GMBDR day 2
Aug 14
For the numbers people:
40 miles
3400 ft elevation climbed
Recap:
The elevation is taking its toll.
Don’t trust a map saying “informal campsite”
How to set up a tent in a gusting rainstorm and then do it again.
All days start with a climb so if I don’t say it, just assume it will. We are going perpendicular to some beautiful rivers. But rivers make valleys and that means lots of climbing. Keep in mind, just yesterday we came from sea level. Today we kept doing 500 ft climbs over and over again. Colorado is gorgeous. Exactly what you’d expect.
We were getting tuckered out and started to strategize the days stopping point. We honed in on a campsite that the GPS labeled “informal campground “. There was a wicked steep climb that had everyone walking and pushing their bikes. The herds of cows were all over the trail. After we hustled them out of the way, they always gave us a piece of their mind as we would pass. There was a great downhill to the campsite which was supposed to have water the we were getting low on. Sure enough there was a little creek but the “site” was surrounded by bushes and barely big enough for one car.
We loaded up on water and started the steep climb looking for anyplace to drop our tents. There wasn’t such a harbor. Finally we submitted to a crest that looked like the famous scene from the movie “Sound of Music “. It was sunny and you could see forever. Over on the exposed ridge was a fire ring of rocks. As we started to just drop our bikes a rain squall that we were wishing would go away snuck in with a vengeance. Everyman for themselves to put up your tent as fast as possible. It was raining and the wind was gusting. Oh to have a video of the scrambling and cussing.
The rain slowed for a bit but there was lightning about ten miles away. A discussion ensued and we decided our beautiful view was also a dangerous exposure. So we teamed up and hauled our fully built tents off the hill 400 meter down into some bushes that the cows were using to hide from the storm. Ron never got the chance to move his tent. No sooner had we moved and another tempest was upon us. Individually we climbed into our tents and changed out of our wet clothes into dry. I was cold so put on everything I had that was dry. Three shirts and my down jacket and climbed into my sleeping bag. There was some hope of having a hot dinner when the rain slowed but it never did. We ate our dehydrated meals cold. I was almost asleep and relized that I should take one last leak outside while I could deal with it. Nothing worse than being fully asleep and hoping your full bladder will go away. Except for having to get up out of a warm bag and go outside into the rain.
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