Hike Journal Entries: September

09/01/05: In Which I Hike into Silverthorne with Mike and Pickle

Yesterday I had tried to convince Mike and Pickle that Silverthorne, more than 25 miles away, was a doable goal for the day. Mike was reluctant to pay full cost for lodging, so he agreed to share a room with me, and was eager to go. Pickle was up and off before either of us because he needed to be there by 6 to catch his bus back home to Durango. I started about 6:30 ahead of Mike, knowing as a younger and stronger hiker he would catch up easily.

I went back up to the Divide and hiked along with nice views, eventually dropping to Jones Pass about the time Mike caught up around 9. We dropped quickly down a jeep road to Bobtail Creek, then began a long climb up the Bobtail Creek drainage to another ridge at over 12,000 feet.

Mike decided to go on ahead to try and beat the 5 PM post office closing, but the trail was poorly marked (i.e., no signs and only occasional cairns in places) and he got off track, so decided to abandon the post office sprint and go tomorrow.

We dropped down in early afternoon to the South Fork Williams Fork where we got water and took a break. From there we faced another climb up to Ptarmigan Pass where we both got slightly off track but arrived where we needed to be. From the pass you could see Silverthorne in the distance but we needed to do a long contour that even included more uphill before hitting the trail heading down the ridge into town. Along this stretch Pickle showed up behind us, having gotten more seriously off course on the way to Ptarmigan Pass. With Mike setting a brisk pace the three of almost jogged down the ridge and into Silverthorne before 6. Pickle set off immediately to catch his bus, while I secured a room for the night for Mike and me. After showers we went out for dinner (pizza and salad for me) and then headed back to the motel. I was up until almost 10, a very late night for me.

Spent the night at: N39.63045 W106.06688 Elevation 8856 ft

09/02/05: In Which I Get New Shoes and Gloves in Silverthorne

I still woke by 6 and had my usual breakfast of granola and then had breakfast again at the motel continental breakfast, a sure sign my appetite is returning and I am feeling better. I went over to the post office when it opened and got my boxes, which included an article from the local paper about my hike. While the reporter got a few things out of context, generally it was a good article and they included several great color photos LiAnna had sent to them.

Mike was off buying food for departure later in the afternoon and I went to the laundromat, hoping to find new shoes while I was out. There was an outdoors store near the laundromat and I found a good pair of lightweight Montrail shoes. I am always nervous about changing shoes, but these felt good so I think they are a good choice. I also spotted a pair of lightweight ski gloves on sale and decided to try them instead of the fleece mittens I have been using for longer and longer periods every morning.

I got some fresh vegetables from a farmers stand along the road and went back to the room to enjoy some of them and a pint of ice cream I bought. Mike left early afternoon and with his hiking speed I likely won't see him again until we both are home in Oregon. I spent the rest of the day in the typical cleaning and sorting of gear, doing e-mail and making phone calls.

Spent the night at: N39.63045 W106.06688 Elevation 8856 ft

09/03/05: In Which I Depart Silverthorne and Climb through Eagles Nest Wilderness

I had put off too much departure preparation and it was nearly 10 when I left the motel and headed to the post office to mail my drift box to my brother's house (I will be meeting Kevin and Kjersten to hike in the next couple of weeks if plans work out) and excess gear home in another box. I was most pleased to send home the bug bivy, having declared mosquito season finally over.

Leaving town by climbing several roads, I looked over at the huge earthen dam holding back Dillon Reservoir. Silverthorne is entirely below that structure and it reminded me of the horrible tragedy of New Orleans that I was greeted with when I got into town. Hopefully when I again see a newspaper the situation will have stabilized and real assistance will begin arriving to help those in need.

After the road walk I reached the trailhead for Eagles Nest Wilderness. It was a very busy trail, especially the first few miles with many dayhikers and backpackers. I could not stop and talk with many of them, but I made my usual effort to speak to a few about the CDT, hoping to generate support for future trail work if more people are aware they have a national scenic trail they are walking on.

About 10 miles along I reached Eccles Pass at 11,900 feet, over 3000 feet above where I started in town. From there I dropped down to a valley at nearly 10,000 feet and then back again to nearly 12,000 feet at Uneva Pass. There were good views near both passes, though it rained for a while in the afternoon and stayed cloudy the rest of the day.

Dropping from the second pass, I picked up some water from a stream and then camped a little farther on, having gone about 18 miles, a pretty good day for such a late start. I now have my headlamp, so I can set up camp with artificial light if need be and more importantly get these journal entries done before I turn in.

Spent the night at: N39.53037 W106.18528 Elevation 11,545 ft

09/04/05: In Which I Pass through Copper Mountain on the Way to Tennessee Pass

I woke to mostly cloudy skies and headed down the hill to the resort town of Copper Mountain. It is primarily built around the skiing season but there were lots of people around this Labor Day weekend for some sort of event. The place is incredibly upscale—probably more capital investment in this tiny village in the last 10 years than all the small towns I visited in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming combined.

I climbed out of town and hit the combined CDT/Colorado Trail. I will be on this route for the next couple of weeks and was immediately impressed by the fact that they have signs to mark the trail. It seems pretty reasonable to me that after spending tens of thousands to build a trail that you ought to spend hundreds to put up signs so hikers can find it.

Unfortunately this is not the case in most places on the CDT and sadly, some in the CDT thruhiking community prefer it that way. They seem to feel that you are not really hiking unless you are constantly referring to map and compass. I find that activity a necessity that could be largely eliminated with a small investment in signage. I am out here to look at the scenery, not my map and compass, and I don't believe the location of a national scenic trail should be kept secret from the general public or even the hikers trying to use it.

The morning's route was up the Guller Creek drainage to Searle Pass at 12,000 feet. One thing different today was the presence of mountain bikes. They have been allowed on trails in the past, but have never been present. Today I saw about a dozen and given the speed they can fly down the hill you don't want to be standing in the middle of the trail staring at your map.

From Searle Pass it was more or less a level traverse to Kokomo Pass at about the same elevation. From there it was a long descent to the roads in the Camp Hale area where I ran into ATVs again and an ominous warning sign about staying on the trail due to ordnance removal activities that subject the trail to closures during weekdays. Just another reminder like the maimed and mentally ill that war is never really over even after the hostilities end and the Nobels are handed out.

