Sunday, September 27, 2009

Approaching the San Juans

I arrived in Salida, Colorado on Saturday the 26th, and I have been staying here at the Simple Hostel. The weather for the last week has been cold and snowy, but it looks like the weather will be nice for the next few days until Wednesday and Thursday, when a small system moves through the area. This means that I will be attempting to hike the CDT through the San Juans here in Colorado.

This is a big deal, since one never knows what to expect for weather in the San Juans. I have had people tell me that it can dump 6-feet of snow in a day there, or it can be sunny and dry there until November. One does not know what to expect, but I figure that it's worth a shot. I have purchased some additional clothing, so that I can get through the snow, and bear the colder days, if they do come.

I am also approaching the end of Colorado. I figure that I have another 10-12 days here. I have loved hiking in this, my native state. I have appreciated the great and beautiful scenery, the history, and the people here. I will say that I have been disappointed with all the development (roads, powerlines, houses, mines, etc.) here in the mountains, and the environmental devastation wrought by mining. Some of the creeks up here in the mountains have been poisoned by mines, making some of the rivers uninhabitable to fish and other wildlife. Frankly, I have to be careful which creeks I draw water from, so that I am not ingesting chemicals and toxins. I think Colorado has a lot of challenges before it to clean up its rivers for all who depend on them for water and recreation.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Rough Weather Heading Into Twin Lakes

I hiked into Twin Lakes this afternoon, and I am glad to get out of the cold weather for a night.  On Sunday, a front moved through the mountains, bringing with it rain, snow, wind, and colder temperatures.  I was so chilled, I thumbed a ride at Tennessee Pass to Leadville, where I stayed at the the Leadville Hostel, and warmed up. 

I went back out on the trail on Monday, and the snow was falling at a pretty good clip.  Eventually, it stopped, and the sun came out, warming the day up to 40-degrees.  I camped at Halfmoon Creek that night, where temperatures fell into the high 20's.


I did not let the weather dampen my determination to climb Mt. Elbert (14,433-feet), which is the highest peak in Colorado, and the second highest peak in the contiguous United States behind Mt Whitney in California.  It was cold, snowy, and windy up at the top, so I spent maybe 5-minutes up there.  I scrambled back down Mt. Elbert, where I cross-country hiked through snow that was knee-deep in some areas, and then I followed the South Mt. Elbert trail down to the CDT.  It was quite the adventure, but I survived.

I will try and get my trail journal updated in full in Salida, Colorado, where I plan to take my next zero day.  While there I will update my videos on YouTube and pictures on Flickr.  Expect updates again on Sunday.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

At the Doorstep of Colorado's Front Range

After a wonderful break in Steamboat Springs, I resumed my hike through the Rabbit Ears and Never Summer Ranges in Colorado.  About 11-miles of that hiking was on US 40 and State Route 14, which was very precarious road walking (yuck!), but thankfully the rest of the mileage kept me up over 10,000-feet, which made for very scenic walking.  Certainly the highlights of the last section were climbing Parkview Mountain and skirting Ruby and Cascade Mountains on the boundary of the Never Summer Wilderness.

I have been resting in Denver at my brother's house for the last two days, but I am heading back on the trail today, where I will rejoin my companions for a 106-mile stretch through Colorado's Front Range, which will likely include climbs up two 14,000-foot peaks (Gray's and Torrey's Peaks).  Hopefully, the weather cooperates over the next five days through this fabled section of the Rocky Mountains.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

In Steamboat Springs... Hiking Never Summer Range Next!

I am in Colorado!  Yes, I am back in my native state, and I am loving the hiking along the Continental Divide.  The weather has been great, the scenery is outstanding, and I have seen a ton of wildlife.  Up to this point, I have liked this trail more than the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails combined!

I had a wonderful hiking experience in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness, and the group I am hiking with decided to take an unpublished, double secret hiking route around Mount Zirkel.  You can read about it here.  Needless to say, we deviated from the official route, and followed the true Divide through the wilderness area.  It was awesome.

I will be leaving Steamboat Springs on Sunday morning, and I will be heading toward the Never Summer Range, and Rocky Mountain National Park, which is east of here.  The trail will start to bend south again towards Grand Lake, where my brother will pick me up on Thursday afternoon.

I just uploaded photos to my Flickr site, and my trail journal is completely up to date, so check them out.  More updates to come on Thursday!