It’s snowed! At around 2 am the rain turned to snow and I woke up with a thick layer on my tent. There was snow in my shoes and all over the ground. It wasn’t overly cold, but the sea of white was a sign it hovered in the high 20s. I made some snow angels and even had to walk a bonus mile to get water. Even with the cold temperatures I need to drink some water. Around noon the snow melted and the trail turned to mud. It made it tough to walk. The sticky mud clung to the bottom of my shoes making it feel like high heels. New Mexico has not been kind this time around. It was tough walking, but either the caffeine or the large amount I ate moved me pretty quickly. It was mostly a flat day and I was pretty excited about the possibility of taking a side trail to climb Mt Taylor (11,301’). But unfortunately a heavy snow began to fall as I neared the turnoff and I decided to forego the peak. I hiked an hour in the dark before sensing a slight break in the storm and set up my tent for another night on the snow.
Miles 40
Total miles 5549
#greatwesternloop #JeffGarmireGWL #GreatWesternLoopfinishers #whatdoesGWLstandfor #howmanypeoplehavedonetheGWL #whohasdonetheGreatWesternLoop #Thelongestthruhike #JeffGarmireGreatWesternLoop #whatstatesdoestheGWLgothrough #WhatistheGreatWesternLoop #WheredoestheGreatWesternLoopgo #thelongestbackpackingtrip #whohasdonetheGWL