I’m starting at mile 889.2. I’m ending at mile 914.7. I hiked 25.5 miles.
I ended the day with a full 21 mile day to get to the pass where I can hitch to West Yellowstone.
I’ve heard people say that the CDT is a cold trail. I have never been so consistently overheated and unable to properly hydrate than on this trail. I don’t think I can continue.
When I got myself packed up and back on trail I walked around the corner and could see a spot where someone had slept. Did they sleep there last night and see my headlamp as I got up to pee three times in the night? I also saw a lot of great campsites another 50 paces down the trail. Too bad. I had been searching for a site for 2 and a half hours and took the first thing I could make work.
When I got down to the water source Snickers was there. He’s a young guy who reminds me of Nathan. I met him in Lima. Soon Wanderer arrived. I met him in Lima, too. He started out in the same shuttle as me and he had given me some propel so I would have electrolytes. He wondered how many miles I did yesterday. I guess he had been trying to catch me.
The trail climbed and descended through interesting volcanic landscape and cheerful forests and meadows. I crossed numerous streams including one called Hell Roaring Creek.
After the trail slowly descended out of the forest it followed a dirt road for the majority of the mid-day. It was hot and exposed to the sun.
I felt okay for a while. I was drinking my electrolytes but I was slowly overheating. At the end of the day I felt blasted by the sun and sick to my stomach. I seriously contemplated walking down the hill to a house that had green grass and offering money to sleep in their yard and drink water from their hose.
I struggled in the sun to reach a creek on the hillside. I could not go any further. I had felt so sore and tired from the 27 miles yesterday. I did not want to do it again. I figured out a way to sleep on the hillside on a flattish spot in the aspens. A thunderstorm was growling as I tied most of the lines of my tarp to the aspens. It came out loose and the winds blew it around like last night. My bed is lumpy. I hope I can sleep.
The idea of 21 more miles to town weighs on me. I don’t think I can continue. I texted Tony and asked if he would like to go to Yellowstone.
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