Steamboat Springs

Steamboat Springs is a great town to be stuck in.  First of all they have a free bus system.  We were able to get to Walmart, Safeway, and several other stops quite easily.  Secondly, most of the restaurants downtown have happy hour specials so eating out is more affordable.  I got a large pizza for $5 at dinner and will eat the leftovers for lunch.  The downtown area has everything you need & don't need but one street behind the main drag is where the bike path along the river is.  We have been staying at a great hotel called the Nordic Lodge.  

The owners have been super accommodating and understanding.  The rooms are comfy and clean, the continental breakfast is one of the best I've seen, and they have a pool & hot tub.  So we've had a nice stat but the weather continues to be nasty and I'm beginning to wonder if we will ever get out of Colorado.  On the positive side though if we'd been able to hike out we'd be stuck in Lander over the weekend waiting for the post office to open on Mon.  So... let it pour I guess!  

Corrections

We did not get all of the way to Steamboat Springs yesterday.  We camped off of the road.  We waited for the rain to stop to set up our tents.  Today we hiked the rest of the dirt county road and paved roads to where we hitched to Steamboat.  We were picked up pretty quickly and dropped off at the visitors center.  It's really been interesting doing all of this hitchiking because we meet so many different people and get a glimpse of their lives.

So a few mantras and themes have emerged for this hike.  They are: 1) steady plodding, 2) take it as it comes, 3) it is what it is 4) suck it up cupcake.  This last one comes from Hikeaholic. The weather forecast is pretty bad the next two days.  A special hazardous report issued for heavy rain, thunderstorms with cloud to ground lightning, mudslides and flooding.  So we are trying to come up with a plan.

Out of the Mountains

We've been in the Rabbit Ears Range.  These mountains are more green and rocky with spires, cliffs, and other formations. Today we had 20 miles of exposure but it wasn't as steep and trees were easier to get to.  However we were still hiking fast with our eyes to the sky and not taking breaks.  But the weather held. It held til 5 pm when we got hammered by a couple of storms.  By then we had descended out of the mountains and had plenty of tree cover during the worst of it.  We hiked on forest service roads and paved roads to near Rabbit Ears pass.  

From there we hitched into Steamboat Springs.  I was so ready for a hotel we splurged on a nice one with a hot tub.  A friend of Pounces is on a road trip and happened to be in Steamboat same time as us.  Perfect timing!  So we are all hanging out and enjoying the downtime.  Whew, what an intense few days!

Epic

Today started out well and we made great progress in the morning.  As there often is, the route split into a high and low route.  The official CDT was high and much shorter.  

Since the weather was good we stayed on the CDT.
 We ate lunch at treeline and checked the sky for storms.  It still looked good.  So we climbed up Parkview mountain but fifteen hundred feet of elevation gain in one mile is steep!  What made it even more challenging was there was no track and a lot of loose rock and talus.  Needless to say it took awhile.  I had just reached the summit and sat down to rest when Pounce said "Look, we have to go down now!"  A thunderstorm had popped up and was coming our way.  We ran down the mountain to a saddle and then down off the side to some trees.  We got there just as it started raining, put on rain gear and huddled til it passed.  The sun came out along with blue sky, so we climbed back to the trail. Five minutes later we were running down the other side of the saddle to tree cover to wait out another storm cell.  Sun and blue sky again, back to the saddle and more storms.  There was no way we could continue on trail above treeline, nor could we stay where we were as there  was no place to pitch a tent.  So we did a cross country route that followed a drainage off of the saddle.  A cross country in the Rockies is crazy! It was steep, slippery and wet.  When the blow downs and brush were too much we walked in the creek or crossed to the other side.  When that didn't work we climbed above it. We crossed a ravine and another creek as we worked our way around the mountain and then up towards haystack mountain on the other side.  Thunderstorms kept rolling through all the while and raining on us but we were protected in the trees.  It was such a relief when we regained the trail.  I could have knelt down and kissed it.  Looking back we could see there was still weather on the ridge.  We would've been stuck if we'd stayed.  Our destination was Troublesome pass and it sure lived up to its name.  We made it though. 

