The Frost and The Snakeskin

Miles 14.1

Camped at mm 138.9

The first dusting of snow on the tippy tippy top of the pass was yesterday. Today, August 13th, The Frost had dropped to the grass under our feet. Spring went straight to autumn. The tips of some fancy leaves have turned red now, and thistles have lost their royal purple robes.

I wore my long johns all day.

The sun stretched long fingers across the valley to gently touch each needle on the evergreen trees, and the trees sighed as they warmed up. Fat old fatty fat fat marmots saying “me! me! me!” and me saying, “yeah, you! you! you!” and my shadow shedding like a Snakeskin everywhere I went. Getting caught on bushes and grasses and scaring the grasshoppers.

We passed by a place called Janet’s Cabin, which turned out to be pretty swank, for a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and the flowers that missed the frost blink blink blinked around, waiting for the sun to get around to them too.

Eventually at the top of the first pass, at 12,044 feet, we were able to see a new moutain range all together and we got all excited. We wandered into a new valley, the ground all smooth dirt on a path that was more like a trench from years of feet and mountain bike tires coming through. Grasses on either side for miles.

We climbed some more, winding around and around, and ending up at the top of Elk Ridge at 12,280 feet. It was windy and cold up there. I put on my jacket. We took some gorgeous photos. Views here and there and everywhere. We couldn’t stop looking. It was hard to walk. I wanted to look at the views, not my feet.

It rained on us a little as we wound down the other side. Dowwwwn past the evergreens playing peekaboo through the aspens. Dowwwwn past the aspens themselves. Dowwwwn through the “Danger Do Not Touch Anything – Unexploded Ordinance Area” Area. Dowwwwn past the bunkers and back uuuuppppp to eventually land us at our campsite.

Where we collapsed.

Where we were so tired that cooking dinner felt like a chore. So tired that finding a place to put the bear bag seemed impossible. That chewing dinner was too difficult a task.

When wil this get easier?

I fell into a troubled slumber.