Trail B-day and hardest day ever!

Day 52

Date: 22.06.2022

CDT Mile: Mile 1'095.00

Miles hiked: 23.8 miles / 38.10 km

Elevation: 5'928 feet ascent (1'808 m Aufstieg) / 4'360 feet descent (Abstieg 1'330 m)

Camping at: 12'036 feet / 3'671 m

My tent and sleepingbag got very moist last night, so I will have to dry them out at lunch break. We have planned a bigger mile day today and as we are back in the real mountains, that includes some bigger uphill climbs over passes. The weather is not the best, cloudy and quite cold, but at least it doesn't rain. I hike out early, just before 6am and climb the first pass. On the top I run into Duskman, Piper and Ducky and another new face, Bex from New Zealand. Together we hike on over the pass. Yesterdays downhill to Boss Lake was hard on our legs and Pipers knees are swollen and are hurting her. She put cold rocks on her knees, hoping it might help, we get creative out on trail😁

For the next pass we have to traverse some snowfields. I didn't think we will still encounter snow and was quite surprised. But they were easy to master and no problem at all, also without ice axe or microspikes. The sun has gone completely now and the sky is a grey soup with clouds. No chance for the sun. I even take my sleepingbag out at lunch to keep me warm. Wow, what a nice Birthday day that is! Patches surprises me with Lindor Chocolate for my Birthday, as I once said they are my favorite swiss chocolates. That's very sweet and yummy and makes this day a little better! As the clouds are getting darker, we move on. A long but gentle downhill to the base of the valley, where the biggest climb of the day is awaiting us. God thanks I didn't know before. Even though I could check on the app, I have stopped doing so, so I don't get demotivated by seeing the big and steep uphill climbs ahead of us! My credo is: eyes shut and go for it - just do it and don't think / worry too much! On top of the climb, above 3'700 meters again, over the treeline, it starts to rain. I am glad Boss and Patches are here too. I don't like bad weather and thunderstorms out in the wild if I am alone. They are scary. You realize how small you are and that you are being at the mercy of the bad weather. There is one last climb to master today and then a little downhill hike before we reach camp. I am totally exhausted. It has been the hardest day on trail for me so far. The big uphill climbs, some steep downhills which are not much better than the uphills, trails over big rock fields and the bad and cold weather have drained me. We managed to set up our tents just in time before the heavy rain hit us at 6pm. Boss, Patches and I crawl into our tents, cook dinner (I treat myself with a mountain house meal 'Lasagne with meat sauce', one if my favorite freeze dried meals, for my birthday) and am asleep just before 7pm! That's the earliest I have ever been asleep on trail, and that on my birthday. Well, I am 35 now, so getting older too🤣😁 When the K2's arrive at camp shortly after 8pm, I was already deep asleep and didn't even hear them anymore.

That's not how I pictured my 35th birthday at all. This was for sure not my favorite day.

Deer poop!🤣