Feeling Good

We walked all of a mile through Rocky Mountain National Park to a visitor center.  Then goodbye to the park and walk ATV roads up to Blue Ridge.  It was gorgeous on the ridge and made a nice evening walk.

This was the high route which was seven miles shorter and since the weather was cooperating we went for it.  We got a text message from Hikeaholic that he'd accidentally mailed his gps home so we left him arrows and cairns at all of the road intersections.  I feel good about the next few days.  There are a couple of big climbs but overall the elevation profile is easier. 

We found some antlers with the fuzz worn off so we both had to take pictures with it, being silly.

Grand Lake

The CDT runs right through Grand Lake on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park.  It's signed and everything.  We met up with Hikeaholic and after resupplying at the grocery store, walked through town to the Shadowcliff Lodge.  The lodge sits high on a bluff overlooking the lake and town.  

It's quite large and is a retreat of sorts with workshops & such.  It has a very peaceful vibe.  We are staying in the hostel part.  I had fun playing tourist today, checking out the shops, getting pizza, and even eating ice cream.  Here's Pounce and Hikeaholic walking to downtown.  

It's a nice town and it would be great to spend more time here but after a zero in both Leadville and Silverthorne we can't.

Miles & an Angel

Reflecting back on last night coming down the mountain, the trees were welcoming us with open branches.  They invoked a sense of calm and serenity after the harshness of the mountain peaks we had climbed.  And yet those same mountains were breathtakingly spectacular.  

We climbed back up into them on a forest service road that used to be a railroad.  Rollins pass at the top was the site of a restaurant and lodge back in the early 1900s.  It's long been abandoned but we could see remnants of the foundation.  It was a beautiful morning for hiking and we enjoyed our last bit of above tree line views and then it was a long descent down.  And down, and down.  It was flat to gently rolling trail through meadows, marshes and forest and then down some more.  

We came out at Monarch Lake and stopped at a campground to cook dinner before hiking further.  

Hikeaholic was ahead of us down the trail and he called me (yes called) and reported the blow downs were just as bad or worse then reported by others.  However, he saw a lot of moose.  So we elected to walk around Arapahoe lake on the opposite side of the trail along the road.  We had walked 30 miles and it was getting dark.  Our plan was to camp in the trees somewhere out of sight.  A car passed us and then turned around and came back.  She said "it gets dark here a lot quicker than you think.  Can I give you a ride somewhere.  Well, by this time we'd walked most of the dirt road portion so we accepted.  We asked to be dropped at a campground ahead but she asked if we wanted a shower and invited us to spend the night at her cabin nearby.

I'm so glad we did.  This lady was in her 70s and had traveled all over the work.  She understood intuitively what we needed and what we were doing.  She was amazing and fun to talk too.  We stayed up late sitting on her deck talking and looking up at the stars.

A Little Crazy

It's my three month anniversary on trail.  Today was the hardest day we've had in awhile and we just may be a little crazy.  The CDT was the purple route with reported good trail.  The red route stayed up high on the ridge.  It was 7 miles shorter and "classic and cool".  We took the red route.  It was rocky and cross country.  There was no nice path to walk.  We climbed Parry's peak, Mt Eva, and a couple others.  It was also very windy.  We came to a scary looking rock scramble and bailed down to a reservoir and the purple route.  

But we still had to climb Jones Peak.  Which we did.  A couple of day hikers on the way up told us we looked like we were flying up the hill and good work.  To me it felt like plodding as it was a long way up.  When we descended down Jones peak and looked back at where we'd been it was mind boggling cause it looked so rugged and impossible.  

The weather held for us which was lucky since we were high above tree line all day.  In the evening we took an old forest service road down to where there were trees and level ground for camping.  We both struggled today and had mini melt downs but we worked through it and forged ahead.

