[Day 66] Halfway

My 7am start was proper, but not ideal. Hiking down from camp at North Lake, the blowdowns were fairly numerous within the first five miles. I was side tracking a blowdown to its tip to get around. I stepped from log to log when the bark failed on my next step forward. Tumbling forward, I delivered my behind leg directly into the solid trunk of an aspen. For the next two minutes, I took a knee, waiting out the inevitable surge of numb pain and gimp that would come from the blow. There wasn’t any shearing of the skin, but the blow was significant enough to cause bleeding through my pants. And, I was only a half mile into my day.

I navigated through the five miles of intermittent blowdowns and eventually made my way down hill to a campground. By this time, I was well recovered from my busted knee. I made the next long ascent to above 10,000 feet — a couple thousand feet over many miles. The trail was rerouted on a couple miles of dirt road due to a bridge out on the North Fork of the Elk River.

The trail steepened with a climb along ATV road. Plateauing at the top, dirt bikers sped by me. I’ve been quite lucky to avoid the ATV and off roading season in Colorado. The snow helped with this. I’d imagine it would bs quite bothersome at peak season, since trail sometimes allows motor vehicles or passes through national forest veiny with dirt roads and ATV track.

At the top of my climb and a mere 10 miles to the state border, I had a feeling Colorado had a parting gift for me as the clouds darkened and the thunder booms intensified. Sure enough, as was a daily event in the majority of Colorado, rain, hail, and lightning soaked me through. But, this storm had a miserable feature. Lightning would strike and 20 to 30 minutes of intense rain or hail would follow, wetting out my clothing, eventually ramping down to a 20 to 30 minute break. Four cycles of this ensued. The misery came with the cyclical nature — just on the verge of being nearly dried out from the break, the next precipitation would soak right through again. I cursed at the skies with each new period.

Finally, I had a little less than an hour break from rain when I approached the Wyoming-Colorado state border. But, Colorado had one last stormy kiss goodbye. The border was rainy and gloomy. Farewell Colorado. I will not miss you, at least for a week before my mind starts reflecting on the grandeur of your mountains. A hiker from France was at the border. He offered to grab my photo, and I presume he was confused by my sunglasses on a gloomy day and my lack of a smile.

The Colorado-Wyoming state border is about as appropriate a place to call the halfway point of my Continental Divide trek as any. Mileage-wise, I am greater than 1,400 miles in, and I’d expect a total trail mileage of 2,800 to 2,900 miles to the Canadian border considering the alternate routes I have taken and will take. Time-wise, I anticipate the second half to be faster: my fitness exists, elevation decreases, snow quantities will dwindle, and my eagerness to do miles is up.

Hello Wyoming! I have been anticipated this state — I’ll get more into why, and I’m sure the state will speak for itself. Less than 10 minutes into Wyoming, the rain quit. Quartz rock with pink and orange hues were the first outstanding feature to Wyoming’s side of Medicine Bow and Routt National Forest, dotting the trail.

The bogs and marshes still exist. As much as I want to imagine the border is a switch to a new domain or terrain, there will inevitably be some carryover and likeness of Colorado, at least for some time. I know the transition point is around the corner, but maybe not the next corner.

Walking through the marshes and forests, my brain fixated on blue-blazed and taped trees that were aside trail. I came to a road, caught glimpse of a blue marked tree down the road to the right, and blindly followed. Half a mile into the road, I realized trail crossed the road; it did not merge with it. Mapping it out quickly on Gaia, I realized I could reconnect with trail about three miles ahead via the dirt road networks, so I averted backtracking. Nonetheless, the road provided some easy miles and great views to finish my first moments in Wyoming.

Signing off,

Zeppelin / fReaK (ON a leash)