An easy day. Up and on the trail before my camp mates were up. I continued walking downhill paralleling Cochetopa Creek for 4 miles to the Eddiesville trail head. After an outhouse stop, I continued walking down Cochetopa Creek for another 7 miles. Much of the time, the trail ran well above the creek so I had plenty of views. After collecting water from the creek, I headed uphill on a forest road for a mile to a flat spot where I ate lunch under an aspen tree. Then downhill for a mile, then into the expanse of Cochetopa Park, featuring lots of dry grasslands and some patches of forest (see photo). Water was scarce. A half dozen hikers and I got water from Ant Creek then more water 5 miles later from Los Creek. I filled all my water bottles for a dry camp in a mile, plus the 8-mile walk tomorrow morning to water. I found a great campsite and set up even though it was only 4:30. I’d walked 23.7 miles today and didn’t want to walk any more. Seven hikers passed by over the next 2 hours as I cooked dinner and lay in my tent. I almost felt like a slacker. The threatening dark clouds dissipated. I need to make 21.5 miles per day over the next three days to reach the Monarch Pass before the store closes at 6 pm. That seems doable even with big climbs tomorrow.
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