The Unicycling Unicorn

Waking up in the morning is always the worst and hardest part of the day. Cold and everything is damp. Today was no exception. But I wanted to get an early start as I had a lot of climbing today and would be above tree line for a good portion of the day.

Was packed and on the trail by 8am so off to a good start. 3 miles in at a trail-head I saw a toilet. Wasn't in my data book but I'll use it anyway. Filled up my water and continued on.

I love signs like this as it means unicycles are OK because legally in Colorado a unicycle is not considered a bicycle.;)

From here it is was 9 miles all uphill with almost 3000 ft of elevation gain. It was slow going as some of the terrain was rocky and muddy. I finally made it to the top around 1pm.

Along the way I was passing a bunch of pine trees that were dead but all still standing...thousands of them. Really weird but it's due to beetles that have been a problem in this area.

The views at the top of the pass were incredible and I now saw what was to come. Lots of mountains all above tree line with several passes. I was only a mile away and 1000 feet of taking a side trail to the top of a 14er. Was tempted but opted not to as I needed to stay on schedule.

Down I went into these beautiful treeless Rocky Mountains. Then up and over another pass where I could see more of what was to come. Back down and up another pass. The views were great but the climbing was starting to wear me down.

By the time I made it down to the end of the segment my brakes were making a funny noise. I stopped to have a look. I'll admit that disc brakes are totally new to me and I have no idea how they work or how to adjust them. Probably should have did some research before I left.

I actually had new double hole KH cranks 110/137's that I wanted to install before I left but I didn't have time. My friend Amy brought them with when she met up with me but I was too afraid of messing something up and having to ride brake-less that I decided to not put them on. If it's not broken don't fix it, right?

So after looking at them I was pretty sure my brake pads were worn and it was pretty much metal to metal. I took out a screw and the pads came out. Sure enough that was the issue.  #$%%#$$$#@&*#@!%$

Of course it didn't even occur to me to bring spare pads as they were brand new when I started but I guess with all the downhill I've been doing they don't last long.

Looked in my book for the nearest town. It will have to be Lake City but that's not until the end of the next segment...15 miles away. Oh well. Looks like I'll be doing it old school style without brakes. Aspen Mike would be proud.

I had another big climb up and over another pass so I did that. At the top I decided to switch my pedal holes from 137mm to 165mm as this would give me more leverage and stopping power.

Tried riding down a few sections but was way too steep and bumpy especially without brakes. I realized just how much I depended on my brakes and how much easier they made the downhills. My legs are strong for climbing but are weak for stopping.

So I ended up walking most of the downhill. A bit frustrating but to be honest I don't think I could have rode much of it anyways even with a working brake.

Up until now I hadn't seen one person all day. Would today be the day I go without seeing anyone? Nope. Soon I passed a lady camping and then a couple hiking the opposite way. I also saw a bunch of these animals.

Then I saw a tent setup near where I set up camp for the night at mile 346.6. Made some chicken BBQ rice, hung food and by now it was getting pretty cold out so crawled into my warm sleeping bag. Read some of my book and it was lights out.

Trying to dry my tent and some of my other gear.

Woke up at 5:30am as I had to catch up for two days In my journal. Laid in bed writing until 7am. I could hear most everyone else was already up and moving. Ate my breakfast skillet and the group left camp around 8am. I had to finish packing and left 20 minutes later.

I figured I would catch them in no time but it took much longer than I thought. They are fast hikers. An hour into the trail I eventually caught up to the group while they were resting at the top of a hill. I said my goodbyes and took off down the trail.

Half an hour later I look back and one of the guys, Paul,  was right behind me. Wtf? How did he catch me when I was riding a good chunk of it? Turns out he was running the whole thing. So we played leapfrog for a bit. Him passing me on the up hills and me passing him on the downhills.

I stopped to rest and fill up water but he continued on. I caught him again just at the trail head where his car was parked. Still can't believe Paul ran for the 10 miles and was able to keep up with me. Said adios and kept going on the trail.

A few miles in I saw Wendy so stopped to talk with her for a minute. She had woken up extra early and left camp before 7am. Said adios to her and kept going.

The trail eventually became really flat and fast to ride. I was cruising and making great time. Mile after mile I could keep riding and had to walk very little.

So by now I had a little turtle head sticking out and had to do a #2. I looked at the data book to see if there were any toilets coming up but it didn't look like it for at least another day or two. Guess it's time to put the trowel to use. My first time not using a toilet since I started the trip! The suspense is over. Sorry guys. I knew you all were wondering if I could do the entire trip with never having to use my trowel.

Found a nice log and I was able to make a toilet seat out of sticks. Worked out pretty slick until I heard the sticks start to crack. Luckily they didn't break all the way thru, even though that would have been pretty funny, as that would have sucked.

Came up over a hill and there were fields as far as the eye could see. This meant I could keep cruising for a few more miles on 4x4 roads and some regular dirt roads. I was happy that it was cloudy otherwise this part would have been super hot with no shade and no water nearby.

Eventually made it to the stream that had water and where I would camp for the night. The book said there were several good campsites as the trail followed the stream upwards for a few miles so I would stop when I found one.

The first one was taken by two tents but I didn't see any people around so kept going. The second one had a tent set up but no one around, maybe already in bed?

Then I came to a section of the trail that crossed the stream on a log bridge. Only problem was there wasn't any bridge. Only a small waterfall where the bridge used to be. Hmm. How to get across....I decided to go upstream a bit where it looked a little shallower. Took off my shoes and waded across. The ice cold water and round rocks felt good on my sore feet.

This is what it looked like almost every day when I took my shoes off. Lots of shit in my shoes...

Once across I kept going until I made it to mile 327.1 where I made my camp. Over 34 miles today! I like days which I can ride the majority of the trail. Watched another amazing sunset while eating mac and cheese. It was getting dark so finished setting up tent, hung my food and went to lay.

Wanted to do a lot of miles today so I woke up early and was on the trail before 8am. Was a wee bit chilly but dressed warm. My fingers were exposed though and those got pretty cold. Eventually it warmed up and I was able to take off layers.

A few miles in I understood why they call the Rocky Mts the Rockies. The trail had rocks everywhere. Big ones, loose ones, small ones, sharp ones, slippery ones, round ones...so much that I spent most of the day walking even on the flats and downhills. And if it wasn't rocky it was wet, muddy and slippery. One of my least favorite riding days thus far.

I came across a dozen or so people working on the trail. They were moving some of the rocks to try and make it more bicycle friendly. I thanked them for their services and kept on riding...I mean walking.

Saw a huge skeleton of a big animal...either an elk or maybe a cow.

Then I came behind a lady and her son hiking. I tried to be loud so I didn't surprise them but they didn't hear me until 10 feet away. The lady turned around and let out a scream. The kid hid behind the mom. Sorry I said. Didn't mean to scare you.

