Continental Divide Trail – Day 19
May 20, 2023
Miles Today/ Total: 24.6 / 388.8
It continued to rain on and off throughout the night. When morning came there were no more dark clouds in the sky. Maybe it will be a rain-free day.
The trail continued down the gravel road for another 5 miles before turning into a paved road for another 2 1/2 miles. It then turned off into the chain of craters area. There was as kiosk there and I took advantage of the small shade it provided to eat my breakfast. The trail from here is single track for the next 30 miles.
About 1.5 miles in on the single track the trail intersected a lava flow area. The trail led up onto and meandered through this lava flow area. Climbing over the lava formed rocks was both challenging and exciting. There were large cracks, collapsed lava tubes, and even some lava caves through the area. 
Back on regular ground the trail continued through the prairie. The trail was mostly a sandy soil littered with lava rock.
As the day progressed the skies we’re constantly building thunderstorms to the south and west. I could see the rain falling from these storms and they would sometimes move my way and other times just fall apart and disappear. Other than a few sprinkles through the day, the only one to actually rain on me was about 5:30 in the afternoon.
I reached an area with large pine trees and level soil about 6:00 and decided to find a campsite before I was back in a rocky area. I setup camp cooked dinner and retired to my tent as the sun dropped in the sky. The skies looked pretty clear as the sun set so maybe we won’t have any more rain tonight.
