CDT - Day 61 - Easy Miles and Wind
Last night, a storm rolled through with heavy rain and some seriously strong winds. It turned out to be a great test for my tent, and it handled the conditions perfectly. The outside was soaked, as expected, and the inside was damp as well—but only from condensation. Whenever that happens, I just wipe the walls down with a small cloth. Despite the weather, I managed to get an early start and was back on the trail by 6:30 a.m.
Today's hiking felt relatively easy compared to the last few days. I climbed 4,652 feet over the course of 21 miles, with the steepest section coming in the first few miles as I entered the Holy Cross Wilderness. It's kind of wild that a day with 4,652 feet of climbing now feels "easy."
The wind stuck around for most of the day, and once again I found myself hiking through forests filled with dead trees that looked ready to topple over at any moment. I had to climb over at least a dozen fallen trees, some of which looked like they had come down during the storm overnight. Several times I could hear trees creaking in the wind, and I even watched a few bending enough to make me wonder if they were about to fall.
I saw a lot of Colorado Trail hikers today, along with plenty of day hikers and trail runners. One guy named Nails stopped to chat for quite a while. He told me he hiked the Arizona Trail last year and is currently hiking the Colorado Trail. His next goal is the CDT, and he seemed genuinely excited as I shared some stories from my hike so far.
Near the end of the day, I managed to trip, fall, and scrape up both of my knees. Fortunately, I had left my hiking pants in full-length mode instead of converting them into shorts, so I didn't end up with a bunch of gravel embedded in the cuts. I've definitely taken worse falls, and thankfully no one was around to witness it. Naturally, I tripped on the flattest, smoothest section of trail all day. That's just the way it goes.
Tonight's campsite is surrounded by healthy, living trees, so I'll be sleeping a little easier. Hopefully the wind decides to settle down as well.