August 19, 2013

August 19, 2013

Ridge to Three Mile Lake Trail

33 miles

 

Today was another great day of hiking. Pretty easy hiking most of the day, with a few moderate climbs and descents, but it was easy to get 33 by 7:15. 

 

The big story of the day today was crossing the Wyoming/Colorado border! I am super stoked to have one more state under my belt and am looking forward to the big mountains and big climbs that this state has in store. 

 

I don't know the exact mileage right now, but I believe I also crossed the 1,500 mile mark today which puts me past the halfway point! Crazy! I can remember how melancholy I felt as I crossed the halfway point on the PCT knowing that it was already half over and the countdown to the finish was then to begin. For the CDT I have a rather different feeling. I am very excited to be halfway through the hike and somehow this feels like more of an accomplishment than halfway along the PCT. I think it has something to do with how much more of a challenge the CDT has been for me mentally. I've already had a pretty low point when in Montana, much lower than any point on the PCT, and have overcome that hurdle, however, there is still a long way to go. I'm looking forward to whatever comes next!

 

 

Oh man, just took a look at the maps for the rest of the section and realized I only have 37 miles to get to the pass! I thought there was another 52 miles, which would have been two days easy. Now that I know, I am hatching a plan to get to Rabbit Ears Pass before it gets dark so I can hitch into town tomorrow instead of the following day. Looks like it will be an early start for me tomorrow, but I do like a good challenge :)