By late afternoon the clouds were breaking up and the temperature rose to a balmy 60 degrees. From the Camp Hale area I climbed toward Tennessee Pass, ending the day near an old railroad grade about a mile or so from the pass.

Spent the night at: N39.37902 W106.32849 Elevation 10,220 ft

09/05/05: In Which I Pass through Holy Cross Wilderness into Mt. Massive Wilderness

I was off a little after 7 and at the Tennessee Pass trailhead by 8. For the next couple of hours it was up and down through the trees and I took some notes for CDTS about a trail change in the area.

Entering into the Holy Cross Wilderness I began a climb up to a ridge. There were generally nice views but hard to get good photos through the trees. There was up and down from there and around noon I mistakenly took the side trail to Bear Lake where I took a break. Rather than retrace my steps, I went cross-country back to the trail, probably taking longer but seeing different scenery.

As I dropped out of the wilderness to the trailhead by Turquoise Lake at around 10,000 feet the temperature warmed to near 60 when the sun broke through the partly cloudy skies. I climbed back towards Mt. Massive, entering the wilderness by that name mid-afternoon. Being in wilderness meant no bicycles and with the three-day weekend winding down, I only saw about a half-dozen other hikers all day.

Late in the day I passed the trail to the summit of Mt. Massive and picked up water from Willow Creek for a camp I made shortly thereafter. The last two days I have pushed to attain 25 miles each day and am now in position to climb Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, tomorrow morning if the weather is as good as it has been lately.

Spent the night at: N39.16896 W106.4212 Elevation 10,905 ft

09/06/05: In Which I Reach My Rocky Mountain High

Off before 7, I dropped from my campsite to the trailhead along Half Moon Creek where I got a couple quarts of water for the climb of Mount Elbert. I climbed from there for about a mile and then hit the trail that climbs the northeast ridge to the top of the mountain.

While still in the trees it started to rain. I met Sidewinder, who said he was planning a CDT hike for 2006, coming back down, having decided the weather was too bad. I climbed to treeline where I took a break with four Iowan dayhikers who were debating whether to proceed. As we visited the rain let up and the sky seemed to clear a bit, so we all decided to proceed, though I quickly left them behind being in better hiking condition.

The weather improved as I hiked on and the sun eventually came out. The top of mountain still seemed elusive and after passing 13,000 feet the Colorado Oxygen Rationing Board really tightens the screws on the bottle so that slowed progress. Still I made it up before 11, the goal I set this morning, and enjoyed great views in all directions from highest peak in Colorado at 14,433 feet. I took lots of pictures and sat to have a snack. Two German women appeared and we swapped cameras to take pictures of each other and signed the register. More than 50 people had summitted yesterday, so it was definitely quieter up here today.

I descended by the southeast route, passing at least a dozen people on the way up, and the long steep descent was hard on my knees. I intersected before 1 and began dropping further via the CDTS recommended shortcut into Twin Lakes where I had a resupply box waiting.

I took it across the road to the picnic bench in the historical area to sort. While there, three other hikers showed up who turned out to be section hikers: Chiggers, Ralph and Smitty. They said they were from Seattle and had started from Antelope Wells in February.

I talked with Ellie and LiAnna and sent off journal entries via pocketmail. Starting down the highway for the trailhead I got tired of the traffic and went cross-country, wading ankle deep Lake Creek before reconnecting with the official route headed up Willis Gulch. I felt a little dizzy along here, either from too much sugar in the food I ate in Twin Lakes or the altitude changes (my ears have been popping a lot).

I climbed about 2000 feet to a small lake just before Hope Pass, where I decided I had enough for the day, having covered more than 20 miles including over 6000 feet of vertical climbing.

Spent the night at: N39.02815 W106.40395 Elevation 11,803 ft

09/07/05: In Which I Visit the Collegiate Wilderness

It was the usual chilly morning with a bit of wind as I ascended Hope Pass first thing. The descent on the far side was steep, bone-jarring and brutal. I then walked the roads for a few miles, passing through the historic site of Winfield. The roads got rougher, the cars fewer until I eventually entered the Collegiate Wilderness.

I passed and talked with several dayhikers as I climbed toward an unnamed pass at 12,600 feet. Just before the pass was the pretty Ann Lake. The descent from this pass in early afternoon was much better graded and I moved out of the wilderness into a series of ups and downs leading to valley floor drained by Texas Creek.

On the way down I ran into Spur and Ready, two section hikers doing Colorado. Spur thru-hiked the CDT last year in an amazing odyssey that ended at the Mexican border on December 12. I followed his online journal and told him I was always encouraging him to move faster to avoid the snow. He was satisfied with his pace, but was back this year with his wife Ready hiking the high routes he missed last year in Colorado due to the snow.

After another roadwalk I climbed the ridge over to Cottonwood Pass Road and opted to spend the night just past there along Pass Creek.

Spent the night at: N38.84320 W106.44732 Elevation 10,695 ft

09/08/05: In Which I Tread the Rocky Road and End the Day in a Rainstorm

I left Pass Creek, climbed a ridge and dropped to Cow Creek. I repeated the process, dropping to Sanford Creek. Here I climbed up the drainage for a couple miles, then climbed a higher ridge before dropping into the Garden Creek basin.

All this trail was open to dirt bikes and they used it heavily, leaving it rocky and rutted and not much fun to try and walk on. Down Garden Creek heading toward Mirror Lake the track changed to an old jeep road, so the ATVs joined in on the fun.

I passed several as I went by Mirror Lake and climbed the old road up to Tincup Pass. I delayed the break I had planned for there due to black clouds and a few sprinkles, opting to wait until I got lower and back in the trees.

After the break I finished to road walk to the North Chalk Creek drainage, where I got back on trail tread with no motor vehicles allowed. This lasted for several miles with generally good views as I climbed, though the rain picked up enough at one point to require the poncho.

From Altman Pass I went down to see the collapsed remains of the Alpine Tunnel, a railroad crossing of the Rockies that lasted until about 1910. I followed the nice railroad grade (even walking on ancient ties in places) to the former site of Hancock, where about 5 I took a break and got water.

