Weary of the Snow in the San Juans

Snow has come early in the San Juans, according to a local, and I just got my butt kicked by the weather.  I am not the only one.  There are 13 southbound CDT hikers here in Pagosa Springs, and all but one (George) were forced off the Continental Divide by 18-24 inches of snow on the Divide.  Just today, when I crossed the Divide via the Sawtooth trail, I saw 4-5 inches of powder fall in the 9-hours I hiked.  It was brutal.

I attempted to hike through the San Juans last Saturday.  I made it from Spring Creek Pass to West Ute Lake before I had to bail on Monday.  I hiked the Ute Creek Trail down to Road Canyon Camp, where I endured temperatures in the single digits.  On Tuesday, I walked 26-miles on roads (mostly Hwy 149) all the way back to Creede.  I stayed there for the night, and I bought a new pair of shoes.  On Wednesday morning, I left Creede in a light snow shower, and I hiked the Creede Cutoff to a camp 5-miles below the Continental Divide.  This morning, I woke up to snow again, and I hiked up to the Divide.  The snow stopped momentarily, but then resumed after I got to Hope Mountian at 12,500-feet.  There, the snows really  kicked in again.  I walked about 12-miles through snow ranging from 6-inches to 24-inches, and now my legs are very sore from the experience.

I will be taking the day off here in Pagosa Springs to rest with all the hikers.  A lot of us feel like we have been through a battle, and we are going to decompress and talk about our experiences over the next day.  Hopefully, the weather will clear up for my next stretch through the South San Juans from Wolf Creek Pass to Cumbres Pass.  I guess that all remains to be seen.