Finally got it done!

So, I finally finished up the Colorado Trail. And what a beauty it is! Earlier in the summer, I planned to finish, but Segements 25-28 (the ones that I had left) were closed because of fires. It's been an extremely dry winter and summer. So, my friend Ginna joined me and we went out and did part of the Collegiate West. (I did Collegiate East when I went through there. It was an absolute butt kicker, but wow, it was beautiful.  Made it over Hope Pass (super steep) and crossed paths with several ultra runners training for Leadville. Yes, I said runners. Running up Hope Pass. Holy shot. They are bad ass. The next day, we camped right below Lake Ann Pass, at Lake Ann. Highly recommend this spot. It was beautiful. The next morning, got up for the climb up to the Pass, which was much easier than Hope.

Anyway, I had about given up hope on finishing this year, and suddenly monsoon season hit,  ringing some rain and thus some fire relief. Not as much rain as usual, but enough that those final segments were reopened.  So, when I had a few days, I jumped in the car, drove down to Silverton on Sunday the 12th of August and started hiking at about 3 p.m.
It's so completely different hiking a trail in sections and alone. I have always liked hiking alone, but not a huge fan of camping alone. But, you do what you gotta do. I made about 8 miles before the thunder and lightening around me started ramping up, so I pitched my tent and burrowed in. It never really did rain on me, which was nice, to not have to pack up a wet tent in the morning, but not so great for dry Colorado. I didn't actually camp alone, because there were deer all around my tent, chomping on grass most of the night. I did pull my hiking poles in to the tent with me, because they like to lick the salty parts from sweaty hands, and I didn't want them taking a chunk out of the handles of my poles.
Packed up early and was hiking by 7. I had a short window of time to finish this up, so I planned on about 20 miles per day for the next few days. I had 75 months left, Silverton to Durango. Pretty uneventful day. Lots of up and down (imagine that :). In the mountains ) I literally did not see one other person until mid afternoon and she was hiking the opposite way. Doing her annual pilgrimage to Telluride for the mushroom festival.

Homeward Bound

I got a pretty good nights sleep (despite the two snoring cyclists in my bunk room. Note to self-pack earplugs. Tissue doesn't really work that great)    Had a few hours to kill before Karen and Bob arrived to tote me back to my car which was parked at their house.  Again (sorry to be redundant here) but met some really great people. Cyclists from all over the world. A guy from Belgium, who had done a race on the Arizona Trail on his bike. the Arizona Trail goes through the Grand Canyon. The hitch...your bike tires cannot touch the floor of the canyon. Meaning, you carry your bike the 24 miles across the canyon. What?!!  The is bad ass.
Karen and Bob arrived and we went to grab breakfast and then do a little tour of that part of the state before heading back to Montrose. Mostly because Karen wanted to terrify me with the ride over Red Mountain Pass. And she was successful. Steep switchbacks and not much in the way of guard rails. Stopped in Ouray for a 'scrap cookie' at their favorite bakery. Basically a cookie with all the good scraps from all the candies they make tossed in. Delish!
Then back to my car for the drive back to Fort Collins. 110 miles down. 75 to go. Silverton to Durango and that will have to wait until next year.

July 24

So, today, I had to make it to Silverton. 28 miles with lots of up but also lots of down.  I knew there was about a seven mile section of down...so I figured I could make the mileage.  At first light (barely) I packed up my wet gear and got moving, using my headlight for a little while.  It was full tilt go all day today.  Met some people. Got rained on a little bit.  Saw a moose mama and her baby. (ALWAYS a thrill)

And just cruised along. 

Most times when you come to a road, the trail leads DOWN to the road.  Not today. I got down to the bottom of the climb (which is where the tracks are for the train that runs from Silverton to Durango) and then had 2000 foot climb UP to Molas Pass for the hitch in to Silverton. It was about 5:30 when I reached the tracks and a few others were stopping to set up camp for the night. I briefly considered it, but then decided to push on.  Honestly, it sounded worse when I was thinking about it , then it actually was.  I got up to the road at about 7:30 and there was not a lot of traffic, which made me alittle nervous about my chances of getting a ride. One car went by and didn't stop. I'm not going to lie...I was TIRED and felt pretty sorry for myself as the blasted past. Second car was a big RV and low and behold, they stopped. A woman about my age leaned out the door and said, "What are you doing out here?" hahahaha   They were from Arizona and had no knowledge of the Colorado TRail, but they were super nice AND they were going to Silverton, so they gave me a ride. Rode the miles into town with their black lab, Max, sitting on my lap :) 

