HIGHLIGHTS
Miles traveled: 20
Lift Gain/Loss: 4600/4000
Fauna worth mentioning: THAT
Human encounters: Wild Seaweed, Cloves; Reid and Rocky Trail Magic
Low: Stomach Cramps and Emergency Cat Hole Digging
High: Reid’s Trail Magic; hiking with Rocky and new friends
TRAIL DIARY
Today was a more efficient morning; I left my tent around 5:30 and had already packed up camp by 6:30. I hiked with Wild, Algae, Nails and I the 5.5 miles from section 8 to the Tennessee Pass Trailhead. Reid was waiting for us at the trailhead; he had a few breakfast burritos, gallons of clean water, carbonated drinks and their increasingly famous charging station. (Its charging station is a huge battery pack, complete with all the cables a device and a small disco ball would need.)
Breakfast on the go: a Larry & Lenny cookie and Fast Twitch Gatorade powder (200 mg caffeine + electrolytes)
Reid, nails and me
Reid, wild and me
Trail magic made by Reid: a mylar cooler for carbonated drinks and a charging station for hikers’ electronic devices. Check out the fun disco light attached to the blue wire!
I made the decision to walk Rocky through segment nine. It carried me through most of my miles that day! Reid left and took Nails to Leadville. I walked with Wild most of the miles this day and learned a little about his life!
During the hike, Wild and I expressed interest in trying the Collegiate West side of the CT. We decided that we would go together.
An aside: After reaching Twin Lakes, CT hikers must make the decision to continue on the traditional CT trail, known as the «Collegiate East» side, or venture onto the more rugged «Collegiate West» side. The East has easier resupply, lower elevation, and is closer to civilization. The West has more difficult resupply stops, higher elevation, and greater exposure; Everyone says the views are unmatched because hikers are essentially above the tree line for 5 to 6 days.
Rocky hiked through Segment 9 – his longest hike yet (13.6 miles, 2600′ elevation gain, 3000′ loss)
Wild & Rocky, Hiking Segment 9
A beautiful view of the mountain during segment 9
It was already dark by the time we completed segment 9. Reid met us at the Timberline Lake trailhead to pick up Rocky. Wild went off the trail to spend time with his partner. I spent some time with my family at the trailhead before heading to segment 10.
Since I walked segment 10 to prepare for the CT, I loved getting here because it felt like home. He It was all familiar terrain, but this time I felt much more comfortable alone in the woods.
As I entered Segment 10 and looked for a place to camp, I ran into Algae again. We decided to camp together around Hagerman Road. We had dinner together before it started to rain. We got into separate tents and went to sleep. Falling asleep to the pitter-patter of rain in my tent was a great way to end the day.
Campground on Hagerman Rd
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