Day 171: mile 873.2-890.9
My service continued for a few miles this morning, so I caught up with my Mom and sister who had some free time to chat today. The miles went a bit faster as they always do when you’re talking.
I climbed about 800 feet before descending down 1,000 to start my climb up Silver Pass.
I was beginning to see the leaves on the trees changing colors, which was really pretty, but also a reminder that the seasons are changing and the snowstorms could start at anytime. At this point I’m just crossing my fingers they hold off a little bit longer.
Shortly after I began my climb, a train of horses passed me going down, possibly to the nearby Vermilion Valley Resort. I used this as an excuse to sit on a nearby rock for a quick break while the dust settled. As I continued, the climb took me from one side of the creek to the other.
The trail was really rocky and the going was slow, but the day was so beautiful I didn’t mind. One of my favorite sounds is the wind blowing through the aspens, and they were lining the trail, so my ears are happy. I swear the sky is even a little bluer than usual today.
I hit a false summit (evil) before making it to the top of Silver Pass. Where I discovered something equally as disappointing, the hike was not all downhill from here into Red’s Meadow (my next resupply). Here I thought I’d be flying downhill all day tomorrow, guess I missed the 2,500 feet beforehand. Bummer. It’s not that 2,500 feet is that big a deal, it’s more that I was in a downhill mindset already.
I made it down to the bottom and started back up. I planned to stay about a mile into the climb, figuring I had climbed enough for the day, but the trail had other plans for me. The first site was pretty full, the next site was completely under fallen trees, and there wasn’t another one until the top of this climb. Looks like another 1,000 feet today.
Surprisingly the climb felt good and I didn’t mind that I had to do it. In fact it was my favorite view of the day. The sun was setting and the alpenglow was hitting rock just right as I found an amazing flat area with plenty of space and great wind cover to keep me from blowing away. I got set up just before it was completely dark. Another great day, and tomorrow I’ll be that much closer to hot food and a cold beers!
Goodnight!
XOXO Green Light