Colorado Trail, Day 1
Well it’s still August first but we’ve lived a little today since I last wrote. It’s 4:29 in the afternoon. I think we’ve hiked about 5 miles. We skipped the gated road walk from the Waterton Canyon TH and opted to start at Indian Creek TH. We entered a dense, lush, humid and fragrant forest in full spring. Leaves and the trail were wet with drops of rain from earlier or the day before. It felt like is was in the 80’s, sunny and warm. It feels like home. It feels like the Sierra’s or the Cacades of Northern California. I love it!
We both stopped to watch a tiny white spider eating a tiny bee in the center of a purple thistle, completely absorbed by the moment until we pushed ourselves on.
We arrived at Lenny’s bench, a memorial tribute, and had lunch on the actual Colorado Trail, we have finally arrived! The clouds rolled in as we hiked on, then the thunder and lightning. We decided on an easy first day and set up camp as the first rain drops came. It rained hard, and hailed. My tent was on an incline so as not to end up in a puddle, but the rain rivers were flowing under my tent. I put some rain gear on and I built some rain barricades and that helped. I’m sitting dry on my pad and I think I will stay dry tonight. We’re going to bed early and getting up early. We are here in the wet and rainy season, apparently, and will have daily afternoon thunder, lightning and rain I’m sure.