As I left I intended to clear the next pass (over 12,000 feet as is the norm in these parts) and stop in about 5 miles for the night. The rain, however, began to pick up and in all directions the clouds had lowered below the ridges, giving the impression that this was not just another passing shower. The guidebook indicated that it would be at least four miles until I got back into forested territory where I prefer to camp, so when I spotted a forested spot a few minutes later I decided to stop there rather than continue on to the pass. I got the tarp up and light rain continued fairly steadily until I went to sleep, so it appeared to be a good choice to stop early.

Spent the night at: N38.63460 W106.36122 Elevation 11,564 ft

09/09/05: In Which I Reach Monarch Pass and Hitchhike into Salida

The rain let up early last night and I woke to low clouds still clinging to the surrounding ridges. With the wind blowing it was quite chilly climbing Chalk Creek Pass to start the morning. It was nearly two hours, including some tricky walking through talus slopes before I reached forested ground again, so I was glad I did not try to push on last night.

Reaching the Middle Fork South Arkansas River trailhead I turned and headed back up to the Divide, hiking past Boss Lake Reservoir and Hunt Lake. On the Divide I got some nice views, though there were still plenty of clouds and occasional brief showers.

I walked through the Monarch Ski Area and then dropped down to Highway 50 at Monarch Pass. I talked a hunter stopped there at the snack bar into giving me a ride to Salida, where my resupply box was. He had been bowhunting, but informed me that tomorrow hundreds of hunters from all over the country would be out roaming the woods for muzzle-loading season. I had assumed this would only be a handful of hunters that I would likely never meet, but finding out how big this was I decided to try and find an orange vest to wear for the next section.

In town I got a motel room, made my check-in phone calls and got to the post office to pick up my box before it closed. I got some food at a nearby natural food store to heat in the microwave in my room and did laundry.

I talked to my brother about meeting to hike and found out he has a job interview for next Wednesday, so we agreed that I would hike the next section to Spring Creek Pass and then hitch toward his house. I would take a day off and then he, Kjersten and I would hike from Spring Creek Pass south for a few days.

Plans made and gear partially cleaned up, I went to bed, knowing I would rush around getting ready leave in the morning as usual.

09/10/05: In Which I Celebrate Three Months on the Trail by Heading Back On To It

I had the usual frustrating time getting out of town, partly because I could not find the orange hunting vest I needed to make myself more visible. I finally found one by walking to Walmart on my way out of town.

From there it took three rides to get back to Monarch Pass, one to Poncha Springs, another from a hiker going as far as the Colorado Trail (about 10 miles below the pass), and the last from a college student to the pass. I hesitate sometimes to take short rides, figuring I should wait for someone going all the way, but I had short waits each time and got there quickly.

The rain, which had kept up last night, had moved on, leaving mostly sunny skies with a few fair weather cumulus. I decided to celebrate by going into the snack bar and having some ice cream. The folks there were really hiker-friendly so I was glad I stopped.

From the pass it was good Divide hike with good views in all directions. The route was open to dirt bikes, but I only saw a couple and the tread was in pretty good shape. I hit a jeep road approaching Marshall Pass and the warnings about the hunters proved true as I passed several on ATVs or in camps. I felt a little silly wearing this bright orange vest, but I guess it is a good precaution.

I stopped at Marshall Pass to cook dinner and met Sam and Jerry, a couple of brothers headed southbound on the CDT. They started at the border on June 19, but had skipped some sections to get here, so I had not heard of them hiking before. We chatted while I cooked and ate (they were going to stay there) and also visited with a friendly bow hunter who was interested in what we were doing.

I left about 6:15 to do a couple more miles and take some GPS readings for CDTS. I found a nice spot to pull off the trail and got mostly set up before dark.

Today marks the end of three months on the trail, having covered over 1800 miles. Mileages are always tricky to figure out, but I estimate that I have less than 1000 miles to go. I may change my mind tomorrow, but today I really feel like I can make it to the Mexican border.

Spent the night at: N38.37362 W106.23918 Elevation 11,146 ft

09/11/05: In Which I Walk the Cochetopa Hills with the Dirt Bikes and Hunters

I woke to a clear cold morning. The Windy Peak area, where I started the day, proved true to its name so I kept moving to stay warm. Early on I climbed to another "triple divide", this one separating waters that run to the Mississippi, Rio Grande, and Colorado Rivers.

The Cochetopa Hills (11 to 12,000 foot "hills") tend to be more rounded and gradual which allows the trail to stick to the Divide most of the time. This makes for a pleasant walk through the trees, but makes finding water an issue. And when you do find some, like at Tank Seven Creek late in the morning, I stock up, which adds to my pack weight.

The trail all day was open to dirt bikes and it being the weekend I had at least a dozen roar past. In places the ATVs were allowed, hunters were astride these noisemakers (it is not clear to me how they think the game is going to stick around amidst all this racket). I feel a little silly in my orange vest, but I guess I am safer. The orangest people I saw, though, were two horse packers who had themselves and half the horses covered in orange.

I continued along the Divide with occasional views and lots of noise, finally stopping along the ridge past Upper Razor Park after the hubbub died down. There were only a few clouds today all gone by sunset, probably the sunniest day the entire trip.

Spent the night at: N38.27526 W106.52874 Elevation 10,940 ft

09/12/05: In Which I Return to the Cow Pastures without the Cattle (Almost)

After a brief climb in the morning I began descending along Lujan Creek towards Highway 114, which I crossed mid-morning. I climbed a bit from here to get back over 10,000 feet, but from there dropped below that height for most of the day.

The trail was essentially roads all day long without much elevation gain or loss, so of little interest to dirt bikes. There were hunters traveling around in pickups and SUVs, but I saw no one else.

This was cattle country again, mostly meadows with sagebrush and occasional stands of trees. With all the hunters around the ranchers had moved the cows except for the area around Los Creek, where of course I planned to get water and did anyway since I was out.

I reached Cochetopa Creek late in the day and opted to go upstream towards some distant trees rather than camp in the windy open area where the trail came in. It was nearly dark by the time I found a spot so used my headlamp quite a bit.

Today I began tracking my mileage walked as part of a team my sister Melinda is coordinating. It is a fundraiser for the Custer County Food Bank in Miles City, Montana, where she lives. Make it 29 miles for today, Melinda, but don't expect me to be in flat terrain to allow that kind of distance again.

