Another Leadville Post

After a nice break at a local coffee shop here in Leadville, Ben and I have made it to the library to spend a little more time on the internet, checking weather reports and news before heading back to the hostel.  Our evening will consist of our first meal out since leaving on the trail—we are heading to Quincey’s, per recommendation of Ben’s brother, David.  We don’t get much meat out on the trail, so it looks like we might eat steak for dinner.  Mmmm!  I am hoping they have some veggies, too, as my body is screaming for fresh greens.  Today marks day 12 of the trail, so we still have about 3 weeks to go. 

We successfully picked up package #2 at the Leadville Hostel, where we will be staying this evening.  It might be the nicest hostel we’ve ever encountered—everything a hiker could ever want.  They even thought to have extra clean clothes for us to wear around town (“town clothes”) while we washed our own dirty laundry!  Hot showers, clean laundry, some sort of bed, and a good meal are about all a hiker can ask for, and it looks like we’ll get all of them here in Leadville. 

The trail has definitely become more rugged since the beginnings, but it was a welcomed change, as it seems the more difficult the challenge, the more beautiful the views.  We’ve trudged through some rather deep snow, almost gotten lost when the trail was covered in a large snow field, and had some pretty intense climbs.  The rewards, though, have been some indescribable views from the snowy tops of passes—pictures can’t do justice.  We would have spent more time at the tops, but most of the time it is bitter cold and windy up there, so we take in as much as we can (a couple minutes!) and head back down.  Some days we go from winter hats and bundles to a t-shirt and shorts in a matter of an hour or two. 

I shouldn’t deceive you into thinking that every moment on the trail is a dream vacation.  Ben and I have had several instances of getting frustrated with each other due to frustrations with the trail, and sometimes the trail, like life, can become mundane.  We had a good discussion yesterday about how to live in the moment and not miss out, even if the trail seems the same as it did several hours ago.  It’s easy to let our minds live somewhere else—like what we will eat when we get to town, how many miles we have to go, how much our feet or back hurts, etc.  Some days we spend a good portion of time in a “tree tunnel,” and it’s difficult to live in those moments.  We are challenging each other to figure out how to embrace those times, too, and I hope we can bring what we learn into our everyday lives back in Oxford, when life seems to get too “ordinary.” 

I think one thing I have found that makes those moments important is the conversations and life I share with others, whether that is with Ben or other hikers we meet along the way.  The people make it interesting when the trail lacks a bit.  “Happiness only real when shared” from “Into the Wild” comes to mind.  Life is better when it’s shared.  The mundane somehow becomes less so, and then the exciting things even more so when we include others in the process. 

So, I guess my encouragement is this: live in the moment, and share life with those around you.  Take an interest in someone else—invest in them, listen to them, love them.  It’s worth it when you share. 

Thinking of you back home! 

Love,

Hatteras Jack and Do-Rag

P.S.  The mosquitoes have gotten worse!  :)

P.P.S.  I guess Ben found an article back in 2009 that said there was only one wolverine left in Colorado, so we are trying to figure out if what we saw really were two wolverines or not.  If so, it might be a big deal!  We'll try to keep you posted on that, too.  UPDATE: After much research and talking with other hikers, we have concluded that the animals we saw were only marmots...very LARGE marmots.