Last night was the coldest of the trip at 10,400 ft elevation. I was grateful for my warm sleeping bag. Timber and I hit the trail at 6:30 after getting water from the spring. The trail ran through forests and meadows. At 3 miles, we got water for a 12 mile dry stretch to Valecitos Creek. This morning my back hurt for some reason. Adjusting my pack had no positive effect. I got discouraged thinking that I’d endure back pain all day. Timber and I ate lunch under a huge ponderosa pine by Valecitos Creek. As we did so, a woman on a walk from the nearby Valecitos Retreat Center happened by. She joined us for lunch and gave 2 ibuprofen pills for my back pain. I took one. After lunch, the trail gained elevation. I found a pair of glasses in a case and picked it up thinking that a north-bound hiker dropped it. A half hour later, hiker Nuts came walking down the trail looking for his glasses. Was he happy! Onward and upward with less back pain. Timber and I got water for a dry stretch. He motored on while I lagged behind. A few drops of rain fell from a cloudless sky. My destination for the day was a campground with water near Hopewell Lake. I arrived at 5:30 expecting to find other hikers but found only Nuts. He headed on while I found a campsite with a table (see photo). I cooked dinner and set up my tent under threatening skies. The camp host kindly waived my camp fee. 24.8 miles today and 41.5 more to Chama.
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