Spent the night at: N38.07072 W106.79604 Elevation 9945 ft

09/13/05: In Which I Enter the Cold San Juans and Climb San Luis Peak

As has become typical in Colorado, it was very cold when I got up. Information suggested that I was going to have to ford Cochetopa Creek in the first mile after starting, so I was relieved to find a notched log crossing the stream.

I reached a trailhead at Eddiesville and found a large hunters' camp set up there. I had a choice at this point to follow the official CDT route to the saddle near San Luis Peak or an alternate up Stewart Creek to the top of the mountain. I had intended to skip climbing any more 14,000+ peaks, but the weather was good and I decided to go for the view. There were a lot of beaver dams as I followed the creek up (there may be more beavers in Colorado than Oregon, the so-called Beaver State). As I cleared treeline I noticed ice in one of the small streams even though the sun was shining, and when I got on the saddle point before the final climb to the peak it was so cold and windy I had to put on my gloves and warm clothes again. The views from the top were great and I shared them with a dayhiker who came up shortly after I did. It was still cold and windy, so I left shortly and dropped steeply back to the CDT at the nearby pass at 12,500 feet, where it was no warmer.

I hiked along up and down near the Divide for the rest of the day. At San Luis Pass I met a couple of backpackers and exchanged information about the trail. Leaving the pass I found a stash of Gatorade left for thruhikers by Zack and Buddha, who I haven't seen since Lima.

I got water East Mineral Creek and climbed to the head of the Middle fork of the same creek. There I spotted a herd of about a dozen elk, obviously fleeing the hunting chaos on the roads far below. It was still very cold as I dropped down a little lower to spend the night.

Spent the night at: N37.96014 W107.02032 Elevation 11,470 ft

09/14/05: In Which I Head to My Brother's House as the Snow Starts to Fall

It is hard to imagine it being colder, but I think it was this morning. After an hour of hiking I got into the sun near a pass, but this seemed to increase the wind and I'm sure the wind chill was in the teens or lower.

I reached Snow Mesa at about 12,000 feet and hiked to the west toward Spring Creek Pass where I would hitchhike to town. Across the mesa I could see black clouds heading my way. Just before reaching the pass at about 10,900 feet, snow flurries began.

The snow didn't stick but continued off and on for the hour it took until a hunter took pity on me and gave me a ride to Lake City about 20 miles away. From there I got a ride from a woman passing right through Montrose about 2 hours away where Kevin and Kjersten and their sons live. I got off at the road about a mile from their house and then walked right pass their place as with the new places around it I didn't recognize it any longer. Kjersten saw me walking past and tracked me down.

Carol and Bob were also there and had brought vegetables from our garden via Ellie, so I showered and then ate and ate. I did some phone-calling and visited before collapsing into bed, thankful I was not up in the cold mountains wondering if it would snow any more.

09/15/05: In Which I Relax in Montrose

I had a relaxing day at my brother's house in Montrose. I did laundry, caught up with e-mail, and did the usual cleaning and sorting of gear. I played Upwords, a Scrabble-like game, with Carol and Bob (Carol won) and generally took it easy.

I made three pizzas for dinner and we all enjoyed them and the raw vegetables Carol chopped up. After dinner I rushed around getting the last-minute stuff done, but was still late getting to bed around 10:30.

09/16/05: In Which Kevin, Kjersten and I Head to the San Juans to Resume the Hike

Before leaving in the morning I revised my schedule which now shows estimated completion of the hike by November 1. Still, my main focus is getting out of Colorado before the snows arrive in earnest. Weather forecast is for generally dry, though cold, weather for the next week.

Kevin, Kjersten, Carol, Bob and I left to head back to Spring Creek Pass after the boys left for school. Before we got off Razzu called to say they were in Lake City, so when we passed through there a couple hours later we stopped to meet them. Tommy indicated that they would be in town for another couple hours, so we left saying we would see them up the trail. At the trailhead Carol and Bob walked with us for the first little bit, then returned to the car to go back to Montrose to be there when the boys returned from school. Their willingness to watch them freed Kevin and Kjersten to go hiking with me and was much appreciated.

While it was breezy, the sun was shining and it was generally pleasant as we began climbing towards Jarosa Mesa. We passed through a large flock of sheep on our way. From the Divide we had good views of Uncompaghre Peak near where the three of us hiked two years ago.

We did not find water at Big Buck Creek as expected, but pushed on anyway. We decided to drop off the trail down to Ruby Creek to get water. It was after 5 by then and looking at the treeless Divide ahead at over 12,000 feet decided to spend the night near Ruby Creek where there were a few tiny trees for shelter. Finishing dinner we looked up and saw Tommy and Razzu far off in the distance on the ridgetop trail, so they are now finally in front of me.

The wind continued to blow and it got colder as the sun set and the full moon rose. We saw a few elk in the distance and they continued to bugle as we got ready for bed.

Spent the night at: N37.88523 W107.30413 Elevation 12,068 ft

09/17/05: In Which We Move on Between the Bugling and the Baaing

The wind did not let up overnight, so the tarp snapped off and on all night. That, however, was not the loudest sound, as members of a large herd of elk bugled all night. It was another cold clear morning with the nearby stream half frozen over when I went to pump a little more water.

We climbed steeply out of the Ruby Creek basin and eventually reached the official route along the Divide. We climbed more with great views and then dropped to the pass near the old silver mining community of Carson.

From there we dropped into the Lost Creek drainage and hiked all the way to the head and over the pass. Along the way we watched three moose munching willows below us and another herd of elk take off across the valley.

Next we followed East Pole Creek for several miles past the confluence of Middle Pole Creek, where we turned upstream on West Pole Creek. Reaching the last reasonable camp spot about 5, we decided to halt there rather than attempt the climb around Canby Mountain to Stony Pass.

As we were having dinner hundreds of sheep came up the valley baaing all the way. Strangely, there were no sheep dogs or shepherd accompanying them. We shooed them past us and they went up and over the ridge we will climb tomorrow. The wind seems lighter tonight, but it is still very cold as the full moon rises.

Spent the night at: N37.80898 W107.51737 Elevation 12,097 ft

09/18/05: In Which Kevin and Kjersten Depart and I Clear Nebo Pass

It was another bone-chilling morning, accented by the discovery that my water bottle inside the tarp had partially frozen. We climbed toward Canby Mountain, passing a guy camped above us with four llamas. We cut across the ridge, leaving the official route, which is much longer and requires more climbing. After reaching it again we opted to follow it around the mountain rather than take the cross-country route. The advantage was that we got to go by the headwaters of the Rio Grande, still partially frozen.

