Journey Day 464 | CDT Day 127

Sometimes the trail was deeply rutted jeep road.

10/19/87

Up early, enjoy privy, push up trail, choose wrong fork before righting myself, hiking back into the the wilderness area and realizing the orange ribbons I saw yesterday were probably a boundary along the Rio Grande. Push up muddy trail, torn up by horses, unsure of other prints. Good munch break on tortellinis. Push on to snow level, nearly fooled by Squaw Lake Trail not on the map. But I figure it out and hike into snow toward an obvious pass. Hard getting up to it. Realize too late trail spotted on the ridge was the one up to the Divide. Work through willows, trails everywhere. Stumble through drifts on the pass, finally find a tread - Carl's print in the wrong direction.

Snowy, into trees, lose good trail. Buswhack up, following elk trails. Into basin below pass seeking trail, but go to wrong pass. Postholing to wrong pass, then wander through steep drifts all around, fall, nearly panic as sun is dropping. But decide to try for higher pass as it's near, I see cairns.

Down quickly from pass, snow freezing legs. But thoughts of having to quit are gone. I push by cairns, foot trails down to lakes at a notch and trail junction. Pitch on snow-covered knoll, extremely cold, hands and feet frozen. Socks frozen into boots, but manage to pitch, disassemble pack in tent, warm up quickly.

Feeling in feet returns, boil snow for meal before crashing. Up to update journal since 10/15, check tent as winds whip before dying down. Finish as another plane flies over. Learning to cope.