We talked for a bit as we continued hiking. A downhill section came that was actually rideable so said goodbye and off I went. Didn't last long as it started hailing. Yes hailing! So I had to stop and put on rain gear. The lady and son passed me. I had a snack and waited a bit before going on. Tried riding but slipped and had a good superman fall so decided it'd be best to walk.

When I caught the lady again, she was with a backpacker named Aimee. She asked if I was heading and camping at razor creek. I said yes and that I might camp there. She said I should as there is a big group ahead of her that's camping there.

Along the way I saw a blue rain jacket on the trail so I picked it up hoping I would catch the person that dropped it. As I got to razor creek a couple were starting to walk uphill back on the trail. They asked if I saw the jacket and I said yes and gave it to them. They were so happy that I found it and they didn't have to backtrack several miles.

There were about 9 or so people here with tents up and a nice big fire at mile 292.8. I asked if I could camp with them and they said of course. It was starting to sprinkle and so I hurried to set up my tent and change clothes.

Sat around the fire making dinner and meeting my new friends. Most of them were only doing a few segments at a time, eventually doing all the segments but taking a few years instead of doing it in one go like Aimee, Wendy and myself.

When Aimee, the mom and son arrived everyone cheered. Aimee's knee had started hurting a few days ago so didn't know if she would make it to camp so everyone was happy when she did.

After camping by myself for 12 nights I will say it was super nice to have some company. Plus it was convenient not having to start a fire as they had a huge one already going. Some of them even gave me chocolate and other yummy snacks.They were a nice group of fun people and I hope to connect with them again somewhere down the line. Most of them are based near Denver and they have a meetup group called Trails and Ales so will look them up when I am based in CO.

After taking some group photos the group slowly started getting smaller as people went to bed. I was one of the last two around the campfire until it was just coals and time to hit the sack. This was the only night I forgot to take a picture of my tent set up at camp...but here is where it was.

Woke up but heard sprinkles so kept sleeping a bit longer. Finally decided to get up and was on the trail by 8:30am just a tad behind schedule. I decided to skip breakfast so I could make it to highway 50 where I knew I got reception so I could call my dad.

Rode the 2 miles I had already rode and made it back to the highway. Immediately called my dad and he answered. I asked him what was going on and he explained he had this weird bump in his side so he went to get it checked out. They did a cat scan and saw that it was just his intestine pushing against his stomach wall due to his past surgeries. Nothing to be worried about. Whew.

But they also noticed that one of the stents they just put in his leg was already starting to blot which isn't good. He has to go back in 2 days to talk to the doctor to see what his options are. We talked for a little longer about how my trip was going and then said our goodbyes.

After I hung up I thought a lot about my dad and all he's been through the last few months. He had an aneurysm and could have easily bled to death. Luckily he was at the right place at the right time, the car races, and there just happened to be a helicopter that flew him directly to the hospital. They stopped the bleeding but he had some serious surgery coming up.

Not exactly sure what he had done but I think it was a double bypass using frozen arteries. Before he went into surgery the doctor told us he had a 25% chance of either dying or losing his legs. Very scary but thankfully everything went well and he came out ok.

So as I rode I kept thinking about him, how much I loved him and worried about his health. This is when tears welt up on my eyes for the second time on my trip. I am so happy I've been able to spend some quality time with him lately. I spent a few days at his auto shop replacing my convertible top before his surgery, then he found my van for me and helped me fix it up as it had front end damage. I returned the favor and spent two days installing the ceramic tile in his new master bedroom/bathroom. It was ready to be installed a year ago but he couldn't do it cause of his bad knees so I was more than willing to help especially since I've installed tile a few times before.

So I kept riding up the road. Was pleasantly surprised to see a bathroom at a trail-head that wasn't marked in my data book. I was planning on trying to wait 14 miles until one but now I didn't have to hold it in which was great.

By now it was 10:30am and I had only gone like 3 miles. Not a great start to the day. Started getting hungry so stopped at a creek where I made lunch.

It was a long climb up above the tree line. Along the way it started raining so I had to stop and put on rain gear. Then the sun came out and I got hot so took it all off. Up at the top it was windy and cold so put more warm clothes on.

Stopped at a shelter to have a snack and it started raining again. Tried to wait it out but put back on my rain gear. All this stopping and going was slowing me down. Plus the trail was wet, muddy and slippery so I couldn't ride as much as I could've if it were dry. A bit frustrating.

I knew I wasn't going to make my 25+ miles today as I wanted to do so decided to stop at mile 270.0 where I saw a cool campsite overlooking the valley and mountains. Ate some gummy bears and made this turkey dinner that was by far the best dry food I've had. It was like turkey and vegetables in a gravy. Yummy.

Decided I would make a fire and with the help of Frito's I was able to get it going in no time. I noticed this nice area where I could lay my sleeping pad which overlooked the view. It was like having a lawn chair in this incredible place. I sat there just listening to music while watching the sky change.

This wasn't a normal sunset. It was out of this world. Even though I was looking east, the sun was reflecting off the mountains. Clouds everywhere, each a different color...white, blue, red, orange and all the shades in between. Looking west thru the trees the sky was this amazing purple. I seriously would have to say this would be one of my top three most magical sunsets I have ever seen. And I just happened to be at the perfect place and the perfect time. I even asked hikers the next day that camped nearby and they didn't see the sunset as they were in the valley.

So after enjoying the sunset and the fire, I decided this was one of my favorite nights yet. Time for bed. Sweet dreams.

I was planning on sleeping in but automatically woke up at 7am cause that's what my body is used to. Was a bit hungover but nothing a hot tub and some Advil wouldn't cure. Threw all my disgusting stinky clothes in the washing machine while I relaxed in the hot tub. My clothes smelled so bad that I had to put all of them in the closet the day before so they didn't stink up my room.

While the clothes were drying I decided to go find some breakfast. I could see McDonald's and so I started walking there but along the way I found a nice sit down restaurant that had real breakfast. Ham & cheese omelet it was.DELICOUS!

Found this store right next door....hmmmmm....

Got back to the motel and started to pack up as I had to check out by 11am. I couldn't find my gloves so figured I either left them at the gas station or in the Jeep. If I did leave them in the Jeep I was hoping they would have found them and might have dropped them back off at the gas station on their way back thru. Nope. They weren't there. Bummer. Guess I'll just have to buy some new ones.

Next stop was the post office to pick up my re-supply box I had mailed myself. Was happy to see it had arrived.

Now I needed to find a bike shop to try and fix my seat post. Stopped at a camping store to buy fuel and they told me to go to Sub Culture Cyclery just around the corner and so I did.

Here I met Jason who said he could fix it. Yay! While he worked on it I re-packed my backpack with all my new dry food and snacks. I also borrowed a file and used that on my jetboil to make it fit inside itself again after my little incident I had a few days ago starting a fire with it.

