CDT - Day 50 - Dogs and Gatorade
Wow, the days have flown by. Day 50 is in the books.
The day started off freezing cold. I was camped at 10,000 feet again, and the inside of my tent was covered in frost. Oddly enough, the frost is always on the side of the tent near my feet. After some coffee and a Pop-Tart, I packed up and headed out. I was on the trail by 6:50 a.m.
The trail took me out of the mountains and down into meadows and rolling hills. There was no more snow to traverse, just dry grasslands and the occasional water crossing. Once I got out of the trees, the wind picked up dramatically and didn't let up all day. In a few sections, I was hiking uphill directly into it.
Oh, and I got bit by a dog. That wasn't very fun.
There was a large group of campers with horses at one of the trailheads. I had to walk through their camp because they had taken over the entire area. One of their dogs was incredibly friendly and immediately rolled over for belly rubs. Their other dog, however, decided my ankles were a threat and took a bite at me. Thankfully, there was no real damage—maybe just a little bruising. The water sources have started drying up as well. I was no longer hiking alongside healthy, flowing creeks. Instead, I had to be mindful of my water supply and collect water from tiny streams whenever I found them.
I didn't see a single hiker all day, but I did run into a couple of guys from the Colorado Trail Foundation and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. They gave me Gatorade and Rice Krispies Treats. That Gatorade was exactly what I needed after 20 miles of hiking.
At mile 22, I met a southbound Colorado Trail hiker named Winnie. She told me she had lost her spoon about seven miles earlier at a trail angel camp where they were serving breakfast for hikers. She was pretty bummed because she had no way to make dinner and was planning to eat Pop-Tarts instead.
My campsite was another mile up the trail, so I couldn't stick around to help her out.