August 7, 2024
32.3 miles, 4426′ gain/5771′ loss
I started hiking by 6:15am. It was a hot and boring day, full of endless cows, dirt roads, and long water carries. I met River earlier in the day, and we hiked together for a few miles before she stopped to hitch into Gunnison.
I was chased by big thunderstorms all afternoon as I scurried along double track dirt roads. I met O-Ring and Ghost at a campsite set up by trail angels, full of trail magic, where I hid from the rain for a while. We pushed off right around the same time, and hiked together for an hour after, through the rain, and camped together.
They were slower than me but steady – they’re both in college and met last year at a NOLS trip across Alaska. The wild stories they had to tell about their Alaska trip made our experiences pale in comparison, and it was nice to have emotional steadiness from my companions. They laughed and joked while it rained and thundered, and my anxiety about the weather really needed that. I stopped with them at 7:30pm, since it had stopped raining for the moment and I didn’t want to camp alone. We squeezed into a spot with just enough space for 2 tents between the trees and cow patties. I was asleep by 8:30pm.
