Day 73 – September 26
Rise and shine was around 6:45am this morning as the light just started to show from behind the mountains. We were thankful for the restful sleep and noticed that it had been warmer than we were used to! So nice! Thank goodness as well because we forgot to put our water filter in my sleeping bag where it goes before bed every night. If it freezes, it breaks. Yikes! There was no frost on the ground for the first time in a couple of weeks so I think we are in the clear.
Ryan got us powdered milk and captain crunch for breakfast which was delicious and fun. We ate, took down camp, and set into the day.
Despite being so close to the Holy Cross Wilderness, this section of trail is particularly busy since it is also near several popular trailheads. We passed lots of other hikers, some on backpacking trips and others just our for the day. One hiker, Boiled Frogs, told us about his time section hiking the CDT and finishing it in 2013. So cool!
Ryan’s IT had several bad moments today so we took our time and had lots of stretching breaks. It was fun terrain, mostly low rolling hills instead of the big up and down mountains we have been doing recently. What a nice change of pace. We spent most of the day breathing through our noses after hearing about its positive effects and got pretty good at climbing an incline with smooth, long and deep nose breaths. It’s strangely doable!
The end of the day brought cell service so we called some friends and family to pass the time and I took care of some online errands. We are camped tonight at the trailhead for Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado at around 14,400ft, so we will reach our highest height tomorrow morning. Woo!
Day 74 – September 27
Elbert. What a mountain. Honestly…. what a pretty average big mountain… But the WIND. Oh the wind. We had no idea that Elbert wasn’t always, literally, knock-you-over-and-make-you-loose-your-precious-footing windy until we got down to lower ground and saw how crazily the trees, that are normally very poised and composed, were dancing and flipping around.
I guess we landed on an abnormally windy day for our hike and man we felt it.
It took about 4 hours for us to go from the 10,000ft trailhead at 8am to the 14,400ft summit. The trail was probably between 3-4 miles but the insane winds and huge elevation change left us moving at a snail’s pace.
The way up was COVERED in other hikers. It was fun to pass a lot of them also on their way up with our seasoned hiker legs carrying us along, big packs and all! We had a lot of comments about how cool we were to be hiking in our backpacking gear. There were also a lot of questions like, “how long have you been out?” To which I enjoyed answering: “74 days” and getting an astonished face in front of me.
We felt like white buffalo: rare, and appreciated for being such.
Shoutout to Jodi and Anne Marie who we had the pleasure of hiking with and getting to know at the start of our hike, as well as to the young couple whose name we forgot! 😭 we met you on the way down and if you remind us of your names, we will put them in for you 😊
After a very long climb, which by now I have gotten good at reminding myself along the way that it’s going to be a while until I can rest, so it’s best to just not even think about it and instead climb away, we reached the top. My legs still felt very fresh all things considered but my fingers were practically numb with cold and sitting still while we ate a snack and chatted with others at the summit made the rest of me start to shiver within seconds. It was crazy chilly with the wind and high elevation.
Our plans to hike down the far, south east side of Elbert (red line) changed in my mind as we made our way up in the uncomfortable wind. The south east ridge side is more challenging and very exposed with wind like today, but would drop us off far along the official CDT trail (purple line). Hiking back down the north trailhead (green line) which we came up, or the south trailhead (yellow line) right next to it would mean way less exposure, but also a much longer hike when we made it back to the trail. Since we were so tired at the top we decided to take the southern trail and think about hitching to make up the distance we would loose.
Once again, over time, our plans in my mind began to shift. For some reason, the idea of Chinese food seemed to be the reason for living and Buena Vista would be just a hitch away. It would also cut off about 30 miles of trail so it seemed too big a sacrifice to justify. I told Ryan “the little devil on my shoulder is telling me to go to Buena Vista when we hit the road and get Chinese food.” To my surprise, he said not a bad idea! It was supposed to be a joke but was quickly turning into a beautiful reality.
We decided to cut the miles out of our trek and go for the hitch into BV. It still took a few hours to get to the highway below, a few hours of nearly all downhill, but when we made it we stuck out our thumbs and quickly got a ride from a van life couple in their 50s with a gorgeous Mercedes van. They were so fun to talk with and asked us great questions as well as offered us drinks. So nice!! They are from Boulder and have added another tally to the cool people we have met that live in Boulder. That city is looking more and more appealing by the minute.
