7/20 - Route 149 - Lake City   Miles Today: 17.1 Total Miles: 160.9

Well, thankfully, today was a much less eventful day than yesterday. Actually, all the problems that I had with the storm really lead me to have a great overall day today.

Late last night, the storm pretty much cleared right out and this morning I was treated to a spectacular sunrise. It wasn’t even that cold outside once I got the courage to leave my sleeping bag. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that most of my gear had dried out overnight.

Anyway, I was anxious to get moving after spending 16 hours in my tent, so I headed out right after sun-up. Let me tell you, waiting until this morning to see this place was one of the better decisions that I have made, it is absolutely amazing! For really the first time on this trip, Colorado has blown me away.

With each new ridge that I crossed, there was new and different beauty. These mountains are magnificent, bold and colorful, especially in the early morning light.

But what I found a little troubling was my inability to climb well this morning. I have always had problems with steep inclines at high elevations, but this was different. I was having problems on just about any incline. Since I had a short hiking day yesterday, I had expected to be flying up these hills. I guess sleeping at high altitude and skipping dinner has effected me more than I thought.

Regardless, climbing the ups was no problem today since the views were so amazing. Also, the last few miles of the day were on Snow Mesa, which is a 6 mile long plateau. The reason that it is called Snow Mesa is that on one side of the plateau, snow has built up against the plateau wall. There is an incredible amount of snow there, and I seriously doubt if that snow ever fully melts.

Right now, I am lying in a bed at Lake City. I have a maildrop to pickup tomorrow morning and then its a 17 mile hitch back to the Colorado Trail. Everyone has been talking about this next section so I am really looking forward to getting back on the trail. All I need to do now is to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms and I should be fine.

- Chomp

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