CDT - Day 86 - Road Walk to Rawlins
My body is so used to waking up at 5:00 a.m. that I was up by 5:30 this morning, despite getting only about three hours of sleep. The monsoon storm had pounded my tent all night, with winds that had to be close to 50 mph. Miraculously, every tent stake held.
Before going to bed, I had purposely pitched my tent facing the reservoir, so I woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Greg and I took our time packing up and were back on the trail by 7:00 a.m.
The hike into Rawlins was mostly an uneventful road walk. The cloud cover kept the temperatures comfortable, and we had enough water that we didn't have to rely on any of the questionable water sources along the way.
Once in town, we took a short break at the park by the train tracks before stopping at Shogunz Pizzaria for lunch. An ice-cold lemonade and a 12-inch pizza were exactly the morale boost we needed. While we were eating, we spotted Second Breakfast walking by. Greg got his attention, and he told us we had to check out Great Divide Outfitters next door.
We spent some time in the hiker room at Great Divide Outfitters, signed the hiker poster, met a few other CDT hikers, and swapped trail stories. The owner, who is also an avid backpacker, was incredibly welcoming. He even gave us a ride across town to our hotels.
I was exhausted after the last couple of days. By 9:00 p.m., I was asleep. I needed the reset.