Author: kaulua26

August 17th, 2019 Mm 1503 to 1533.6 Distance in miles: 30.6 0610-1840 It’s so cold in the morning, I have to leave my puffy on while I hike. That’s 4 layers: my t-shirt (which is worn paper-thin by now), R1, puffy, and rain jacket. My legs are bare under my skirt…they can take the cold. It’s all about keeping your torso warm. The sky is partially overcast in the morning and rain seems like a strong possibility. We hike down the valley towards the Zirkel wilderness and Park Range. There’s some toilet magic and a parking lot where we take a break. From here, we have to climb from 8200′ to around 11,900′, our highest point yet. Let’s go! The[…]

August 16th, 2019 North Fork Encampment River mm 1470.3 to mm 1503 Distance in miles: 32.7 0620-1940 It’s time to finally get back to Colorado. I took the most unexpected hiatus there early in this adventure and now I am returning under much better circumstances. I’ve hiked through 2.5 states (Idaho was kind of only half) and it’s taken nearly 2 months. When I first started backpacking in my 20’s, my original long-distance goal was to hike the CDT through Colorado. I did about half of it when I hiked the Colorado Trail 2 summers ago. But it’s taken me 2 more long-distance hikes, plus over half of this one, to finally be ready for such a challenge. This is[…]

August 15th, 2019 Savery Creek, 2 miles north of mm 1443 to North Fork Encampment River mm 1470.3 Distance in miles: 29.3 0620-1900 I feel the chill of the dampness overnight, a consequence of being in an open valley next to a stream. In the morning, my tent is not just wet with condensation, it’s frozen! WTF? My water bottles are not, so I guess it’s just close to freezing? Getting near to Colorado. More snow and freezing temps the further I go south…makes sense, right? Winter is coming. I’m on the road for only 2 more miles and there are no cars passing in that time, just lots of cows. I finally say goodbye to this lovely paved road[…]

August 14th, 2019 Rawlins mm 1385.7 to Savery Creek, 2 miles north of mm 1443 Distance in miles: 35 0800-1840 I toss around all night in the stuffy hotel room but feel pretty rested in the morning. I want to hit the trail, er, road I mean, early before it gets too hot. There are several options for departing town, all of which involve a little or a lot of paved road walking. An alternate is to walk the road for 36 miles, shaving 20.6 off the main route (which is all more sagebrush bushwhacking and jeep trails). I have no appetite in the morning but I still stuff a whole jar of potato salad in my face, a leftover[…]

August 12th, 2019 Electric water well mm 1340.8 to Rawlins mm 1385.7 Distance in miles: 45 0630-2020 I don’t get nearly enough sleep but that’s okay. It gets really cold overnight and I have a hard time breaking away from my quilt in the morning. Cows provide the alarm clock. The prairie stretches out to eternity and the sun rises just as I hit the trail. Unlike the previous 2 days, there are no clouds in the sky. I think it’s going to be a scorcher. Well, seems like a good day to do a 45…which would be another record over the one I just set the day before. Back to back 40s is another challenge I wanted to try[…]

August 11th, 2019 Mm 1301 to electric water well mm 1340.8 Distance in miles: 40 0615-2230 Today is the day I want to beat my longest distance hiked in a single day. The weather is good, as in very cool, and the terrain ideal. I wake up to an overcast sky, similar to the day before. Just after packing, it sprinkles on me. There are patches where it’s raining all around but it’s all such nice, easy rain. The wind is not blowing, yet, and the morning has such a gentle feeling to it. I see pretty fresh tracks after a few miles but they are not Boo Boo’s Superiors but instead Lone Peaks…I can recognize all the popular Altra[…]

August 10th, 2019 Atlantic City, 1 mile south of mm 1272 to mm 1301 Distance in miles: 30 1110-2030 I’m so cozy in the cabin bed, I don’t want to leave. I wish I had many more hours to sleep in. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. Breakfast is at 7 am, whereupon I wolf down at least 6 pancakes and some eggs, sausage, fruit, coffee and orange juice. Basically I consume everything they set out in front of me. Only a few pancakes remain, and to be fair, they are smallish, so my count isn’t as impressive as it sounds. It’s great to eat so much before setting out on this next section. I take another short[…]

August 9th, 2019 Mm 1240.6 to Atlantic City, 0.9 miles south of mm 1272 Distance in miles: 31 0605-1900 I couldn’t get to sleep last night. Somehow a 30 mile day with over 7000′ vertical ascent wasn’t tiring enough. Or maybe I was just too excited about how awesome the day was. The cows also kept coming by, mooing and clacking their feet. I worry about animals not seeing my tent at night and running into it. But surely they can smell me? It was hot and dry when I went to bed but the morning brings wet, cold air. I hoped for a dry tent for once but it’s not to be. Everything is covered in a layer of[…]

August 8th, 2019 Mm 1209 to mm 1240.6 Distance in miles: 30.2 0620-1840 Wow, today was such a turnaround from the day before. It was also the opposite of all the things I expected. Overnight, I started to seriously have doubts about doing the Cirque of the Towers alternate. I read Carrot Quinn’s blog post from that day and she had the hardest time. I read it to Relentless and he up and decided not to do it. Plus, we didn’t make our miles the previous day, leaving 5 more miles just to get to the alternate. The forecast is for thunderstorms and 50% chance of rain…not good for above-treeline, exposed passes. I wake feeling pretty refreshed but still convinced[…]

August 7th, 2019 Mm 1180.5 to mm 1209 Distance in miles: 28.5 0620-1830 Today is a hard day. All day I struggle to get my miles done, coming up short in the end. The total elevation gain is only 6000′ but there are so many 200′-600′ short and steep passes. Plus the tread is rough, with rocks and roots everywhere. It’s technical hiking, always having to adjust each step to avoid a rock or to clear the height of one. My eyes are glued to the trail all day. I have to stop to be able to look around, otherwise I might trip and fall. Still, it is a beautiful day of hiking! By 10 am, I’ve only gone 9[…]