July 28 - Bolam Pass   Miles Today: 19.3 Total Miles: 230.1

Mother Nature is sure testing me these last few days on the trail, that’s for sure. Last night, I was camped out in a torrential downpour. Not only was my tent soaked, but it was filthy from all the dirt that was kicked up by the heavy rain. Now, tonight, I am once again hiding out in my tent from a pretty substantial thunderstorm.

Today, however, was just amazing. The mountains were so different from anything that I have seen so far. It was as if an entirely different set of geological events created the mountains on the opposite side of Molas Pass. Red was the dominant color of the day as I walked on mostly clay for the entire morning.

The deep red mixed with the dark green spruce on the mountainsides made for some amazing scenery. Also, there were several rust-colored mountains throughout the day as well. The landscape on a whole was some of the most unique stuff that I have ever seen. This is truly amazing country out here.

As for the storms, well, they started to build all day but held off until I made it to camp, for which I was very thankful. I spent most of the day above treeline, and I was glad to have it be a storm-free day while I was up there.

I also met a bunch of people today! Jessie and Rich are hiking the entire CT, along with their friend Rob who joined them at Salida. Also, Oliver, Joe and Sarah started at Molas Pass and are headed to Durango. They are from Galveston, TX. Finally, I am camped out here tonight with Harold, a retired gentleman from the Durango area. He is doing the Molas-Durango section, but has completed many others as well. He’ll have 270 miles under his belt when he walks home.

Well, the storm is in full swing now, including some hail. Man, I can’t catch a break out here. My tent is already filthy once again, but at least I managed to keep everything inside nice and dry. With some luck, I can get another good weather day tomorrow, as I am shooting for a 23 mile day.

- Chomp

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