Halfway to Mexico! A Long Overdue Update.

Okay, wow. It has been entirely too long since I have sat down to record my thoughts.  When I posted my last update, I had just entered Dubois and was working my way around the Fish Creek Fire.  So much has happened since then.  Currently, I am in Steamboat Springs (SOBO mile 1548) which means I am pretty much exactly half way through the trail. I am just under two months into the trek and very satisfied with the pace I have kept.  Instead of going through the days one by one, I am simply going to summarize my thoughts going into the second half.

Wyoming… how was it?

The state came out the gates strong with Yellowstone right off the bat, but you’ve already heard about that.  Almost immediately following Yellowstone were the Winds.  The parts that I got to see were spectacular.  Incredible peaks, countless alpine lakes, and bright flowers were highlighted by near perfect weather through the section. The next thing Wyoming had to offer was the town of Lander, which I loved.  There was free camping in the park, a historic movie theatre, incredible food (pastries, coffee, farmers market, etc.), and I reunited with Booster and Rocket! Safe to say that Lander was my favorite trail town yet.  

Lander farmers market haul (hummus not pictured)

This is where Wyoming took a turn.  The next section was the Basin.  It is exactly as desolate as it sounds. Essentially just a looong, sandy ATV trail surrounded by sage brush and a hill every now and then.  The section was flat and allowed for some high mileage days, but the sand and the sun did a number on my feet and skin.  I tried to harness the spirit of a brave desert explorer like a young Luke Skywalker or Paul Atreides, but to no avail.  All I could think about was “where the hell am I going to use the bathroom??”.  In this stretch, I also began my cowboy camping streak, which is currently sitting at 9 consecutive trail days.  

If you’ve seen one photo of the Basin, you’ve seen them all

Sunsets were great, though!

Views from the bag

After four days in the basin, Booster, Rocket, and I arrived in Rawlins where I attacked an AYCE thai buffet and had an incredible night of sleep in a Days Inn.  I’d believed that the hot hot sand hiking was finished, but much to my dismay the next two days were much like the previous four.  I will have to get gaiters (shoe gaiter, not neck gaiter) before New Mexico.  All the sand in my shoes has caused horrible friction and bloody feet.  Would like to avoid that in the future!

Booster and Rocket

Post hike meal of champs!

On day three post Rawlins, I reentered the woods.  The morale boost from being back in the trees was immediate and obvious.  When that pine smell hit my nose I could have cried (and would have if the Basin hadn’t robbed my body of all its moisture).  I was enjoying hiking again! One thing that this trail has taught me over and over again is the the times without make the times with that much sweeter.  The next few days were great.  I saw a ton of sheep, found a cool stick sword, smiled and giggled in the shade, and finally hiked into Colorado.  

Could these be the missing sheep from the experiment??

Colorado

as I stepped into CO, I could almost hear John Denver on the Wind.  The state border was probably the coolest I’ve seen.  There were license plates from Wyoming on one side and Colorado on the other along with rocks that spelled out CO and WYO on their respective sides.  In Colorado, the trail has much more elevation change than what we faced in Southern Wyoming.  If this meant being back in what actually felt like mountains, though, I was all for it.  The flat hiking in the basin was more exhausting than I would have expected it to be.  having some elevation gain/loss offers a change of pace that keeps things fresh.  There have already been a couple of tough climbs and of course there will be plenty more, but at this point I feel as though I can handle most anything the trail throws at me.  Confidence at an all time high!

Full disclosure, this was taken around mile 1495, but close enough!

Looking Ahead

Half of the trail is behind me! What changes have I made from the beginning? What will I do differently from here? 

First, let’s talk gear changes.  I will be picking up some cold weather clothing.  I have been hiking in a pair of shorts and a long sleeve UPF 50 shirt pretty much the whole time I have been out here.  The temperatures are really starting to drop, though and I want to make sure I have the means to stay warm before it’s too late.  I bought a pair of midweight capilene pants that I will soon be sleeping and sometimes hiking in.  My parents will be mailing my fleece (which I left at home) to Winter Park, which is a couple of towns away.  Additionally, I swapped out one pair of holey, lightweight darn toughs with a brand new, thicker pair.  The last gear (is clothing really gear??) change was a simple swap of neck gaiter to one with a fleece lining.  

As far as doing things differently, there’s not anything at the top of my mind that I want to change.  Things have changed since I started, but at this point I have my schedule pretty well dialed in and it seems be be working all right.  You may remember that I lost over twenty pounds in my first month on the trail.  I have not weighed myself lately, but I can tell that I am maintaining weight and may have even gained a couple of pounds in month two.  Like I said, those Lander pastries were something else.  I’ve been eating!  

I plan to stick with all of my other major gear.  I have been very happy with the Topo Traverses so far.  They have about 700 miles on them and I am confident they can walk another 200 before they’re toast.  The pack made by Cheese curd is holding up great! Its super comfy and the only problems I have had with it are a couple broken buckles, which were easy enough to remedy.  After the cat hole in my tent, I have had no problems with the Lunar Solo. While I have been cowboy camping a lot recently, I know that I will have to rely on the tent often in CO to protect myself from wind and wetness.  Rounding out my major items is my quilt from enlightened equipment.  It’s one of the few pieces of gear I carried on the AT and still have.  While it has undoubtedly lost some of its loft, it still does the job.  It may have to be taken to pasture after this hike, but we don’t have to talk about that quite yet. 

Felt pretty silly asking for a pic w a road sign