ZIRKEL WILDERNESS, CO
I left Seven Lakes on the way to Red Dirt Pass and found myself going downhill, which was wrong. It took some big climbing to get back up to the ridge. Navigation on the ridge was uncertain, but I did manage to find some tread to follow.
When I got close to where I thought the pass was, I was again uncertain. After scrutinizing the map carefully I committed myself to the gap that appeared to be the pass.
Descending to a valley I found myself battling boulders again, which I had quite enough of at Knapsack Col. Wading through this was slow, exhausting, and painful. The boulders continued up the base of the climb.
As I contended with boulders on the ascent, I happened to look up to see a large brown moving object above me. It was a bear coming down straight towards me. I got out my camera while yelling “HeHo” to avoid any surprises. The critter saw me and continued down, but now going well away from me. It was awesome to see.
The climb did not turn out quite as daunting as it appeared, and the views all day long were pretty special. I did later confirm I climbed the right pass, which was a relief. I stopped at Gold Creek Lake for lunch and a laundry swim
I rejoined the CDT a few miles later and had a big climb just as dark clouds started to roll in. I marked a camp spot on the map and tried to hustle to it before I got caught in a storm. I put on my new DriDucks rain gear and they were great. I got to my camp spot as things started to get nasty, but I got the tent up reasonably quick and was warm, dry, and comfy for the night
My right foot is feeling better, but still tender
Steamboat Springs tomorrow!