Day 33 – Into The San Juans (for real this time)
Day miles: 28.6
Trip miles: 609
I tried to get going early, but it took me a while to get ready and tape up my feet. I wanted to make sure they were ready to withstand the 12-mile road walk out of Chama to Cumbres Pass. Stormy left about 30-40 minutes before I did.
The road was lined with picturesque scenery and actually had a decent shoulder, so most of the time I walked on relatively smooth dirt, not the hard asphalt. My brand new pair of shoes felt amazing! It’s crazy how over time I forget what new shoes feel like. I’m sure I’ll beat them into the ground soon enough!
When I reached the pass where I would head north on the trail, a flood of emotions rolled over me. This was where my 2019 hike got “interesting,” and where I opted to walk roads and low-route alternates around the snow-packed San Juans. Today, I was going in!
It has been a lighter than average snow year and summer has come fast to Colorado. I knew it should be a very manageable year to hike through, especially given my timing of mid June. That said, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Would the passes be gnarly? How dangerous would the snow fields be? Would I be alone the whole time? Nevertheless, I knew that a big part of my hike was confronting these fears. I was also excited to see what I had missed in 2019. It was game on!
As I made my way north on the trail from Cumbres Pass, it was clear that New Mexico was in the rear view mirror. Desert tans and salt bush were replaced with tall conifers, fields of green, and wildflowers galore. Small pops of yellow, white, and pink were all around. The air was cool despite the hot sun, and I was climbing higher. It’s funny how terrain can change so quickly.
I climbed up a dip and up. Chama sits at 7,886 feet in elevation. Before the day was over, I would climb up over 12,000 feet! That’s a lot of elevation gain in one day, and believe me – the climbs above 11,000 feet made me feel like I was working overtime.
The scenery in this stretch was out-of-this-world gorgeous. The trail wastes no time in getting hikers up to higher elevations. Everything is a postcard. At one point I stopped to photograph a flower and spooked a huge elk that was resting in some tree cover about 10 feet away. I only saw its flank as it tore off away from me. It’s massive body sounded like boulders crashing down into soft mud as it bounded away. I wish I had been able to see the rest of it.
One of the other things I noticed about Colorado is a special fragrance in the air. I am not sure if it was plants or the wildflowers, but it is a delightfully pleasant smell. It made me feel like I was walking through Bavaria surrounded by Edelweiss. I’m not sure why as I don’t even know what those smell like! All I know is, I wish they made a bed sheet spray with whatever that scent is. Colorado smells good!
I made it up and over a few passes. It was very windy without much tree cover, but I got lucky and found a spot somewhat sheltered from the wind 16.6 miles into the trail, just before another pass.
It was a big day of hiking! I was absolutely exhausted. I camped at about 11,800 feet, which would help with some acclimatization overnight. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. I was a bit nervous as I knew I would have to deal with some snow tomorrow. But, I was too tired to care and knew that I would just take it as it comes. I hadn’t seen another hiker all day. Stormy was somewhere ahead of me. I knew Draggin and Blueberry would be making there way in from Cumbres Pass tomorrow. When you’re alone, it’s nice to have people both ahead and in front of you!
I was so grateful just to be in the San Juans today, to have a second chance at this trail full of raw beauty. My eyes were spoiled today, so I must rest them for tomorrow. I hope I never take for granted seeing these rare and wonderful places.
Day 34 – The San Juan Olympics
Day miles: 23
Trip miles: 632
Today was like my Olympic tryouts. I think I passed, but by the end of it all, I was whooped! The day’s events included:
- Crossing at least 4 passes.
- Navigating snow fields, several with high consequences. Some required using microspikes.
- Glissading down a short, but steep snow bank and over a creek. Glissading is a fancy term for sliding on one’s butt through the snow.
- Crossing a swift-moving snow-melt stream.
- Walking through snow-melt mud and muck.
