June 21, 2010 – 77 miles

I was slow to get packed this morning. Probably because I subconsciously did not want to venture into the Great Divide Basin – 135 miles of nothingness.

When I was finally ready to depart the hotel, I had about 10 liters of water. That’s 22 pounds of water!!!

The first 40 miles were paved, so I was able to get into a decent rhythm…until the winds started picking up. It was a head/cross wind.

Our route alternated between going north and west, so the winds sometimes helped, and sometimes hurt.

We put in 55 miles before lunch. As I was about to reach our lunch meeting point, a TD racer passed. I gave a thumbs up and offered a “good job, man.”

After lunch we had very strong headwinds. Until we turned north again and had tail/cross winds.

Our goal for the evening was Arapahoe Creek – a possible water source. Just before getting there, a group of 3 TD racers passed. I turned my camera on in time to get video of them. They were in a hurry and did not have time to stop and chat.

Arapahoe Creek was an oasis in the Basin. The water is cool, clear, and flowing! We pitched our tents right next to the creek on a small patch of sand.

Even after doing 77 miles, we arrived here very early in the evening. It was nice and relaxing to cook and set up camp without rushing to beat darkness.