Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 94

The day started gloriously sunny, lighting up my campsite while I deconstructed my tent. I soaked it in and was warm enough to start with my moose cap vs. my beanie. The trail wrapped around Windy Peak and felt like it had been designed for mountain bikes over hikers. Not surprising as cyclists use the trail and have members that help maintain it.

The terrain wasn’t hard or that interesting, however I seemed to be having a low energy day. So when I stopped at Tank Seven Creek for water, I mixed up instant coffee and ate a Stinger Waffle. Thus refueled, I ascended from the creek with renewed energy. It didn’t last long unfortunately. The sky became overcast and I got lightly rained on shortly after my lunch break.

Looking at on trail water sources, I thought I had a 22 mile carry. Then I saw that Baldy Lake split the difference and was only 0.4 miles off the trail with a 250ish ft. descent. Totally worth it to carry less water! When I stopped at the lake, it rained and hailed. Luckily there were a couple pines perfect for sheltering under. I snacked, drank and filtered water (between cloud bursts), and rested against one trunk.

With a burst of energy, I regained the trail from the lake and ascended the next rise. My energy quickly flagged – what an arduous day – though getting caught in another rain squall kept me moving. When the rain cleared, I encountered several bucks, two were eight pointers, and was startled by a grouse family. 

With determination, I reached my goal mileage and set up my tent. It was just in time too because there was more rain and hail along with thunder and lightning. I ate a hearty dinner and was happy to be in my tent.

Day 95

I’d been hiking about an hour when I took a break to dry my tent, suspended between two trees, in a sunny & breezy spot. I disliked stopping so early, yet though my Garmin forecasted sun all day, it said the same yesterday and that was not the case. While I waited I met a Japanese thru-hiker named Burger King. He’d been at the Thai food buffet in Rawlins. Then a bit later Peg Leg stopped to chat briefly.

After a couple steep climbs up and down a ridgeline, the trail descended to Lujan Pass. A short distance down a dirt road that paralleled Lujan Creek, I came upon a parked vehicle. Burger King and Peg Leg were seated in the grass with 2024 CDT hiker Tripod providing trail magic. I ate gummy bears and chips. When the three of us set off, a breeze picked up a swirling cloud of yellow aspen leaves, it was magical and gorgeous!

The three of us walked together to the Lujan Creek access. I learned that Colorado had drawn Burger King to the CDT, as he’d hiked the Colorado Trail two years ago. Peg Leg refuels in town not by eating a lot of food, but by drinking a gallon of whole milk, apparently 2000 calories. She also doesn’t religiously follow the red line, taking alternates, especially when they offer convenient town stops.

The afternoon was mainly road walking, with snippets of trail. At lunch, I gave my sleeping bag a sun bath. Around 5 pm, I reached Los Creek and saw a familiar white van. It was trail angel Sprinter! He offered me a chair and a mint Klondike ice cream bar. While I ate, he showed me pictures from his PCT hike, which he did with his brother. I only planned to go another 4ish miles, all on dirt roads. Sprinter asked if he could camp with me; I said yes.

Sprinter’s van almost got hung up on the far bank of Los Creek, however he made it across. I hiked and he drove ahead, stopping every now and then to wait for me. We ended up going 5.4 miles because the spot I’d picked was taken by RVs. I set up my tent and Sprinter parked nearby. He made us tea and I warmed my cold-soaked dinner on his stove. Then he shared chips and guacamole, plus more ice cream for dessert. It was pleasant to have company and spend the evening in a warm space. He charged my devices and we chatted for a long time before I retired to my tent.

Day 96

It began as a noisy night with elk careening around, snorting, and bugling. I was warm except for my feet, until I wrapped my yellow puffy around them (already enclosed in down booties). When I got up, my tent was frosty, but I got the treat of eating breakfast with Sprinter in the warmth of his van. He made us a feast: eggs scrambled with parmesan, hot coffee, yogurt, and orange juice.

While I finished packing and prepping my gear, I dried my tent. I mentioned Livingston, MT and Sprinter blasted Livingston Saturday Night. He hiked with me for a half mile then headed back to his van. Eventually I’ll see him in New Mexico as he plans to do trail magic there. However, first he is going to meet Peg Leg in Chama and drive her to Oregon. After she hikes from Ashland to Cascade Locks, she’ll return to finish New Mexico and accomplish the calendar year triple crown.

Fueled by a couple hearty meals, I cruised along the trail with a body that felt strong. It was a gorgeous day with a blue sky and astounding fall colors. Inspired by the earlier song, I listened to my Jimmy Buffet playlist until mid-afternoon.

When I hiked the Colorado trail, I did this section, yet nothing seemed familiar until I forded Cochetopa Creek. This time it was ankle deep and sunny. When Bradon and I forded the creek, it was knee high and overcast. I had just reached the far bank when Burger King arrived and removed his shoes for the ford. Like me, he is headed into Creede tomorrow.

Throughout the afternoon and early evening, the trail rose gradually toward San Luis Pass. Near tree line, I stopped at an exposed yet flat campsite on Cochetopa Creek. A Colorado Trail hiker named Craig was already camped there. We chatted as he cooked dinner and I set up my tent. Burger King soon arrived and also camped in the large site.

