We’re back on the Continental Divide Trail for the 800 miles from northern New Mexico to southern Wyoming we leaped over in 2015 because of the impassable snowpack! We started at Hopewell Lake, NM where we left off. I hiked in with Porter (trail-name Og) for several miles, then back out by myself to drive to Pagosa Springs. 
Og continued north toward Cumbres Pass, CO.
The days were warm, but the nights so cold that the battery not only on his phone but his back-up battery to recharge it both died. Without his phone, he had no app (Guthooks) to find his way on the CDT. Map and compass were of insufficient help because snowmelt had obscured the trail in wide, deep bogs. It gets worse: the bogs swallowed his fine trekking poles and prescription sunglasses.
While Og was lost in the bog, I was in the Pagosa Hot Springs, clueless without a message from him via his phone Bluetoothed to his InReach satellite tracker.
As planned, I drove from Pagosa Springs to Cumbres Pass, and hiked in to meet him. Of course, he was nowhere near the CDT, so I eventually turned around on a windy ridge. 
But Amber, bless her heart, figured out how to make Og’s and my respective InReach satellite trackers talk to each other even without Porter’s phone!
Resourceful thru-hiker that he is, Og eventually found his way out, and I drove down the highway until I found him. We celebrated over dinner in Pagosa Springs. 
Thanks for all your good vibes–they’re working!
Hi Gail and OG,
Great to hear you two are back on the CDT in one way or another! And so too is my dear husband, FROST. On June 10 he restarted, heading north, where he left off last fall in Rawlins, WY. Frost took a zero in Lander, WY — then left this morning. Did OG deal with the high winds (40 mph gusts!!) crossing THE GREAT DIVIDE BASIN?? I look forward to your next adventure post! ?
Ina Sue, good to hear from you as always, especially with the great news that FROST is back on the CDT where he left off. Can’t quite remember whether there were high winds crossing The Great Divide Basin, but very likely.
Oh gee, crazy start, but now that you’ve got all that out of the way, it will hopefully be smooth trekking from here on north. Thinking of you two! xo
Thanks, Rosita! There’s a Rosita Street here in Pagosa Springs!
Rosita gets around!
She does indeed, one of the many things we love about her!
All’s well that ends well, but what an adventure! For both of you….but good for Amber for saving the day. May the path get smoother (and clearer) in the upcoming days. All the best, Ellen
Ellen, thank you! It’s one adventure after another out here, but great fun nevertheless! Hope all is fantastic with you and your new book.
What an adventure! Way to go, OG, Amber, and Gail!
Thanks, Frank! Hope all is going beautifully with your wonderful new book!
Why not wait till the warmth of day to charge or carry a solar charger?
Nose2Wind, great suggestion, thanks! As soon as I meet Og at Wolf Creek Pass I’m going to ask him that question. He may have considered a solar charger but found it too heavy? Have you had good luck with one, and how much does it weigh?
Google them, for a phone, they are not to heavy. You might even check with a phone store. Or a camping sport store like REI, etc. Good luck.
Thanks, great idea!
What a lovely video vista! Thanks for sharing.
Glad Porter managed to find his way back out and you all were reunited.
Much love!
Amy, thanks, and much love to you too. Hope your gorgeous writing is going well!
Hi Gail! Love you!
Connie, Love you too!!
What glorious pictures as always! And not only do you two look great, but Amber looks particularly fetching as well! Keep having fun —
Love,
Brenda
Brenda, thank you! Amber especially appreciates the compliment! Hope your summer is going well, and that you didn’t have difficulty in the most recent Houston flood.
Hi you Two!
So glad you are safe and sound. Pagosa Hot Springs was my salvation after dropping Patrick in the Boot Heel at the Mexican border and then enduring a truck break down. Hope the waters restored you, as they did me, and that Amber loved it, too!
I first heard about Pagosa Springs from you, dear Kathleen, and now it’s one of my new favorite places! So restorative and healing. I told Porter that you worked your way through all the pools, including the Lobster Pot! XO
I did! And, don’t tell anyone, it was a 3:00 am—strictly not allowed! I watched the sunrise from the Lobster Pot, with one hand trailing in the river, cuz it was high-high spring runoff.
XxxOoo,
K
Terrifying story. (At least it scares me.) I applaud both of your fearlessness always.
Joy, yes, it was a bit scary. No wonder we get anxious before each new section. Thinking of you SO SO often and keeping you in my heart and meditations.
OMG! GAIL!!!! What you do for your crazy, but wonderful, husband!!!
May there be no other major mishaps, and thank god for Amber.
xoxo~Lyra
Lyra, all true, and love what you and Charlie do for each other too! XO
What a beginning to this year’s adventures! Gail, you MUST get in touch when you get in the vicinity of Salida. We can put you up. I can hike a bit with you and catch up. I hope we can work something out!!! 303-635-6551
Bobbe, will be in touch! Thank you so much for your lovely invitation, but we love to stay in motels.
So glad that Porter is on the trail again ( at least most of the time) and that you are keeping us posted about your adventures! I thought you had decided to move southward from Wyoming, but starting in NM sounds better given all of the snow still in northern Colorado. Hope you will continue to keep your fans informed. Thanks and all the best!
Pat, you’re so right we had to change our plan to head south from Wyoming because of the still deep snowpack. Even heading north from Cumbres Pass, he ran into snowpack, but fortunately had the wisdom to bring his ice ax and larger baskets on his (spare pair since he lost his others) trekking poles. Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
Here’s to through-hiker Og,
Who met his match in a bog,
Sun glasses and poles
Disappeared down the holes,
Og survived and even agog!!
Pat, love this ditty, Porter will get a huge kick out of it when I pick him up next for resupply!
Everyone needs an Amber to figure out things. We’re camping in Canadian Rockies, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff in August and Ken’s trying to figure out how to use his CPac, which is proving to be more of a challenge than he thought. Maybe we should consult with Amber! So glad you guys are doing your thing.
Marian, LOL, Amber is available for a consult on Ken’s CPAP, but I wouldn’t count on it working the way he wants it to!
Sounds like you both are having a great time. Wish I had known you were in Pagosa my daughter and her family are in Durango. IF you head back that way let me know you can meet the cutest granddaughter ever!!!! Love to you both. Mary b
Thank you, Mary! Love to you and Rick too!
Glad Og used his knog’ to get outa the bog and to Pog’! You two are too sweet!
Rae Ann, you’re a hoot, and we admire you for your own travels and adventures!
Where are you today? The end of the month fast approaches and the days are getting warmer/.
How did Amber get the two InReaches to communicate with each other? Do you remember the procedure or can you put me in touch with her? Thx
Hi Ash, Here’s Amber’s reply:
“Dear Ash, I applaud you for your discerning appreciation for my technological genius. I got the two inReaches to communicate by kissing (as the photo depicts). However, if you do not wish your inReach to smooch with another, you might contact inReach Garmin for a more conventional procedure. I trust you’ll not disabuse Gail and Porter of my assertion that I was on the phone with Garmin for hours, when I was talking with my paramour, Mr. Bunny, who needed considerable emotional palliation after he “heard it through the proverbial grapevine” that I had a margarita with Nathan. I am such a badass! Disgracefully yours, Amber”