They dropped us off where the road split and they took the north fork while we needed to head south. We were picked up again soon after by a threesome of hikers. The driver had hiked a big section of the PCT and all of the CT! It was great talking with them and before we knew it they were dropping us off at the only Chinese food restaurant in town. The food was expensive and pretty good. We ate slowly then made our way down towards the river in Buena Vista and found a tucked away stealth camping spot by the baseball fields. Time to rest under the indirect glare of stadium lights and nearby voices.
Day 75 – September 28
Happy Birthday Michaela, my beautiful sister! 😊❤️🎂
Our sleep by the baseball fields was filled with strange dreams. Probably the stadium lights and whoever was playing a game not 50 yards from us helped with the surrealism. It was a good rest though and we slept in then began our walk to breakfast.
We ate two breakfasts, one on the way to the cafe we scouted out with google, and another when we made it to said cafe. We passed a cheap taco shop with breakfast burritos that was calling our name so we seized the day, and the burrito, then continued on to The Rooster’s Crow. There we ate much more than our comfort levels would have recommended but it was nice to sit down and have some time to look over future plans.
We are going to be ending our hike in a couple of months and life after is starting to take shape in our minds. It’s strange to be making plans already, but also feels nice to have a picture of what’s to come.
After breakfast we picked up the package that Ryan’s mom and dad sent to us with the mittens and buff I accidentally had shipped to their house instead of Breckenridge. Whoops!! Thank you so much Susan and Jon Wagner for getting the goods to us and also adding such thoughtful treats! We love you!
Now armed with a new arsenal of cold weather gear, we made our final stop in town at City Market for a seven day resupply. Our next stretch is planned to be 140 miles. It’s very stressful trying to buy all the food you need while also considering the weight of each item. We try to bring JUST as much as possible without packing too much. Too much weight makes the hiking a total drag.
Thankfully, to help cut the stress, we ran into our friend Lunar in the parking lot! He is the CDT hiker who drives his truck south and hikes north in coordination with All In and Happy Dance who also have a vehicle. He offered us a ride to the trailhead, which we gratefully accepted, and his generosity didn’t stop there. He had acquired many delicious homemade treats after a visit from friends this weekend and passed us as many as we could eat.
We also met a cool traveler in the grocery store parking lot named Dr. John who has hiked the trails cross country trails multiple times and is currently biking to all 48 contiguous states. So cool! He is a more seasoned gasoline-free traveler than I ever expect to be. Go Doc go!!!
It was great riding with Lunar and talking on our way to the trailhead. He dropped us off, we ate some more, and he topped off our waters before we parted ways and began to hike. Today was nearly all above tree line and very windy and cold. It was also gorgeous and after the food fuel we took in today I wasn’t minding much of anything. In fact, I was pretty much on cloud nine the whole hike! We met lots of other cool hikers including a couple in their 80s who had hiked the Colorado trail in their 50s and told us that the secret to their longevity was luck… and to never stop moving. Noted!
We also met a hiker, Glide, doing the Great Western Loop in sections which will ultimately be over 6,000 miles. So cool. There were multiple CT hikers, like Forrest Gump, who we met as well and we enjoyed sharing good will when we passed by each other on the trail.
Ryan is still having some serious pain near his IT band and we had to take several stops to stretch it out and rest today. Please please PLEASE heal up for us! It’s hard to see him in pain. I can tell it’s no joke.
Our campsite tonight is absolutely gorgeous set up next to the sunset. We are also right by a little spring piping out clear water from a huge rock face. Dinner was lighter than normal since we had to forgo the Zatarains which were out of stock in Buena Vista and instead return to Knorr sides. Thankfully the butter we bought made it very tasty. We are cozy and ready to rest for tomorrow… goodnight!
Day 76 – September 29
Over it. Literally and figuratively.