Passes

We hiked to two big passes, one little pass, a mountain, and a long ridge.  It was a big day that got stopped in its tracks.  We started out descending down a beautiful valley.  A river flowed down it and combined with the snow melt left the ground very wet.  We had a few cold stream crossings too.  Then we climbed up to Jones pass which took a couple hours.  We followed a ridge and contoured around the mountain til we could descend again.  It was a beautiful morning but hazy.  After lunch we climbed up Mt Stanley.  Now that was a hard climb after Jones Pass.  We ha roughly 5 miles of ridge walking after the mountain and then descended to Berthoud pass.  This is where our walk came to a screeching halt.  It was only 4:30 and we'd hiked 19 miles already and had good momentum going.  But dark clouds were gathering and we weren't going to hike above tree line in bad weather.  Hwy 40 goes by the pass and there is a parking lot, informational signs and a warming hut with toilets.  Winter Park is 14 miles north and we were tempted to hitch into town but didn't.  We waited in the building hoping it would blow through but it just got worse.  So we cooked dinner and finally set up our tents in some trees out of sight.

Climbing High

We left Silverthorne and hiked up Ptarmigan peak trail.  It was a long climb but we made it to the top and then over to the pass.  

The trail disappeared and became a cross country trek searching out cairns.  Up down, up down, forest, pass, ridge, wait out a storm and repeat.  Colorado is starting to blur together and all of it looking the same.  The difference comes in the details like the two elk with large racks watching us eat dinner.  Or the evening light reflecting off a ridge

and the variety of flowers.  It was slow walking today but we made steady progress hiking til dark.  We found a pretty cool spot to camp and and all is well.

Silverthorne Nero

Oh breaking town is hard to do.  We hiked 27 miles yesterday and did our resupply.  So we slept in and had a liesurely morning.  Then we hiked out.  We walked through town and up a dirt road to the trailhead.  But it started raining and the sky looked angry.  Keep going or bail?  When in doubt loiter.  Rain jackets on we checked the sky.  It was Hikeaholics birthday and he told us he hadn't been in town to celebrate it in 15 years.  About that time a lady with her black lab and sun came down the trail heading for her car.  We got a ride back to town and took the rest of the day off.  It worked out great because my cousin Cheryl and her daughter drove out from Littleton and I was able to spend some time with them.  It was really great to spend time with family and my head is in the game and ready to hike!

High/Low

The high route looks better from down low.  So says Pounce, and I agree.  At least when the weather is bad or could be bad.  We hiked 13 miles of beautiful trail.  On the way we saw elk, deer, pika, marmot, a ptarmigan, and heard coyotes.

 We also saw a lot of southbound CT hikers and they all asked us "where are you coming from?  Funny.  Well then we dropped down to the bike path at Copper mountain and walked through Frisco and on to Silverthorne. Bit was a nice walk.  We got a different view of the mountains and it was a pretty route.  It followed a river for a while and went by the Dillon reservoir.  It gave our legs a break to.  We caught up to Hikeaholic and he weathered the storm ok.  

Half the Battle

Sometimes getting back on trail is half the battle.  I didn't want to go, nor did I want to stay.  Except I did.  Partly due to the weather, it was raining, partly due to the hostel being so homey, I wasn't feeling like hiking.  The hostel owner took a group back to the trail by the time it was our turn the rain had stopped.  So we went.  We got on trail and we hiked.  It was a really enjoyable hike this afternoon.  It didn't rain and the trail was easy.  We climbed up towards Kelso pass and stopped early.  Reason being that there was 6 miles of exposed above tree line trail ahead and not enough daylight to cross it.  In addition weather was moving in.  Hikeaholic continued.  Pounce and I stopped.  A hailstorm came through and it was fierce.  I hope Hikeaholic is ok.  It's still raining hard but the thunder and lightening has stopped at least. 

Blog App Troubles

I did a post for July 14 but it froze and won't post.  We hiked past the Mount Massive trail that day and passed a lot of day hikers heading for the summit.  The trail took us pass the Leadville fish hatcheries and some beautiful lakes.  

We made it just shy of Tennessee pass and it didn't thunderstorm!  It threatened to but nothing materialized.  Hikeaholic caught up to us and camped with us.  The next morning we hiked the remaining three miles to the pass and hwy 24.  There was a big metal box with trail magic in it courtesy of the Leadville hostel.  So awesome!  We got a ride to Leadville from a rafting guide hauling a raft for a trip.  He was super cool.  

