away. I’m looking forward to it. Bring on the heat and flat terrain.
I was moving slow in the climbs in the morning. So was Lucky. Maybe the last couple of big days were catching up to us. This section promised to have little water. A 32 mile waterless section was mentioned. A more detailed look at the map revealed water, but it was off the trail. I just had to hope that the blue line on the map had water. Turns out it did have water. A cow dung infested river. Despite the dull brown colour of the water it tasted great.
We walked until late. Following the busy sealed highway. Jumping a barbed wire fence we camped in a farmers field with the cows. Let’s hope the cows and traffic allow me to sleep. Very tired after hiking over 32 miles, my biggest day so far.
Next – Day 86 The Kindness of Strangers
Everything you need to know about hiking the CDT:
Complete Guide to Hiking the Continental Divide Trail
CDT Resupply Guide
CDT Gear List
Your mileage accomplishments for the past couple of days have been totally amazing….WOW is all I can say.
Be Safe.
Thanks Bob. The trail is getting easier everyday as the high mountains of Colorado fall away behind me
Great photos, as always.
Thanks Donna
I always laugh when you say that the water looked terrible but tasted great! Great to see that you are making such great progress. Your pictures are so breathtaking! Thanks for sharing your adventure!
Thanks Mike. It seemed to happen a lot that the water tastes great
Weather fore-casted to be in the 90s next week, and that’s up here!
Great. Just like home, I love the heat