Day 72 Rawlins 

20.6 miles

Leaving super early and under the cover of dark I hit the road towards Rawlins. Beating the heat helped a bunch in gaining some fast miles. Nothing spectacular to report from trail but open desert country. They call this the Great Basin. It is the complete opposite of the divide. While any water falling on the divide either ends up in the Pacific or the Atlantic ocean, any water the falls in the Basin stays in the basin to feed stunted shrubs and cactus. 

Rawlins marks the half way point of the CDT and this weekend the town just happened to be celebrating an inaugural event named Halfway Days to lift the towns knowledge of the trail. Street markets, guest speakers, music, food trucks, gear demos, a hotrod display and so much more was lined up. This added a kick into my step. 

I made it to town by 9:45 just in time for a pancake breakfast hosted by a local club Elk’s Lodge. The general public would pay $10. It was free for CDT hikers and it sure did draw a hiker crowd. I met so many new hikers, many who had hitched into town from further ahead or behind just for the weekends festivities. I shared a table with a bunch but like all large group introductions I failed to take in all the names. Hazmat is the only one that stands out, as while most had finished breakfast while I was just getting started, they up and left the table shortly after introductions while Hazmat stayed behind to chat while I ate.

With time to kill before checking in to a motel I strolled the streets to take in all the events that were happening. I sat in on a talk from a triple crowner Derrick Lugo about how he went from self confessed New York metrosexual and having never hiked a day in his life, to fall in love with thru hiking on the Appalachian Trail, and to go on to complete the triple crown. Derrick was a funny and fantastic presenter. I’ll have to purchase his book. There were was a door price give away with my name first drawn from the hat, winning a bunch of backcountry hygiene products from Sea to Summit. 

I ate a bunch of different foods from local trucks and found a new favourite drink – coke mixed with pineapple juice. Sitting down at a table in the shade I got talking to a life long resident and got the run down on Rawlins. 

An event that drew in most of the CDT hikers was a watermelon eating competition in the middle of the main street. While I didn’t participate it was hilarious to watch. It was an open adult class and while all the younger hikers were expecting this event to be taken out by a hiker, a young local girl won which was great. 

I ran into Pitstop at the watermelon comp who had Denver in tow along. I’d been hearing about Denver since the start if the trail as he is the only other Aussie on trail but had always been in front. He’d hitched down into Rawlins for the weekend. It was different hearing your own accent thrown back at you for the first time in weeks. We were all for speaking Aussie slag in front of everyone else who had no idea what we were saying. Pitstop had won some Darn Tough socks at another event that were too big and palmed them off to me. New socks are always welcome.

With a full belly it was time to leave the festivities and head for the motel on the other side if town. Shower and laundry time. I’d booked two nights as I’ll take a full zero tomorrow, my first since Salida.