September 9th, 2024
Mile Marker: 1854.9
Miles Hiked: 17
Today was chill in every sense and I loved it.
We slept in until almost 7 AM and got out around 8 AM. Since we only had 15ish miles to get into Twin Lakes today and planned to meet Aster and Whatever there for dinner, we knew we had plenty of time.
The whole day was in the trees on easy cruisey trail. How much a relief it is to be on a trail that’s well marked and nicely graded. I think I’ll mention it everyday that we are on the CT.
We passed by a couple trailheads that had trails that led to a couple 14ers; Mount Massive and Mount Elbert. We caught a glimpse of Mt Elbert and could see how humongous it was. Just so grand.
We kept a continuous pace for most of the day. Taking short breaks when we needed and a longer one for lunch since we had ample amounts of time.
We also spent a decent amount of time in the aspen trees and I was loving it. They give the trail a whole different vibe. Peaceful and gentle.
I thought quite a bit about when I first started having anxiety as a young adult. When I was in high school I didn’t understand when people would say they have anxiety, my own sister being one of them. I thought it wasn’t real because I couldn’t understand how they were feeling, that their fight or flight system was turned way high for things that seemed minuscule to me.
Then when I was a transfer student at KU, I started working multiple jobs to make ends meet. I was on my own not knowing anyone and I was a full time student with hard homework. I was in a very toxic “relationship”and I wasn’t sleeping. It was the beginning of anxiety, freaking out about things that I used to feel confident in. Not feeling like myself, stressed to the max.
One day, I was sitting in a huge lecture hall and suddenly felt my heart racing and the panic creep in. What is happening, I thought. I packed my bags and quickly stormed out of the lecture hall into fresh air gasping for a breath. I skipped the rest of class and took the afternoon off. I finally understood anxiety and panic and something had to change.
I hated feeling that way and my dear friend Kari suggested therapy. So for the first time at age 23, I started seeing a counselor. I ended the so called relationship, I set firmer boundaries with work (no more overnight shifts), and I found a sleep routine. Slowly, ever so slowly, I found my way back to me. I can remember spending the first few therapy sessions crying the whole time. But if we want to be different or feel different than how we are now, then we have to make changes and DO things differently.
We came to pockets of the aspens that have turned yellow. I had been told that it’s beautiful when the aspens change but wasn’t sure what to expect. Today walking through the light golden colors, I could see what people meant. How unique!
After lunch we started our descent into Twin Lakes, Colorado. As we descended we noticed the big mountains ahead of us, one was Mount Hope and we would be traveling through Hope Pass tomorrow.
It was gorgeous, this picture I took of Journey doesn’t even look real.
We got into the small town and noticed 7 or so other hikers. This is the first time we have really felt like we have been around many hikers since East Glacier. There was a mix of CDT and CT hikers and it was fun to talk trail and enjoy each others company.
Journey and I also resupplied at the small general store, which had everything we needed AND gave us a 10% discount for being a thru hiker. How amazing.
The rain started coming down soon after and we all huddled under a small roof by the Twin Lakes Inn and Saloon. Unfortunately the Restaurant didn’t open until 4 so we had about an hour to hang out and chat until we could go in.
Right at 4 o clock we went in and scored a table. We wanted to wait to eat dinner until Whatever and Aster showed up so we ordered appetizer after appetizer and then after taking so long we were told our table had a reservation at 6 and that we would need to switch tables.
Around 5:45 we decided to go ahead and order dinner and shortly after Whatever showed up followed by Aster.
I ordered a burger and fries which were mediocre however, the brownie and ice cream was delicious. Warm, soft, huge, and freshly baked, SO good!
Journey and I were stuffed to the brim and decided to head out for another 2 miles to camp and would meet Aster and Whatever there.
The two miles was a shortcut across the edge of the lake through a dirt road and crossed a river leading to the lake. We ended up having to ford the river but it wasn’t terribly bad. I always feel lucky to have my sandals when fording so I can cross the rocks easily. This was so nice since the water was frigid.
We arrived at our camp location and saw Ace and Sunrise camped out. We looked around and couldn’t find any where else to camp so we set up on trail. It wasn’t the official CDT and figured there wasn’t anyone else coming besides Aster and Whatever. So we swept the dirt around and created a nice flat spot for the night.
The next few days are going to be big hiking days with a lot of elevation but hoping it all goes smoothly.
Goodnight!
Iz and Oz
Izzy + Ozzy 