Day 85

Lately I can’t sleep well in motels. I woke up repeatedly, ready to get moving, but it was still dark out. Once I knew the continental breakfast was open, I was up, eating and gone very quickly. As an aside, I am no longer a coffee snob… drinking lots of crappy drip coffee on this trip!

Got out to the highway, third car picked me up – a nice Navaho guy on his way to work. Leadville was easy hitches – first car on my way into town. The trail was deep in forest most of the day, traversing around Mt Massive, a 14,000ft peak. I had glimpses of it, and across the giant valley to Leadville all day. I’m still on the Colorado Trail, so great tread all the way!

I spent some time last night frustratingly trying to order some cooler weather gear, and today had the bright idea to pass it off to a friend – I had been doing it on my iPhone and just couldn’t find what I needed. I found some cell service and sent off an email, hopefully it works out.

My thoughts were with Gadget, who I know is struggling with the weather and big climbs. Last I had heard he was thinking of getting off the trail, so I was composing an essay in my head on why he shouldn’t quit. When I turned my phone on, I had an email from him saying he was going to keep going, as he had run into some hikers who had encouraged him to continue. I’m relieved, and going through the exercise in my head helped firm my resolve to get through Colorado.

Daily Summary
Date: Sept 16, 2011
Day 85
Daily Distance: 23.9 miles
Trip Distance: 1619.4 miles