CT 7.4.15 Day 2

Days on the trail: 2
Miles today: 13.5
Miles from Denver: 29.9
Approximate elevation gain: 2482


July 4: Happy Independence Day, and the birth day of my friend Rachelle's new baby, Aurora.

How cool that the Colorado Trail number is "1776"?

Noteworthy bathroom at mile 16.6 at a campground. From the outside, I had higher hopes of cleanliness for this "civilized" potty. Never again will I judge a book by its cover. Never again.

Bridge at the end of segment 1 (16.6 miles). Gudy is a big part of the Colorado Trail's founding and served as the president of the foundation for a long time as well as having thru hiked it a lot.

We finished off segment 1 and spent most of the day in a burn area that was very exposed but also afforded some spectacular views. 'Twas a very hot day so we took several long breaks, one with the tent up for a mid-day nap. This is an area known for having limited water supply with an emergency water spigot at a firehouse near mile 10. At mile 9 I said with much confidence to David, "we have plenty of water. I say we hike to the 1.3 mile mark in segment 3 (2.8 miles more) to get water." Within a quarter mile of passing the water spigot, I sucked on my platypus hose and nothing came out. Crap.

Just keep hiking, just keep hiking.

Burn area from Hayman fire 2002. It burned over 138,114 acres.

At one point David asked how bad my feet hurt and I said as far as chronic pain goes, probably 8/10. He replied, "Hhhow are you not crying right now?" I don't know, but i prided myself on being tough. However, once we found a camp, I must have been nearly at my wits end because when a biting fly attacked my lower calf, I lost it; Out came the tears in full force. Thankfully, it only lasted a minute or two and David was understanding and let me have my cry. We camped .1 miles shy of the first creek we happened upon and David left to fetch us some water. Such an awesome husband.