Frosty tents and yellow leaves

August 29th

Segment 18 and 19

We decided 4:30 was too early in the morning to be getting up when it’s this cold. It looked to be about 32° on my thermometer outside the tent.

Jodie said “my froes are tozen” and we shook the frost off our rain flies and it left drops of frost on Jodie’s face, glasses and rain jacket.

We walked into the sunshine and the temperature rose 10°. We walked about 10 minutes more and had to take off layers. Feeling returned to our fingers and toes. The Aspen are starting to turn yellow and decorate the forest floor with their beautiful leaves.

Misty and her husband Bill passed us on the trail this morning. They have been camping together off trail and he is day hiking with her as she continues to finish the Colorado Trail. When we saw Bill on his way back he gave us both a bottle of water! That’s the best trail magic when you’re out here!

We met Calamity, Hype and Rumple and then Kate and Highlife as they passed us today. We caught up to everyone and had a huge yard sale at the creek, drying out our wet frosted tents, clothes and sleeping bags. It was so cold this morning that when I pulled out my tent it still had frost flakes all over it!

We are finally experiencing real cow country! The rolling hills and dirt roads that we envisioned walking through are where we are today and hopefully tomorrow. It actually feels like rest on the body!

It’s hot and dry and there’s not much water.

We had to get cow water from cow mucked spring!! It bubbled out of the ground from underneath a thicket. I scooped water with my coffee cup as close to the thicket as I could get. We treated it with aqua tabs then filtered. It actually tasted fine, it has that comforting chemical taste of treated water.