At Stony Pass we headed south along the Divide, the views getting more amazing the farther we went. Twice I stopped on ridges to take a full 360-degree panorama of the skyline lined with high peaks.

A little after one we reached the junction with the Colorado Trail that Kevin and Kjersten were going to take to get back home tomorrow. They did a great job hiking through some of the highest and most rugged trail on the whole CDT. The two nights we were together were the only ones I camped at over 12,000 feet (something I hope not to repeat). If they want to do it, they would make excellent thruhikers. While we were sitting at the junction taking a last break together, several dayhikers came by and we chatted with them about the CDT and what they had seen.

Departing at the same time, Kevin and Kjersten switchbacked down the valley while I climbed toward Hunchback Mountain. I missed my turn to Kite Lake and ended up at the alternate route over the mountain. I tried a trail contouring around the mountain, but it dropped towards the pretty Vallecito Lake. I debated going back but I hate to retrace my steps so decided to go down past the lake along its outlet creek to intersect the trail. It looked fine on the map but the reality on the ground was steep talus slopes that took a couple of hours to carefully navigate through. Eventually I hit an old trail and was able to reach the CDT, in essence covering four trail miles in nearly three hours.

From there I climbed to Nebo Pass, meeting a section hiker just as I reached the top about 6. He had met Kevin and Mike in recent days, and had seen a couple of hikers below him at Ute Lake that probably were Tommy and Razzu. I told him about a campsite ahead and we parted.

I went another couple of miles and found a place to camp in the trees for the first time since returning to Spring Creek Pass. Hopefully they will help keep down the wind and keep me a bit warmer tonight.

Spent the night at: N37.67560 W107.48358 Elevation 11,740 ft

09/19/05: In Which I View the Rio Grande Pyramid but Not Through the Window

It was much warmer when I got up this morning, probably about 30, though I was much colder than that as I climbed to the pass above West Ute Lake. I passed several lakes during the morning before climbing to the Divide and staying there until after noon.

The highlight of the day was passing by The Window (a gap in the rock wall of the Divide) and the Rio Grande Pyramid, the adjacent peak with the shape of a pyramid. Just before I arrived at the best viewpoint I met a section hiker who had camped near Tommy and Razzu on Saturday night by Kite Lake. He opined that they were not too far ahead on the trail, but I know they are at least 15 miles away and will be in Pagosa Springs by Wednesday at the latest.

I spent the next couple of hours dropping gradually to Weimenuche Pass, a low broad meadow along the Divide. After crossing it and getting water from North Fork of Los Piños River, I followed that body of water back up to the Divide, a climb of over 1000 feet. I missed a junction up top and walked along pleased that the horse tracks I had been following had gone another way. After five minutes I also noticed that the footprints were gone and that I was heading west, clearly the wrong direction, so I turned around and headed cross-country back to the CDT.

Shortly after this I ran into some backpackers from Dallas out doing a loop in this area. From there it was a long climb to 12,750 feet before I began a descent into a basin full of small lakes where I got water for dinner. I carried it over the ridge and then camped in some trees just before Squaw Pass as it began to get dark. Clouds had drifted in during the afternoon and it was much warmer than it has been. Camping below 12,000 feet helps too.

Spent the night at: N37.60033 W107.22163 Elevation 11,457 ft

09/20/05: In Which I Enjoy More of the Scenic San Juans from the Divide

Once again the temperature was around freezing in the trees where I slept but much colder in the open meadow of Squaw Pass that I quickly dropped to, passing two male elk on the way. From there I climbed about 1000 feet to the Divide and largely remained there until late afternoon, rising and falling a few hundred feet at most along the way.

As usual the views were great, though there were more clouds, including one that actually sprinkled on me in the afternoon. The most interesting traverse of the morning was around Knife Edge, which as its name implies, was very steep on both sides. There were a few tiny patches of snow from last week's storm and even some ice that fell and broke from some icicles hanging above the trail. I took a break on the far side and some horse packers caught up with me. Bad as that section was for me, it was worse for them, each one riding one horse and leading a pack horse. If either slipped they would all be 1000 feet down in the canyon below. As one cowboy put it, "I was all puckered up."

They had camped with Tommy and Razzu Sunday night and fed them and made the same offer to me. I thanked them and said I would see if I ended up near them. They took off ahead of me, but I caught and passed them within an hour, as one of their horses was having problems. I passed a couple of section hikers and exchanged info with them.

Around 4 I dropped to Piedra Pass and then began the climb up the flank of South River Mountain. The views were amazing once again as I walked right along the Divide. I needed to hurry to get to my campsite, but I couldn't help but stop and look, as well as take more pictures. Unfortunately, I could not get any photos to the west as the sun was out, the clouds having mostly vanished.

I reached my camp spot with a few scrub trees and set up quickly and cooked dinner. As I was getting ready to sleep, the elk began bugling nearby.

Spent the night at: N37.56949 W106.92637 Elevation 11,767 ft

09/21/05: In Which I Complete the San Juan Section and Head into Pagosa Springs

Elk were still bugling when I got up before dawn on this the last day of summer. It was a beautiful sunrise (i.e., clouds in the sky) as I got going. After walking the Divide with more gorgeous views I dropped down by Archuleta and Spotted Lakes, then around by the headwaters of the South Rio Grande where I took a break and got water.

Going past Rock Lake I took a series of GPS readings for CDTS confirming the trail location. As I got closer to Wolf Creek Pass I began to see dayhikers and I stopped and chatted with some. Before the pass I stopped and cleaned up in anticipation of heading into Pagosa Springs.

At the pass about 2, the hitchhiking situation was not good, as they were working on the road, leading to long traffic delays and many cars avoiding the area altogether. After a half hour and only seeing four vehicles the next car stopped and gave me a ride. Turns out they were some of the dayhikers I had met and they took me to the post office for my box and then back to a motel they recommended.

I managed to connect with Tommy and Razzu at last who were in another motel and we agreed to meet for dinner. I did laundry and made some calls, then headed to the dinner spot.