There is a big bike race going on now along the CT, so when I got to tiny Silverton, there were no hotels rooms.  Walked to the hostel there and got SO lucky. I got the last bed.  By the time I got there, it was about 8:15. I walked in, got assigned a bed and one of the bikers said, "We're going to get pizza and beer. Are you in? They last place closes at 9:00. "  After this long day, you bet I was going!! I threw my pack on my bed, and even though I was filthy, damp and tired, I walked the 100 feet down to Avalanche Brewery for pizza and beer. AH! I made it!

July 23rd

My hiking window is running short, so I wanted to do big miles today. Started early, with lots of wet, mucky trail. It was nice to not have to pack up a wet tent, I must say.  Lots of elevation gain today and hit the high point on the CT.

I met two young guys from the UK. Rambo and Owen. They were on vacation from University, so they decided to  hike the CT. THey had never been to the US before and were pretty blown away by the beauty of the Rockies.

Today, I was hoping to get all the way through Segment 23, which meant a 24 mile day, so that tomorrow I could make it in to Silverton, which is my stopping point for the year. Segment 23 hovers right at about 13,000 feet for much of the way.  At about 4:30 (and mile 19) the rain began, with a little thunder, but I still didn't feel like it was threatening.  I've hiked in rain plenty of times, so I just kept moving. I figured I could squeeze in a few more miles. But then the wind picked up and the temps dropped. Wet is one thing, but cold and wet is another thing.  Bad combo. My gloves were soaked and I was getting really cold, so I may be stubborn, but (I don't think) I"m not stupid.  So, I found the first flat spot and threw up my tent.  Peeled off all my wet stuff, put on the dry and burrowed in to my sleeping bag.  It took a long time for me to warm up,  so no doubt it was the right decision.  The rain continued for another few hours with lots of lightning and thunder. I'm not going to lie...I was  a little nervous!!  

This is my moms birthday. July 23rd. Mid-summer .   Sometimes, in situations like this, it seems so far removed from normal life. Somewhere, people are down cooking burgers on the grill and drinking beers, and I'm up on a mountain, freezing my tail off.  It seems like such a different world.

July 22

Went to the laundromat in town, ate a big breakfast and caught the shuttle back to the trail.  The shuttle didn't leave until noon, so I knew it wasn't going to be a big mileage day.  It was pretty overcast and drizzly, even in the morning in town, so I knew it was going to be a wet day.  The trail was nice, but it was wet, and gloomy, so...when I came to the Yurt, which is open to hikers if it's not reserved...I decided to stay there.  Something new for sure. I got inside. A few other hikers came along and it started storming and blowing, so it felt good to be inside and dry. There were some old army bunks, so pretty fancy! Ha. Another guy came along who was cycling the CT. Talk about hard! It's tough enough to walk up mountains carrying a pack, but add pushing a bike with all your gear up a mountain...
The skies cleared for a bit right before the sun went down

The light was amazing and then, super bonus, a bald eagle flew right across the valley in front of the yurt.  Wow.

July 21- the Snow Mesa

I got up early and had some really tough, steep climbs to start the day. Kicked. My. Butt. So beautiful, so of course, had to stop plenty to 'take in the views' (aka breath)  The second half of the day was above 12,000 feet across the Snow Mesa. It is a high altidude, rolling plains. It was other worldly.  But, it was late afternoon and the usual clouds were starting to pile up. Threatening skies and lots of belching and burping. Not too much rain, but I didn't want to be up there when the lightning started so I was hoofing it. Not a tree in sight, so I was the tallest thing out there. And with my trusty trekking poles (aka lightning rods)
I've been leap frogging with two brotheres from Chicago, Tortilla and Adrian.  One is a freshman in college and Tortilla is in his second year of med school.  We all scurried down and came to the road and hitchhiked in to Lake City for the night.  So much of the forest in this area has been decimated by the pine beetles. Very sad.
I stayed at the Ravens Rest hostel, owned by a former PCT hiker. Nothing fancy, but some really great people there and great conversation. That's one of the things I love most about this whole backpacking culture.  I mean, I love the views and pushing myself physically, but I really love meeting the people .  If you want diversity, trails are the place. It's fantastic.