Day 97

It was a mile to the pass and to the right rose San Luis Peak. More memories… camping near the pass in hopes of bagging San Luis in the morning, riding out an overnight storm and waking to more rain, bailing on the summit attempt. I hadn’t intended to hike the peak, yet it was a sunny day and only 14 miles to Creede so I decided to go for it. It’s a 1.3 mile hike from the pass to the peak, a gradual climb with the latter portion over shale. It was very windy along the ridge; my trekking poles helped to anchor me against gusts. It felt very satisfying to reach the 14er’s summit.

Route interlude: The CDT loops to the west through the San Juan mountains and most of that terrain is over 12,000 ft. It’s lovely – I hiked about half of it on the CT – but it’s exposed. At this point, I have alpine fatigue so the views are no longer stunning. Plus, the mornings and evenings are already chilly so I have no wish to be above tree line in inclement weather. Hence the Creede cutoff, which travels south and chops 80 miles off the loop. It also provides access to the Elwood Pass alternate, a low route option.

After descending San Luis, I traversed hillsides and went over two 12,000+ ft. saddles before I reached the side trail to Creede. After 1.5 miles, the route transitioned to a dirt road. Craig was also walking the road and when I stopped for a lunch break, he joined me. We chatted about thru-hiking until a lady slowed her vehicle to ask if we wanted a ride; Craig said yes. It was a scenic road walk. There were colorful aspens, a steep-walled canyon with a roaring creek, and impressive mining ruins.

In Creede, I picked up a resupply box from San Juan Sports. Burger King was there, drinking a beer, and I sorted my box on a large table. The town offered free camping at the baseball diamond, however it seemed unappealing with a rainy forecast. In the park across the street, I saw a thru-hiker that I didn’t know so I went over to chat. His name was Panty Pirate, from the Czech Republic, and he was also trying to figure out lodging for the night. An ex-coworker in South Fork offered to pick me up so I called him.

About 45 minutes later, Adam fetched me and we caught up on the drive and at his house, an architecturally unique building with a domed front portion. Unfortunately, his wife Francine had just flown to Portland so I didn’t get to see her. The family dog Izzy was a cutie who happily accepted petting.

Day 98

It was a gray, drizzly morning. After coffee and breakfast, Adam generously offered to drive me back to Creede. I was going to slack pack for the first time on the CDT! I put my sleeping bag (bulk to keep my pack cover on), food for the day, two liters of water, and a handful of other items in my pack. On the drive, we saw a brilliant rainbow, both ends and the full arc visible, with a faint second arc above.

In Creede, I ran into Panty Pirate in the park. He’d slept in the baseball field dugout, joined by Stripes. He said it was an okay shelter, but he missed his tent walls and didn’t sleep great.   PP’s girlfriend was on her way from Gunnison and they planned to get a hotel room. On the edge of town, I encountered Craig. He’d decided to bail on the CT due to the weather forecast for the San Juans, though he enjoyed his trail experience. Craig plans to finish that section and do more thru-hikes.

I road walked the 21 miles from Creede to South Fork. Initially and several miles down the road, I got wet, however after each time the sun came out and dried my clothing. Around 1 pm, I stopped at the Cottonwood Cove Guest Ranch and got a probiotic drink to go with my lunch, which I ate at a picnic table. Although the road shoulder was narrow, most passing cars moved over. It was a scenic road walk with the Rio Grande river and mountain vistas.

Back at Adam’s house, I did laundry. He made us a delicious vegetable curry, with rice, for dinner. In the years since we worked together, his daughters graduated from college, one is an aerospace engineer and the other a chemical engineer.

For the second time, the button on my pants had popped off so I sewed it back on. Unfortunately my stye, which never fully healed, was once again swollen and irritated with a pus spot. I gave my face a thorough cleaning and applied ointment. It was luxurious to sleep in a bed for a second night.

Day 99

Adam made coffee and I ate hot rather than cold oatmeal. We idly chatted about various topics. Then it was time to go; I was grateful for the conversation, bed, shower, laundry, coffee, and dog petting! It was chilly, only 35 degrees when I set out. On my way out of South Fork, I stopped at Doc’s Outdoor Sports to purchase homemade chocolate fudge. The owner was friendly and gave me a little extra.

It was my longest day in a while, 27 miles, the first 8.5 miles on a paved highway with a wide shoulder and the rest on a very good dirt road. While on the highway, the coffee I had earlier triggered a desire to dig a hole. Luckily I was hiking by a closed campground area and saw a port-a-pottie. The road in was gated, but I climbed a low fence and accessed the pottie.

The hiking was fairly easy, though I did gain 3500 ft. over the day’s course. At lunch, I had some fudge and it was delicious. The road had aspen and rushing creek views and occasional vehicle/ ATV traffic. I reached Elwood Pass slightly before 6:30 pm. As I got water for the evening, I saw three thru-hikers. My name was yelled by one; it was Burger King. Then a hiker I hadn’t met before, named Scurvy, came over to check out the water source.

I left the Elwood Pass alternate and went 0.1 miles on the CDT. Then I saw a flat spot so I set up my tent. From that point, I had access to either the green low route or the red CDT high route, both a similar distance. As I changed into bedtime/ warm layers and cleaned my face with a wet wipe, I checked the weather. It looked good for the next two days. I decided to take the CDT route through the South San Juan mountains.