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Silverton
Day 39
Date: 09.06.2022
CDT Mile: 926 Mile
Miles hiked: 5.1 miles / 8.2 km
Camping at: Silverton camp ground
Today is town day, so we are all excited. Even the K2's get up early and are ready to hike at 7am, just ten minutes after I left. The first few miles are uphill and some of the uphills are very, very steep again. But then the rest of the hike is super easy and beautiful.
We are going to Silverton, and old mining town, today. It looks like a little harder to get a hitch to town, also all ways off trail lead to a dirt road only. I am very concerned that we will manage to get a hitch somewhere out in nowhere on dirt roads. But that's all we have, so lets pray! We leave the CDT at a junction at mile 926. Kiernan told us to go to the Highlands Mary Lakes, as there is a trailhead where hopefully one or more cars are being parked for dayhikes. It's an about 2 miles hike very steep downhill. In these 1.8 miles downhill we descent more than 2'000 feet! Down in the valley it shows us on a wooden sign (Boss and me are hiking together) that the Mary Highland Lakes are uphill again, like 1'000 feet. No, really? And so we climbed. It was a steep uphill climb again. About 30-45 minutes hiking uphill we run into 'The Piper' and 'Duskman', hiking the trail downhill. Hä? Whats going on here? I am so glad we run into them, cause we would have hiked all the way up to the lakes. But the trailhead is down the valley, no uphill hike at all! 'The Piper' and 'Duskman' took another sidetrail from the CDT then we did and are now walking down to the trailhead. As sidetrails like this are not marked on our app, we didn't know. And Kiernan told us to go to the Mary Highland Lakes. What a bummer! So we turn around and have to hike it all down again. When we reached the dirt road and trailhead, there was one abandoned car there. We have no idea when the owner(s) will be back. Could be an hour, could be days! We also don't know where the K2's are as they must have passed us when we hiked the wrong way. And the weather has changed in no time. Black dark clouds are rolling over the valley, I can feel some raindrops and hear a thunder. It's 10 miles hike on a dirt road to Silverton. Just when we are about to leave, The Piper and Duskman arrive and together we start to hike down. About 2 miles in we find a car and a camper. We asked them for a hitch and yes they are willing to drive us the 8 miles into Silverton. Fantastic! In town obviously we get food first. And what a surprise, also Patches has arrived in town. We haven't seen him for a couple of days. He got a hitch from the CDT trail a little earlier than we did. He was very lucky. So we are now combined again, also the K2's are here. Silverton is a very cute little town. Looks to me like a movie set. Very touristy and hence super expensive. There is also an old steam train. And just as we are about to check out where to stay tonight, also PlusOne and Dogbite arrive! Hä? How does that work? They quit the trail on a even earlier junction than Patches and we did, as it started to hail. They were super lucky as a sidebyside vehicle turned up and got them a ride to town too. How cool is that! We decided to stay the night at the campground as a hotel per night is at least 160 dollars! The campground charged us for 2 camp spots 90 dollars, it's crazy! We are 7 so we can split it up but they actually wanted to charge us 160 dollars, that's insane. Just for a dirt spot to pitch our tents? And it's 1 mile out of town too! But well, we get a shower and can wash our clothes and get to enjoy the town. However, sleeping in a bed once in a while is just super nice, especially as my air mattress has a whole and deflates during the night and my sleeping back zipper is broken too. But well, that's live. I can get a bed hopefully in the next town again and sort out what to do with my stuff.
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