When I got there, there was a pleasant change in plans. Tommy had contacted a couple, Zack and Jen, who had hiked the Appalachian Trail and Colorado Trail and they wanted to have us out for dinner. Zack picked us up and drove us to their home in the country, where we shared trail stories and stuffed ourselves on some great food that included some incredible homemade tomato soup.

Zack took us back to our respective motels in the rain that had been going on for a couple hours, and I was glad once again to be in town and miss some wet weather. I passed on an invitation for breakfast that Tommy and Razzu accepted (I still had lots of town stuff to do in the morning), but gratefully accepted the offer of a ride to the pass in the morning about 10.

09/22/05: In Which I Celebrate the Start of Autumn by Returning to the Trail with Tommy and Razzu

I woke before 6 and got busy on the rest of my preparation to leave town. I went to the post office to mail off the photo card to LiAnna and got some cash from the bank ATM. Back at the motel I sent off several emails and finished packing.

A little after 10 Zack and Jen along with Tommy and Razzu picked me up for the ride back to Wolf Creek Pass. We took pictures, said our thank yous and goodbyes to Zack and Jen and set off a little after 11, climbing to the edge of the Wolf Creek Ski Area.

Tommy and Razzu are as quick as ever to climb and I struggled to keep up when ascending. We talked quite a bit, sharing adventures we had when hiking separately. There were some nice views in this area but it was not wilderness so there were roads as well as some cows and clearcuts.

We got off-track by following a ski-run maintenance trail along the Divide, but fairly quickly dropped back to the official route. Mid-afternoon the clouds that had been looming to the west finally started precipitating on us, a mix of hail, sleet and rain.

After it let up we got headed in the wrong direction again, winding up in a cow pasture and then climbing back to Summit Pass. From there we dropped to Elwood Pass just before dark and set up to spend the night. It began raining again as I climbed into my sleeping bag, looking a bit like slush, so I hope it does not turn to snow.

Spent the night at: N37.40531 W106.64333 Elevation 11,706 ft

09/23/05: In Which I Finally Get Tired of the High Colorado Mountains

It was clear when I got up to pee about 1 AM, but about 3:30 it began to rain for a while, showering again just before I got up around 6. Tommy had elected to sleep out, so had to hop up and quickly erect his tarp during the first shower. I was supposed to wake Tommy and Razzu at 6:15, but sometime after 4 Tommy imagined he heard my call and got up and ate his breakfast. When he didn't hear us stirring, he called out to ask if we were awake, and getting no answer, realized his error and went back to bed.

While there was a hint that the sun might break through the clouds, this quickly vanished as the clouds dropped to the level we were hiking at, essentially leaving us hiking in a fog driven by a bitter, cold wind. To make matters worse a light snow had fallen at this elevation so we were crunching along on top of frozen ground. During brief intervals when the clouds would break up, we could tell we were moving through scenic territory but we could hardly enjoy it.

We were mostly walking near the Divide, which generally makes the wind blow even more strongly, so with the wind chill I am sure it felt like temperatures in the teens. By afternoon and the cloud level and temperature both went up a bit, making the day more tolerable and the views better. We hiked around three forks of the Conejos River and enjoyed nice views into the valleys below and to Gunsight Pass along the Divide.

The last climb of the day to well over 12,000 feet wore me out mentally and physically as the cold wind impeded my progress. I have loved my stay in Colorado, especially the high country of the last week or so, but I am more than ready to move on to lower, warmer and drier climates. Tomorrow we should reach Cumbres Pass near the New Mexico border, which essentially is the end of hiking above 10,000 feet (I believe there is one peak above that height in New Mexico), so I am really looking forward to arriving in the "Land of Enchantment."

We reached Blue Lake about 6 PM, but it was still 25 miles to Cumbres Pass
where Tommy had arranged to meet his cousin tomorrow at 5 PM. He had agreed to take us to his campsite, feed us and then drive us to Chama. I originally had planned to hitch into Chama on Sunday, but with this generous offer I decided to push on with Tommy and Razzu, so to give us a chance to make it by 5 we hiked for another hour before selecting a camp spot on a small ridge with the shelter of some stunted trees.

Spent the night at: N37.21971 W106.61177 Elevation 11,628 ft

09/24/05: In Which I Leave the Colorado High Country at Cumbres Pass

We had about 23 miles to hike by 5 PM to meet Tommy's cousin at Cumbres Pass so were up before dawn and off before 7. It had rained a couple times during the night, but just windy and cloudy when we started off. This changed quickly as ice pellets/sleet began pelting us as we walked along. This let up within an hour but the wind kept blowing, especially when we were on the ridges.

We hiked past treeless Trail Lake and then dropped into the trees to go past the scenic Dipping Lakes. From there we began a long steady climb for our last visit to the 12,000-foot level. The wind was coming from the side at 30 to 40 MPH with occasional higher gusts and we staggered along the ridge, eventually reaching the top with spectacular views into the Rio Chama canyon that included aspens changing colors.

I gave the 12,000 foot level the full EM Davis salute as we left it for the final time. I'd like to say it was all downhill from there, but there were still a few ascents along the way. We passed the 11,000 foot level for the final time near a land grant boundary (private property dating from grants by the king of Spain that are a big issue with the route of the trail from here to the Mexican border). Some of this private land was being logged, something we hadn't seen for a while and it depressed all three of us.

We pushed on to Cumbres Pass (just above 10,000 feet) with Tommy arriving first to meet his cousin Mike and Razzu and I making it in shortly thereafter. Mike squeezed us into his truck and we went to spend the night at a nice car camping location Mike had set up. There we got acquainted with his friend Ben and the four dogs they had between them.

Mike, a farmer from the Grand Junction are, fixed us a great meal that included vegetables from his place, and we sat around the campfire and talked about hiking and other things. Ben had hiked most of the Appalachian Trail and Mike around much of Colorado. Long after dark I made my way to the sleeping bag and much-awaited rest below 10,000 feet.

09/25/05: In Which I Visit New Mexico for the First Time

It was a leisurely morning with no rush to get anywhere, so we sat around the campfire again eating and drinking. Around 10 Mike loaded up the pickup, we said goodbye to Ben and then headed back over Cumbres Pass to Chama.

