15-05-19.     Day 38.    Snow. – Mark Trail CDT

Hiking The Continental Divide Trail
Mark Trail CDT 2015

I set my tarp up off the ground to allow air to flow so maybe I might not get a lot of moisture on my sleeping bag. It was drizzling lightly so no worries. I woke up at midnight with hail bouncing up under the tarp and piling on me. I pulled up the polycro ground sheet to block the hail. My backpack blocked the other side.

 

When I got up the ground was covered with snow/hail. I packed up the wet tarp and hiked to water. Alex and Wagon Wheel were camped and we hooted as Sourdough and I passed. The clouds were getting thick and we were in a full blown snow storm by 9:30 am. After an hour and an inch of snow, it stopped and the sun came out. The whole ground was a sloppy, muddy, snowey mess. I tried to dodge the water as best as I could but my feet were frozen.

We hiked to Hopewell Lake Campground where the water was on and the pit bathroom blocked the cold wind. All the stoves came out and Sourdough made potato soup. I boiled water for coffee and hot chocolate.

We hiked on and crossed HW 64 and found Trail 41. It was great until we turned right and began to cross three foot snow drifts.

 

Alex and Wagon blazed the trail as we decended to Spring Tank were we crossed a swollen stream.  The meadows were all under water and made crossing unpleasent. Well maybe just wet. As we hiked to end the day the sun was shinning and snow flurries were in the air. Amazingly wonderful. ..

Murphy Tank.     24.2 Miles

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