Awoke to light sprinkles just before sunrise, which got everyone in camp stirring. Smiles was the first out of camp, followed by Stash and Alan. The skies were blue, and the wind was calm, making for a fantastic morning for a walk in the woods.
The 5+ miles to Highway 40 were super cruiser. Once there, it took less than 20 minutes to catch a ride to Steamboat. My ride included three people (two men, one woman) going to Steamboat Springs to work for the day. They were Hispanic and spoke minimal English. They happily took me to Steamboat Springs and would not accept my $10 for the ride. As we descended from Rabbit Ears Pass, we were behind a truck, and in the bed of that truck were Smiles, Stash, and Alan.
My ride followed that truck until they dropped their hikers off, where I was invited to join them. Starved for the camaraderie of the established thru-hiking routes, I had a great time exchanging stories over coffee and a massive breakfast at The Egg, a breakfast spot in Steamboat. This is the same place I saw Top-o, Gravity, and Dog-gone while on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). Similarly, then, I was deprived of any real social interaction.
With a good group of thru-hikers hanging out and taking every available outlet that could be found, the atmosphere of being on a long trail was something I knew I had to soak up while I had it. After going back to the trail, I would no longer be on the CDT, and the chance of seeing anyone else who had an idea of what I was doing would be slim.
With good vibes and good luck exchanged for everyone’s adventures ahead, I departed the group around midday to take care of the rest of my town chores. I made my way to Walmart and City Market to resupply, followed by Ski Haus, which carries mostly outdoor gear in the summer months, including fuel canisters, water filters, freeze-dried meals, and more.
Confident I had what I needed to make it to Yampa, I made my way over to Starbucks for coffee and their many power outlets, where I could finish charging my phone and battery pack while updating my trail journal and posting some pictures for those back home following this adventure.
Steamboat Springs, being a very large ski town, provides a free bus system with routes that cover the entire town. While waiting for a bus, a massive thunderstorm rolled over the town, requiring me to stand on the bench inside the waiting area to avoid getting soaked. As the bus pulled up, I dashed inside and made my way to my last planned stop in town, Blue Saga Pizza.
After a slice, a beer, a call home to check in with everyone, and one more slice to take back to the trail, I took the bus as far south as possible. My hitch back to the trail was with Greg, a gentleman who started a U.S. department that focused on animal and environmental safety. I don’t recall the department’s exact name—sorry, Greg.
Ensuring him I was going to be safe and okay on the trail, I was back at the Dumont Trailhead parking lot, ready to begin Segment 3 of this adventure. I chose to hike about a mile into Segment 3, which took me off Highway 40 and provided a great dispersed campsite near Muddy Creek.
With thunderstorms rumbling in the distance, I chowed down on my last slice of pizza and updated my journal before dozing off into the night.
