Thursday, August 23, 2018 — CW Miles 235.0–253.0 (18.0 miles for the day)

Shortly after signing off last night, two of our friends stride into camp, fresh from the evening storm. It turns out Liam and Mel had been just behind us all day, and Dave was just in front. And now we’re all bunched up together at the same campsite. It’s nice to know we aren’t the only crazy people out here.

This morning we wake to a slight drizzle of rain that soon tapers off. We and our three camp mates begin to stir, and we chat about inconsequential things as we pack up.

Then, true to form, it starts to rain again. Isaac and I stuff the last few things in our packs and take off. I begin mentally preparing myself for another day of crummy weather. But about an hour in, the rain stops, the clouds part, and the sun emerges. It stays pretty sunny all day.

The five of us pass each other up all day long, doing lunch and a few breaks together. It’s fun to get to know Dave, Mel, and Liam a bit better and learn some of their stories.

We all decide to camp at the same site again tonight, just 8 miles shy of Monarch Pass. This is Isaac’s longest day so far, and we kept a brisk pace to stay near our hiker buddies. And he did great!

Isaac and I already had plans to hitch from Monarch down to Salida for a day in town, and it’s easy to talk everyone else into the same idea. After that we’ll probably all go our separate ways, as we have different schedules and hiking paces. But for now it’s fun to spend these couple days with such likable strangers.

Isaac says: Today, the old adage rang true for us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Not sure who said that, but it’s probably in the Bible somewhere. 😉