July 20

I got a good nights sleep, got up early and started walking.  I am hiking in the San Juans now and I haven't spent much time here prior to this. THey are incredibly beautiful.

There arent a ton of people out here, but those that I've met, are of course, super-cool. Seems to be a common thread among backpackers.  I met a gal from Banff who is hiking the CDT.  Trail name 'Tour Guide'.  She also hiked the Great Divide Trail in the Canadian Rockies, solo.  That is grizzly country.  She said it was nice to be hiking down in Colorado where she was not considered 'food'. I have to agree. We hiked together for a few miles and then when we started climbing,,,, I cut her loose.  After a few thousand miles this summer, she is in slightly better trail shape than I am . HA!

Found a great spot for the night, over looking an incredible valley.  And again...dodged the rain. LUCKY!

Colorado Trail ...continued

July 19, 2017
So, I  didn't have a big window of time to hike this summer, but I wanted to try to work in another week on the Colorado Trail.  I headed down to Montrose and spent the night with my friend , Karen, and the next morning, she and her husband, Bob, took me back to the trail.  Highway 114. Same spot that they plucked me off last year. But bonus! They hiked with me for a few miles!

We got on the trail around 10:30, but it was a some pretty flat segments, so I still managed to get in about 18 miles.  It is monsoon season here, so I was happy to get the miles in with no rain. Saw plenty of dark clouds in the surrounding valleys, but somehow dodged that. At about mile 15, I came to some trail magic! Sodas and funyons (one of those things I only eat when I hike. Love 'em. I wonder if it stand for fake onions?) Anyway, hiked on and it started sprinkling so I decided it was time to toss up my tent.  Ate some dinner, hung my food and crashed out.

A few pics from today.  If feels good to be back out here!

Old friends

After the not-so-good-nights-sleep, I was up at day break and hiking the 10 miles to CO Highway 114. A very good friend from WAY back (we're talking kindergarten) was meeting me there to bring me a big lunch!!!! In talking to Duke, he said he was getting off trail at Gunnison. I like hiking alone but not so much camping alone. Especially after last night! There are just not too many folks out here this late in the season. So I am going to stop at Gunnison and regroup.

Met Karen and her husband Bob (whom I had been dying to meet) and they brought a feast! Complete with chairs! 

It was SO great to catch up. I credit Karen's parents, Bob and Greta with giving me the camping bug. I used to go camping with their family when we were kids and occasionally camp out in their backyard too :). And then, they were so kind as to give me a ride (and it's quite a distance) to my car, back in Leadville. What a treat. Good to see friends so happy!

So, tonight, I am staying in Leadville and then heading back to Kansas to gather my stuff that is still there and hauling it back out here because next week....I WILL HAVE A HOME AGAIN! Yahoo!!

This summer has been ...very surreal. The PCT seems like a lifetime ago. I've hiked around 1200 miles and that is plenty for now.  I'm ready to eat veggies regularly. And wear cotton. And shower daily . (Well...almost) And sleep in a bed. And not just any bed. My bed. I'm ready to have my stuff. In my own place. And get back to work. I'm ready for normal. A new normal though. One without my dad and that's a tough one. This last year, after losing so many good friends, I think my dad was pretty sad. I didn't see him laugh often, and he liked to laugh. Mom said, when I was out hiking, he would get up in the morning and ask if there was a new post in my blog. Something for him to look forward too. That made me happy and sad at the same time. Even though he didn't really agree with what I was doing ('gone south in him' he used to say) some part of him got it. 

So...no more backpacking this year. No more tuna packs, hanging my food in trees or sleeping with a pillow made of dirty hiking clothes stuffed in a sack. 

Next chapter...Fort Collins. 

And one last pic for you Dad...

At least for now ❤️

I'm 

So the day started with this. Not too bad!! Got up and was on the trail early because I wanted to make some good mileage. 

Honestly, it was kind of a rough day. Not physically, although there were a few decent climbs, but just emotionally. It was a beautiful sunrise but then it got cloudy and chilly. A lot of the terrain today was hiking through pine forests that had been decimated by the pine beetle. It's shocking how much damage they've done. It was sort of bleak.

