4-5 day resupply

Well, I’m often at the mercy of small town grocery stores or rural general stores. This stretch was particularly junk food heavy, but more or less representative of my nutrition out here.

6 am – couple hundred calories of bars to start the day – 650 calories, 650 total

8 am – 8 shortbread cookies – 240 calories, 890 total

8:30 am – snickers – 250 calories, 1140 total

9:30 am – maltodextrin and gatorade – 600 calories – 1740 total

12:30 – two tuna and cheddar burritos – 800 calories, 2540 total

3:00 – snack pack! 260 calories for 70 cents, can’t be beat! – 2800 total

3:30 – chewy – 100 calories – 2900 total

3:31 – krispies – 90 calories – 2990 total

3:35 – more cookies – 240 calories – 3230 total

4:00 – as many fritos as I can eat (electrolytes) – 300 calories – 3530 total

I didn’t have it today, but often I’ll do another maltodextrin shake in the afternoon. I usually either mix it with 50g of protein powder, or gatorade. If I need a jet fuel mix, I’ll putt 400 cal of malto plus 250 cal protein, plus three servings of instant coffee. That’ll get me over anything. Maltodextrin is a long chain carbohydrate with a glycemic index higher than sugar. It’s a fructose polymer derived from corn, so it’s calorie dense without being sweet. Fast digestion and absorption rate.

I often wonder how many ears of corn I’m consuming on trail. However, 60,000 calories for $60 just cannot be beat. I guess that’s the corn industry for ya.

8:00 pm – knorr rice side cold soaked – 600 calories – 4130 total

I did 43 miles on this day, it’s more than my average day but I had a big downhill and the least snow in 2 weeks so I was cruising. It was also the summer solstice, also known as hike naked day. Yes, I’m sun burnt.

A rough estimate is 400 calories per hour if hiking * 14 hours = 5600 calories consumed. I run about a 500-1000 calorie deficit per day hiking and make up for it in town. I usually get into town about 5-8 pounds under my starting weight of 160. After the most amazing three days of galavanting around Salida with Caitlin, I’m probably well above 160… Good livin out here. I am so happy.

Compared to a trail day, here’s some of what I eat in town. I usually buy broccoli and carrots at the minimum, salad and beer are usually on the menu.

It doesn’t get any better than this.

In this last stretch I transitioned from the Southern San Juans to the Northern San Juans. I make the 118 miles from Pagosa to Lake city in 5 days.

The San Juan range has more area above 10,000 feet than any other range in North America. Staring across these mountains is staggering.

The snow is melting fast and the different slope aspects mean less full coverage and more patchy snow.

Every time we crest a pass we hope to see less snow in the basin. Each aspect is undergoing a different stage of spring depending on how much direct sunlight it gets. Some basins will be in full bloom others still 90% covered.

“The Window” gives me a good opportunity to see the scale of the distance I’m traveling. See the notch circled in this photo.

That evening, I’m right below it. The next morning hike in between the two spires.

Geology…

Day 42 has a lot of bushwacking and sun cup traverses. Has anyone told you about sun cups? I could talk to you for an hour about the different types of sun cups. In short, they are a pain in the ass to walk over, contorting my legs and sucking the rhythm out from under my feet. I push hard and don’t realize how much the bushwacking has sliced my legs.

The thing with snowshoes is they suck at traversing and they suck at sun cups (and this is 90% of our snow travel). So they mostly stay on my back.

The view at 13,000 feet.

On day 2 out of Pagosa, I find out the pass to Silver is a really tough hitch. I’ll have to push my 84 mile food supply another 33 miles to Lake City. I end up rationing for two days, and make it with a few calories to spare.

This is Moose… Moose has the evolutionary backing of a wolf, so Moose is completely comfortable on this terrain. We are jealous.

Camp for the night.

The route off the knife edge.

Found a wing from a plane wreck.

I am pretty beat up from this last section, bushwacking through alpine shrubs and postholing against snow crust has torn my legs and left me with swollen ankles.

I rest a day in Lake City, preparing for a fast push to Salida. Caitlin is coming to visit and I am ebullient. I just need to travel over a 100 mile mountain range to get to her 😀