- Dealing with an entire day of high winds. I almost got blown over several times. This made navigating sketchy snowfields more “interesting.”
I don’t know if I would make the hiker Olympic team – probably not. But, I was proud of myself for dealing with the hard stuff like a champ – no hemming and hawing, just digging deep and getting it done. I was also grateful to make it through unscathed, minus a few bruises and scrapes.
I tried to get going really early, but I move slowly when it is cold and windy out. It actually wasn’t that cold – it just felt that way because I have been used to the New Mexican heat. I started hiking around 6:15-6:20AM.
I took a lot of video and photos today. If yesterday was full of postcards, I guess today was full of…..Monets? Anyway, my point is, the scenery just keeps getting more raw, more dramatic, and more unbelievable. I don’t feel at home here though. It is a harsh environment, and while the mountains may entertain me as a guest, they are quick to make the point that I should keep moving along.
The day was full of on-stop, gusty wind. I don’t know how fast the most powerful gusts were, but I was almost blown over on multiple occasions. My ears and head were filled with howling wind sounds. There’s nothing quite like strong wind to take up the anxiety level a tad when I’m at high elevations. I got used to it though – it was all day, after all. I’ll take wind over thunderstorms or snow any day!!
There wasn’t a lot of snow to walk through. Most of the trail was pleasantly clear. When I did encounter snow on the trail, most of it was an easy walk over or I could find a way to go around. There were, however, a few “special” spots.
When I arrived at the first sketchy snow field, I tried not to think about it too much. It was short. It was on a slope, but not super steep, so it was pretty straightforward – just cross over slowly, easy peasy. Then I noticed that it was not just a patch of snow, but a snow chute that dumped over the cliff. If you slipped and slid over, you’d be done. Hmmmmm.
Fortunately it was an easy cross. I used my microspikes just to be sure of my footing. They really help a ton! For me, the key is to focus on my feet. That’s the most important thing – footing and keeping a steady balance. I never look down towards the ledge, or whatever the consequences are. I just focus on the mission at hand. I find this works really well to calm my nerves.
There were a few more fields like this today, though none seemed as nerve-wracking as the first. I wore my spikes any time there were high consequences if I fell. All in all, I was happy with the fact that the snow crossings weren’t worse! I feel incredibly lucky and grateful for that. I have mad respect for anyone who made it through this first section in 2019. I honestly don’t know how they did it. Winter mountaineering is about as attractive to me as just jumping off a cliff.
There were so many good views today it was ridiculous! I saw some pikka at the first pass. Their unmistakable chirps gave them away. They really live in some harsh conditions!
I also saw some animals that may have been marmot, but I don’t think they were. They were orangish and had long tails like a monkey. I’ve seen marmot before so I think these were something else.
The amount of dead trees due to beetle infestation in the San Juans is alarming. It feels like 75% of the trees are dead! I had heard beetle kill was an issue, but to see it at such a large scale was staggering. I wonder if there will be any fir trees left in 50 years.
The wind was merciless today. I almost lost my hat for good on several occasions. At one point if blew off before I could catch it. If not for it getting wedged behind a rock, it would have been gone, far in the valley below.
I aimed for about 25 miles today, but the wind was so crazy that I stopped a little short. Tomorrow will start with a big climb – I didn’t want to risk doing this today and not finding shelter from the wind for the night. Instead, I stopped in a valley beside the Conejos River. I walked down to the first fork of the river, gathered water, then realized that the wind was too strong. I had only passed one calmed spot all day, and that was about a half mile back, so I backtracked and went off trail to try and find a flat spot.
I found Stormy’s water bladder just before this point. It was sitting in the middle of the trail. Fortunately, he probably won’t need it until I see him in Pagosa Springs. I ran into another hiker as I was looking for a camp spot. He already had his tarp set up, also trying to get out of the wind.
