Frost was everywhere. On my tent, on the ground, and in the meadow. It was hard getting out of my Durston because it was so cold outside. But we had some miles to do, and time was wasting. Hogged Up was busy readjusting the planned miles and found a better way. A short cut?

Once on the trail, Hogged Up and John led the way. We had planned to meet up at the first water source. The trail was good, but the road was better. It didn’t shave any miles but cut down on some unnecessary elevation. We already had a ton of climbing ahead, so any help we could get, I was onboard. And for a super bonus, there was a trash can along the way so we emptied our garbage, and our unneeded weight.

Once we merged back onto the CDT, we headed towards the creek. There was some great views this morning and one being Devils Thumb. It was well named, quite menacing and towering above everything else. Hogged Up and John stopped for lunch and I was a bit behind them. They are faster so my lunch break gets cut short. You would think this should spur me to walk faster!

We headed up towards Devils Thumb and climbed 2700’ in about three miles. The first two miles was through a burned area until we were above tree line. Then the terrain turned to Sub-Alpine and then my favorite, Alpine. There was soft mosses, grasses, willows and tundra. The views were expansive. Our original itinerary was to camp at tree line, but everyone was feeling good, so we pushed onward.

At 12000’ , I realized this was gonna be a long day! Hogged Up and John were long gone, and I was traversing some exposed and windswept mountain tops. It was incredible with views to Keystone, Dillon, Breckenridge and all places between. The only thing on the peaks besides me and Norman were pikas and tiny white butterflies.

This was one of the first ridge lines that I wasn’t either walking in the rain, shrouded in clouds or being chased by thunderheads! It was such a perfect afternoon and I had it all to myself!

I met up with the crew at Rollins Pass. I climbed over the cattle fencing and Hogged Up grabbed my pack. Just as I was getting settled for a break, they were up and ready to go. Here lies the problem. I am slower and they are faster. These two are the same ages as my two grown children, which makes them much younger than I. So I am not in any way, shape or form going to keep up with them. So I stayed put and asked if I could indulge in a ten minute break? Five minutes later, they had their packs on and ready to go. Well, at least I had five minutes.

We headed down the road and found our water supply, and made camp a bit later than usual. But we did the miles, the weather was amazing and I’m snug in my tent, and going to sleep well tonight. As I look back on today, I need to reflect on my weaknesses. My pace is not John and Sabine’s pace. I can’t and probably shouldn’t try to keep up with them. Especially if I want to continue this sojourn without being sidelined. But with all that being said, God is with me and He has a plan. He is building me and I just need to allow myself to accept where I am and who He is, in me.

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