First stop is always food.  We checked into the hostel and was given the big tour by Wild Bill.  It's the most organized, cleanest, nicest hostel I've ever stayed in.  It was a chore day and the time went by too quickly.  The next morning we really felt in need of rest and took a zero day.  Boy did we need it and it was so nice to relax and get swallowed whole by a comfortable couch.  The kitchen is well equipped and I had fun cooking dinner and baking cookies in it.  Weather forecast is more rain every day but we have to leave or we won't get anywhere...  Fond memories of this stop though.

Pit Stop

After all of the rain yesterday we had the great idea to get up early and be hiking by 5:30.  Are we nuts?  The idea behind this plan was get our stop in Twin Lakes done and move on to get miles before the rain stopped us.  Well we were at the top of Hope Pass by 630, part of the Leadville 100 ultra race, and down the other side into Twin Lakes by. 9:30.  

Well.  There were a lot of day hikers going up and a couple of people training for the race.  Once in tiny Twin Lakes I got my resupply box from the store.  I have new shoes!  My feet are so happy to be back in Altras with room to spread out my toes.  The Merrells were a bandaid.  They  got me here but they squeezed my toes and already have holes.  They didn't hold up to well.  To our delight we discovered that the lodge in Twin Lakes has a restaurant.  So we loitered til they opened at 11 and then enjoyed a delicious lunch. We met some nice people and ran into old friends as well.  We looked at the sky, at the gathering dark clouds and loitered some more.  Finally we gathered our courage and left town for the trail.  And what a beautiful trail it was.  

It was wide and mostly pine kneed led smooth with gentle ups and downs.  Best of all we got out just ahead of the weather and had blue sky the rest of the afternoon.  The storms finally did catch us at the Mt Elbert trailhead and so we stopped, set up our tents and called it a day at 5:30.  It was a good day.  Two different people offered us a ride to Leadville which is 34 trail miles ahead and our next stop.  It was tempting.  We declined.  I'm proud of us for that.

Rain Rain Go Away

When I think back on today it was all about the rain.  We hustled down the trail to make miles before it rained plus we wanted to dry out our gear.  So we hustled.  We hiked up and over Anne's Pass which still had some snow piles.  At the top two military planes flew by through the peaks and made an impressive sight against the cloudy sky.  

We hiked through the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in the San Isabel National Forest.  We were going up most of the day and in the trees.  We stopped for lunch and dried our tents while watching the clouds build.

 No sooner were we done and packed up when the storm broke.  It hailed.  Then came a steady rain and lots of thunder.  We walked through it.  But it didn't pass quickly it stuck around so when we came to a trailhead with a toilet we took shelter.  It was dry and didn't stink.  We were holed up in the toilet for an hour.  Finally the sun came out and we started hiking again.  Another rain storm rolled in though after only going two miles.  But we kept walking up a very steep trail until finally giving up for the night and taking shelter again in a dilapidated dirty building.  But it's dry.  We sure lucked out with shelter today which was great as it's the rainiest day so far.  It rained from 1-430, and 530-730.

A Fine Day

Yesterday we pushed pretty hard to stay ahead of a thunderstorm and didn't take many breaks.  We were successful.  Most of the day was in trees with a couple of passes thrown in.  We walked on tunnel trail for a few miles which used to be a train track in the late 1800s.  Today was more relaxed.  

The trail climbed up to Tincup Pass from which we had great views.  On the way up we saw 4 moose.  Two were standing in the road checking us out while the other two ate breakfast.  They finally moved on so we could continue on our way but what a treat!  We had a mid morning break at mirror lake campground and later at the top of another pass we had to stop because there was no wind or storm.  Just beautiful.  

We decided to take a lower alternate route through the Collegiate Peaks due to the high probability for afternoon storms.  The weather was nice all day though until evening.  We had a nice rainstorm the last few miles when we were tired.   It was a fine day.

Bloggers Night Off

I'm going to lie in my sleeping bag and listen to music, maybe read a little and sleep.  Here is a picture.  Goodnight.

Town to Trail

Our town stop turned into a nice nero.  We hiked. 2+ miles hitched all the way to Salida and got town chores done yesterday.  Today we slept in and relaxed but still made it back to the trail.  There were three boys at the hostel who had just graduated from high school and had never backpacked before but were hiking the Colorado trail.  They were nice kids and fun to talk to about their experiences.  We went to the river park downtown and watched kayakers shoot the rapids and blew bubbles.  