An hour later the seat post was fixed! Think it took Jason a bit longer than he thought it would but he only charged me $20. I tried giving $30 but he refused. I ended up putting a few dollars in the beer fund jar they had. Thanks Jason, you're da man! I highly recommend this bike shop if anyone is ever in Salida. Sub Culture Cyclery.  I know I'll be back as I wanted to buy one of their hats but didn't have the extra space nor did I want the extra weight. (And I did go back and buy it, wearing it right now actually!)

I rode down by the river to check it out and feel like a tourist. They had modified it to make it a kayak park with rapids and obstacles but just two kids on boogie boards were playing around in it.

Next came a coffee shop where I ordered a yummy cappuccino and used the wifi to do some work emails. I also set up a fundraising page with the ALS association for the muni ride I am doing on the CT. If you read my day 6 blog you will understand why I decided to help raise money for ALS.

While at the coffee shop I met some backpackers that came in. We talked a bit about the unicycle, gear that we used and how our experience was so far.

I also met a young girl that came up to me. She said that she had the exact same muni as me. She said a lady who has ridden the continental divide trail gave it to her. I knew this lady as I had followed her blog when she rode it a few years ago. She is the one that gave me the idea for doing the CT and I believe her name was Gracie.

The girl and her mom said that Gracie lives in Salida and asked if I wanted to meet her as they had her number. I would have loved to but didn't have time as I had to get back on the trail. If I had known earlier I would have defiantly tried to meet up with her.

Saw this old unicycle at a bike shop in town.

I went back to the bike shop to take a photo and to buy some new gloves. They didn't have gloves with wrist support like the KH ones I had so I had to just buy a regular pair. Guess I'll just have to be a bit more careful while riding.

While there I met the local muni rider. He was an older guy and we chatted for a bit. He asked me about the new KH zero flat seat and told him that I loved it and would recommend it for muni.

The bike shop told me I should go to the distillery that was right next door so I went to check it out. They only made gin and whiskey but they did have bloody mary's so I decided to have one. It was a cool little bar and the workers were very nice and friendly.

Next I headed to the Boathouse which was a restaurant on the river. I ordered another bloody and a big ol' BBQ bacon burger. Had a table overlooking the river and everything was perfect. Was feeling so good that I even decided to take a Irish Car Bomb in honor of my friend Prinkki.

I started talking to the lovely couple next to me. They were from Tulsa, OK and so I told them I was just there performing two months ago. I had to show them the photo I got from there with me on my 12 foot unicycle with fireworks going off in the background. Such an amazing photo.

Now it was time to try and find a ride back to the trail. I wanted to stay another night in Salida. It was such a cool town and I had a hard time leaving the restaurant but it had to be done. I ordered an Irish car bomb shot for the rode (in my friend, Prinkki's, honor) and left.

The motel I was at said they shuttled people to the trail for $20 so I headed there. When I arrived she said it was too late as she had to stay to check people in. Bummer. I called to see how much a taxi would cost and it was $40-50. Guess I'll just have to try and hitchhike.

Maybe I'll get lucky as I saw this rainbow along the way!

Started riding up the road a bit to get more out of town and passed a liquor store. Decided to buy some fireball to keep me warm once I got to the trail (and keep my buzz going). The guy working here was one of the guys that was also working at the bike shop.

I asked him if he knew any friends that would want to make 20 bucks. Sure enough he asked the guy behind me buying 4 tall Mickeys and he said sure. He lived up that ways anyways. Crazy coincidence.

This guy drove a pickup truck and was quite the character. By far the most interesting person I've met on the trip. His face looked like leather with lots of wrinkles. He was older and I knew he had stories to tell. He said he was going to take the back roads there as he didn't like driving on the main one. I'm assuming it was cause he was either high or drunk...or maybe both.

Along the way I asked him about his life. He moved to Salida in 1979 and loved it. He used to be a ski patrol and had gone thru a divorce. He was a fun guy to talk with. When we got to a dirt road he asked if it was ok to crack a beer and offered me one. I declined as I had my fireball.

Because he didn't want to drive on highway 50, he went up a dirt road and dropped me off where the CT crossed it. I recognized it as I had already ridden this section yesterday. Guess I'll be riding 2 miles of the same section again. At least it was mostly downhill.

Said goodbye to him and then checked my phone as I had a new text. It was from my aunt LuAnn saying my dad was back in the hospital, something to do with the bypass surgery he had two months ago. I tried calling my dad to see what was going on and to see if he was ok but got voicemail.

It was nearly 8pm and getting dark. I walked, as I was a bit too tipsy to ride a half mile into the trail looking for a place to pitch my tent. Passed two bikers who were setting up camp and then found a nice little spot.

Set up my tent at mile 251.6, had some fireball and went to go to bed. I decided not to hang my food as I couldn't find any good trees plus I knew the bikers were camped nearby. Don't know if it was cause of worrying about bears or my dad but I had a hard time falling asleep and even when I did I kept waking up all night. Not the greatest sleep.

Turns out that today would be the most miles I would do in a day at least so far...36.4! I knew when I woke up that I had to do this many in order to make it to the highway that would take me to Salida, my halfway point and resupply town. I really wanted to get there so I could get a room at a motel, take a shower, soak in a hot tub, drink a beer and have a delicous burger. So I woke up as soon as it started getting light out and was on the trail by 7:45am. My earliest start yet.

I knew that there were three climbs I would need to do but none of them seemed that big on the elevation map. The rest of the day would be flat or downhill. The first climb was right away and wasn't too bad.

My iPod was dead but my phone still had some juice. I decided I didn't want to go all day without music so I chose to listen to music on my iPhone instead of using my Cyclemeter app to track me as I know that uses a lot of battery and I didn't want my phone to run out.

Then I came to the section where you follow a road for 6 miles. It was all downhill and I passed Princeton Hot Springs Resort and Pool. It looked so nice and I was tempted to stop. If I had a spare day I would have but needed to keep going.

The second climb came next and it started sprinkling on the way up. At the top I put the rain cover on my pack as it looked like it was going to downpour soon. It held off for awhile as I cruised along at a great speed along the flats.

Then the rain came. Quickly put on my rain jacket and pants. It was coming down hard but I continued on. It slowed me down a bit but I was happy that it only rained for about half an hour. Took off my gear and cruised along for awhile while thinking more about God.

Thought of the day: One of the Ten Commandments is thou shall not kill. So does that mean everyone in an army cannot be Christians? Or if they are then they are hypocrites? And what about animals? Is it ok to kill them for food? Is there an asterisk somewhere in the bible that says *except for enemies and animals? And if there is what defines an enemy? Anyone could say anyone is their enemy and kill them and that would be ok? But if that were the case than why even have that as a commandment cause then it would be ok to kill anyone (as long as you say they were an enemy)?

Anyways, I came to the third and last climb of the day. Still had 5 miles left and it was 4:30pm so knew I should be able to make it to the highway. Of course the last climb of the day is always the hardest and slowest but I pushed thru and made it. I really wanted to get to town now and could taste that burger and beer so rode extra fast.

