July 25, 2017
Today, we took a zero day. The day before had been rough, and we all needed a good day of rest.
We went into Silverton, CO that morning for breakfast. It is something so simple, but I was really excited about eating something other than oatmeal for breakfast (which we have had every day since we started the Colorado Trail). We walked around the town, visited stores, and I even found a little shop that had a guitar I was able to play. I’ve missed playing.
The rest of the day was spent resting. The horses were out grazing all day long. I got in touch with a fellow thru-rider, Gillian Larson, to talk about my day before. We also talked about the trail, in general, as she would be getting on the Colorado Trail in August right after we finished up our ride. She has thousands of miles of long distance riding, and she has been very supportive and encouraging.
July 26, 2017
Honestly, I was still a little worried starting off the day. But Makani started off feeling like her normal, wild self. Not even a mile into the ride. I unmounted to adjust my saddle, and she barely let me get back on because she wanted to take off running to catch up with the group. She was feeling strong.
Colorado Trail: Segment 25
Segment 25 of the Colorado Trail is 20.9 miles long. Today, our goal was to ride to Cascade Creek, which is 14.8 miles into the segment. Our day on trail was good. There was still a lot of snow in some sections, but we rode through these sections with no problems. We finished up by the early afternoon.
Not too long after we finished setting up camp, a loud thunderstorm rolled in. It poured for a bit, but not much else happened that day. Our horses were able to graze for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow, we will finish Segment 25 and plan to head out on Segment 26.
