Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Miles: 15.9
Elevation gain/loss: 4738’/4564′
Start: campsite 8mi beyond Scissors Crossing
End: Montezuma Valley Resort
I was up at 4am and on trail by 5am. I had a bounce in my step as I anticipated a soft bed, shower, and laundry. I also had realized last night that I neglected to bring the cord I needed to charge my phone from my battery bank, so I only had 5% left in the morning and left my phone off for the majority of the day.
I stopped off at the Third Gate Water Cache to refill my water and then headed on; there was a guy snoring incredibly loudly, sleeping right next to the trail. It was kind of funny!
Perhaps 3 miles shy of the road, I encountered my first ever rattlesnake. I heard it from 30-40 feet away, and from its rattle, located its general location in the bushes. I climbed up the other side of the trail to make sure there was plenty of space and carefully made my way around it, though I never laid eyes on it.
A bit after that, I bumped into Emily/Heart, a PCT thru-hiker from Portland, who was also heading to the resort. We had lovely conversations as we hiked to the road and then hung out with Frick and Frack for an hour while we waited for our shuttle to the resort.
The resort was a lovely place with a peaceful atmosphere. We had access to laundry, laundry clothes, showers, wifi, and resupply, with plenty of places to relax. The host provided us with a scrumptious dinner, and very kindly gave me an early morning breakfast that night.
Transcending Mountains 