The last few miles seemed like the longest miles but eventually I saw Highway 50! I was now officially over halfway done at mile 252.5. Hip hip hooray! I felt incredible, happy, excited and super pumped.

It was 7pm and now it was time to try and hitchhike. I've actually never done this before and was a bit scared but not too much. Out my thumb went. The road wasn't super busy but cars flew past without even hesitating to stop.

As I waited a deer and two babies started to cross the road. Mom went first and then the others followed. I had to stop a car that was cruising in the other direction to make sure they didn't get hit.

It had been 30 minutes now and I didn't think anyone would stop. I googled to see if there was a taxi in Salida that I could call. There was but I decided to wait a bit longer. Good thing I did as a Jeep stopped soon after. I was soooo happy.

It was a couple who lived in Golden, CO who were hiking some 14ers. They were super nice but had the unfortunate accident of losing their car keys somewhere along the hike so when they got to the trailhead they were screwed.

Turns out that some other people were able to give them a ride to a Jeep rental place where they rented this Jeep so they could drive 5 hours to their house, grab spare keys, drive 5 hours back to their car, drop Jeep off and then drive 5 hours back. What a mission!

When they saw me standing there they figured that because people were nice to them by giving them a ride they thought they should pay it forward. Awesome!

They ended up dropping me off at a gas station as I still didn't know where I would stay. Ended up dropping me off at the perfect spot as when I asked inside where a cheap place would be, the lady said a few blocks up the road is the Circle R Motel. Sure enough it was only $75 and they even had a hot tub and laundry. Sold!

Think I need a shower?!

Got inside my room, plugged in my phone and spare battery then first things first. HOT SHOWER! Wow did that feel good. Scrubbed clean and put on my pajamas and cotton shirt.

Next up, burger and beer. Called two breweries to make sure they were still open as it was getting close to 9pm. It was a mile to downtown so I decided to take a taxi as I couldn't be bothered plus I wanted to get there before they closed.

Found one of them and just in the nick of time. They didn't have burgers but they did have pizzas so pizza and beer it was. Delicious.

They were starting to close so I walked over to the other brewery. They also had pizza and beer and was still a bit hungry so ordered some breadsticks. Yummy.

The taxi driver had told me about another cool bar that was open until late so I decided to chill there for a bit. They had free wifi so I was able to check emails for the hour or two while I sat at the bar. Once I finished emails I decide I was tired and drunk so time to go back to the motel. I went to call the taxi but saw outside he was already waiting so hopped in and passed out in the comfy motel bed.

It rained most of the night and I was dreading having to wake up and ride in the rain. I was so happy when I woke up that it had stopped. Everything was still wet and I didn't like packing up my soaking wet tent but didn't have a choice. Took advantage of the toilets before I left (6 for 6!).

Gave my neighbors back the bottle of rum as I only drank half of it. Thanked them again and started to climb. I knew I had three big climbs today so it was nice to make it to the top of the first one.

Cruised downhill for a bit and did the second climb. Not too bad. Made it down to the bottom and end of the segment by 4pm. Decided to make some lunch before the last climb...the steepest and biggest one yet.

I knew it was going to suck as it was 3 miles up from 9000 to 12000 feet. That's a huge amount to climb in a short distance. I was right. It sucked and was very slow going. Like one foot a second. Super steep.

My iPod battery had died at the start of this climb so it was just me and my brain. Instead of thinking about God, death and grandparents, this time I thought a lot about MacGyver, my golden retriever dog. I miss him so much and I thought how he would have loved to be on this adventure with me. Dogs are allowed for most of the trail but I think they are supposed to be on leash.

I did consider bringing him but the miles and elevation I did each day would be way too much for him. I used to take him for muni rides with me and 7 miles was about max so he wouldn't have been able to do 25 day after day. But I still wished he was with me. I love that dog more than anything in this world right now and breaks my heart that I can't be with him or tell him why daddy isn't always there for him every day like I used to be.

Took a little break halfway up and kept going and going and going. It was getting dusk out and I was a bit concerned about running into a bear so decided to use my speaker on my iPhone to play music. Not only would this scare them away, it would give me something to listen to and motivate me to keep going.

The last half a mile was the worst. I kept looking for the top but it just kept going up. Finally I saw it and reached the top. Popped a Werther's candy in my mouth as a reward as apparently that's tradition here in CO.

Now it was 3 miles of steep downhill to camp. Even though I was tired I was surprised that I was able to ride most of it. I was having fun but it seemed like the trail would never end. I was so relieved when I could finally see the bottom. It was already 7:30pm so it was slowly getting dark out.

Set up camp at mile 216.1 pretty fast as it looked like rain clouds were moving in plus I wanted to get everything set up while there was still some light left. Made dinner, hung my food and crashed out. Pretty sure it was my longest riding day and I felt it.

Today was the complete opposite of yesterday as I rode almost every section and walked very little. After breakie I cruised along, passed the Mt. Massive trailhead and then came to the Mt Elbert trailhead. Of course I had to use the outhouse that was at the trailhead. 5 for 5 now!

Continued along making good time to twin lakes which was beautiful. Rode the long hot miles around the lake and took a nice long break cause it looked liked it was going to rain ahead. It cleared up and on I went.

Made it to the last peak where I could see the campsite I would be staying at. It was really fun and a scenic 2 mile downs to camp. Found a nice site at mile 191.3 next to the river.

There were lots of campers and motorhomes so figured someone would have a few beers to sell me as that would hit the spot after a long but good day. Asked from campsite to campsite but no luck. They either didn't drink or didn't have extra. Oh well.

Started setting up camp as fast as I could as it looked like a storm was moving in. Made some lasagna (best dry food yet) and noticed my neighbors were back so I went to ask them. They didn't have beer but they had rum and gave me half a bottle full! They also gave me a bag of ice, cans of coke and cups. I tried giving them $20 but they refused. Thank you Mike & Katy from Iowa, this really hit the spot and made a perfect ending to a long but good day.

It started to rain and thunder so I quickly made it to the tent. Laid in there drinking rum and coke while listening to the rain and reading my book. Very cool. Started getting tired so turned off my light and I was out. What an awesome day!

This is my toothbrush. Yes it's a kids one. I did this to save weight. Not cause I'm a big kid.

The morning came and it wasn't nearly as cold as others. I got up and had a lot of repacking to do so that took awhile. I had asked Amy to stop at REI and buy a footprint for my tent in case it rains. I also asked her to pick up a foam accordion sleeping pad as I was so sick of blowing mine up and taking two or three times to roll it up to get all the air out. I'm really thankful that she was able to do this as this helped make my trip much more enjoyable.

Made hot chocolate and breakfast skillet in a bag. Amy then drove me back to the start of the trail. It was tempting to just start at the campsite as I wouldn't have had to ride 2.5 miles but I want to do the entire trail. No cheating.

