Notes
Woke up a bit chilly but I had an easier time than yesterday getting going. We had some downhill to start for a change and then began an 8 mile climb that Lucas was dreading a little. Not far up we stopped to use a trailhead pit toilet and shortly after a dude can-camping shouted “Trail Magic!” and tossed a Twix at us that we ate instantly. Over all the climb was much easier than expected and a runner passed us looking fairly comfortable which was cool. The last couple miles were surprisingly muddy and much roomier than anything we had done on this trip. Very Vermont feeling. We stopped about halfway through the last mile for lunch because that mile had 1000ft of gain and we didn’t want to eat in the cold and wind at the top. After lunch we crushed the last half mile, stopping twice in the last 300m of the trail because it was absurdly steep and Ted didn’t want his calves to crank and then have to deal with that aftermath. The views backward toward our climb were beautiful and showed some thunderclouds on the peaks not far south and east of us. After a couple minutes we realized they were moving toward us and we took off but shortly after that the clouds were right on top of us and we were heading deeper into them hiking just below the ridge. After about 30 minutes and seeing some lightning fairly close by we opted to sit under some trees about 70 feet below the trail. The thunder continued and we occasionally even felt and saw hail. Teddy began to sing an AC/DC cover, Thunderhail. He took the time to trim his fingernails so I did the same. Then Ted and Lucas put on some foot cream. Great self care opportunity. After a mountain biker went by and we saw the sky ahead of us clearing up we figured we were all set to keep hiking but we (I) pushed the pace to get us lower and among trees asap. We had to be hiking over 3 miles per hour. Hiking in rain pants was more comfortable than I thought. We got to the road at about 2:30pm and Ted checked out the gift shop first. Lucas and I went in and ordered coffees, but meanwhile a nice couple, who we later learned were Keith and “Keener,” asked Teddy if we were on the CT and offered us a ride to Salida. They were supposed to start the CT on June 9th but the dude got COVID so they planned to start tomorrow instead. They must be retired because Keener has hiked everywhere. They dropped us in downtown Salida where we took off our warm layers and walked across the street to a brewery called Moonlight where we each had a beer and a Caesar salad. I had a great cream ale called Moon Lite. Lucas made a reservation at the Simple Hostel while we sat and reveled in the newfound luxury and cushioned couches. Afterward we went to the hostel to drop our things and shower before grabbing and ice cream, heading to Tres Litros for another beer and then getting pizza for dinner. Mega luxury. I also chatted with Liz a bit right after showering. We mosied back to the hostel and dried some things out front and chatted with the trail maintenance crew also staying there, the same college age-ish kids we saw a couple days ago and then the two sandaled hikers we crossed paths with during our 8-mile climb. We crashed around 9:30, very late for us but we slept in until 7 so it was fine.
Late add: I almost forgot to include what might be the funniest sandal comment I’ve ever heard. A guy walking by with his dogs as we ate dinner had the same sandals as me, so when his dog licked my knee and we made eye contact, I said “Hey nice sandals.” He responded “I see you also got the most comfortable color.” Maybe it was the beers, maybe we were slappy, but I might never hear something so funny again.