TWO ZEROS IN GRANTS

CDT Days 23-24: CDT Mile 536.2 ( 0 miles – 0 km)

Thursday May 9 – Friday May 10, 2019

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson

After yesterdays hailstorm and reading about the stormy weather predictions for the next few days, we decided to take a full rest day in Grants today, Thursday.

With all our chores done yesterday, it’s been so nice to simply stay in bed a little longer this morning. It took me a while to take a peak out of the window to find that it was brilliant blue sky and sunshine outside.

Anyhow we had decided to rest and recharge. Hopefully this will give us the strength to deal with whatever the weather gods provide on the next 107 mile leg to Cuba.

It was very cold when we went out to get an early dinner. The sunshine did not last and afternoon rain arrived.

Thursday night we talked with some other hikers staying at the motel and all agreed that the weather prediction for Friday was terrible. I thought we were prepared for terrible. But low temperature, strong winds, rain and snow at elevation as we are about to head into the mountains began to sound like an unnecessary hardship.

We reconsidered, we have time and there is no need for added suffering. There will be times when we will be caught out and have to deal with the weather. Friday was a winter weather advisory for the area with a predicted top temperature of 8°C (46F) and freezing overnight.

So an extra zero in Grants on Friday it was.

Friday felt like a bonus day. Hammer snoozed most of the morning while I caught up on reading and doing some more logistics planning for our flip north to Canada in about two weeks time. Lou-Seal found some spent rifle bullets to play with.

By the afternoon I was getting a little antsy. It was time to get back out there. The rainy mist has lifted and mountains could again be seen in the distance. We are fully fluffed up and ready to tackle the big climb out of Grants tomorrow.