Miles Hiked: 6.5
Total Milage: 2202.2
This morning 12 pack and I woke up very early. We wanted to get to the road before the other hikers we saw yesterday so there were not 5 people trying to hitch at once. The more people, the less likely we are to get picked up. It was still super smoky as we walked 6 miles down to the highway. It was so strange, it was warm when we woke up and got colder as we descended. Usually it’s colder at higher elevation but for some reason all the cold air settled in the valley today. We got to the highway around 7:30am and tried hitch hiking for an hour. The other three hikers showed up and I decided to text a donation based driver and a trail angels too see if either were available to help us get to town. The cars on the highway were going super fast and it seemed like all of us would have been out there for a long time trying to get a ride. Weatherman answered us almost immediately and came to get us all! I was so so thankful. I’m glad there were five of us to make it worth his time! He dropped us off at Walgreens around 9am. In Butte we got breakfast with Ohm, Carrot, and Shepherd at the Hanging Five restaurant before going our separate ways. I walked to the gear store to pick up some insoles I had them put on hold for me. Then I got a slushy from the gas station and walked two miles to the KOA campground. We only had to pay $20 for our campsite and there were so many other hikers there. I was so happy to see them!
The group of hikers in the spot next to us were, Trigger, Horse, Frisbee, Stubbs, Ricochet, and Old Head. Ozark, Eternal, and Machine also made an appearance later in the day as well. This is the most hikers I’ve seen since Chama! I wasn’t looking forward to spending time in Butte because I’ve had a friend or family visit me in every single trail town so far which is crazy! Like I’ve said before, I struggle a lot with being homesick. At the campground, I took a shower for the first time since Lima. It has been 13 days since my last shower which is a new personal record for me. It felt so nice to scrub all the dirt off my skin and get my hair untangled from its knotty mess. I felt like a new person. I set up my tent before walking 2 miles to the pizza buffet with 12 pack. The other hikers showed up a little bit later. I couldn’t believe there was a buffet in town. It feels like a rare occasion for 2021 and I’m sure it will be a long time before I find another buffet. I got so many plates of pizza and salad. I was happy to catch up on the calories. On the walk home we stopped to check out some of the dispensaries. I got some CBD oil to last me the rest of the trail.
The rest of the night I spent hanging out at the campground with the other hikers. To end the night we walked to a bar down the street. The air quality ended up remaining very poor all day. I could hardly see the ridge we were hiking on yesterday from town.
Happy Trails!
– Early Bird
Des Hikes Thru 