Day 19: Breckenridge to Ridge Before Georgia Pass

Dark thunderclouds blanketed the sky, and everything outside was drenched. I felt grateful to have spent the night warm and dry inside. 

Returning to the trail, we passed through one beetle-killed forest after another. Some were cleared, leaving only a field of stumps and piles of logs. In other places the doomed trees were left standing, like a ghostly forest of skeletons. 

Climbing up to the ridge I felt like a bowling pin, as groups of mountain bikers hurtled down the trail at breakneck speed. The flood of mountain bikers slowed to a trickle as we crested the ridge and began descending the other side. The few bikers we met slowed to a crawl on the steep climb, with several dismounting and pushing their bikes up the hill. 

Once we reached Swan Creek it was our turn to climb again. Despite the weight of my pack -- with five days of food for two people it feels like I am lugging bags of cement -- I like to climb. Sierra and Atlas joked that I should be renamed Rocket Fuel, although they are both strong climbers also. 

As patchy snow gradually became more continuous, we decided to camp for the night about two miles short of Georgia Pass. Sierra took advantage of a nearby snowfield to build two snowmen. Atlas juggled snowballs. Remarkably, we all managed to stay dry, and will start our day tomorrow with clean dry shoes.