It’s almost 8am and I’m still in my sleeping bag. That’s right baby! Lazy day!

Well, I do have several thousand feet to climb today to reach treeline just below the divide near Carson Pass, but still, in miles it will be a short day, so why not linger over coffee and oatmeal, read a bit of my Harpers Magazine, and blog?

Right now I am sitting below a little blue window of sky, but the clouds around me are heavy and thick with rain…and snow. The peaks around me show some new white stuff crowning their tops, which will probably make for better skiing tomorrow and the next day. It’s strange to be in the middle of a section and be making such short miles, but as I mentioned, being caught above treeline in a storm is the worst place for me. I had that happen not far from here on the Colorado Trail in 2007. I camped above treeline near Stony Pass and was woken in the middle of the night by a terrifying lightening storm with nowhere to hide. That is not going to happen again, so I relax, catch up on sleep and fiddle around in my tarp.

Note to self: lots more packrafting opportunities up this way, we’ll never run out of rivers, creeks, and lakes to explore…

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2pm – I’ve been in my tarp for 3 hours. Just as I had made my way up the Lost Creek Trail to a junction where I could choose between hiking up to Heart Lake or further up the canyon to the last few trees, it started to rain and I realized with only a few more miles at best it would be a good idea to take an early lunch.

I had just started to set up my tarp when it started raining harder, hailing, and the lightening started up. It was close again, and I crouched in my tarp pleading with the lightening to leave me alone.

Ahh, now three hours later it hasn’t stopped raining, and I think I could stay here. I don’t have a ton of miles to do tomorrow, and I should be able to knock them out. I didn’t want to stop this early…but where is there to go really? I’ll do some more reading, napping, eating all my good snacks…

Not the most exciting day ever but then again the thunder storms keep rolling in.

I slept in a bit this morning. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are on tap for today and tomorrow, so I’ve decided to take a few short days and wait for the weather to pass before jumping up on the Divide. 13,000 is not somewhere I want to be in a Colorado thunderstorm.

I was on some beautiful backcountry roads, and enjoyed a misty and partially rainy morning as I watched birds, the ever present water (I’m tracing the orgins of the Rio Grande River on this hike!) and the sky that just could not make up its mind about what it wanted to do today.

One car out of all the cars that passed me today stopped to find out what I was doing, I would have thought it would have been more…I’m carrying skis!

I pitched my tarp for an early lunch and ended up taking a nice long one, complete with nap.

The afternoon passed quickly as I walked along Rio Grande Reservoir and started getting closer to the divide. Tomorrow I would hike up and try to camp as close to tree-line as I can, and then the next day I’m up and skiing! The weather is supposed to calm down by then, and I’m looking forward to the views.

It’s an early night by Lost Creek, and the rain stopped for a bit too.

We woke after a great night’s sleep and I made a list of my resupply as Mark Trails and I drank coffee in the town park.

Creed

I figured 5 days of food for whatever I get up to, that would be plenty to head up to the Divide at Pole Creek, or some other route that looked good.

After resupply we said our good byes and we both headed our seperate directions. I walked the road south and west out of town…I knew I would have a lot of road miles, and AFFIRMATIVE, the feet are pounded.

I could not have had a better day of views though, wow! At one point some young girls pulled over to ask me what I was doing, and I had a good time seeing the gleam in their eye as I discribed my hike.

The last phone booth alive

Just as I was getting ready to drink some muddy snow-melt, I convinced myself to walk to the next set of buildings in case I could get water from a store or person up the way. I’m sure glad I waited cause there sure was a store and I had just made it before closing. One Sprite and Milkyway later I was on the porch filling my water when Doug, a guy who worked there who had seen me hiking a few days before, had dropped off some trail magic at my pack…beer!

Yes! How nice!

I walked a few more miles to where I would take forest service road 520 up to the Divide, and pulled off to climb a bluff and make camp.

Thamks for the beer Doug!

It was a quiet, introspective, and calm day of walking.

First warm night I’ve had on the trail in a while! The lower elevation felt great, my cough hasn’t been bothering me, and I don’t even have to zip up my sleeping bag all the way. Life is good!

We walked a few miles into South Fork to grab coffee and a breakfast sandwich, and continued on up the road.

Road road road, walk walk walk, road road road, walk walk walk.