We did a lot of up and down today, over lots of summits and saddles, and at the moment of writing this I am over the idea of hiking for two more months. This isn’t the first time I’ve been here, I’m hoping it will pass because it sounds so romantic and wonderful to finish the season out strong. It might be the cold, or our extra heavy packs, or the slow progress we are making, but right now hiking is not what I’d like to be doing.
It’s hard to admit this because so much of my identity is wrapped up in our adventure. I want to be able to say I finished the trail and to know I was able to push through the hard times.
Today was beautiful despite the hardship. There were clear blue warm skies, autumn colors, and we went across several basins with great views, each reminiscent of each other but slightly different from the last.
We woke up at 4:45am to Ryan’s alarm which he had been awake waiting for for about an hour. I had been fast asleep and slowly woke up in the dark for a bowl of cereal in our jet boil stove.
We were slow to get going and just as we had gotten all packed up I noticed a loose strap on the ground that matched my backpack a little too closely. Turns out something had been busy while we slept and completely chewed through a couple spots on my shoulder strap!! My backpack was rendered inoperable until two hours later when I finished mending it with my sewing kit. Ryan also found a surprise. His trekking poles had been gnawed at and both straps were completely eaten off! What possessed a critter (which we suspect was a Pika) to do this? We have no idea. It was certainly a wrench thrown into our plans though and despite waking up before sunrise around 5am, we left camp at 8:30. Yikes.
Hiking in the morning was still a joy though and we ran into a group of three young ladies who had been on the PCT this year but jumped to the Colorado trail after the crazy fires hit.
Ryan dealt with pain in his IT band all day and we took several breaks to stretch it out and buy some time before it began barking again. It’s really hard to see him in pain. It’s also difficult to decide what we should do because days off for rest almost certainly mean we don’t make the Mexican border, and pushing on means pain and slowed progress. Possibly a worse injury. No fun.
Later in the day we met too more hikers who are working their way through the Collegiate Peaks and we enjoyed their enthusiasm. They were very stoked on being out hiking! Good for them! Go go!
Our camp came early tonight by a small stream. I am emotionally beat and also a little physically tired. Time for dinner, then bed.
Day 77 – September 30
In through the nose, out through the nose. We listened to a great audio book that Ryan discovered while listening to a Joe Rogan podcast a couple of days ago. It’s called Breath, by James Nestor, and I HIGHLY recommend it.
We are convinced of the benefits of breathing through your nose and worked hard to put it into practice again today. I cheated a few times while climbing a hill, sipping greedily through my mouth on the steeper stretches, but found to my surprise that breathing through my nose, even when I’m working hard, seems to be more satisfying overall than breathing through my mouth.
Along with a hyper focus on our breath today, we also hiked over some beautiful Alpine passes and by some gorgeous lakes. We saw only two other hikers all day today and even hiked until after sunset.
We are settled in below the Monarch Mountain Ski resort and are both ready to devour a Knorr sides wrap. Yum yum! Here we come!
Zero in Salida and a stay at The Butterfly House
Ryan and I had a slow morning, knowing we didn’t have any hiking to do until at least after a resupply in town about 20 miles away. We got up, packed up, skipped breakfast since we knew it would be coming soon, and stepped onto the mountain highway to hitch.
This road was NOT built for pedestrians.
It was a little scary hugging the shoulder and walking next to a huge drop off with cars coming around the bend at speeds over 50mph. Thankfully we soon found a safe enough spot with a pull out nearby and posted up to hitch into town. We were picked up by our first Jeep! Clint was using the family car to head home from a scouting trip, looking for sign of elk since his tag is coming up.
He dropped us off at a crossroads where we needed to go south and he was headed north.
We spent a few hours at the gas station there where we drank warm morning drinks, ate a little, and met a really cool gasoline truck driver named Jeff. Hi Jeff!!! I loved meeting you and hearing about your life. He taught me a lot about how gas stations and farms get refueled and then about what it is like to have been a policeman, and educator, a parent, and now a grandparent. It made my morning having such a pleasant and friendly encounter.
After our breakfast stop, we walked a bit down to road and hitched again the rest of the way into Salida. This time we were picked up by Joshua and his two kids, Chelley and Nathan.
