I was up at the of freezing. Happy the bears hadn't munched my food hanging from the tree, i packed and set off for Hayden Pass. 3 hours, 6 miles and 3,800ft climb later i was sat atop the Continental Divide. After a quick pee, i contemplated the fact that half my pee would end up 1,000 miles in the Pacific, and the other half would end up 2,000 miles in the Atlantic. It was a tough old climb though, what got me most was the lack of oxygen however stopping every 10 minutes is compulsory to wow at the views so it wasn't too big a deal. Unfortunately there were no views at the top, only trees and a very jolly family who took the clever decision to drive their 4x4 up the mountain. The views going down the other side were also spectacular. I could see the upcoming San Lois Valley all the way to the mountains 60 miles away, all i had to do now was walk it.

After a bite to eat in Villa Grove i found a campsite 3 miles down the road where i could finally shower after 7 days of walking. One other guy was at the site, and he turned out to be the most amazing person I've ever had the pleasure to meet. John lives in a converted van and spends days at a time in the mountains living off the land and creeping up on bears and big cats. After kindly making me some yummy beans and meat we chatted for hours about his life story. He's half Irish/Indian; toured Vietnam 3 times(and was shot twice); owned a Ranch then gave it away to a needy family leaving only with his horse and what he could carry; gave Robert Redford riding lessons for the film 'The Horse Whisperer'; makes knives and Tomahawks and was once the World Champion axe thrower; played an Indian in the film 'Jeremiah Johnson' and ranched cattle all over the Western United States. That's just to start, you could write a few books on this guy. He took the time to go through my route with me and has given me lots to chew over, he was an absolutely amazing guy and i was honoured to meet him. I didn't get to bed until 1am but it was well worth it spending the evening with John.