The day brightened a little at lunch when I reached into my food bag and remembered that I'd brought an avocado from Salida. And it was perfect. 

I enjoy hiking alone, but also enjoy meeting seeing other hikers on the trail. There was no one out here today, probably because it is really the end of the season. 

The sun popped out intermittently this afternoon and lo and behold...I came across another hiker. Duke. A guy who had done the AT in 2012 and also the guy who I had given my old water filter to a couple days ago! Small trail :) Anyway, we both had the same goal for camping tonight, Razors Creek(which is actually more like Razors Trickle) So, camped here by the 'creek ' tonight. 

I am in segment 17 right now, a segment notorious for cows and all that comes with them. But since it's fall, I think they have all been moved to lower pastures for the winter, leaving these beautiful high country pastures.

Nights are getting chillier. SO happy that I was camping by Duke! Right as we got into our tents and it got dark, we heard the scream from a big cat. I've heard bobcats and this was no bobcat. We both turned on our headlamps, made a bunch of noise, and blew whistles. I have to admit, it was pretty scary. He was pretty cool about it, but an hour later as I was about to doze off , he said, "If anything happens, just start blowing your whistle and shaking your tent to appear big and loud." So, needless to say...not the best nights sleep!! 

Out of Salida

Big breakfast this morning at the Patio Pancake Place in Salida. I love breakfast food! Tif dropped me off at the trailhead and is on her way back to Kansas. She did awesome and it was fun!

The first ten miles were a slow, gradual climb up to 12,000 feet. Got pretty steep at the end, but totally worth the view!

Lots of mountain bikers on the trail today and there were about ten people up there when I got to the top. I can't imagine riding up or down this trail on a bike. Amazing!

At the top is where the CDT/Collegiate West/Collegiate East, all converge again. 

After this climb, it was all fairly nice. No major ups or downs. Just a combo. 

Lots of downed trees in this segment, but also lots of yellow flowers. 

With the relatively easy terrain, I made good miles despite the late start (and huge breakfast!) Sometimes at the end of the day, you search and search for a flat spot and you finally just have to settle for rocky, slippery spot. (See notes from two days ago 😝)   And sometimes you just get lucky. I got lucky today ! 

Salida!!

So last night ranks as my #1 slantiest tent site ever! Kind of a workout just trying to sleep without ending up in a pile at the bottom of my tent. We were hiking pretty early because it was a TOWN DAY! We only had 10 miles to do. Got to the road before noon and started trying to hitch the thirteen miles into Salida. It had been a beautiful day but as we were standing there waiting for a ride, it began to pour . Boo! But then a van door opened...a guy there crewing for some bikers, and he let us sit inside the van for the brief downpour. Rain stopped, his riders showed up, and another hiker came by who had a broken water filter. Tif had been using my old filter, so I gave him that one. We walked out to the road and quickly got a ride with a doctor and his wife and we all went on our merry way. So again, things worked out the way they are meant to! And then there was this...

And good food. Lots of it.

Heading out on my own tomorrow. 252 miles down! 

Big day

We decided to get moving early today for a couple of reasons. We wanted to get close to Salida AND we knew we could make it to Mount Princeton Hot Springs resort if we kicked it in.  No huge climbs today so we made it in good time! 

We knew there was a general store there but were thrilled to find a restaurant too! Ate some big food and caught up with some emails lounging on the couches outside. And of course....

One of these is because I know I should, the other is because it's what I want!!

We spent about 2 hours lounging around, eating ice cream and finally dragged ourselves away at about 2:00. We had a few climbs, nothing major so we decided to hike later than normal to get closer to Salida. Tifs ending point and the first chance to do laundry in a week. P.U.  

There was some really spectacular scenery today. The grand scale of these Collegiate Peaks is awesome.

      Mount White

And then we saw this amazing sky!

We hiked late because we were deep in the woods and there were no flat spots for our tents and lots of downed trees. Finally found a 'flat' spot....if you consider a 30 degree angle flat😜. Gonna be a night spent climbing back up to the top of my tent!  

Got in just in time to hang out food and throw up our tents.

Our longer hiking day thus far , even with a two hour break, we did 24 miles. Yeeha!