Used the restroom (4 for 4 now!) said goodbye and off I went. It was already past 9:30am so an hour in a half late. No worries I thought as it should be a relatively easy day. I was wrong. This day would suck balls.

Right now I'd just like to talk about Wilderness Areas as the CT goes thru several different ones where bicycles are not allowed so bikes must do the bicycle detour for those sections. Before I left for my trip I did a lot of research regarding Wilderness Areas and if unicycles are allowed or not allowed and it's kind of in a gray area. In Colorado law a unicycle is not considered a bike (42-1-102 (10)). The Wilderness rules states something about mechanical machines not being allowed but it then lists theses machines and unicycles aren't listed. I also found this nice article online about what is considered a "Mechanical Transport" which I think has many good points. I had a hard time deciding if I should ride the wilderness areas or take the detours. The detours are on busy highways with no shoulders so it would be very dangerous. Plus under Colorado law it is illegal to ride a unicycle on any paved highways with center lines.

One of the signs I encountered. This one says nothing about unicycles or mechanical transport.

I also researched why bikes aren't allowed in Wilderness Areas and the main reasons are erosion due to skidding (unicycles can't skid), safety to other hikers (unicycles can't coast so can't go nearly as fast), and to keep the areas remote so people don't have fast and easy access (unicycles go about jogging speed).

This sign clearly states the bicycles aren't allowed. Thanks goodness that a unicycle isn't considered a bicycle in CO!

Now I'm not going to tell you what I finally decided to do and am not going to admit to doing anything illegal here so I'll leave that up to you to guess. Basically it would have been illegal for me to ride the bicycle detours due to the highways and it might be illegal to ride the wilderness areas so I was kind of screwed whatever way I decided. Guess the only way to make sure I wasn't breaking any laws was to have a "trail angel" pick up my unicycle at the start of any wilderness areas and then have it waiting for me at the end of that section when I went thru it. Maybe I did that? You use your best judgement to decide what you think I did.

Another sign that mentions nothing about mechanical transport.

More signs of "Trail Angels". Someone had put a cooler full of all sorts of different pop. I didn't take any cause I didn't need any but sure is nice whoever did this.

Most of the day I was walking as the trail was either too steep or too rocky, even the flats and downhills. This meant I was going at a slow pace. Plus a couple hours in it started to rain so I had to stop and put on all my rain gear.

I had a fall where my uni smashed pretty hard into some rocks. My seat got turned so when I went to straighten it I realized the two piece seat post was twisting inside itself. Fuck. The only way to fix this was to get a new seat post or find a shop to drill a hole and put a pin or screw in it. Of course this is one of the only parts on my uni that isn't KH (Kris Holm). He's aware of this problem and so now all his seat posts are one piece. Unfortunately he hasn't made the new pivotal post tall enough for my long legs so I had to buy a 2 piece one from a different company. Kris if you are reading this, please make longer posts!

I was able to twist it back so it was straight and kept on going. For the next few miles the seat didn't twist so instead of trying to hitchhike into Leadville I decided I should be able to make it to Salida in 3 more days where my resupply is waiting for me at the post office.

Just in case I couldn't find someone to fix it I thought I better see if I can get a new seat post mailed to Salida as a backup. So I luckily had service and sent a text to Amy asking if she could call Joe from Compulsion Cycles to see if he could get one to me on Friday. (Turns out he did order one and have it shipped but the post office messed up and didn't have it when I arrived.) If anyone is looking to buy a unicycle or parts, I strongly recommend Compulsion Cycles. He paid for and sponsered the seat post that was shipped so thank you for doing that Joe!

Gotta love seeing signs like this on the trail. WTF?

It was now 4pm and I was only 12 miles in...only halfway as I wanted to do 24 today. Had some lunch which lifted my spirits and kept on trucking.

Decided to stop at mile 161.6 where there was a nice dry campsite. Slammed the Fireball Amy had gave me to keep me warm, ate some good Mac & Cheese and headed for bed. By far my least favorite day. There weren't even any good views which is why there aren't many photos or any videos.

My food bag properly hung for bears.

Like usual it was super cold and hard to get out of bed. But I knew Mike had hot coffee waiting for me so packed all my stuff and went to his van. Not only did he have coffee but he made pancakes and had bananas, apples and nut bars. Really hit the spot as it was nice having some real food to start the day.

Thought I'd mention it here that Aspen Mike has been one of the main guys who inspire me. I've known him for about 10 years but only ridden with him a few times. Mostly I see his threads he posts on the unicycle forums about his epic adventures. He is a climbing machine and not only has he done most of the hill climbs and challenges in CO, he has done some in Hawaii including Mauna Kea. This is 0 to 13,796 ft in 43 miles and he did it on a unicycle! I'll be happy when I'm older if I can do half of what he does.

Denver, Durango, Canada or Mexico? So many choices.

Time to hit the trail so it's goodbye to Mike and up I go across Copper Mt. A mile in, the trail passed right next to the shops so I stop to use the bathroom. I decided to send a couple work emails and actually booked a gig in Tennessee and declined one in India. Who would've thunk I could do this while riding the CT and on the shitter?! lol

It was another big climb up and I decided to take my time and enjoy it...wise words from Mike before I left. It was a beautiful climb following a creek. Halfway up I stopped and ate Mike's apple he had given me. I swear it was the best apple I've ever had but it could have been I was hungry or the scenery or maybe it just was the best apple ever. So juicy and crisp. Wish I would have taken more than just one.

As I continued up I started thinking a lot about God and my cousin Danny who went blind a year ago due to a firework accident on the 4th of July. He is slowly recovering and is able to partially see again out of one eye. The thing I was thinking most about is how his entire family believe in God and pray all the time to this God for all the surgeries to fix his vision. That's fine but the thing that pisses me off is this God is the one that let him go blind in the first place and now they are thanking him that he can see like 50%. I got so upset thinking about it.

They should be really thanking the surgeons, doctors, engineers and geniuses that invented the technology. Plus all the people who have made donations to help find a cure to heal the blind.

Let me say I grew up as a Lutheran, was baptized, got confirmed and believed in God for half of my life. There is nothing wrong with that and I respect what anyone believes as long as it's not evil. I get that some people need a purpose as to why they are here and that they need hope that there is life after death. I also understand some people need a fear of a hell in order to be good people. Personally I don't need that to be a good person and do the right thing. I believe in the 10 commandments not because I'll go to hell if I don't but that it just makes sense to me. Do positive things and it will come back to you.

So the more I thought about God the more angry I got about if there is a God how could he create disease, natural disasters, war, poverty and most importantly how could he take my grandparents from me especially my Grandpa Herbert whom I look identical to and was the kindest person on the planet.

This is when my thinking changed and I started to think about all my relatives who have passed. My grandma Shirley who was the one that got me into unicycling. Without her I would not be mountain unicycling the CT right now. My grandpa Ron who I barely new and remember. My great grandparents Vanover who I'm pretty sure I got my humor from as he was always telling jokes. And to my uncle Ryan who was also a kind soul. He was the latest to die and it was due to ALS just like my grandpa Herbert.

