Shelly dropped us off at the motel at 10:15 a.m. She didn't want to take any gas money, but we insisted she take it. She had driven us nearly 40 miles.
Not surprisingly, our room wasn't ready for us to check-in, so Top O' and I left our packs in a back room and hitched a ride to downtown Pagosa Springs. It was crowded with holiday tourists.
We decided to eat an early lunch at Riff Raff Brewing so we wouldn't have to wait in line later. We then bought some fuel at an outdoor store and hitched back to our motel. By that time, our room was ready.
We met Doggone and Taxilady for dinner
Later, just before we began our task of trying to figure out what to do next, I added an update to my Facebook page.
"The mountains ahead are higher than we’ve already climbed and the snow is not melting fast enough," I wrote. "We may need to flip north to Wyoming, then hike back to Pagosa Springs before completing the rest of the trail north to Canada."
Soon after I posted that, my PCT friend Gilligan replied, saying, "Hope we get to spoil you and give you a couple (or more!) zero days sometime soon."
Gilligan and her husband, Captain, were members of the Woohoo Crew, my tramily for the first 700 miles of my PCT hike. They had already invited me to stay with them when I said I was planning to hike the CDT. Now was looking like an ideal time to do that.
I replied to her comment by saying, "I would love that! Right now, though, I’m not sure where I’m going or how I’m getting there."
This was true. Top O' and I didn't know how to get to Wyoming. Renting a car seemed impossible. Maybe going by bus would work, but there was no service from Pagosa Springs.
When Gilligan repeated her offer, I began to think a stop at their house would work. It would give Top O' and me a chance to take a short break while flipping to Wyoming. Adding a day or more would also allow time for more snow to melt and make the trail safer.
Her invitation was starting to sound very appealing, and I didn't even have to yogi for it.