Bonus Miles and 11,880

Miles 16.4

Camped at mm 88.3

We slept in until 4:30. Then we were hiking by 6:04. Out power banks had charged to 100% overnight, and it was a complete success. Anji cut the backs of her fancy Merrell water shoes off with her pockt knife and we laughed a lot and I took pictures. We skipped our way along. Well, okay, we huffed and puffed our way along…

After we’d been on trail for a while, we recognized a tent. Wait just a minute…we were going through the campground. Then we saw our site that we’d stayed in last night. Grrr. We’d gone all the way around to the proper trail head, which took us in a giant loop straight back to the campground! Oh well. Bonus Miles.

We immediately climbed our way into a cloud. Its tendrils swirling around us and making the morning both eerie and stunning.

When the sun burned off the clouds, we were left in an aspen forest, and there was Anji. Framed by aspen, with a beautiful vista just beyond. I took a photo.

We climbed and climbed all day and finally reached the top at 11,880 feet where we planned on camping.

It was cold and windy and I was sucking air, and besides, we both still had some juice left in the tank, so we decided to move to a lower elevation. We continued another 4.6 miles to where we are now. All downhill. Camped at a lovely stream. With all the other hikers.

We set up our tents and collapsed into them. Barely suffering through our nightly chores. But making it home to our home away from home.