I suddenly couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears. As I was climbing this beautiful mountain I had tears dripping down my face. My first time crying since the start of my trip. I thought this might happen but didn't know it would be about death. I sat down to think about life and to recompose myself.

As I sat, I realized for the first time that I have a fear of getting ALS or some other horrible disease that may end my life early. Or if I don't get it maybe my brother, sister, a close friend or another relative might. This tears me apart to think about and I decided that I not only need to do the CT for myself but I must try and help others as well. I am going to set up a donation page for the ALS foundation so that they can come up with a cure. Please donate if you can.

Sorry for the tangent but that's exactly what happened as I climbed up this beautiful mountain. I came to a really cool hut (more of a cabin) anyone can rent out for a night. Definitely want to come back and do that someday with a bunch of friends.

I also ran out of water so was happy to see a stream with ice cold snow melted water. I was now almost at the top of the pass and made the final push to the top. Breathtaking...the views and the altitude.

From here it was very exposed for the next 2 miles until Kokomo Pass. The views were amazing and I started feeling lucky to be alive and so happy I was here at this moment. By far one of the prettiest places I've ever been. Can't believe it took me 36 years to get here. Anyone reading this, life is beautiful. Go explore and travel the world before your too old or too sick. I'll give you directions to this exact spot. All you need to do is get here and it's free to hike, bike or uni up. Seriously guys, that trip you've always wanted to do, put it in your calendar and make it happen. Life's too short to wait until next year.

Met a nice guy named Kerry who was hiking the entire trail going the same direction as me. He offered to take video of me riding so I took him up on it.

Some bikers passed us and I thought it was cool when one of them said "The mythical unicycler. We found you". Put a smile on my face and I think that will be my trail name from now on.

The best thing about being at the top of a pass is it almost guarantees long downhill fun. And that it was. Several miles of it until I made it to a waterfall. Free ice cold shower. Couldn't pass that up.

The last few miles of the day are always the longest especially when it's mostly uphill. Note to self that when I plan days make sure they end on a downhill and start on an uphill. It sucks to end on a uphill and is much better to start the day going up as it is a great way to warm up in the morning.

Eventually made it to the end and my friend, Amy, was there waiting with a cold beer! Awesome. She had set up camp a few miles away but instead of hiking we could drive so that was good. She had her tent already set up so I finished organizing my stuff while she made a fire.

It was a nice campsite at mile 145.2 but there was an old tanker truck nearby that didn't look like it ran. Sooner or later another truck pulls up next to it and they start making all this noise. Had to laugh out loud as here we are in the middle of nowhere and for half an hour these trucks just sat there pumping something while destroying the peace and quite. Ha.

Amy was an expert at starting the fire and so we made some hot dogs. They hit the spot. I had fresh veggies, chips and a few more beers. Everything was perfect and I was so glad to have company. Thanks Amy for driving out, meeting me and giving me all the goodies including my resupplies for the next 4 days.

One of my favorite things she brought was my fleece pajama pants and cotton shirt. Every night when I slept I would be all salty and sticky from sweating all day. The inside of my sleeping bag is like plastic so I would stick to it all night and every time I moved sucked. Now I could wear these comfy clothes while I slept to help avoid this. Sure it adds a little extra weight to my pack but totally worth it.

Another freezing cold morning with everything covered in dew. Knew I had a huge day so forced myself out of bed at 6am when the sun started to rise. Dressed warmly, packed my wet tent and was off by 7:30am. My earliest start yet.

Video Fail. My camera didn't focus in on the amazing view but it looked like the above picture.

Walked most of the 2 miles uphill and then cruised along some downhill. Ran into 3 ladies hiking up and one of them said she saw me 2 days ago riding as she was only doing segments here and there when she could.

As I was leaving a bridge where there were some hikers and bikers, I started riding uphill and one of the bikers yelled out "you're da man" which lifted my spirits. I passed Keystone ski resort and then came around a corner to see Breckenridge.

Lots of houses meant I probably got cell phone reception so I stopped and turned on my phone. Sent some text to let family and friends know I was doing ok. Checked emails to make sure I didn't have any important work ones and I did so I replied back. Turned off my phone and headed down the switchbacks to Breckenridge.

As I rode down a guy saw me so he stopped and started clapping. He had never seen a unicycle ride down those switchbacks and seemed impressed. His name was Greg and he lived ta few houses down and asked if I needed anything. I said maybe some water so we went to his place and he gave me some energy jellies, a juicy delicious peach which hit the spot, and let me use his toilet! What a nice guy! Thanks Greg. This was a much needed hospitality break before the epic climb I was about to do.

It was just past noon and I had a massive pass to go up and over. I contemplated stopping here for the day and going to town for a burger and beer...but decided I didn't want to fall behind. I was a bit concerned about thunderstorms again as you aren't supposed to be above tree line after 3pm but the weather looked good and I could always camp halfway up if it started to turn.

The continental divide trail joins up with the colorado trail for like a 100 miles so I started seeing signs now for both trails.

I met a mt biker named Jason who also unicycles so we chatted for a bit. Thought it was cool that he liked riding different things so much that the bike he was on was a classic. Had front rim brakes, coaster back pedal brakes, single speed and funny handlebars. Love it.

Passed like 30 search and rescue people who were coming down from the top where they were doing training exercises. Continued going up and up and up. The further I went the steeper it got. 4 hours of going up and the top just seemed like it would never come. Felt like Mt Everest. By far one of the hardest climbs I've down.

Finally made it to the top where I met 3 bikers who said they saw another guy on a unicycle towards the end of the trail where I was going. A few other people I met along the way had also said they saw a guy with a white mustache and white hair on a uni. Must be Aspen Mike! He was planning on trying to meet up with me for a day or two along the trail. I knew he was too far ahead to try and catch him but maybe he would be waiting for me at the end.

The downhill from the top was 5 miles to Copper Mt and I thought it would be fast and fun. Nope. Rocky and unrideable in many sections. Boo. Maybe it was cause I was so tired from the climb but it was not as fun as I had hoped. Don't get me wrong it was still fun and ten times better than climbing.

Mike was waiting for me in his camper van at the end at mile 116.9. He showed me a great place to set up camp and so I did. Then went back to his van where he had fresh dinner made! Turkey, cheese, rice, beans and an ice cold coke. Not the burger and beer I was expecting to get at the bar but this was better as it was absolutely delicious. Had some good conversation while the sun set. He even had sorbet for dessert. Thanks Mike! You're the man.

By far the toughest day so far. Maybe it was the elevation gain, rocky technical decent or the fact my iPod battery was dead so I had no music all day and had to listen to my own thoughts.

