Monday, August 24th, 2020
We all met up at the “Kendall Mountain Cafe” for a hearty breakfast before hitching back to the trail. Courtney, the awesome waitress from yesterday was there again. It was a really cold morning and we were hoping it would get warmer as the day progressed. After gathering our resupply, getting packed up and checking out of the lodge, we were ready to hitch back. Dr. Thunder had caught a ride with a trail angel named “Fresh Grounds” to drop off his van further south so he could hike with us. We were excited to do some miles with him.
After a long wait, we caught a hitch from a couple from Silverton, Nick and his girlfriend Jessica. Nick was familiar with the Colorado Trail so he was aware of what we were doing. He had aspirations of hiking the trail sometime in the future. His Subaru wasn’t sounding so good by the time we reached Molas Pass which was where we left off. Fortunately, Thunder used to be a helicopter mechanic in the Army, so he knew a thing or two about motors. Apparently something just came loose and needed to be tightened.
It started out pretty mellow. The trail was fairly exposed but it was early, so I welcomed the heat. All of us kind of kept to ourselves during this section. Dr. Thunder took off, Frisbee and Filter were behind me, and me and Bang would run into one another off and on. We both were standing by some pines when it began to hail. A thunderstorm was passing through and we were approaching a pass, so we weren’t sure if we should wait it out or not. Weather in the Colorado mountains is pretty strange. Clouds seem to bump off of mountains like pinballs, so you never know if you’re going to dodge the storms or get crushed by them until you’re already in the thick of it. Fortunately we didn’t have any issues.
It rained most of the day, but there were many waterfalls and pleasant views throughout this section. Frisbee caught up with me as I was making my way over the pass. On our way down, we crossed several streams. One of the streams we crossed stained the rocks white. I’m not sure what minerals were in the water to cause it, but I found it neat.
We were pretty soggy by the time we ran back into the Babysitter’s Club. Dr. Thunder was there too and they were all set up for the night. My birthday was approaching and the Babysitters Club were sweet enough to give me a gift. Thanks again, guys! They gave me a card with a big bag of Skittles inside. The Skittles didn’t survive long. They were inhaled before bedtime.
Frisbee and I wanted to squeeze in four more miles. We still had plenty of daylight available to do so. I was trying to finish the thru hike on August 26th, my birthday, so I could relax and celebrate in Durango. Everyone else stayed behind while Frisbee and I hiked until we reached a nice ridge at miles 435.9. We had a pleasant sunset and it wasn’t too windy overnight.
24.8 miles (39.9 km)
Jump Ahead to The Colorado Trail: Part 24
Jump Back to The Colorado Trail: Part 22
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Start from the Beginning: The Colorado Trail: Part 1
Stubbs Rambles On 