Although my intention had been to return to the PCT to complete last year’s hike on that trail, extraordinary California weather plus other hiking opportunities helped me decide to postpone my return for another year. I was invited to visit the Gunnison/Crested Butte area of Colorado for a day hiking trip with 8 of my local hiking compadres. After committing to visiting Colorado, it just made sense to go ahead and also complete my hike on the Colorado Trail (CT) that I had begun in 2021.
Songbird and I hiked mostly southbound (SOBO) to Gunnison in 2021 but had skipped a couple of the northern segments, so it made sense for me to start hiking at the southern terminus in Durango and hike north 184 miles toward Gunnison, then complete the missing segments after the week of day hiking with my friends. For those not acclimated to Colorado’s high elevations it is generally not recommended to hike northbound (NOBO) on the CT because of the immediate ascent of the incredible San Juan Mountains. My plan to get around this recommendation was to spend a week in Durango to acclimate before starting my hike. I found an amazing tiny house to rent and scored a great Hotwire car rental which got even better after I was upgraded to a 4WD Jeep Renegade. My daughter decided to join me at the last minute for the week in Durango and we had a great time day hiking around this beautiful area, sightseeing at nearby Mesa Verde National Park plus enjoyed the epic train ride from Durango to Silverton and back.
Flip photos to preview The Week in Durango
As the week came to a close, I felt sufficiently acclimated and excited to start my hike. The trailhead was a mile or so away from the tiny house and I was able to get an early start. As always it felt great to be on my way and I reveled in the satisfaction of being exactly where I needed to be and where I am so comfortable and happy. A feeling of peace and tranquility surrounded me, and I eagerly surrendered to it!
I initially saw several trail runners and locals out for a morning stroll but as the day progressed ran into many thru hikers excitedly getting ready to cross the finish line. I definitely felt like I was swimming upstream today, and actually for the rest of the hike, as I crossed paths with the majority of long-distance hikers going in the opposite direction than I.
I had read that day 2 would be the start of the hard stuff and that proved to be correct as I began the steep climb up into the fantastic San Juan Mountains. Both the scenery and altitude made me breathless.
I could hear thunder in the distance and rain began to fall as I set up camp on a side trail to an overlook at an elevation of 11282 feet. The best sites with amazing views were already occupied but I was able to find a pleasant site trailside. The rain had ceased by the time I got my tent up and I retired early once dinner was taken care of and the mosquitos started to become annoying. I woke early to a pretty spectacular sunrise from my campsite!
The next section had a 14-mile stretch with no water, so I cameled up and filled my water bottles at the seasonal Deer Creek. It was not easy to locate but a family of campers directed me to the best scooping spot for the slow trickle that could hardly be called a creek. Today didn’t turn out to be quite as difficult as I expected. The trail was pretty level and very scenic. I didn’t need as much water as anticipated and ended the day still carrying a liter.
Shared a campsite at Straight Creek with a quiet but amiable section hiker. Some rain again during the night but fortunately everything dries really fast here. Lots of mule deer in the morning as I began the climb up to Blackhawk Pass. Although the days were hot it really cooled off at night and was quite chilly starting off in the morning. The views were again fantastic, and I drank it all in! It made me feel so content and at peace to witness such amazing beauty!
After getting my evening campsite set up, a herd of deer arrived and spent the rest of the night in the vicinity. One young doe lay in the grass next to me as I ate dinner. I could hear them munching grass, playing and snuffling around all night long.
Another great day of views as I ran into a lot more hikers, mountain bikers and even a herd of sheep with shepherd and dogs as I approached my first town stop. I was making better time than anticipated and pushed on towards Little Molas Lake with its dispersed camping site and the nearby road into Silverton. I decided to spend the night at what turned out to be a noisy but pleasant campground and try for a hitch into town the next morning.
