We would have a bit longer stretch (64 miles) today to get to the town of Del Norte. There was nothing in between, including water, so a must stop. We all heard howling through the night. One lower sounding howl in the distance, which could have been a wolf, and a distinctive high pitched yapping call of a coyote much closer to us.
The scenery leaving the campground on Cochetopa pass was beautiful this morning. We had a nice downhill before climbing the next pass, Carnero, and then a long slog towards Del Norte. I was feeling pretty good until we were back in the wide open at a lower elevation. The temperature seemed to jump and there was no shade from the sun. It seemed to sap the energy from my legs and it didn’t help that the water in my bottles was warm too. The scenery was a lot different, and probably a preview of what we’ll see in New Mexico.
The gravel road we were on had very few fresh car tracks. I could see more tracks of bicycle tires. The trail then turned into a double track downhill, with smooth sweeping, banked turns. Now this is more fun! Of course everything good must come to an end, and we had a very rocky single track trail that eventually turned into deep sand. Now that is no fun! You had to ply close attention, and not have your front wheel wash away under you. It happened a few times to me, but the landing was relatively soft. I was glad when that all stopped and were back on regular gravel.
I was very happy to see the town of Del Norte on the horizon ahead. I drank a few gulps of that warm water from my bottle, and just grinded myself towards the town. I crossed the Rio Grande River and I was in Del Norte. It was a tiring day, and decided it would be a good opportunity to take a rest day before tackling Indiana Pass after Del Norte, which is the highest pass on the whole GBMBR at almost 12,000 feet. My legs need a rest. 🥵
I met Sean, Hamish and Jess for a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant. They all had also decided on a rest day, so we would continue at least another couple days together. The logistics of getting good water will become even more difficult. There were some mining operations on the other side of Indiana pass, which have polluted the creeks and rivers.
Not much to write about on my day off, other than me catching up on the blogs, and getting a long overdue haircut. 😊
Did you get a buzz cut?!
ReplyDeleteStrap as much water as you can to your rig, looks hot and dry!
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