The High Rockies are high.

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While getting my hair cut in Denver, of course, I commented to the barber on the quantity of prisons here in Colorado. It turns out he’d been incarcerated for 7 years of a 10 year sentence because he relayed a message that was apparently drug related. He got it bad because he couldn’t rat out anyone. These privatized prisons + mandatory minimum sentences = quite a profit for some.

🚌

There are a ton of signs about this being bear country and all the garbage cans are the metal kind that can’t be opened with too big a hand. So I’m eating more sunflower seeds instead of sardines. And keeping the trash in the fridge.

No doubt the question on everyone’s mind is How is Zeke getting to that divine French bakery in Colorado Springs? Team, it’s just too far. Plain and simple. As hard as it is to delay my next croissant, let me tell you.

Currently I’m hopeful no one cares that I’m here on a forest road at nearly 10500’, about 25 minutes from Keystone Park. The mosquitoes sure know I’m here; I’ve taken out 4 inside the bus despite having bug cloth on all the openings.

The park itself is colossal: 2360’ vertical and more than 55 miles of trails. In fact, taking the longest way down totals 6.6 miles. I can’t see going up more than 4 times honestly.