Packed up early and walked a mile out to the road and extended my thumb. No more than five minutes passed, and 2 young fellows on their way to do some mountain biking picked me up and were chauffeuring me to Silverton. The hostel was full, so I was forced to pay more than I had hoped for a mediocre motel room. Couldn’t check in until later so went in search of breakfast. The recommended cafe was extremely busy, and the hostess asked if I would mind sharing a table with 2 young women. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and fun lively conversation. One of the women had also hiked on the PCT last year too so we commiserated about our adventures. I was aware that a gardening friend from where I used to live in the SC Lowcountry spent summers in Silverton and was surprised to learn at the hardware store that she and her husband stayed in a mining cottage a couple of streets over. I reached out and we met the following morning for coffee and to catch up. What a great town stop, plus my kind friend gave me a lift back to the trailhead.
The trail descended down and across the railroad tracks that my daughter and I had traveled on by train the week before. Then, a pretty tough climb but with a great payoff; a pretty cool moose sighting.
The following morning the sun was shining in my eyes, and I detected and heard movement ahead of me on the trail. Thinking it was a hiker coming towards me I was surprised to see yet another moose. Lucky me!
The trail continued to be a steep climb but leveled out once above tree line though the wind picked up pretty fiercely. Loved seeing the traces of past mining days and spent considerable time imagining what it must have been like to live and work here then. Trudged through some lingering snow and then fun to see others enjoying the trail via a different mode of travel than by foot or bike.
No shelter from the wind and concerned when I came across a baby bird screeching for its parent. It seemed to want me to take on that role, but I remembered that always best to leave well enough alone in nature, so fingers crossed its mother was close by and they reunited. An abundance of marmots seemed to be keeping an eye on me from rocks above making sure I followed proper wildlife protocol. Brought back memories of last year’s hike on the PCT.
Camped pretty high at 12487 feet and adjacent to a bubbling stream that evidently is the headwaters of the mighty Rio Grande. Apparently, I must be acclimated because I slept well, and the weather did cooperate though frost on the interior of my tent in the morning. Chatted with some friendly women the next day that insisted on taking my photo with the view as background. Again, the trail led me to another great campsite with a lovely sunset panorama!
Noticed more old mining activity as I crossed Carson saddle and began the lung busting climb up to the highest point on the CT. The wind was brutal today!
My next interesting encounter was with hundreds and hundreds maybe thousands of sheep. The shepherd on horseback thoughtfully led the sheep dogs away from me on the trail. Evidently, they can sometimes be aggressive toward hikers. The charming sound of bells around the sheep’s necks was reminiscent of earlier in the summer and hiking the Italian Dolomites.
I was approaching another chance for a town stop so pushed on to get as close as I could to the road, so I didn’t have as far to hike the following day. Wasn’t particularly happy with my dry and exposed campsite but found a little protection in some willow bushes. I could still hear sheep in the distance.
A little over 5 miles hike to Spring Creek Pass and the road into Lake City. A local church operates a shuttle for the 17 miles to and from town each day. I joined 7 SOBO hikers waiting roadside for the shuttle and a couple of them were trying for a hitch but with little success. Eventually a Texas couple in a pickup truck stopped and all 8 of us were able to load up. I found a place in the bed with several others and all our gear for the hair-raising ride to town.
What an interesting funky town! Stayed at the comfortable Ravens Rest Hostel and ate lots of really good food. I decided to take a zero day since I was making great time. Very much enjoyed exploring the town museum and learning about the area’s colorful history, particularly the gruesome story of The Colorado Cannibal, Alfred Packer. Things evidently took a bad turn when Packer and several fellow prospectors went up into the San Juans February 1874 and encountered a bad snowstorm. Not all returned! Speaking of hunger, the 2 fellows in the pickup above received resupply boxes from home that they no longer needed so shared some delicious homemade backpacking meals with me for the next segment. I selected the vegetarian options.
Lots of talk at the hostel about Snow Mesa, my next segment, and how exposed it was. Read somewhere that it is the largest expanse of alpine tundra in the lower 48. Turned out to be not too different or difficult than what I had already traveled but equally impressive. My chosen campsite was already occupied with yet another moose, but she moved on after I told her I couldn’t go any further today and needed this campsite for the evening.
Struggled some with the steep climbs, elevation, and just general tiredness as I slowly made my way towards San Luis Pass. There was the option to summit San Luis, one of the most convenient 14ers near the trail but my exhaustion plus afternoon thunder helped me decide it was not to be today! Did sort of regret that decision but added to my to-do list for if I am ever lucky enough to return to Colorado.