Then we found a gluten free bakery for Pounce.  Yet we were still able to break free from the town vortex and hitch to Monarch pass.  

We were picked up by a couple from the east coast on vacation visiting family.  Just in time too as a thunderstorm started.  With rain and stormy clouds all around we had to hang out at the Monarch Crest Store for awhile before hiking out.  But hike out we did, four miles to the top of the ski area.  The mountains shrouded with clouds are beautiful.  

We are sleeping in a ski arming hut tonight.  Pounce is a ski patroller and thought it might be open and yep, it was.  So no setting up tents in the rain.  We will be dry in our five star trail accommodations.

Southbound Complete

It feels so great to finally be back at Wolf Creek Pass.  It took almost a month.  We hiked the last two miles this morning and I would have run down the trail if I could.  Once at the pass it took an hour to get a ride but it was a good one.  He took us all the way to Salida!  Once in Salida we were getting our resupply at Family Dollar when a spry 93 year old woman approached me and asked if I was homeless and could she help.  She was so nice.  I explained waist we were doing and chatted with her a bit.  We are staying at the Simple Lodge and Hostel where there are several Colorado Trail hikers but no CDTers.  It's a nice hostel, clean and friendly.  It feels so good to rest and relax.  My legs need it.  I'm excited to be back heading north and looking forward to the next section.

Opposites

We dried our tents before hiking out this morning and it worked out well.  Initially it was easier walking and I let my mind wander.  I thought about the contrasts and opposites out here.  About the grassy plains and rocky slopes, granite peaks and valleys, sharp edges and round. But there are also parts that combine elements.  

On a thru hike as in life there are opposites as well of course.  In particular, I've had moments of "I want to go home" and later "I don't want to ever leave!  Most of the time I just walk along trying to soak it all in and enjoy.  

We had a long sustained climb today, the last big one of this section. It seemed easier after that.  After lunch we met a nice section hiker who asked us if we were through hikers.  That made us smile, to be recognized for who we are.  I experienced my first. "hikers high" of the trail where I suddenly felt energized and happy.  Maybe due to a big lunch, maybe the section hiker's hello, or the sign that read "Wolf Creek Pass 12 miles.  And no thunderstorm today!  

Anyways it lasted til the next climb.  We meandered down the trail the last few miles and camped two miles from the pass.  Wow, we did it.  We hiked the San Juan 's.  Awesome. 

The Knife's Edge

I woke up this morning in a rain forest instead of on a mountain.  My tent was dripping with condensation.  The worst I've ever experienced.  We knew we'd get it but still.  

Every long trail seems to have a knife's edge.  Both the PCT and the AT do and today we hiked across the one on the CDT.  In snow conditions it can be very hazardous and not crossed in the morning when it's icy.  It was cool!  

There were a couple of snow patches but they were avoidable.  There were also some sketchy parts to get your heart racing but nothing bad.  The ground dropped away pretty steeply, and it was rocky.

 It was thrilling and beautiful and I was proud of us.  Once down off the edge we took a break and dried out our tent in the sun.  We hiked most of the day on ridges with valleys on either side and panoramic views all around.  

After that it became forest again and grassy slopes.  

The relentless rollercoaster of the last two weeks is taking its toll.  We are both tired and get jello legs by days end but still enjoying these mountains.  I love being up high and I'm starting to enjoy my afternoon naps during the daily thunderstorms.

Willows, Willows, Willows

Happy Independence Day!  This is the third 4th of July in a row that I've been on trail.  We met some hikers out for the holiday.  One couple we met said two weeks ago they were postholing up here and couldn't see the trail.  Now there's hardly any snow at all.  

There is however large sections of the trail overgrown with willows.  Sometimes just ankle high.  Usually knee high.  And sometimes the trail is a trench and the willows are over my head!  They scratch but provide some protection from rain.  In fact I'm currently camped in a flat spot surrounded by willow bushes.

The trail was quite diverse today.  It descended through forest down to a meadow.  After that it climbed again and stayed high following a valley.  

