August 3, 2024
29.3 miles, 7228′ gain/6047′ loss
Up at 5:45-6am, hiking by headlamp by 6:30am. The trail was a bit hard to follow in the valley by Waterloo Gulch, and it looked like Texas Creek had flooded and brought a lot of detritus onto the trail. I managed to keep dry feet crossing the creek 3x, passing by 2 people fording it as I hopped across like a lynx. Then I was climbing for a while, heading for Cottonwood Pass and a road crossing. The first half of the day had a lot of wildfire smoke that burned my lungs and exhausted me. I missed a long water carry by Cottonwood Pass, and had to make do with 0.5L over 8 hard miles.
The day’s trail was very exposed – almost entirely above treeline and at 11,000+. I went over and around more than 4 mountain passes and outran a thunderstorm. I saw lots of marmots, pikas, and one American Martin and a hummingbird. The day was emotionally super tough – I was struggling with anxiety, depression, and despair all day. I set up camp at 8:15pm on an old railway path.