Chama is just over the border in New Mexico and as far as I can remember, it was the first time I have been in New Mexico. Mike dropped us off downtown by an old hotel (oldest structure in Chama according to the historical sign) and we said our goodbyes and thank yous. We got a room to share with hardy Tommy agreeing to sleep on the floor.

While waiting for the room to be ready, we had a second breakfast or early lunch in the hotel dining room. After showers I headed off more than a mile to the other end of town to get all the laundry done. On the way back I stopped at the grocery store and got some vegetables and crackers for a second lunch.

We had an early dinner of pizza and salad at a nearby cafe and then got ice cream and fudge at another spot. Yes, all we do in town is eat and plan when the next meal will be, trying to get in as many as possible before we leave and have to eat trail food again.

I spent the evening largely on the phone talking to family and then went to bed.

09/26/05: In Which We Relax in Chama

Up about 6:30 (that is sleeping in for me these days) we immediately went downstairs to breakfast where I had hot cereal and pancakes. I then went to the post office to pick up my packages and mail. Andrea had sent a card with a quote from Harry Truman that I think will be the slogan for the New Mexico portion of the hike: "Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day." I am hoping for lots of latter and none of the former, but from talking to other hikers I suspect it will be the other way around.

Carol sent a nice note and an interesting article on John Lennon. LiAnna sent a thoughtful note (way too much praise) along with the next picture card. I also got my food box from Ellie and the drift box Carol had mailed for me from Montrose. I began the usual cleaning and sorting of gear and food, which consumed most of the morning while Tommy and Razzu trekked to the other end of town for groceries for the next section. During the morning I had another breakfast of granola and miscellaneous leftover snacks.

When they returned I went to a nearby park table to review maps and route options. It was wonderful to sit outside in the sun and not be all bundled for protection from the cold wind. A call to the local ranger district claimed new trail tread is ready by the New Mexico border, so we likely will try it out tomorrow.

About 2 we went out for lunch and then went to the local narrow gauge railroad depot to buy tickets on the tourist train tomorrow morning back up to Cumbres Pass. At $60 (you have to pay full fare even for a partial trip like ours) it was a bit painful in pocketbook, but we decided we were only going to be here once and so it would be our only chance to ride the highest narrow gauge train in the world.

We have now hiked over 2000 miles and have less than 800 miles to go to reach our goal of the Mexican border. I will hike about half that distance with Tommy and Razzu before they take a couple of weekends off with visitors around Grants. Ellie and my sister Andrea plan to see me and visit the area near the end of the hike, so that will be a nice conclusion to the adventure.

For dinner we walked clear to the other end of town (almost two miles away) to a combination cafe/bookstore. They were out of salad but the rest of the food was good. On the way back we stopped to get ice cream to eat at the hotel. I finished most of my packing and called Ellie and LiAnna one more time to work on hike details before going to bed.

Let's close with a Georgia O'Keefe quote found in the local post office (she lived in this area, especially around Abiquiu Ghost Ranch, our next trail resupply stop): "Nobody sees a flower, really—it is so small—we haven't time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend."

09/27/05: In Which I Reach New Mexico, The Final State of the Hike

While we were eating breakfast at the hotel, there was a brief shower, a reminder of the forecast of a chance of rain for the next few days. After eating I finished sealing up my drift box and went to the post office to mail it on to Grants, as well as ship home a few things no longer needed to Ellie.

Before catching the train at 10 I went into the cafe for a bit more to eat and met Squeaky, a thruhiker from England who is attempting to hike all three major trails in one year. He started the PCT on May 4, finished that and is headed south on the CDT. When he gets done in mid-October, he flies to Maine and starts south on the AT, finishing before the end of the year. Wow!!!

The train ride up to Cumbres Pass was a lot of fun, with the good views of the countryside and the train as it snaked up the mountains. The weather had improved and the windows were open on the train so I leaned out for several pictures. The only real drawback to this adventure was this was an old-fashioned coal-burning engine and real soot was constantly falling on you through the windows.

Two corrections are necessary to previous journal entries: 1) this train provides the highest scheduled passenger service in the US, not the world, and 2) we have not passed 11,000 feet for the last time, as we reached it again shortly after starting and will pass it again at Mount Taylor, assuming we can go over it.

We got off the train at Cumbres Pass and began hiking about noon. We took the new route based on the information I got over the phone from the Carson National Forest, but it turned out to be incorrect. Part of the trail was complete, part of it was marked with pink ribbons and most of it was unmarked. Fortunately we carried the description of the supposed route with GPS readings from CDTS and we were able to find our way until the last couple of miles where we found pink ribbons again but they took us to a different location.

Eventually we got back on the route (a road that would have been much quicker to walk) but there were nice views along the way and along the way we did pass officially into New Mexico.

About this time the rain started up again and we hurried along the roads to reach water (we were out) and a place to camp. The rain let up and we finally reached water just as it got dark with dark clouds looming as night descended.

Squeaky showed up as we were getting water and the four of us fled into a nearby grove of trees for the night. The wind picked up and I barely got my tarp up. Being too risky to cook under the tarp in these conditions, I had a cold dinner of instant potatoes as the rain began to pelt the tarp. I was warm and dry but it did not look to be a pleasant night in store for us.

Dedication: I would like to dedicate the hike through New Mexico to the memory of my nephew, Evan, who died early last year in a car accident. Evan backpacked in New Mexico with the Boy Scouts, one of his favorite experiences in an all too short life. My sister Andrea gave me Evan's windbreaker to wear for the hike and it has protected me throughout from both mosquitoes and cold winds. The lining is really worn and the zipper jams at times, but I think, like me, it will somehow last until the border.

On this hike I have seen life tenaciously hanging on where you would think the extremes of temperature, elevation or lack of moisture would exterminate it; but I have also seen it casually wiped out, mostly by machinery and our attempt to "improve" upon nature with our developments. My mother died when I was nine, and the explanation for who lives and who dies has always mystified me. Theological or philosophical explanations seem meaningless to me, so I am only left to grieve and wonder.

I know it is possible to gracefully age and die, but I also know that far too many people never have that opportunity. I just wish that Evan and so many others I have known could have had the chance to experience some fraction of what I have lived over the past few months.

