When I got up my knees were screaming. My quads were sore and my knees felt overworked. But with the tired legs I left town. The day was all about connecting my ambitious detour back to the Continental Divide Trail. It took forever to get a ride out of Salida and back to the Colorado Trail crossing of highway 50. Before starting up the road I realized I had forgotten fuel for my stove. On Nolan’s 14 I didn’t carry fuel or food that needed to be cooked, so the thought slipped my mind. I walked a mile down the road to Monarch Spur Rv Park where they had fuel. Then I retraced my steps back up the highway and joined road 225. It was a boring and monotonous climb. I could have taken the Colorado Trail to connect back, but I stayed on the dirt road the entire way. I figured the more gentle grade of a dirt road would be easier on my tired knees and at the top the Monarch Crest Store would only be a mile away if I chose to backtrack to it. The vigorous activity the last few days showed on the climb. My legs cramped and my stomach tied itself in a knot. I had a headache and very limited energy. It was not overly difficult to make it up to 11,300’ to rejoin the Continental Divide Trail, but it was not comfortable. At the top I had no issues with hiking backward on the trail to the small store at Monarch Crest. It was already apparent it would be a short day and my stomach needed some medicine to calm it down. I grabbed the essentials and got back on the trail, heading the correct direction this time, and walked a few miles before calling it an early night.
Miles 20
Total miles 5080
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