In Steamboat I was welcomed into a group of 7 other thru-hikers: Guy-on-a-buffalo, Scout, Wanderer, Apache, Sleepwalker, Whistle, and Axle. Many of these are hikers I met before starting my hike in Glacier and hadn’t seen since. I proceeded to have a very rejuvenating near-0 (a day with close-to-zero mileage).
Big Agnes (the company that made my air mattress) replaced my leaky mattress right away, so I’m back to sleeping through the night. Thanks for being a great company, Big Agnes!
The first 20 miles out of Steamboat (rabbit ears pass) is on roads, not normally something I enjoy, but when the 8 of us left the next day we were accompanied by Bennie the resupply van driven by Frodo (Scout’s wife) who slack-packed us. She carried our packs in the van and parked every few miles to provide food and water so we carried next to nothing most of that first day. Thanks Frodo!
Colorado weather was a fun learning-curve. Over the next few days we learned that, when the forecast in Colorodo says 0-10% chance of rain, it means “count on intermittent thunderstorms”. During breaks in the clouds I hiked above tree line along ridgetops and saw absolutely stunning views of the Rockies. The aspens are turning yellow and the low plant life covering meadows is turning red/orange/gold, so I have gorgeous views in all directions.
I cowboy-camped (slept under the stars) on a ridge one night to watch the sky and saw 7 shooting stars. It was romantic until the rain came back at 2 am. Fortunately I’ve gotten good at pitching my tent quickly.
One night we got a late start climbing parkview mountain with Guy and Scout and arrived on top at sunset. I was tempted to sleep in the watchtower/shack on top, but we opened the door to find 3 of our party were already huddled out of the wind in their sleeping bags on the floor (marmot poop swept to the side). They looked pretty crowded so Scout, Guy and I continued down the mountain with our headlights. By the time we reached our campsite (where Frodo was waiting with Hot Coco) we had completed a 30 mile day, my first, and a bit of a coming-of-age moment for thru-hikers.
We arrived in Grand Lake, where my new backpack was waiting for me, and stayed two nights at a fantastic hostel overlooking the lake. We didn’t get a true zero day because we used our day off to hike at 25 mile loop through Rocky Mountain National Park, but two night’s sleeping in a bed sure felt good.
andrew frei 