CDT Day 74: RMNP & Never Summer Wilderness

Daily Miles: 22.9, Total Miles: 1,211.9

I waked out of Grand Lake pretty much straight into Rocky Mountain National Park.

After looking at my Guthook app map, I was almost immediately faced with a decision . Stay on the official CDT route for the next 25 miles or take an alternative 4-mile trail up Tonahutu Creek and arrive at the same destination. No brainer – the shortcut was beautiful, and, I would guess, more travelled.

I followed a nice stretch of Onahu Creek and then to the headwaters of Bowen Creek after crossing into the Never Summer Wilderness. Topped out at picturesque Bowen Pass, eventually descending to the Trout Creek drainage and following it down.

I said “eventually” because somewhere over Bowen Basin, I missed an unmarked, unsigned 90-degree right turn, and headed down the wrong trail. Caught up with a young couple from Wyoming, heading in the same direction, that said their destination was Bowen Basin and they had started from Willow Creek Pass. I said that I had just followed Bowen Creek to the headwaters, but, at the time, I didn’t know the pass had a name. But I was also trying to get to Willow Creek Pass. After checking my location on GPS, I found I was about 2,000 ft off the CDT. So I headed back up the trail and discovered where I had missed the turn.

To the young couple from Wyoming:

I wish you could have heard me shouting down the trail that you were also going in the wrong direction. I had just realized that we both had turned onto the wrong trail from opposite directions. Hope you realized your mistake before too long!