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Continental Divide TrailApril 7, 2021

CDT Bound!

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I was stoked to finally leave the very groomed Colorado Trail section so I could experience some new terrain. We had some big climbs, but we were rewarded with great views!

We had nice views up and over Kokomo Pass and most of the snow was melted. Copper Mountain coffee followed the next morning, then we began the long climb over the ridge to Highway 9 to take the free bus to Frisco. Zero!!!

When we camped by Twin Lakes, we not only saw Mount Elbert, but also some wildlife. A coyote casually strolled by us on the trail, and we watched a bat making “Top Gun” maneuvers as it caught mosquitoes to munch on. The next morning, we’d run back into a couple members of our tramily in town before camping in the Mount Massive Wilderness. Then we booked it for Tennessee Pass to hitch into Leadville, the highest city in the US at 10,152 feet. 😵‍💫😶‍🌫️ #sohigh #getelevated

Our trail family temporarily split in half. Frisbee and I took the Collegiate East route since we hiked through the west last year on the #coloradotrail . Collegiate East has caught so much negative flack, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it less boring and more beautiful than anticipated. Maybe it’s the season. Maybe it’s because I’m sick of snow. Regardless, I know we made the right choice!

We hit some snow going over San Luis Pass, then we went down into the valley seeing less and less snow as we traveled down. I saw two moose and a lot of elk by the creek, and the hiking was pretty mellow through La Garita Wilderness. The following day would have its challenges. There were a lot of blow downs, thunderstorms, post holing waist deep through snow, aches and pains due to the steep climbs while lugging around snow equipment, and I’d end up stepping on my calf with my crampons while losing my footing in my snowshoes. Fortunately all the hassle would pay off when we ended our day in one of my favorite towns in America, Salida, CO! How I’ve missed you!

Last year on the Colorado Trail, we hitched from the trail into Lake City. Several people told us how awesome Creede was so we decided to take a different route this time. Less snow on the trail was an added bonus! We arrived to some incredible trail magic thanks to Dennis and Joan, celebrated Horse’s birthday to some local reggae tunes in town, then passed by the remains of the old mines the next morning. Creede was super rad and hiker friendly! I’ll be back for sure!

We were stuck in Pagosa Springs over Memorial Day weekend waiting on our tarps. Not a bad town to be stranded in btw! Our tramily grew from 4 people to 5, and now we have 6 after adopting Wild Turkey. We hit more snow, but we’d eventually get down to a valley where we enjoyed a rainbow at camp after some light showers. Our last day would be snowshoe free as we hiked into Creede.

The San Juans were gnarly as hell! I was thoroughly tested mentally and physically. Many times a day I entered situations where I easily could have died, but was able to focus enough on the task at hand to push through. Big love to our chief navigator Horse, hype man Star Lord, snow traverse support Trigger, and most importantly, my ultimate support system Frisbee. I will be perfectly honest, there’s no way I would have gotten through if it weren’t for my awesome tramily. Thanks guys! ❤️

We often had to create our own trail since most of the actual CDT was in an avalanche zone. I was dehydrated, sleep deprived, and had no appetite which would significantly affect my ability to function. There were some sketchy traverses and ankle-breaking snowshoe climbs, but I managed to push through the suck. The scenery made it all worth it!

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