Spent the night at: N36.95598 W106.36684 Elevation 10,335 ft

09/28/05: In Which the New Mexico Welcome Continues to Be Cool and Rainy

The wind and rain lashed the tarp most of the night, though in the morning light it was obvious the noise was more impressive than the total amount of precipitation. I started out walking with Squeaky, who was ready to go before Tommy and Razzu were. We discussed the trails as we walked and it was impressive listening to his tales of navigating the High Sierra snows. He likes to go about 40 miles a day, with his longest daily trek of about 47 miles. Route-finding was frustrating him a bit on the CDT and slowing him down, but he had not taken any of the roadwalk cutoffs to save time and mileage.

After a couple of hours of walking together I took a short break and said goodbye. I ran into him a short while later while looking for some new trail tread to report on for CDTS. He was talking to a horse packer who indicated there was no new trail around this area. Squeaky and I continued on to the land grant boundary fence, where he chose to follow the fence while I dropped in to the Rio San Antonio canyon to follow the CDTS route. I took a break there waiting for Tommy and Razzu until I realized that they might also walk the fence and miss me, so I continued on.

Before leaving the canyon I stopped to get water and discovered I had left the green scrub pad I use to clean my filter where I pumped water in the dark. I need to clean the filter every couple of days to keep it working, so this is not a good development, especially in an area with such poor water. I will have to improvise until I reach Abiquiu Ghost Ranch where hopefully I can get a replacement.

I climbed out of the canyon and continued near the land grant fence going up and down for a couple hours. I took a long break in a large meadow by a road Tommy and Razzu had to pass and sure enough they showed up after 2.

They needed water to drink and I was hoping to find more for dinner, but everything we came to was either unpalatable stagnant water or filthy with cow pollution. The sky was providing occasional light showers along with a cool wind, but that did not fill our water bottles. Eventually we settled for water out of a large stock pond. I pumped through the grass while Tommy waded knee-deep to reach what he hoped was better water.

We stopped before 6 to camp and cook. Tommy managed to get his meal eaten but Razzu and I had to flee to our tarps to eat when a thunderstorm hit. It let up but after dark the thunder and lightning returned, probably the longest and most impressive showing they have made during the hike. The rain accompanying them was brief and hopefully will not return later tonight.

Spent the night at: N36.74380 W106.28681 Elevation 10,184 ft

09/29/05: In Which the Weather Goes from Bad (Rain) to Worse (Snow)

There were showers during the night and broke camp walking into light rain. We quickly hiked down to Highway 64 and walked along shoulder for a couple miles, getting wetter from both the rain and spray of passing vehicles. Leaving the road we did a bit of cross-country work to get on the correct route.

About 3 miles in, we chose to follow the official route on a long climb on the road, which though longer, was probably quicker in the rain than alternate which involved bushwhacking.

Rejoining that route we did our share of bushwhacking, but by midday the rain had quieted to occasional sprinkles as we took a break and got water by Rio Vallecito. This was about 10 yards across and deep in places, clearly the most water we had seen in New Mexico. We rock-hopped to the other bank and picked up another batch of pink ribbons to follow on a cross-country jaunt up to the ridge and more road-walking.

We took a shortcut near La Manga water tank and then continued on the roads. We were carrying water for the night so decided after five to climb up one more valley and drop down to the Fifteen Springs area to spend the night. As we started up it began to rain but rather than stop we donned raingear, figuring we would stay warmer by moving than stopping, our typical response to rain. As we climbed higher the rain turned to snow and then began to stick. This was more serious as the blowing snow and cold wind on our already wet clothes increased the risk of hypothermia. We were near the top so pushed on over the ridge and down the other side in steady blowing snow.

We hoped to get low enough to get back into rain, but realized this was a vain hope, so ducked into a thick stand of trees to cut down some of the wind and all of the snow. We rushed to throw up our tarps before dark and get under them, but the melting snow falling through the trees and the previous precipitation had us pretty well soaked.

I got out of my wet clothes, climbed into my sleeping bag and ate several energy bars to help get my body temperature stabilized. I wasn't hot by any means, but did not get the chills. I rested for a while and eventually unzipped the bag enough to prepare by headlamp a cold dinner of instant potatoes (twice in three days is setting a bad precedent) to continue to fuel my body heat. The snow had stopped but it continued to drip from the trees and the condensation inside the tarp was gradually getting everything wet. I could make it through the night alright, but if the weather does not improve tomorrow, making it through another night is going to be difficult.

Spent the night at: N36.60376 W106.29026 Elevation 10,095 ft

09/30/05: In Which We Finally Get Better Weather But Have Trouble Finding Our Way

It was cold but clear when we got up and we were crunching through the icy remnants of the snow as we started the day. We correctly identified the unmarked turn out of the valley we were walking down, probably the last correct navigation choice we would make for the day.

We missed the turn for a cross-country route, but rationalized that we were better off on the road with the official route markings. About 10 we made the most important stop of the day, hanging up ropes to dry virtually everything that we carried that had all gotten soaked yesterday and last night. It took nearly an hour but we all felt better have dry gear again.

The official route markers failed us and by early afternoon discovered we were about two miles from where we thought it would take us. No problem, we thought, since we could parallel the route along El Rito canyon and turn on a road in about 3.5 miles to take us back to the trail (or the road the trail is using, since the route around here is mostly on roads. In the lead at that point I went right past the road because I got there in 50 minutes and figured we couldn't be going 4 miles per hour. 25 minutes later I realized the error, waited for Tommy and Razzu and then we all trudged back. The only interesting past of this roadwalk was the sighting of nine wild turkeys.

After climbing 1000 feet back to the trail we made the silliest blunder of the day, turning the wrong way and heading northbound. Turned back around we found a rare marker for the trail and headed off again, but quickly lost the route again. At this point we gave up on the route and used the GPS and compass to point us toward the spring we were looking for. We had hoped to go further but having water and it already near sunset we camped near there.

Lest you think us total incompetents I should explain that most of the roads we are trying to find are unmarked, often just barely discernible ruts. The maps, even the official forest service map, do not show all the roads, so you are often guessing if you have arrived at the obscure junction you are looking for. You often can only tell you are on the wrong road when it veers off in a direction you know is incorrect, leaving you to backtrack or head cross-country to find the correct road.

Spent the night at: N36.42814 W106.32971 Elevation 9150 ft

© 2006 Mark C. Davis • Page Last Updated January 8, 2006