CT: Training

We’ve been in SW Colorado the past five weeks camping, kayaking, a little fishing and a lot of hiking. Couldn’t have been a better training plan for the upcoming CT hike.

We started near Durango with day hikes from CT’s Junction Creek and Little Molas Lake. Also took a rainy hike to Crater Lake and Twilight Peak. Moved on to West Fork San Juan at the western base of Wolf Creek Pass. Hiked to 4-Mile Falls north of Pagosa Springs and La Garita Mountain’s East Bellows Creek. We then traveled up north of Gunnison to Taylor Reservoir. Great hikes on the CDT/CT Collegiate West at Cottonwood Pass, Horsethief Lake, Hartenstein Lake near Mt Yale and Ptarmigan Lake just below the Divide.

We had a wonderful time visiting old friends who spend summer and sometimes winter in their cabin in Tincup below Tincup Pass. We had inscribed our names on an old cabin re-chinking job there 40 years ago. It was still looking good. Next on the list was stop in Ouray with hikes to several old mines. Then on to the Dolores River above Rico for a CT hike from Bolam Pass. We also took a couple of beautiful hikes into the Lizard Head Wilderness. So hopefully this 155+ miles of high elevation hikes have me somewhat prepared. Maybe a few more red blood cells and less prone to chaffing and blisters.

The weather for the most part was refreshingly cool and wet with pretty heavy monsoonal rains and thunderstorms. Keeping the fire season at bay so far. Wondering if this pattern will continue through my Aug/Sept hike? Nice to see several moose and elk, plentiful deer and marmots, a couple of coyotes and a fox.

Southbound from Waterton in one week!