Daily Miles: 4.4, Total Miles: 842.2 Cold and a rare, mostly clear night with very heavy condensation. Even had to shake ice off my tent, then step back and enjoy the colorful sunrise on the mesa highlighting the 14k footers in the background. Mostly downhill to Spring Creek Pass. I surprised another herd of elk on the way down. A cow elk tried to lead her calves through a fence to get away. The cow easily jumped over but the…
Daily Miles: 19.0, Total Miles: 837.8 No more marmot attacks but it did rain off and on all night. I awoke to a dusting of snow on the high peaks. Quickly passing Cataract Lake, I got to almost 13,000 ft elevation before dropping 1,000 ft and traversing an old mining area. Another climb to the highest point on the Colorado Trail at almost 13,300 ft, not a tree in sight. I followed the high barren ridge north with good views…
Daily Miles: 10.0, Total Miles: 818.8 Not a big rush this morning as I wanted to check lodging in Lake City. The place gets a little overrun in the summer. Just as well – early morning rain in Silverton so hung around until 10am. I started walking out of town and soon got picked up by a Silverton gentleman who also has a mining background. He took me up Cunningham Gulch to the Stony Pass fork. Thanks John! Thought some…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 808.8 I woke up on the Silverton fireworks hill and found I was not alone. A fair number of people sleeping in or near their cars. I beat most of the crowds to a big breakfast at Brown Bear Cafe. Had a look around town, checked into the motel and started my chores. I did take a timeout to watch the World Cup final. Always a good dinner at the Handlebar Saloon, this time a…
Daily Miles: 19.6, Total Miles: 808.8 I have a chance to get to Silverton for their always impressive 4th of July fireworks! I enjoyed a nice sunrise over Ute Lake and then hiked up the chain of Ute Lakes to Mt Nebo. Downhill on Nebo Creek then a steep uphill climb to Hunchback Pass. Quite a bit of snow here but no problem. I saw a small elk herd with a couple of knee-high little ones. A very scenic, high-country…
Daily Miles: 22.0, Total Miles: 789.2 A beautiful climb today around several of the Divide peaks and then down the North Fork Pinos River. I crossed the wide Los Pinos Valley and ate lunch while waiting out a thundershower. I draped my tent over my head, leaned against a tree, and took a short snooze. Headed up Rincon La Vaca and then the Skyline route past The Window, a large gap or notch in the Divide. I finally crossed the…
Daily Miles: 20.0, Total Miles: 767.2 I was cruising pretty good today until I reached Knife Edge, the trail perched high up on a steep-sloped mountain. Made it past the first steep snow crossing but wasn’t willing to risk the second one. Way too vertical and ran along way down the mountain. I backed up and found a trail down to Trout Lake far below and then bushwhacked back up the steep mountain back to the CDT. I saw several…
Daily Miles: 23.0, Total Miles: 747.2 Didn’t take me long to hitch a ride to Wolf Creek Pass – on the trail by 8am. I entered another one of my favorite areas – Weminuche Wilderness – a walk on the wild side. I skirted a couple of alpine lakes, Spotted Lake and Archuleta Lake, which I hiked to several years ago with friends, then started the real climb to over 12,700 ft. Snow was not a problem yet, but got…
Daily Miles: 0. Total Miles: 724.2 I haven’t slept well at the higher elevations so dropping down to Pagosa Springs, I slept like a rock. A few strolls around town including Pagosa Baking Company for a scrumptious breakfast burrito. I almost had a piece of cherry pie to wash it down. Watched the USA vs Germany women’s World Cup semifinal. What an exciting, physical match – I thought “Embrace the Brutality” was a fitting description. Topped it off with dinner…
Daily Miles: 15.6, Total Miles: 724.2 A bit wet this morning after thundershowers blew sideways into my tent during the night. Compared to the last two days, today was a nice walk in the woods. Still up and down, but a good trail. Flowers are starting to erupt in the lower elevations. Wolf Creek ski area has grown since I skied there 35 years ago. As I arrived at Wolf Creek Pass, I met a nice couple from New York….
