Miles Hiked: 5
Total Milage: 302.5
Location: Davilla Ranch
I hardly slept last night. The rain/snow/sleet kept coming down and I was worried my tent might fall over if I wasn’t awake to shake off all the heavy wet snow. Everything in my tent was damp and it was cold yet again. We all packed our stuff up and left camp by 7am.
The dirt road we started hiking on was a little muddy from last night’s storm. I was careful not to slip. We had to walk 5 miles to our destination for the day, Davilla Ranch. Davila Ranch is a small rest stop for CDT hikers and Great Divide Mountain Bikers to enjoy. It’s ran by a ranching family who built a small primitive shelter to do the job. I hadn’t done my laundry since the first trail town about 12 days ago. I was very happy I was able to get it washed and air dried at the ranch! I was also able to get a shower which I thought was the best shower I’ve had since I started. It was the first time I had both a towel and enough shampoo and conditioner to get the knots out of my hair. Who would have thought that would be provided essentially in the middle of nowhere?
The ranch also provides basic food which we cooked all together as one big meal in the primitive kitchen. We made sauted potatoes and onions and added it to an egg, bean, and spinach scramble. Today was a rest day for me, Jenga, and 12 Pack. Heidi and Free Fall kept hiking to the next town with a tad bit more to offer than the ranch. We will catch up with them tomorrow on their rest day. I was able to make a few phone calls to my friends and family back home which was great. We all Cowboy camped under the awning outside and it felt like an AT shelter.
Happy Trails!
-Early Bird
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