Day 4: Stupid Fires
Brrrr Brrrr Brrrr. When I woke up it was freezing. Like literally my unicycle had frost all over it. Plus my tent and most my gear was soaking wet due to dew. I forced myself out of bed.
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I had to put every warm clothing I had with on..wool hat, gloves, rain pants and jacket...I was still cold. But the sun was coming out and slowly warming up. As I ate oatmeal, which warmed up my hands, a hummingbird flew right near my face and just sat there looking at me for a few moments. Reminded me of my grandpa and was very surreal.
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Started the day off with an uphill climb followed by some nice downhill to Kenosha Pass where they had toilets. Timed that right and I haven't had to do a #2 in the woods yet. Yay!
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A few months ago I actually rode this next segment of the trail to get a feel for it. Only rode 7 miles into it before turning around as it started snowing. Today was a hot and sunny day. It was nice knowing what to expect and the views were just as stunning as last time.
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Made it to the river where I turned around last time. Today I took a nice long lunch break and cooked up some enchiladas. I had to prepare myself for a big climb ahead. My first time on the trip that I would be above the tree line...certainly not my last.
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As usual the climb seemed to take forever but I made it to the top. I was a bit concerned about a thunderstorm while I was up there but the weather gods were on my side.
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From here it was 7 miles of pure downhill heaven. I got in the zone and was having a blast. Made it down in no time and decided to keep going another 2 miles so I would have less to do tomorrow.
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Found a nice campsite at mile 90.9 next to a stream that already had firewood. Perfect...so I thought. I tried making a fire for over half an hour. I used up most of my fuel in my lighter and all of my paper. Nothing. Just smoke in my face. I was annoyed and pissed.
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So I shouldn't have done this but I decided to use my Jetboil stove to make a fire. It worked and I got a fire going but I melted some of the plastic on it and now it won't fit inside itself. Stupid idea Jamey. Worst part is I didn't even enjoy the fire. By the time it was going it was already close to dark and I had to fill up my water, set up tent, make dinner and hang food. Probably spent 5 minutes total by the fire. What a waste. Goodnight.