We picked up more trash…Mark Trails has a different meaning for Hikertrash, and I think his version is pretty awesome too. Hikers picking up trash. hiker trash

Mark Trails Hiker Trash Tour

We ate lunch river side (the very swollen Rio Grande that is) and just had walked a little further when we came across the Blue Creek Inn…pie and a beer? Don’t mind if I do. You gotta accept the serindipity of the trail.

All aboard!

So then Creede was within reach, so we walked to Creede. Upon arriving we met Skip, the local judge who advised us on where to sleep, and we had tasty sandwiches at Tommyknocker, the local bar.

It was a good long day….I prob have one more before getting back up on the divide, and Mark Trails heads north from here. Real snow-free trail is in our near future, hope we can find some.

I could tell no one was in a real hurry to leave town this morning, so when I woke near sunrise, I happily rolled over and went back to sleep.

After another great breakfast, we packed up and made it all into the car by about 11am.

Barbara and Lulu were great hosts

We cruised by Rusty’s house (Whiptale’s band-mate who was housing Mark Trails and First Man) and soon had more hikers and packs in the car, although I think we smelled better this time than when he picked us up.

Pagosa Springs, hikers, packages, pizza, and then we were in the car again with Lot who would be hiking north on the trail with Restless and #2; Mark Trails and I would hike north on the highway.

We said our goodbyes and hit the pavement.

Whiptale, one of the most amazing trail angels ever!

The road walk was filled with sillyness, which a good road walk should, and we gave into the serendipity of the road which included rootbeers at the Wolf Creek Inn, and whatever else we could get up to on a road walk.

Picked up wierd trash

And i scoped out the water for packrafting potential.

Why not embrace the luxuries of the road if that is the trail.

Make it what you will!

After waffles and many cups of coffee I sat down to look at my route choices coming up. The divide remains snowy and somewhere I’m not sure we belong at the moment. I think I will piece together some more roads, and then climb back up on the divide around Stoney Pass. There is a short cut called the Creede Cut Off that will whisk you up the trail quickly and avoid some snow, but then a huge section of trail gets cut out, the route bulges out to the west in a riot of mountains and ridges. I didnt want to miss this, so will walk roads below the higher mountains, and then meet up with the trail where I have walked before. When I hiked the Colorado Trail in 2007 i walked the trail north of Stoney Pass, and remember perfect terrain for my skis. I won’t miss the scenery, and I’ll get to spend some more time on the planks. I think its a grand plan, and the other 4 seem to be formulating their own strategies. I’ll most likely be alone again for this stretch, but I quite like the solitude, peppered with hiking with others. The best of both worlds!

AND if I time it just right I should be in Lake City with my old friend Lucky (PCT 2006) for my birthday next week! WOOT!

We had a birthday party for Whiptale, the ribs were DELICIOUS, and cake and lots of goodies to fill our bellies with.

Durango breweries are cheeky

Awesome people, good people, you can’t find better people.

The next day I caught up on the ‘ol blog and set out to take care of this cough (interestingly enough it is much better in town..maybe the elevation or cold was making it worse?) and the nurse determined it wasn’t an infection or anything, so I have an inhaler for the next section and some heavy-duty cough syrup. Hopefully that will help clear this thing up.

More errands took up the rest of the afternoon, and we got to relax in style tonight with a huge pasta dinner (and banana splits!) and movies (In the Heat of the Night & A River Runs Through It).

Trail (er road) tomorrow, it will be good to walk! All fattened up for another stretch.

Thanks Whiptale!!

Just some hikertrash hanging out in Durango

Another bad night of no-sleep. The cough has GOT TO GO. I will take care of it in Durango.

I headed back on the road a bit, I had scoped out a short-cut on the map, if I could cross the river in the valley and climb up the steep banks to the highway, I would only have about 4 miles to make it to Wolf Creek Pass this morning. I figured the snow melt would be at a minimum this morning and I would have the best chance of making it across.

I was just rounding a bend in the road when I heard a hoot and holler…The boys are back! Apparently deciding to go back up on the divide wasn’t the best decision they ever made, and in between moments when they thought they might die, they spied a bailing point to get out of the snow and onto the road I had been walking. I was relieved to see they were ok, and as they were regaling me with chilling tales of their snowy feats, I felt a sense of accomplishment that I had made the smart decision, the right decision. There is too much trail up ahead to take risky risks in these mountains. To enjoy the trail I need to not feel like I might die several times a day. But hey, that’s just me.