Ryan and I had joked in the past about being picked up by a parent with kids in the car, assuming it would never happen. I’m sure glad it did. I had so much fun talking with Chelley who is probably around the fourth grade. She was so sweet and mature for her age. It’s really interesting to get such an intimate peek into people’s lives when you ride in the car with them. You are in their very personal space and it makes for a great place for trusting conversation with very little pressure since you are both going your separate ways soon.
We resupplied at Walmart then grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds before walking downtown in pursuit of a foam roller for Ryan. We found no foam roller but chatted with many nice and helpful shop keepers as well as a cool artist on the street selling his work. After this we walked two miles back to Walmart and then began hitching out of town to The Butterfly House.
We decided to make today a zero and try out The Butterly House, the cool new hostel we keep hearing about.
A truck picked us up quickly, Shelley and Jerry had seen us leaving Walmart around the same time we began walking out of town and they came to see where we needed to go. They drove us all around looking for The Butterfly House and were so kind and helpful! Yay! Thank you Shelley and Jerry!
After trying a couple different mountain roads we found the hostel and were greeted by a young man in a wide brimmed hat and unbuttoned shirt cutting wood with a table saw. This was Logan, AKA Mowgli. Soon after, we met Andrew who was painting a big moose on a big board and sported a mustache and shared the unbuttoned shirt look with Mowgli. Characters! They were both working for the owner, Shane, who was out for the day in Denver. In exchange for rent and space for their crafts, Mowgli making very nice fancy beaver felt hats and Andrew painting and building his business, they were helping with the many projects the cabins needed.
Ryan cooked the two of us a pound of steak each and we feasted on that with a head of raw broccoli on the side. After dinner we were invited up to the old mine at the top of The Butterly House’s backroad. Cameron, a van lifer who was visiting from Aspen, also joined us. We shot clay pigeons up there and had a great time. Ryan surprised us all by shooting all three of his targets spot on before anyone else had been able to even hit one! Go Ryan!! Woot!!!
They pulled out a fire pit when it got dark and we enjoyed the night before heading back to the cabin. I had a shower then joined in on a delicious home cooked dinner. Thank you SO much to Andrew, Mowgli, and Cameron. You guys were serious fun to hang out with. Thank you also for these gifts on my phone which I found the next day:
Ryan and I went to bed in the guest cabin and tucked into our little room across from Dave, AKA Glide. It was fun to see him walk into the hostel that afternoon since we had ran into each other a couple days back on the trail and lost contact.
Dave is the coolest hiker I’ve ever met. He is 70 years old and has been an outdoorsman for his whole life as far as I can tell. He hiked the PCT in 1972 and 1973, is one of around 30 people to thru hike the Grand Canyon, and is currently section hiking the Great Western Loop which includes the PCT, CDT, and trails that connect two the for over 6,000 miles of total distance. He packs a ukulele with him and is a fantastic conversationalist with many stories to tell. Better yet though his shares great opinions and very applicable and pertinent information. Glide, it’s a true pleasure to have met you.
Zero round two. Tattoos and the Monarch Lodge.
Waking up in The Butterfly House was a treat. We spent the morning talking with Glide while we ate and got ourselves ready to go.
Before leaving, I gave my first tattoo.
Yesterday it came up that Andrew had a tattoo machine and offered to let me use it to give him one. It was by far my first time even touching a tattoo machine and I was nervous but had always wanted to try the art out and had a very willing subject. Andrew you are awesome and braver than I.
Andrew has experience giving tattoos so I had an awesome teacher. After putting on the stencil of the Colorado Trail on his shaved foot, he showed me how to work the machine and turned his flesh over to me. It took me a bit to really get the feel and I made a little mistake, now a permanent part of Andrew’s body, but overall it went well. Now I have officially tattooed someone and Andrew officially has the Colorado Trail on his foot. Woo! What a rush. I had adrenaline in my veins and would definitely do it again.
Ry and I left after a nice group photo and walked a short distance up the main road to the Monarch Lodge where we got a room for one more day of rest.
It was great to have our own very cozy space and we enjoyed just laying in the huge cozy bed, taking a hot bath, and eating burgers at their restaurant. Very nice.
We ended the day with comedy and then a deep, pillow and duvet filled, sleep.
There and Back Again 