Trail Magic on trail!

Day 125

Date: 03.09.2022

CDT Mile: Mile 2'611.4

Miles hiked: 29.4 miles / 47.05 km

Elevation: 4'442 feet ascent (1'354.8 m Aufstieg) / 5'495 feet descent (Abstieg 1'676 s)

Camping at: 6'644 feet / 2'026.4 m

We hike out at 7.15am and hiked and hiked and hiked all morning, with only a short break at a small stream to get water and have a snack. It was mostly a nice trail, fast to hike with decent ups and downs. We hiked more than 17 miles before stopping for lunch at around 1pm. It is another hot and sunny but smokey day, with not much water on trail. I have only 0.5L left at lunch, and it is still 4 miles to go to the next water source. I am gonna make it there, but will probably be very thirsty by then. Hence, I have to ration my water at lunch. Therefore, I also only eat 6 oreos for lunch, so I don't get thirsty too much.

Next to reaching the next water source we also have another big motivation to hike on, as we have trail magic coming up 22 miles in today. The trail magic is provided by Guru, a former CDT hiker I met on day two on trail, and who has quit trail in west yellowstone and is now making hikers happy with his trail magic! Hiking out after lunch I can feel that my energy level is rather low, not eating much lunch and not having much water left. Reaching the water source, a nice spring with ice cold water, I can't be bothered filtering it. It is a spring and me being that thirsty I don't have the willpower left to also filter this water. I will be fine! The water is super tasty and I hydrate my body with as much water as I can. Also we get each 2 liters of water for tonight and tomorrow, again no water for about 10 miles.

Shortly later we reach Guru's trail magic place. We get Chips, Sodas and a cheese Sandwich. I am so hungry and the cheese sandwich is super tasty and salty, great Idea of Guru to offer us them. We stay there for about 3 hours, talking to Guru enjoying the trail magic, checking the trail register and talking to another hiker joining us. Thanks to Guru having a trail register and doing trail magic for a couple of weeks, he has met most NOBO and SOBO hikers, we can figure out who is still on trail and where in the hiker bubble we are at. I am surprised to find out that of all the CDT hikers starting this year, we assume between 600 and 900 NOBO hikers, only about 100 to max 150 (incl. SOBO hikers) are still left on trail. And we are in the middle of the bubble! Good news, I always felt like I am behind everyone. But I did some good progress lately.

We hike out late afternoon again and stop for dinner 3 miles in. There is an empty trailer next to the trail and we hop on it for dinner, great place!😁 we hike out a couple of more miles, till it is dark and we find a perfect camp spot, already prepared by previous hikers, surrounded by trees (some of them death and fallen, others still looking strong). It is a beautiful evening, very warm, dry and no wind. Hence we decide to use this great wheather window again for cowboy camping. But as soon as we are in our sleeping bags, the wind picks up dramatically. The trees are shacking and making weird noises around. We may also get some rain if we are unlucky. We are thinking of getting up again and pitching the tents, but both of us are too tired and lazy to do so. Also, it is not primary the possible rain which worries me, or that grizzly's have been spotted right here a day or two ago, but that a tree could fall down on us. A tent wouldn't be any protection from this danger neither. I am watching the trees around us carefully but after about 30 minutes I give up. I can't change things right now, worrying doesn't help so I better use the time to recover and sleep. I put in my earplugs, cover my eyes with my bandana and have a surprisingly wonderful deep sleep!

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