CDT insanity - Southbound from the Border

A lot has happened since my last entry but the take home message is: I'm heading to Glacier National Park to proceed with my hike southbound.  The snow in Colorado is still unmanageable and it was an extremely low snow year up in MT so myself and 11 other hikers are taking the plunge and going to the Canadian Border to walk toward the sun.  I'm absolutely thrilled to finally have a GOOD plan with regards to dealing with this snow.  The fact is, Colorado is still at 150% to 200% snowpack, the avalanche danger is still extreme, and stream crossings are dangerous.  This hike is not worth risking my life to that extent and I'm not willing to road walk through some of the most stunning parts of CO if I can avoid it.  I want to walk through the San Juan Mtns in all their awesome glory, and with this plan that will be my finale. 

Ive hiked approximately 800 miles so far.  In the grand scheme of things I have a lot more work to do but it still feels good to have that many miles behind me.  This time tomorrow I should be up near Glacier National Park gawking at the massive glacial valleys and ready to move my feet. 

And of course while I have the simple task of walking, Kyle my resupply person is probably having an ulcer because of me.  All the nicely wrapped boxes must be torn apart and re-organized to accommodate the fact that I'm now traveling south, not north.  For anyone who has had this responsibility, you know how nerve-wracking it can be!

So what have I been up to for the past week or 2?  I hiked north from Rawlins WY, through South Pass City (an AWESOME state historical park that the trail goes right through), and onward to Pinedale.  I stayed on the trail as far north into the winds as I could but did end up having to bail down to roads for the last bit into Pinedale.  At the time that I rolled into town I had no idea what I was going to do.  I could continue north where there is much less to no snow but I would have been totally alone, all other hiker were still grappling with the snow in CO.  Or I could have stuck with my original idea of going back to CO and trying to get through the snow but the more reports I got back from hikers and the more snowpack data I combed through this just didn't seem like a reasonable option, despite the lure of awesome company.  Then this past Saturday, FINALLY a group of hikers decided to drive up to Glacier and southbound from the border.  Did they have room for one more? YES!!!!!!!  So for a few days I've been resting in a very familiar place, Jackson Hole WY.  Good friends, good food, dancing, singing, and good vibes. Boy it's nice to be surrounded by such a positive energy!!

Happy Trails!

~beads

--

Smile Often :-)

--

Smile Often :-)