To Darby Day 2: Lakes and passes

I tried to get an early start. I got up with the first bird I heard. It was still dark enough it was hard to see. I made hot oatmeal and cold coffee mixed up in a breakfast essentials drink. It was too much. I had a hard time hiking at first. 

This mountain lake actually had a dam on it. I walked over the dam to resume the trail. I had about 3 and a half miles to get back on the official CDT, the “red line” for the color of the trail on the FarOut app. 

The trail climbed humanely to Storm Lake Pass. Then it traversed over to a cool alpine area called Goat Flat. That’s where I rejoined the CDT. 

The trail then entered a really beautiful forest of larches. 

All day I climbed passes and then descended into valleys and climbed more passes. I think there were at least four or five. Many of them were very steep. The second to last, the one that went by Warren Lake, was the steepest of all. The downhill on the other side was just as steep. When it was done I had nothing left but I still had 3 and a half more miles. 

The last miles were slow. I felt like every rock and root conspired against me. My goal was Rainbow Lake and when the lake came into view I cried. 

I took a little refreshing skinny dip in the lake. I did not swim, just sat on a submerged rock and washed my skin. I hoped it would help me sleep better. 

I ate mashed potatoes with real butter and real cheese and tuna in sunflower oil for dinner sitting around a campfire ring with no fire with three guys who I had seen a number of times throughout the day. They told me they saw Mowgli when they arrived at the lake and that I arrived not very long after. I would have thought Mowgli would have gotten much further faster than that. 

For as hard as this day felt and for as much as I struggled and rest stepped maybe I’m not in as bad shape as I think.

I pitched my tarp only feet from the lake. That’s not very leave no trace. People in Montana kinda do whatever but the nature doesn’t seem destroyed here at all. Maybe the short summers contain the damage.