James Peak

JAMES PEAK, JAMES PEAK WILDERNESS July 29, 2007. Erin and the team continued north through the James Peak Wilderness summitting James Peak (ele 13294 ft). there she saw a lone coyote 100 ft below the summit. She rode through stands of Limber and Bristlecone Pine. The bristlecone pines can reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, almost5,000 years. They continued north along the CDT through Devil's Thumb Pass and riding the border of Indian Peaks Wilderness. They had another very bad weather day with hard rain and lightening. Spent a lot of time hunkered down below the tree line to avoid exposure. Yoakum started acting up; he refused for over an hour to ford a silly little stream. Later he "rubbed" Erin off on a tree. Erin tied him to that tree and walked away with Kershaw camping out of sight; no grain and no social exposure for that bad boy overnight.

The next day she entered the Arapaho National Recreation Area. There she met up with her college buddies, Andrea ("The Senator") and Nick. They spent some time in Grand Lake. There Erin encountered an inebriated cowboy who offered to buy her a drink. He asked, "So, you from around here?" Erin replied, "No, just riding through". He slurred, "ridin what?". The answer, "a mule." "Where you coming from?" Answer, "Mexico." He exclaimed, "Holy sh@#t!" and walked away shaking his head very confused.