Day #55-Epic ridges and savvy bailouts. Miles hiked: 28.3?

This morning marked my final climb on the CO trail, and of course it was 3k vertical feet for good measure. Once the CDT became its own route again at Georgia Pass, it was a stark reminder that this trail is wild and brutal. Goodbye to trail markers and hello to tallus fields and ridiculously steep climbs.

Oh, also welcome back to getting snowed and nearly knocked over by the wind.

I won’t lie, this ridge walk was slow-going, cold, and not particularly fun…barely even ate lunch for fear of my food being blown right out of my mouth (which has happened before).

By 4 pm, I was starting to get an uneasy feeling in my gut about continuing. As a whitewater boater, a skier, and a future doctor, I have learned to trust and respond to my gut. It was telling me to bail with another knife-edge ridge coming up, so I did. 

After half sliding, half walking down 2000 ft of tallus, I reached a forest service road and made up a route to reconnect with the CDT the next day.

This “Blueberry alternate” missed the high point of the entire continental divide, but it also made more sense for me to be safe. I even got to walk by Keystone (where I made my first turns) and found a cool spring by the road!

Goodnight from a hidden ditch by highway 6 where I hope the sound of passing semis will gently lull me to sleep.