Brrrr Brrrr Brrrr. When I woke up it was freezing. Like literally my unicycle had frost all over it. Plus my tent and most my gear was soaking wet due to dew. I forced myself out of bed.

I had to put every warm clothing I had with on..wool hat, gloves, rain pants and jacket...I was still cold. But the sun was coming out and slowly warming up. As I ate oatmeal, which warmed up my hands, a hummingbird flew right near my face and just sat there looking at me for a few moments. Reminded me of my grandpa and was very surreal.

Started the day off with an uphill climb followed by some nice downhill to Kenosha Pass where they had toilets. Timed that right and I haven't had to do a #2 in the woods yet. Yay!

A few months ago I actually rode this next segment of the trail to get a feel for it. Only rode 7 miles into it before turning around as it started snowing. Today was a hot and sunny day. It was nice knowing what to expect and the views were just as stunning as last time.

Made it to the river where I turned around last time. Today I took a nice long lunch break and cooked up some enchiladas. I had to prepare myself for a big climb ahead. My first time on the trip that I would be above the tree line...certainly not my last.

As usual the climb seemed to take forever but I made it to the top. I was a bit concerned about a thunderstorm while I was up there but the weather gods were on my side.

From here it was 7 miles of pure downhill heaven. I got in the zone and was having a blast. Made it down in no time and decided to keep going another 2 miles so I would have less to do tomorrow.

Found a nice campsite at mile 90.9 next to a stream that already had firewood. Perfect...so I thought. I tried making a fire for over half an hour. I used up most of my fuel in my lighter and all of my paper. Nothing. Just smoke in my face. I was annoyed and pissed.

So I shouldn't have done this but I decided to use my Jetboil stove to make a fire. It worked and I got a fire going but I melted some of the plastic on it and now it won't fit inside itself. Stupid idea Jamey. Worst part is I didn't even enjoy the fire. By the time it was going it was already close to dark and I had to fill up my water, set up tent, make dinner and hang food. Probably spent 5 minutes total by the fire. What a waste. Goodnight.

I'm writing this at the end of day 3 and it's by far been the best day yet! Let me explain....I originally wasn't looking forward to it as I knew it was going to be a long tough day with lots of elevation up and down. My first real test.

Woke up at 6am as I wanted to get an early start. Laid in be for a bit and then made some breakfast skillet in a bag, packed up and started walking uphill. I knew I would be walking for the next 6 miles. Was able to ride a few sections but it was slow moving and by the time I made it to the top I was 10,483ft high and out of breath.

I was happy that the next few miles were all downhill but much more technical than I wanted. Even though it was fun it took a lot of energy out of me.

Once at the bottom I was in this huge valley which had a beautiful meadow. I followed this meadow all the way up for lots of miles. The grade was perfect to ride most of it and about halfway up I started feeling wierd...like out of my body experience. Don't know what it was...maybe altitude but I definitely wasn't right. But I was smashing it and in the zone so kept going.

Once I climbed to 11,000ft I knew the fun downhill would start. This was DH muni conditions at its' best. Not too technical but just enough to go fast, dodge things and have fun. Again I was in the zone with very few dismounts.

By the time I made it to the bottom I was spent and still feeling very weird. Decided I best take a big break and cook some food. Ended up having Guacamole and chips. Hit the spot!

Had 5 more miles until camp and it was mostly downhill. For some reason no part of my body hurt or was sore. Couldn't believe it but assuming it was the state of mind I was in.

Had a nice fall along the way towards the end. It was due to a pedal strike in a section of the trail that had a big rut in it. The fall wasn't too bad but shook me up a bit and made me slow down and take it a bit easier.

Was excited to see camp at mile 65.5 and loved the fact it was next to a stream in a meadow. I've been having trouble sleeping at night as I'm all sweaty and sticky so decided to rinse off in the stream. Cold but totally worth it. The sun was out and it was beautiful.

After setting up camp and eating chili macaroni I decide it was perfect for a campfire. There was already wood there from previous campers so I tore out some pages from the book I'm reading and started it a light.

I was feeling great. The sun was slowly setting and it was fucking beautiful. Read my book, danced to some music and just watched the sky with the moon rising up and the stars coming out one by one. What a great day!

Alarm went off at 6am. Hit snooze until 6:45 and sat in bed planning the day. Got up made some oatmeal, packed tent and rest of the gear and took off at 8:30am.

Me in the morning with my whislte and Spot Gen3 Tracker nearby in case of an emergency and some of my gear hanging up to dry. Notice my unicycle tattoo?! I might need to add some touring gear to it.

My seat was a bit low all day yesterday and my knees were starting to hurt a bit so when I made it to a nice viewpoint I stopped to raise it. Took a nice break and continued on.

Ran into this street sign along the way. Are there lions in Colorado?! 

From here the trail flowed pretty good so I was able to ride for a bunch of miles with no breaks. Made it to a spot where some nice guy had put a bunch of emergency gallon jugs of water as this section had no water for 10 miles. Apparently these people are called "trail angels". I still had some left so didn't need to take any but thought it was cool that someone did this just to be nice.

Made it to the end of segment 2 where there was a trailhead and toilet. Definitely took advantage of that! My first poo of the trip and it wasn't in a dirt hole. Yay.

While here a mt biker going the other way stopped to take a break. He had huge fat tires and a shitload of gear. Easily twice as much as what I had. He admitted he had way to much stuff and it was tough with that much weight. He couldn't believe I was doing the entire trail with half as much and on half a bike. He got dropped off a few days ago and was only riding to Denver.

We talked for almost an hour. He said he was interested in muni and might try it. I told him to look up the Denver unicycle meet up and I would teach him. Before he left he asked if I wanted any food as he had way too much and wanted to lighten his load. I said I was good but would take a snickers and energy bar. He also gave me some "green medicine" as a birthday gift. It is legal here and lightweight so why not.

These were the signs I looked for every day along the trail to make sure I was going the correct way. You could tell some of them were really old and had been there for many many years.

The next few miles were rolling hills. I ran into a day mt biker going the other way and he asked to take a photo. He said no one would believe him that he saw a unicyclist on this trail unless he had proof.

Ran out of water but timed it just right as a creek showed up literally 1 minute later. Used my awesome squeeze filter and filled up with ice cold water. Delicious!

Passed an older couple hiking and made it to the end of segment 3. While refilling water they caught up to me so we chatted for a bit. They were only hiking a few segments at a time as that's all their jobs would allow. Reminded me how thankful and happy I am that I have the job that I do. Being a professional performer, making people laugh and smile plus being my own boss to work when I want to is incredible and I'm very lucky doing what I love.

I haven't always been a performer. I actually went to college and got a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. Worked at a medical company in MN designing heart valves and after 4 years wasn't happy. The corporate world felt like jail to me, sitting in a small cubical with no windows, in front of a computer, M-F, 8-5pm with only like 2 or 3 weeks vacation a year. One day I had enough, quit and moved to California where "dreams come true".

