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Day 211-Thunderheads


CDT day 39-

Miles Hiked today: 47

CDT total distance traveled: 1369

Total trip miles: 6249

Avg temps: 60s

Injuries: Achilles

Pain: foot pain

Exhaustion level: high

Favorite meal: Mac and cheese with added trader joes dehydrated hatch salsa The wind and rain were incredibly strong last night. Luckily they disappeared for a brief period of the early morning in which I could log some miles and walk through knee deep mud. Mid morning the clouds just opened up again. There was lightning, rain and gale force winds. Meanwhile I was just in my rain gear walking the dirt track road with little refuge. As the Lightning neared I knew I needed a plan. I couldn’t keep walking through the mud because it was sticking to my shoes so heavily it felt like I had high heels on. I also couldn’t continue across the plains or lightning would be a major risk. I cut cross country to a gravel road I had seen and began walking it until the Lightning got very close. Then I found a small culvert under the road for a creek to flow and I sat under there for the better part of an hour for the storm to blow over. Luckily the thunder heads moved on and I could keep hiking but it was an eventful way to start the day. As I neared Medicine Bow national forest I began to see many elk hunters. Along with being worried about getting hit with an arrow I was also treated to Gatorade and non-nasty water that they gave me while I walked the road that eventually joined the trail but not before a couple more lightning storms. I finally entered the national forest and hiked by the light of my ever dimming headlamp(I forgot to buy new batteries) in order to make up some miles from yesterday. Fall is here and winter is coming. I need to start working through Colorado.

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