Hitch Dates: 6/17/2013 – 6/27/2013
Leader: Jade Mendiola
Member: Abe
By Jade Mendiola
Trail design along the Continental Divide was awesome! There were beautiful views all around. We saw a fox the first day we were scouting out the area and wildflowers were everywhere.
To reroute a 16,700 foot section of trail, we used a clinometer to shoot grades and then flagged where we thought the trail would go best. We then walked the flagged trail to log a track in a Trimble Juno (our GPS unit). It got a little challenging as we approached super steep terrain; it was harder to figure out the best way to take the trail. (It was also hard for me to walk up without huffing and puffing my lungs out.) My excitement grew knowing the vistas that someone in the future will be able to pass by are very beautiful.
Our meals were pretty delicious: the first night we had a Tofu & Quinoa Stirfry with tons of veggies. Other dinners were Black Bean Tacos with Zucchini & Bell Pepper with a side of rice and then Pesto Tofu with Mushrooms & Veggies with a side of spicy Mac & Cheese.
One morning we woke up to about 3 inches of snow and had to punch it off our partially caved in tent. It was interesting for me since it was my second time seeing snow. It was challenging at first since we had low visibility (all we could see was white and grey) but then the fog lifted up.
One night something came over us. It might have been the spirit of Nat’s mustache, but we were all acting crazy. Nat had the creepiest high pitched laugh that seemed to make his mustache curl up even more. I have pictures of Abe, the quiet engineer, soaring like a Hawk and walking like a Deer. It was a pretty interesting hitch.
