I woke up for my first morning on the trail and celebrated by making myself a hot cup of coffee to eat with my cold soaked oatmeal I had made the night before. The oatmeal was barely edible and I could only eat a few bites of it before I decided to give up. Knowing I wouldn’t be eating oatmeal for the rest of my trip, I realized I had run out of breakfast And Lunch (see Day 1), which meant I ate very little and was about 700 calories short each day. I was soon subsisting on bars, dried mangoes, and peanut ramen.
I sat next to the river and boiled water for my Aeropress, one of my favorite luxuries since I’m admittedly a bit of a coffee snob. I clutched my coffee mug and closed my eyes. I listened to the sound of the water, the birds chirping, and the wind gently rustling the leaves of the trees. I couldn’t believe how peaceful I felt. I was in another world where life was so simple and beautiful and there were no expectations other than my own. I spent a little too long at camp taking it all in, even though I really did need to move to avoid the heat in the Segment 2 burn zone.
When I left the camp, I was immediately hungry and tired and tried to eat a bar that I had packed, but I also realized that I Really I hated eating bars while hiking. I would eat a few bites at a time and have to force myself to finish them. I only had a full day before I would reach Bailey, I thought. I hoped I would be OK by then.
As I hiked up the climb of Section 2, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the terrain. Through the burn scar, I could see the skyline of the mountains around me. Nothing could wipe the smile off my face, not even hunger and not even the heat. The clouds provided occasional shade and there was a light breeze. The temperature was still in the 30s, but I was grateful for any relief. It was as if heaven was forgiving me for setting off later in the morning.
I took more breaks than I had planned and even stopped to treat some blisters that were in the early stages of forming. As I sat there sticking out my dirty feet and popping my blisters, another hiker passed by. He was hiking north as a partial hiker. He asked if I was doing a thru-hike and how I was enjoying the trail so far. I explained that I was having the time of my life but that my food was already becoming a problem. He immediately sat down next to me, pulled out his food bag and started giving me some of his food including tuna, Knorrs side dishes, cheese and energy gels. That was my first sense of the camaraderie that the trail brings and the food lasted me the whole day. He saw my feet and told me that I had soft feet and needed to rough them up. I knew then that blisters were inevitable but eventually I would have real hiker feet. We sat there enjoying each other’s company before we both went our separate ways.
As I hiked, I looked up at the sky to read the clouds. A storm was coming and I had about an hour before I could make it to the volunteer fire station to refill my water supply. I stopped to see which way the clouds were moving, hoping I could avoid them, but they were coming straight at me. And fast. This was my punishment for leaving camp too late. Gusts of wind were coming at me and the temperature was dropping. I knew that with the lack of living trees, I had nowhere to hide from the storm and would just have to hike through it.
When the storm started, I put my head down and kept hiking as hail and rain lashed my face and legs. I pulled my rain hood down over my eyes to protect my face, but then I could only see two feet. I couldn’t track my progress as I couldn’t see very far and desperately needed a motivational boost. I was freezing and my fingers were numb, meaning I had to keep moving to stay warm. I gripped my hiking poles tightly to keep the blood flowing to my hands. I noticed my rain jacket was failing and water was seeping through the seams. I was completely soaked.
Soon I saw the turnoff to the fire station and let out a loud sigh of relief that was more like a grateful groan. That was just the motivational boost I needed. If I was going to be soaked, I might as well be hydrated. I sat on the bench next to the water tap, mixed up some electrolytes, and forced down a bar that got mushy when I ate it in the rain, and an energy gel I’d been given earlier to get some quick calories.
The rest of the day was forecast to be overcast, and I knew I probably wouldn’t have time to dry off before nightfall. Not only was I soaked and cold, but I was starving. I had burned far more calories than I had consumed over the past two days, and my body was feeling it. My stomach was growling and aching, my head hurt, and I was low on energy. I weighed my options. I could either keep driving despite the inconvenience, or try to hitchhike to Bailey from the volunteer fire department a day early. Before I knew it, I was standing on the side of the road with my thumb out. This was my first time hitchhiking, and it was surprisingly more uncomfortable than scary. I was like a sad wet puppy. I felt pathetic and honestly hoped someone would take pity on me and give me a ride. I was ready to be warm and get a real meal.
An older couple in a red truck stopped and gave me a ride to Bailey. They were trail maintenance workers and were happy to ask me questions about my hike. When they dropped me off at Two Bridges Lodge, I wanted to pay them for their help, but the woman said, “I don’t want that, I just want a hug and for you to have fun.” She got out of the truck to hug me and we said our goodbyes. I was excited to meet Trail Angels for the first time and overjoyed by the kindness of the community around the Colorado Trail.
I showered and did laundry as soon as I got to the hostel room. I changed into rental clothes the hostel provided—a green quarter-zip sweatshirt and camouflage pajama pants. I went next door to the iconic South Park Hog Dog Stand and finally got some calories in. Part of me was disappointed that I was already in a town on my second day, but I knew it would pave my way to Breckenridge. I desperately needed the calories, and staying in Bailey would give me the opportunity to eat as much as possible.
Later in the day, more hikers arrived at the hostel. They were tired and exhausted from the last few legs. They were further away from me and were coming from Kenosha Pass, mile 74. They all seemed very depressed and trying to find some relief. I thought I would leave them alone to sort out their problems and hopefully talk to them tomorrow.
I spent the night journaling and planning my next day, which would end up being a full day without a break. A full day without a break is a huge treat. It means you can have the entire day off, hike zero miles on trails, do city chores like dishes and laundry, and eat at restaurants. A full day without a break means you can rest, really take care of yourself, and enjoy the amenities the city has to offer. That weekend was Bailey Days, a festival the city of Bailey puts on once a year. I decided to make the most of the time I had and treat each day as a celebration.
I was so proud of myself that day. I was proud that I listened to my body and understood that I was in a situation where I needed to take care of myself. I was proud that I wasn’t too hard on myself and that I was flexible. I went to sleep that night feeling accomplished, even though my plans had been thwarted a little. Just before I fell asleep, I texted my fiancé and said, “I’m so happy to be here,” and I really was.
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