Started along 203. Animas -> Perins -> Hogsback -> Smelter -> Pautsky -> Skyline -> Baldy
Took a different route up and down each high point so ample bushwhacking on the day. I found a network of game trails to gain the top of Animas. Sunny and hot from Hogsback to Pautsky. Refilled water in the Animas River after Hogsback and Smelter but it was nowhere near enough. Ran out of water shortly after Pautsky. Dehydrated trip on the struggle bus over to Skyline. Mercifully and fittingly the sky opened up at Skyline. I finally refilled bottles from a culvert on Ute Pass Rd during the storm. That saved me. Because I ran out of water again halfway up Baldy as the sun was coming out. Baldy felt like such an arbitrary and capricious peak for this objective. Much like the name “Bald” is so arbitrary for a mountain. Dodged some cows near the summit of Baldy and started coasting down Haflin. I cursed it’s dry creek bed that had had ample flow back in the spring. Discretely ran along a farm fence line back to the Animas River where I started inhaling water before swimming across. Bushwhacked then hopped across the narrow guage tracks to 550 finishing where I started at the RV lot along 203.