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Day 90

It was not the most peaceful night of sleep. First, I had a bad headache, for which I took ibuprofen. Then I heard a weird animal noise in the woods and became irrationally afraid a mountain lion was lurking around my tent. No basis in fact, though I didn’t get up until it got light, just in case. It was a chilly morning, but I was only two miles from Hope Pass and the climb to 12,500 ft. quickly warmed me.

After the steep descent from Hope Pass, I enjoyed the terrain between it and the next pass. For seven miles, the trail was fairly level and passed through colorful aspens with plentiful scenic vistas. There were a lot of clear, strongly flowing water sources, which was nice as I found myself thirsty. It was also another sunny, blue sky day.

For a couple miles, after lunch, I hiked and chatted with a Scottish thru-hiker named DuJour. He started three days before me, funny it took us so long to meet. The sky clouded as I ascended Lake Ann Pass. Near the top, I met a backpacker named Jeff, hiking the Collegiate Peaks Loop, his first thru-hike. It was a 12,600 ft. pass so I had service and texted family and a few friends as I descended the other side. No rain came and bits of blue sky reappeared.

There was a lot of loose rock directly after the pass and I heard a bunch of pika squeaks. I finally got a picture of one! DuJour passed me and we chatted briefly. Then came a long, winding, somewhat rocky descent. I listened to three Planet Money podcast episodes. At the bottom, 10,100 ft., there was a flat area and I set up my tent. It was the lowest I’d camped in many nights and I was excited for the relative warmth! I’d done a 22 mile day.

Day 91

It’s fun being on this part of the Colorado Trail because it’s new to me. You see, after the trail wraps around the east Twin Lake, it splits into the Collegiate east and west. When we hiked the Colorado Trail, in 2019, Bradon and I took the eastern route, mostly because it passed a couple hot springs. The western route passes through higher terrain.

At 6:40 am, I was on trail. After a couple miles, I passed a tent which I assumed belonged to DuJour. Doing a rock hop across Texas Creek, I slid off a wet rock and briefly submerged both my feet. On the north bank, I rung out my socks and shoe liners. My toes were cold, yet I was starting a long climb and the impact kept them warm enough until my feet eventually dried. Near Cottonwood Pass, a paved parking area, the trail ascended over 12,000 ft. and remained above that elevation for 14 miles.

The day was sunny until around noon, when it got overcast. DuJour caught up and passed me. There were four high points, the tallest was 12,870 ft. Each offered spectacular views of alpine terrain and distant mountains. I heard pikas squeak and saw a lot of chipmunks. There was an intermittent cool breeze, but happily no precipitation.

Originally I planned to camp in the 11,100 ft. valley that followed the high terrain. However, I made better time than expected and decided to continue to the next stream, at 11,700 ft. In the valley, I ran into DuJour and we chatted most of the way up the gently switchbacked ascent. Per FarOut, I found a campsite tucked among sheltering pines. My gut was unhappy, but I still ate dinner and dessert. I’d done 23.8 miles with 6300 ft. gain.

Day 92

The morning was overcast and not too chilly, despite the elevation. One mile from camp, I summited a 12,100 ft. unnamed pass and dropped into a gentle valley whose southern boundary was a 12,300 ft. pass. In the middle, I met Owen, whom I hadn’t seen since East Glacier! He flipped from Lander to north New Mexico in order to hike the San Juans before they got snowy. He intends to hike north to Lander, then complete New Mexico. It was fun to catch up briefly on our CDT adventures.

After the second pass, I got drizzled on for a bit as I descended to an old railroad bed. Hiking the bed was neat, on one side was a rock wall and on the other a valley with a winding stream. It was also pleasant to walk a couple flat miles before the trail switch-backed up a hillside, ascending towards Hancock Lake. From the lake, it was a 400 ft. climb to the top of Chalk Creek Pass and I was out of energy. On the other side, after descending past a couple small ponds, I stopped for a much needed lunch.

The early afternoon was an easy several miles to the Boss Lake trailhead, where I took a dirt road down to Hwy 50 and Monarch Mountain Lodge. At the lodge, I picked up a resupply box and carried it 0.3 miles down the road to the Butterfly House, a quirky hostel. Shane, the owner, gave me a quick tour. After eating fun snacks from my resupply box, I showered and put on a soft, cozy loaner shirt.

I thought I had the hostel to myself, then Glitz showed up. We hadn’t met before, but he is an on & off hiking companion of DuJour; also freshly graduated from college. We played a Swedish yard game named Kubb, each winning one round. In the meantime, Shane made us burgers in his food truck. He had Beyond Meat patties and GF bread! It was my first trail burger and I very much enjoyed it.

The hostel had a wood stove and I got a fire going with help of a starter pellet. Glitz noticed a light at the door and it turned out to be Stripes, whom I met at the Leadville airBnB. He said the rest of the group was a day behind or possibly in Buena Vista. Stripes also hiked the AZT last year, though he did it in the spring (where he met Toolman). It was nice to hang out by the fire and chat with the others while rain fell outside.

Day 93

I slept poorly, waking often throughout the night. At 6 am, I got up and treated myself to hot instant coffee alongside breakfast. My gut felt better after coffee and toilet access. Last night and the past two days it was back to being upset. I think it was the sauerkraut and not the antibiotics that helped it. Anyway, I worked through a list of tasks, chatted with the guys when they got up, and was back on trail shortly after 10 am.

To maintain a complete footpath, I walked Hwy 50 to Monarch Pass. It was actually enjoyable. There was a roomy shoulder, colorful aspens, and the 1700 ft. climb was very gradual. At the top, in the parking lot, I got trail magic! A man named Sprinter gave me a Lime Bubly water, a mint Klondike ice cream bar, and a camp chair. He and a thru-hiker named Fizz were seated and finishing lunch. After dessert, I ate lunch and chatted with them. Sprinter hiked the PCT in 1979 and this is Fizz’s triple crown trail.

Sprinter waited for Peg Leg, a woman who is attempting a calendar year triple crown! Only one other woman, Heather Anish, has done one and Peg Leg will exceed her record as she did the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) instead of the AT, going from coast to coast on all three trails. Sure enough, Peg Leg soon hiked up! I was excited to meet her! Sprinter got a picture of her, Fizz, and myself. Then she sat and ate trail magic. Peg Leg knew Fizz from the AT and seemed excited to meet me. She was friendly and vibrant.

A vehicle pulled up and DuJour got out; he joined our group. The other three were headed into town and they swayed him into going back to Salida for a zero. Peg Leg had a hotel room and was looking forward to a short day. They tried to sway me as well, but I was determined to make miles, fortified by town luxuries, and topped up on social time. They made ready to depart and I hiked on.

Ominous clouds threatened on each side, yet the sun shone from its gap of blue sky. I was in high spirits and full of energy. The trail wound along the side of a ridge, gradually climbing just above tree level. The views were fantastic. It reminded me of the PCT and I enjoyed a climb that did not involve a pass. After five miles, I reached the Collegiate East trail intersection. Another couple miles took me below tree line and to a piped spring.

The trail descended to Marshall Pass, which had a pit toilet and trailhead. I considered camping, then continued on, climbing for several miles on trail and road. As dusk fell, I reached a campsite with a great view. I’d done nearly 20 miles despite a late start and over an hour of trail magic. What a fabulous day!