His trail name was Motorhead and he was from Bend, Oregon. You may recall that another hiker, Chef, whom I last saw in Grants, was also from Bend. I feel like I need to check that city out! Motörhead was section hiking the CDT, doing a few bigger sections this summer. He also noticed that this was the only place the wind seemed to be slightly blocked by trees and the bend in the landscape.
Late on the afternoon, I noticed that the sky was very hazy in the various valleys I climbed around. It almost looked like smoke, which was nerve-wracking, but there was no odor of smoke. I believe it was just dust kicked up by the incessant winds. I think if it was smoke there would have been a noticeable odor. Motörhead said he thought he smelled smoke once, but not consistently. We both agreed that we hoped it was just dust!
I was grateful for the adventure today, the stunning views, and the exercise that left me spent. I was also thankful to see another hiker – now I have someone quite close, which is comforting.
Tomorrow I plan to hike about 24 miles, putting me 3 miles before Wolf Creek Pass where I will hitch to Pagosa Springs early the next day. It’s something like a 20 mile hitch, but hopefully it won’t be too difficult to get a ride. I shaved in Chama so I wouldn’t look too scuzzy!
My plan is to hitch into Pagosa early, resupply, eat, and then hitch back to the trail. Colorado is not the cheapest of trail towns, so I am going to be a bit frugal when it comes to town stays where I can be.
From Pagosa Springs I’ll hike the next leg of the San Juans, which will no doubt have its moments, and then after about 115 miles of trail I’ll hitch to Lake City. I will probably stay there overnight to clean up.
Ok, time for bed! Big day and more snow fields tomorrow. Sounds like only a few are sketchy. I’m sure the scenery is going to be a real treat!
Day 35 – The Blowdown Olympics
Day miles: 26.5
Trip miles: 658.5
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that it wasn’t crazy windy. It also felt a bit warmer out. I got myself together. Usually I hop out to pee, then dive back in my sleeping bag and eat breakfast in my tent. I often eat 3 oatmeal packets. I just pour a little cold water in each packet and eat them that way. Then I floss and brush my teeth, pack up, do my morning business, pack up ku tent and head out. If I have to tape my feet it slows me down, but my feet were good this morning.
The day’s hiking was beautiful, and definitely a notch down in difficulty from the past two days. The first part of the day had a few snowfields to cross, but that was it. Much of the trail was along the side of mountains or well-graded, so nothing felt super steep and I was able to make miles fairly quickly, initially. Then came the blowdowns.
Blowdowns are what we call fallen trees across the trail. Sometimes, when there are a lot of them in succession or they block narrow parts of the trail, it can be a challenge to get around them. Mostly though, they act as speed bumps and can really make for slow going.
At first, I only ran into a few after I hit the junction where another route, Elwood Pass alternate, hits the CDT. Then came more. And more. And MORE. It could have been worse for sure, but it made for slow going. I climbed over, under, around, down and up to get by. Sometimes there were huge clumps of them, which actually made it easier in cases where I could jump from one lower fallen tree to a higher fallen tree, like steps to get over. It wasn’t that bad, and my arms finally got the workout they have been craving this entire trip. Glass half full right? I’ll take blowdowns over snow any day.
I saw some deer during the day, as well as a few more pikka and a marmot. Towards the end of the day and right after the blowdown olympics, I passed into the Wolf Creek ski area and took a break at a workers hut on the top of the mountain. The wind was fierce up there, so it was nice to sit inside the concrete box for a bit and have a snack.
A German hiker who goes by Campfinder popped in. He is also thru-hiking, but started early and flipped up to Wyoming because of snow. He’s now doing the San Juans. We chatted for a bit and then I headed out to find a place to sleep closer to the road.
Tomorrow morning I will hitch from the road at Wolf Creek pass into Pagosa Springs, about 20 miles away. I plan to get something to eat, resupply, and hopefully have luck hitching back out! I was grateful for the relatively mellow trail today, and for the beautiful blue skies. It will be interesting to see Pagosa Springs tomorrow.
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