I have a history with misadventures on Friday the 13th (I got stranded overnight in the snow on the PCT in 2014 on Friday, June 13th, in 2014), but this one turned out to be a good one. We had another long day ahead of about 30 miles, and I wanted to get into Steamboat Springs as early as possible, as we were staying at a ranch and meeting Jaime Barton and Eaton Nilsson, our hosts in Steamboat. So we left early to hit the road, and by “hit the road” I mean that literally. The first 12 miles were a road walk. Thankfully, road walks are another of Takoda’s superpowers, as he does not seem to care how big or how fast the trucks are going, which is a good thing as we were sometimes passed by semis at 70mph. Often there was a shoulder that Takoda and I could ride on, but when there wasn’t, we would trot and canter to get down the road as quickly as possible while there was no traffic. It was a relief when we made it off the highway and back onto the trail, which wound through gorgeous meadows with wildflowers of all colors and past several small lakes. We made good time and got to where I was supposed to meet mom at 5pm. However, the road I sent mom up was horrific, and she was still several miles away, slowly inching her way towards us. I walked down to meet her, and when she found a place to turn the trailer around, she did, and then waited for us to get there. After an hour of walking, we finally met her, and we then had a very long, slow, bumpy ride back down to Steamboat, but it was well-worth it, as we were staying at a beautiful ranch where the horses had a lush green pasture all to themselves. Jaime and Eaton were very gracious and kind during our time there, and they set up an appointment with a terrific farrier, Justin Franks, for Saturday (the horses were due for a shoeing by this time, having last gotten shoes in late May) and Eaton even donated some certified weed-free hay to our cause. It was a wonderful stay and I was sorry to have to say goodbye so soon!

#2018CDT