CDT Day 56 (7/13/23)

Miles 1325.4 (Red line 1538.4)- 1370.2 (Red line 1583.2) (44.8 miles)

Verbatim

Big day huh… I’m exhausted and will journal more tomorrow at lunch. I had a stomach ache today. I packed bad food. There’s not great water in the basin (although the lunch water was good!). Tomorrow. I worked hard today for a better tomorrow.

Now I’m writing from Anong Thai in Rawlins. I am so hungry. My feet are so sore. It’s good to sit down. I’ve eaten from here before, and the food was really good. I remember eating it in the bathtub at the motel. That was awesome. OMG the Thai iced tea is so good. I’m so huuuuuungry.

Anyways, yesterday was very long. I didn’t sleep well in the forest on account of the mosquitoes. I was up and walking by 5:15. It was curious to walk through areas I’d been to before but at a different time of day. The morning light and flowers were beautiful. I walked to the creek. It was funny looking on to the ravine I’d camped in as the snow fell last year. That night was miserable, and prompted the next day’s road walk straight to Rawlins which ended with Thai in the bathtub.

The miles passed by really slowly so I listened to podcasts. The water at lunch was really spectacular, piped right out of the hillside. I even found some shade tucked on the hill side.

The alternative included a bushwhack which cut off about three miles (greatly appreciated) and was the most cerebrally engaging portion of the day’s walking. Walking clay desert roads all day is mind numbing, especially on account of the way you need to watch your step, as the clay forms when wet around hoof prints and tire marks befogging hardening to concrete as it dries. There are numerous little hoof potholes and tire mark ridges which will just eat you up.

I walked along Muddy Creek for maybe six miles which sucked because there were so many biting flies. I probably killed thirty or so along the stretch by slapping my neck, shoulders, and legs. One slight rain came through and provided respite. That was nice! I also walked by Bridger Pass, which apparently was a pioneer path.

I camped around 8:45 on hard pokey rocks embedded in the hardened clay. The wind blew all night long and because there were no mosquitoes, I slept like a rock.

Post Note

Biting flies are worse than mosquitoes. They really really hurt sharply in opposition to a mosquitoes lesser stinging sensation. The flies are quick, active, and relentless. Mosquitoes are more likely to sort of zoom and float and land only once in a while. Flies are constantly landing here, SLAP, then there, SLAP, then there, OUCH SLAP. Gottem. Flies are too quick unless they’re about to bite or have already bitten. When you see their heads bow forward and their butt raise into the air you know they’re about to enact their moment of triumph. That’s when you strike! Then you can achieve the satisfaction of smearing their bloody little corpses across the fabric of your shirt or salt crusted skin. It’s a wonderful sensation. They crackle and pop. Finally, you’ve achieved something meaningful with your day. You’ve spared yourself the annoyance of one more fly. You watch their carcass drop to the ground. And they’re big, so you can see it tumble.

Despite being clothed, your shoulders are one of the most vulnerable places on your body to biting insects. It’s a horizontal surface, so I think it’s more attractive for the bugs to land on. It’s also a fairly steady surface. A shoulder is much more calm than a swinging and vertical leg, for instance. And the shoulder straps of your pack inevitably wear down the fabric at your shoulders. Most hikers go through two or three shirts a hike just because they wear through at the shoulders and lower back where it rubs with your pack. You’ll know who hasn’t switched out a shirt because they’ll be rocking some serious shoulder sunburn where patches have opened up. The thinned fabric of your shirt makes it easy for flies or mosquitoes to make purchase on your skin.

The basin is like this. You walk in the sun. All day. There's little variation. Eventually you’ll come to another water source, but it might not be very good. You can stop if you want. Then you can sit in the sun and drink your water without getting any closer to the next water source or to finishing the basin in general. Or you can keep walking. You can always keep walking.

I was so thankful to camp at the end of the day. Just to lay down. Who needs water. Who needs food. Just please make it end for a time. The day is over. This was the biggest miles in one day I pulled on the CDT. Most other hikers go for at least one BIG day. I had friends who dropped 80+ miles over a 24 hour period in the basin.

Kind of funny actually, I learned later that one of my friends was walking southbound and another was walking north. They passed each other in the basin while the female was something like 60 miles into what was eventually an 80+ mile 24 hour challenge. The male friend was impressed and was surprised to hear I knew the female when their name randomly came up in conversation towards the end of trail. I don’t remember the specific words, but the sentiment was something like, “Blond girl dropping 50+ in the basin? That’s so attractive”. And he’s right. It is pretty cool.