CDT - Day 90 - Trail Magic and Cow Ponds
Last night, Greg, Pudding, and I decided to wake up a little earlier to try to beat the heat. We managed to be on the trail by 6:00 a.m., and it felt great hiking in the cool morning air. By 10:00 a.m., we had already covered 10 miles and arrived at TwoMile's trail magic station just as he was pulling in to set up. The day before, he had told us he'd be driving about 30 miles up the road to feed us again, so it was a welcome sight to see his truck roll in. We helped him get everything set up, and before long he was cooking hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled cheese sandwiches. After enjoying our fill of food, sodas, juice, and coffee, we continued on about an hour later. The rest of the day was another 17 miles of exposed desert hiking with almost no shade. Water was becoming scarce again, and we had to refill from a disgusting cow pond. Thankfully, the water tasted perfectly fine after filtering. I added some powdered drink mix just in case there was any lingering "cow pond" flavor, but honestly, it probably wasn't necessary. We could have carried more water from TwoMile's trail magic, but it's always a balancing act between carrying extra weight and risking another questionable water source later in the day. The campsite I had picked out was excellent, except for the relentless wind. Setting up our tents turned into quite the challenge, and Pudding and I had to help Greg get his tent secured. By then, we were all exhausted and ready to call it a day. We reached camp with a little less water than usual, but there was another cow pond about four miles ahead, and possibly even a water cache nearby if we needed it tomorrow. As I was settling in for the night, I noticed a rainbow stretching across the horizon. It made the perfect backdrop for a few photos of my tent. Not long afterward, the wind finally died down, and I fell asleep almost immediately.