Then we were up on a ridge for a while.  We saw a herd of elk, we think they were elk, playing on the mountain across from us.  They were calling to each other and running around.  They seemed to be having fun.  There were two pretty big climbs today.  The last one took us up to squaw pass and we ended our day on the other side.  We waited out another afternoon thunderstorm but this one was just thunder and rain.  

The Weimanuche

We are hiking in the infamous Weimanuche Wilderness.  This is the part that everyone has told us is the hardest hiking they've done.  We've heard a lot of stories of wind and cold and snow.  For us there is very little snow and so far hasn't been to windy.  However there are longer, steeper climbs and descents.  We planned fifteen mile days for it, especially taking afternoon thunderstorms into consideration.  Well today we had a big hailstorm.  The clouds started building early and by noon there was a big one growing rapidly.  We descended off trail to find a safe place to pitch our tents.  

The sky darkened and then let loose.  Thunder, lightning, and large pea sized hail assaulted our little tents.  But they did a great job.  I had to keep knocking off the accumulation on the tent.  We ate lunch.  I took a nap.  Four hours later we were able to pack up and hike on.  We survived our first big storm unscathed.  

The trail climbed steadily to a high pass and then descended two thousand feet down into a valley.  We found another great camping spot.  I've been very hungry today and it's only day two.

Lucky Day

We met a man this morning who is in Silverton for the rockin 100 endurance race.  He told us how he ran across America pushing a stroller with his supplies.  He was very interesting to talk to.  Silverton has the third best fireworks in the state and we would've had a good view of them from the hostel but back to the trail we went.  We got a ride up to Stony Pass in an ORV.  A large family including grandparents and kids were driving in a caravan of four wheelers.  They were fun.  We started hiking at noon just in time to be concerned about the afternoon thunderstorm forecast.  Our goal was an old mining building in 7.5 miles that could be used as an emergency shelter.  

Above tree line there just aren't any good spots.  With an eye on the sky we hustled down the trail, made it to the shelter, had a long lunch break there and hiked on.  The clouds never amounted to anything and it was a beautiful evening.  To top off our lucky day we found a campsite in trees on level ground.  It's a find!  

These mountains continue to surprise us with amazing views and varied terrain.  Sometimes it's a valley covered with wildflowers or a river running down the mountain.  Sometimes it's rocky and a lot  of times it's swampy from snowmelt.  Lovely mud..  So far my new shoes get a thumbs up.

A Walk Back In Time

We slept in, then stayed in our sleeping bags and read our books because the sun was slow coming over the mountains.  We decided that in the future we must find an east facing camp so we can get up on time.  Hello sun!  There you are!  On our hike this morning we came to the headwaters of the Rio Grande river.  It was delicious water and we took a little break there and drank.  We only had five miles to go to Stony Pass.  Stony Pass has historical significance.  For many years in the 1800's it was the main route for transporting goods from New Mexico to points west.  Wagon trains had to be disassembled to haul them up to the pass.  Pack mules were used.  When the railroad was finished it was used less often.  Today it's a popular jeep andorv road and our route down to the town if Silverton.  First stop in town was lunch at Handlebars restaurant then we went to the Blair Hostel and checked in.  

It's a nice clean hostel and quiet.  The new owners are quite friendly.  The big item on the agenda though was shoes!  The same mixup that occurred with my fleece pants happened with my shoes.  Such a mess trying to have things shipped on trail!  So I cancelled the order, got a refund and went shopping.  Fortunately I found a pair of Merrells that are comparable to my Altras.  They are barefoot trail runners. 

Painting

Imagine you're in a large room and in the wall you see a beautiful painting of jagged granite snow capped mountains with wild flowers in shades of purple and yellow dancing in the foreground.  You walk towards it for a closer look but can't reach it.  Then flip, suddenly you are in the painting and it is alive with color and sounds and smells and you are a part of it.  That's what today was like.  

We were walking up and down grassy mesas paralleling the mountains and then flip the trail turned and descended into them.  It's been dramatic.  Every twist and turn opening up a landscape even more beautiful than the one before.  

It was a rollercoaster trail between twelve and thirteen thousand feet but we did well.  We met two more north bound thrus and two girls doing a 4 day trip.

I forgot to mention that I got a new shirt in my resupply box.  Very exciting.  The old one was sweat stained and full of holes.