Didn't know what I would do with my life but a few months later I saw a street performer working in Venice Beach. I took video of it and zoomed in when he collected his money and he actually made a decent amount for a 20 minute show. I've always juggled and unicycled as a hobby growing up so I already had the skills. So I sat down with a pen and paper, came up with a very rough idea of a show and got permission to make my debut in Huntington Beach at their Surf City Nights Street Fair.

Was pretty nervous going out there but I set out my hat and started doing all these crazy hard tricks on my unicycle. Was working really hard for an hour and only made like 2 bucks. I was devastated and started packing up. Guess street performing wasn't for me. As I was putting my things away, a nice old lady came up to me and gave me a 20 dollar bill. She said "I've been watching you and you have been working really hard and are really good. Keep doing what you love." With that she was gone and I decided that maybe I could do this. This one person literally changed my life and career path. If it wasn't for her I probably would have gave up and would either have went back to engineering or would be doing something else. Crazy how just one person can change your entire life. Wish I could find her and thank her...if you are that lady and happen to be reading this blog, THANK YOU!  

Anyways, back to the trail...so somewhere along the way I had my first blood of the trip. Nothing too major and it wasn't even from unicycling. It was from walking while pushing the unicycle and having it hit a rock making the pedals slam back into my shins. I wish I could say this was the only time it happened but throughout the entire trip it happened daily...sometimes many times per day.

The next two miles were all uphill and I ended up walking most of it. At this point my ass was starting to hurt from being sweaty and rubbing against cheek to cheek. I kept looking for this campsite but it was longer than expected. I was spent and was so happy when I saw it at mile 41.9. Sat down and took a long rest before setting up camp. When I put up my tent I realized I forgot two stakes in the ground at the last campsite. Oops.

Made buffalo chicken and it was actually pretty tasty except I wish I had something to wash down the spice instead of water...like a beer. Rolled a joint and smoked it. Hung up my food and was going to have a fire but couldn't be bothered. Mainly cause it was still warm out and there was nothing comfortable to sit on. So headed to my comfy air mattress.

Started reading The Alchemist and wrote in my journal (aka my iPhone). It was 8pm and the sun wasn't even down yet but I was very sleepy and fell asleep.

I had to work in Edmonton, Canada at a festival which ended on Sunday night. This meant I had to drive 20 hours in almost one day in order to start the ride on Tuesday, my birthday. I somehow managed to make the drive with little sleep arriving in Denver on  Monday at midnight. Set the alarm for 7am as I needed to get up early to pack, get resupply boxes ready to mail and change over some of my new unicycle parts (pedals, handlebars, cranks) I had ordered online and had them shipped to my address is Denver.

Of course when I woke up and started organizing everything it took much longer than expected. Wanted to start riding at 9 or 10am but didn't start until noon. My friend Amy dropped me off at the trailhead, I took a photo and posted it on Facebook, made a couple quick calls and I was off on my 36th birthday. Luckily the weather was on my side today so it didn't matter I was behind schedule.

The first 6 miles are pretty boring as it's just a fire road next to a river. Except 6 minutes into it I turn a corner and three bears are up in trees eating. There were a dozen or so people taking photos so of course I did too. One minute later I ran into a bunch of big horn sheep. What a welcome to the Colorado Trail!!!

It's like find Waldo but with a bear....

I heard a few days later that they actually closed the first section of the trail due to bears. So I left just in the knick of time.

I was in such a rush to leave that I didn't have time to eat. So an hour into the ride I stopped at a shelter, nicely named Rattlesnake (is the CT trying to scare me right off the bat?!) with a picnic table to have lunch. Dry food. Just add boiling water! Yum yum. As I ate two mt bikers passed me and stopped to talk. They were from London and were also doing the entire trail but on two wheels. Chatted for a bit and they took off.

The fire road turned into single track and it started climbing. Up up up I went. Ran into a hiker going the other way and he said the bikers warned them of a guy on a unicycle. He didn't know if he believed them or not.

My first fall of the trip, right into some bushes and down a little drop off.

Once at the top the view was incredible (although a bit smokey due to wildfires in Washington) and the downhill was too...several miles of fun all the way to the big South Platte River.

The mt bikers were just getting there when I got there. They were camping here for the night. I told them it was my birthday and they offered for me to camp with them to celebrate as they had whiskey. I was tempted but wanted to get a few miles more under my belt.

I was pretty hot and sweaty so I decided to take a birthday swim in the ice cold water before hitting the trail again. The bikers joined me as well. Very refreshing and much needed. Geared up and took off.

I was aiming to go another 6 miles but it was mostly uphill and 2 miles into it I was spent. I dragged on for another mile until I found the perfect campsite at mile 20.2.

I was moving slow but it was 7pm and not much sunlight left. Cooked dinner while setting up the tent. Spaghetti with meatballs. Tasted ok but I wasn't that hungry and felt a bit light headed from the altitude and from spending 10 minutes blowing up my stuppid sleeping pad. Forced myself to eat as much as I could but couldn't finish it. Went and hung up my food bag for bears. Then it was straight in bed. Fell asleep soon afterwards. Woke up lots during the night cause I was all sweaty and sticky from riding all day. Plus my sleeping bag was a bit too warm so all night it was hot cold hot cold.

To be continued...

Just a heads up that I finished the ride on Monday, Sept. 14th. Woo hooooooo!!!! I'm currently working on editing and uploading my blogs for each day with photos and videos. Stay tuned as the first day should be up very soon.

Hey friends, I have made it halfway! Much harder than I thought it would be but all is good. I've decided to try and raise money for ALS. My goal is only to raise $2 for every mile I ride.

Here is why I've decided to do this taken from an insert from my blog I will post when I finish: "This is when my thinking changed and I started to think about all my relatives who have passed. My grandma Shirley who was the one that got me into unicycling. Without her I would not be mountain unicycling the CT right now. My grandpa Ron who I barely new and remember. My great grandparents Vanover who I'm pretty sure I got my humor from as he was always telling jokes. My grandpa Herbert who I look identical to and even wear the same newsboy hat that he used to wear. My grandma Ruthie still tears up every time I visit her cause she says I remind her so much of him. And to my uncle Ryan who was also a kind soul. He was the latest to die and it was due to ALS just like my grandpa Herbert.

I suddenly couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears. As I was climbing this beautiful mountain I had tears dripping down the face. My first time crying since the start of my trip. I thought this might happen but didn't know it would be about death. I sat down to think about life and to recompose myself. As I sat I realized for the first time that I have a fear of getting ALS or some other horrible disease that may end my life early. Or if I don't get it maybe my brother, sister, a close friend or another relative might. This tears me apart to think about and I decided that I not only need to do the CT for myself but I must try and help others as well. I am going to set up a donation page for the ALS foundation so that they came come up with a cure. Please donate if you can." http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/3rdParty/GreaterNewYork?px=3702133&pg=personal&fr_id=11151