Continental Divide Trail – Day 74

August 5, 2023
Miles Today/ Total: 11.0 / 1,254.1

I tried to sleep in this morning, but was up by 5:30 and getting things together. I camped at the Muddy Creek Pass trailhead and walked about 100 yards to the highway to try to catch a ride.

There’s not to many cars out at 6:30 on a Saturday morning and even fewer headed into Steamboat Springs. I started walking the road toward Steamboat hitching as I went. It was a curvy road with a narrow shoulder so it would be risky for someone to stop and pick up a hitchhiker.

I walked up the road about a mile and found a pullover at Rabbit Ear Pass. I stood and hitched a few yards ahead of the pullover so people could pull off if the wanted to offer a ride.

I stood there in the cool morning air until about 8:00 before catching a ride. It was a guy coming into Steamboat Springs to pick up a display cabinet. He took me into town and dropped me off at City Market so I could get my food resupply.

I went in and picked up what I needed and repackaged it on the side of the store. After taking care of my food resupply I headed for breakfast. I ended up at Egg in Steamboat Springs and ordered a delicious Mexican skillet.

After eating I rode the bus to Walton Pond where there was a laundromat. They had a restroom to change in and I washed all my stinky hiking clothes and charged my battery pack.

I tried updating my social media at the laundromat but cell service was good enough so after washing my clothes I rode the bus to McDonalds to use their Wi-Fi. I posted my daily blogs and checked my email before loading everything up and heading to the bus for the third time today.

I rode to the last exit on the south end of town where I would attempt to hitchhike back to the trailhead. I had walked less than 100 yards from the bus stop and someone stopped to give me a ride. It was “Blaze” – a fellow AT 2022 thru hiker. I never met him, but I knew “Bud” whom he hiked with. “Bud” was one of the few ECT hikers in 2022 also. It’s a small world.

“Blaze” dropped me off at the trailhead and I started hiking north. The trail started high in the mountains and stayed up there. There was very little gain or loss on the trail today.

The trail pass Dumont Lake, Fishhook Lake and Lake Elmo before I decided to stop for the day. I found a dry spot in a meadow that was far away from any beetle kill to be safe and set up my tent for the night. The air here feels damp already and I’m sure it will make a cold, wet night, but it’s better than having a tree fall on you.