CDT - Day 72 - Downpour and Grand Lake
I woke up surprisingly cold this morning and had to convince myself to crawl out of my quilt and make coffee. Airbud and Fitbit had camped nearby, and they were on the trail just a little before I was. The three of us hiked the same section today, each at our own pace. We'd leapfrog each other throughout the day, usually meeting up whenever someone stopped for a break. I never did catch up with Mesa Man, but I knew he had already made it into town ahead of us. The weather was beautiful all morning until I passed Monarch Lake. After that, the temperature started climbing, and the sun felt incredibly intense. Naturally, that happened during one of the biggest climbs of the day. Things changed quickly as I got closer to Lake Granby. Dark clouds rolled in, and I started hearing thunder. It began with a light sprinkle before turning into a full-blown downpour. I threw on my rain jacket but decided not to bother with my rain pants. I didn't feel like digging them out of my pack in the middle of a storm. It rained—and even hailed—for about 20 minutes, leaving my shorts and shoes completely soaked. About an hour later, the sun came back out, and I was completely dry again. After 25 miles of hiking, the three of us rolled into Grand Lake. Our first stop was Sagebrush BBQ for burgers, followed by Ceaira's Sweet Shop for ice cream. Unfortunately, they were out of milk, so milkshakes were off the menu. We finished the day with a relaxing soak in the hot tub. Tomorrow morning will be dedicated to laundry and resupplying for the next section before getting back on the trail. I had originally planned to take a zero day, but I'm feeling good enough to keep pushing north.