October 5, 2015

NORTH FORK CONEJOS RIVER, CO

My campsite was suboptimal. I had good water close by, but my tent was pitched at a significant angle. Regardless, I was content and had some good sleep that had me feeling much better in the morning

I started the day with my DriDucks on and never took them off. They performed well amidst the cold and wet weather that persisted during the day. There were mixtures of hail and rain that occasionally got pretty intense, but the DriDucks did their job and kept me from getting soaked

The gear that disappointed were my GoreTex gloves. My fingers were really cold most of the day, and the gloves didn’t seem to provide any warmth

There were a few hours of nice weather after lunch at lower elevation where it warmed a bit. My fingers returned to normal for a while

The scenery was rather spectacular today. I did not know this section was going to have such amazing views. With the fog and clouds hovering over peaks, it was a very good day to see this area

The trail was typically nasty. There could be a never ending number of work projects on the CDT, and while this is not the worst section it certainly could use some work

With navigation alone there is a need for work. I was happily following the only tread I saw down a valley when I decided to check CDT hiker. I was way off trail. I never saw a junction, sign, post, cairn, tread, or any other indication. I ended up doing a severe uphill bushwhack to get back on the CDT

I didn’t make as many miles as I hoped today, but I was cold and I found a good camp site. I need to try to get 25 miles tomorrow to be on schedule. Let’s hope for smooth sailing on my last full day on trail.

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