What a difference

So, I am pretty diligent about hanging my food bag to protect it/me from bears. But when it is pouring and lightning and thunder...forget about it!   So last night, I literally opened my tent fly, and flung my bag as far from my tent as I could. I figured at least I wouldn't have some bear come sniffing around my tent. Woke up about midnight to what sounded like something crinkling candy wrappers. Shined my headlight out through the rain but didn't see anything. Until this morning when I ventured out to get my food and there were a few little holes gnawed through. Some little creature almost had a feast!

It Pretty much rained all night. Then this morning, the wind picked up. I thought maybe that was good news because it might dry my tent off for a bit. No such luck. We finally gave up waiting for a break in the weather and got out in the cold drizzle to pack up camp. Tif did great and got a real taste of the 'not-so- great' days of backpacking. We had several miles of down , so we booked it for several reasons...knock some miles out early, warm up and hopefully walk away from the clouds.  Fixed a warm freeze dried meal for lunch in case it was raining again tonight. Pretty tasty lasagna. We had another big, steep climb right after lunch. But as we were climbing, the sun came out. Yay! Got over the top to an open sunny spot and tired drying our soaking wet tents out a bit.

Hiked by another of the big Collegiate Peaks, Mount Yale. Incredible.

We got in some good miles today and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Camping tonight by a nice creek about 2500 feet lower than last night. Even got here in time to cook a warm meal (my fav- chicken and dumpling) Setting up camp was so much more relaxing tonight!!

Rain, rain go away

Had a nice breakfast at the Twin Lakes Inn. If you're ever in the area, I would highly recommend it. Good food at the restaurant and a quaint little inn. 

Started on the trail and came to this sign

On this segment of the trail, there are two options through the Collegiate Peaks. The West is the newest and has higher elevations. We opted for the traditional route (east) It is late in the season and although the weather is never totally predictable, we just felt like it was the better option.  We had two big climbs today. Not as steep as Elbert, but plenty of elevation gain. And we got to walk through lots of Aspen trees.

The Collegiates are incredible. A photo of Mount Harvard...

As we were about 1/2 mile from the top of our last climb, the sky got dark and the thunder started up. The top is not where you want to be in a thunderstorm!! We scurried over as fast as our lungs would allow and started down the other side. We were low on water too, so we knew we were going to have to stop for water and then quickly find a flat spot for our tents. Came to a stream and as we were filtering our water, the rain started. We were up above 11,000 feet so it was getting chilly fast. Threw our packs back on and hustled down. Came to a flat spot and quickly began to throw up our tents. Funny how hands don't work as well when they are cold and wet!! Got our tents up (although they were a little cock-eyed. Big Agnes would not be proud)

Literally threw everything inside and dove in after.  Needless to say, it was a little damp inside.  Blew up my air mattress and used it as an island to keep all my dry stuff dry. Thank goodness for Dry sacks! Clothes and sleeping bag were fine. Quickly changed and burrowed into my bag to get warm. It's still raining now, but I am warm and dry-ish. 

Thunder started up around 8 which was a little unsettling. As we were dozing off, we heard several groups heading up to the top with their headlamps in the dark. What??? Walking up above tree line at night in a thunderstorm? HYOH definitely applies i guess. Hike Your Own Hike.

I can't say that I love setting up my tent in the pouring rain, but it definitely makes for a memorable day!

This ones for you Dad!

Mount Elbert

Clear skies this morning so Elbert was a go! Elbert is rated as a Class 1 Fourteener (meaning it's one of the 'easier' ones) Well, it kicked my butt! I've done several fourteeners but never with a full pack. Big difference. And then there's the little thing called oxygen. Or lack or it!

Breathing break cleverly disguised as a photo op. 

Whenever I start one of these challenges, and it starts to get hard, I wonder why in the heck I thought this was a good idea? Elbert isn't part of the CT and I could have just gotten up at a regular hour, and hiked the mostly downhill few miles into Twin Lakes for some town food. Then I look around me and see this

And I am reminded why. I mean, a hamburger has its own kind of delicious beauty but it can't compare.  As we got close to the top...it started to flatten out a little and then we were there!

Met all sorts of cool people. Again...hikers are good people. 

Thought of my dad a lot today. 

Kind of amazing how many rocks are heart shaped :)

Hiked down Elbert and in to Twin Lakes. We arrived later than we had anticipated, so instead of having a burger and hiking on...we had a burger and a beer (or two) and are spending the night. And a shower. And met more cool people. Another good day in the mountains.