The guys had already scoped out my short cut idea, and informed me it would be a bad idea to cross. Ok, bummer, our other solution was to walk 3 miles to where the road intersects the highway, and then back up 7 miles to the pass. BLAH.

We had just enough time to hike fast to make it to the pass for 10am when I had arranged to meet Whiptale.

Walking, walking with skis on my pack, trucks wizzing by, honking, strange looks, walking, tired.

The pass!!!!!!!

I had made it before Whiptale, and threw down my pack and went over to inspect the sign. THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL. We don’t get much recognition on this trail, and this sign made me glow with pride.

The guys made it up and Mark Trails noticed a can of diet soda perched on the concrete..surely forgotten by some passing tourist, but OH WONDERFUL DAY, it was full and unopened!!! Trail Magic!! We did a little dance and carefully opened the can to share it among the 4 of us. Trail Magic!!! The little pleasures are so so sweet.

Then Whiptale drove up and out popped First Man! He had been hitching in Pagosa Springs, intending to head to Alomosa, when Whiptale drove by. I had been a bit worried about him as he had entered the mountains 2 days before we did, without snowshoes. I had suspected the 30 miles of postholing had been him, and I was correct. He was beat up and ended up spending 24 hours in his tent one day to wait out a storm. Embrace the brutality!

Now there were 5 hikers and our Trail Angel that needed to fit in the Suburu. But we did it with Mark Trails snug as a bug in the back of the car with all our packs. Ha!

We stopped in Pagosa for a huge lunch and we learned it was Whiptales birthday today! What a guy to drive up and pick up a bunch of smelly hikers on your birthday. So lucky to have a friend like this.

Oh the land is so green and lush. Wow. Before we knew it we were in Durango and settling into our rooms. Showers and lounging and getting ready for the night…Whiptale’s band, Running Out Of Road, would be playing a show at the Balcony. The bluegrass band was made up of fellow adventurous folks and amazing musicians.

The thru-hikers descended on the bar and danced, reveled in the sights and sounds of modern life, and I even got to catch up with Amy, my former boss at Southwest Conservation Corps…I had lived in Durango 8 years ago for a few seasons to lead trail crews, and it felt good to be back on my old stomping grounds.

Durango, you are amazing!

Ok, yesterday. Well the two last days. If I was on a ski touring trip or a ski mountaineering trip will all the proper gear, it would be gnarly, but probably a lot of fun. As a hiker wearing boot-ski bindings, I probably did the best of all those going in the mountains…although I would have much appreciated a full touring set up AND a pair of snowshoes. The terrain so variable, the snow slushy to icy, steep to miles of ridge ski terrain…all I can say is WOW and about two days of it was all I could take.

Exhausting, exhilarating, scary, we did our best to stay warm, although Restless has some cold injuries on his feet…we did our best to stay safe, although the Continental Divide Trail does just that, stay on the rocky crest of the HUGE MOUNTAINS and sometimes took us where we shouldn’t be with this much snow.

It will be WEEKS before any trail can be found under the snow. It snowed on us the past three days. It’s on the verge of going though…once the clouds clear and there are some warm days, watch out for the flooding creeks. There’s always something on the CDT.

So this morning as Restless and I were packing up from our second snow camp, up snowshoes Mark Trails and Number 2. We quickly joined them and I realized my skis, even with the skins on, were not going to cut it as we made our way down an icy canyon. I started hiking…for a bit…until it was postholeing. ARRRRRRR Postholing can suck it.

But we made it to trail!!!!!! We had decided to hike an alternate that dropped down to some forest service roads in the valley below, and judging by the only other footprints we had seen in the mountains so far, so did the other hikers ahead of us. The next section is SCARY for the heavy wet avalanche danger. The week of rain and heavy snow on the snowpack means supersaturated conditions. The steep ridges would not be keeping all that snow much longer with the warming trend. Not a good place to be right now. Once it stabilizes hikers will be much safer out there.

We all were beat up from the snow and weather and difficulty of travel, and dropping onto the trail in a beautiful valley was the best decision any of us could have made.

Beautiful day, easy miles on the road, scenery to rival what we had seen on top. We laughed and marveled at what we had just done for two days and were here to tell the tale. EPIC

There is so much to say about today, but I don’t think I can yet. Lets just say I’m on a backcountry ski trip without the proper set up, (plastic boots would be nice…ski crampons too) not a backpacking trip.

EXHAUSTION SO COMPLETE AND ONLY “HIKED 13 MILES”

Photo time.