4/13/20, mile: 235, elevation: 5,873 ft.
What the hell happened? Last night, Mission Creek was flowing nice and clear; now it’s dirty with sediment. No doubt from more snow melt up above. I had some to carry me a while, but I don’t like knowing for sure, this river is THE source of water for the next 10 miles.
At least I slept well. It was the warmest night I’ve had out here. It’s amazing how good I feel with a good night of sleep.
The spring storms and runoff of 2017 wreaked havoc on this section of trail. It is now a jumbled mess. The easy part? Go upstream. Watching the geography and comparing it to topo maps, it becomes easier to tell where the trail is supposed to be. But sometimes you just have to go cross-country and make it work. The whole time trying not to get your feet wet during a crossing. Kind of funny fretting about wet feet when you’re surrounded by desert. Another benefit of using topo maps is watching for sidestreams that feed into the main channel; they were running clear.
Due to the challenges this section doles out, average speeds drop. I was surprised I made it the 7-ish miles, actuallly. I had also made it a mission to eat more and take real breaks. Like actually laying down and closing my eyes. One spot under a cottonwood reminded me of Clear Lake in the spring. Lying there, looking up through the leaves as they slowly danced in the breeze; the slight mumble and murmor of the creek a short distance away; birds chirping about. Quite an amazing moment in time, actually. The salami, cheese and tortilla “burrito” helped, too.
I also incorporated stretches into these breaks. I made camp near one of these sidestreams, all by myself. The site was exposed, but the views up-and-down the canyons were wonderful, with the snow covered peaks looming over me. Once the sun dropped, so did the temps, so into the tent I went to finish dinner and write some notes for this blog. Typing while lying on your stomach hurts. Check that; typing in a tent hurts.
These last couple of days have been mentally and emotionally challenging. I haven’t been enjoying the journey as much, the things around me. The knee is part of it (still getting better), but also the worry of the upcoming snow and my daily mileage. Backpacking long distances through the snow is unpredictable. Geography, compass orientation, vegetation cover, time of day and ambient temperatures all affect the traveling experience. How much snow is there? For how far? These are worries. Worrying about something that is out of your control is a waste of mental energy. These questions can only be answered by going there. So tomorrow I will. Stay tuned.
Savior out.