Today the trail started to drop to lower elevation and followed Cochetopa Creek with its numerous beaver dams and more cow sightings and lots of manure everywhere. Easier hiking and I had hoped to go further today but my lack of energy then some afternoon rain had me taking shelter in my tent to stay dry. Despite the rain stopping, I just decided to stay put.
The next day I decided to rename this section the bovine segment since it was so heavily populated with mooing beasts. It had few suitable water sources, so I made sure to camel up at the last spring though it was a questionable source too and plowed on through the exposed high desert and accompanying heat.
Last night on trail for this segment and though not particularly happy with the topography of my campsite, it did offer a nice glimpse of the sunset through the trees.
Not a particularly scenic section as I made my way towards Hwy 114, the road into Gunnison and as far south as Songbird and I had made it in 2021. Lots of tree clearing was going on, I suspect because of the Pine Beetle that has been decimating Colorado conifers. I remembered similar lumberjacking on the other side of the road back in 2021. I also remembered the very long wait for a hitch back in 2021 and as I approached the road, noticed with trepidation that again there was not much traffic. When I got to the trailhead, a police officer pulled up and handed me an ice-cold Gatorade. Ahhh thank you Sir! I asked if it was ok for me to hitch, and he said yes and told me he had to head in the opposite direction but would give me a ride into Gunnison if I was still there on his return trip. Just then a car approached, and I stuck out my thumb and miraculously the woman stopped and drove me the 39 miles into town. Thank you, I am again the beneficiary of outstanding Trail Magic!!!! After eating a delicious eggplant sub at Pie Zans where Songbird and I enjoyed delicious grub last time, I found a room at the Western Motel, a comfortable but older retro establishment. I had 2 days to rest and clean up before my friends arrived for the week of day hiking which is material for another post coming soon.
Skipping ahead about 10 days, my friends dropped me off in Buena Vista on their way back to Denver and where I spent the night in a nice but pricy lodge. I had pre-arranged a shuttle from local angel, Mark for the following morning to Clear Creek trailhead. This was where hiking warrior; Slipper had begun her 19-mile solo stretch back in 2021. I was connecting the dots from that trailhead SOBO to Mt Princeton Hot Springs, roughly 37 miles. I intended to hike it in a 3-day/2-night segment but underestimated how tough it was going to be. A lot of elevation gain and some sketchy weather in the afternoons plus I was feeling weary again but did manage to stay on schedule and knock it out.
Mark had told me to shoot him a text when I got to Mt Princeton and if he was available, he’d come pick me up but sadly he was out of town. I started the hot and exposed 7-mile road walk towards Buena Vista with high hopes of a ride but not much traffic again. Figured worst case scenario, I’d just walk to town and as I came to terms with that situation, a kind local women stopped and gave me a lift. I had found a more affordable Airbnb accommodation this time and it was a very nice comfortable room in the lower level of the host’s home.
After a delicious scone and coffee at a local coffee shop, I went to the Bustang stop to wait for the very late bus. Chatted with a guy also waiting with his bike after deciding to abandon his CT ride. Unfortunately, the bus was late because of mechanical issues and the substitute bus did not have the necessary bike rack apparatus and my new friend was out of luck. Hope he was able to make it back to Denver. I jumped off the bus in Fairplay and had several hours to kill before the next local bus arrived for the final ride to Breckinridge. I have figured out one of the best places to hang out when you have time to kill in an unfamiliar town is the local library; comfy chairs, good reading material, air-conditioning, and the bathrooms have flush toilets and running water. All pretty luxurious to us hiker trash.
My final section to complete the Colorado Trail was 14-mile Segment 7 and I intended to slackpack it from Copper Mountain back to the Fireside Inn in Breckinridge using the free local bus system. Unfortunately, I had begun to develop some unsettling digestive issues and was unsure that I was going to be able to complete the final stretch. Swallowed a couple of Imodium and figured I’d give it a try and if things didn’t improve, I’d just ride the bus back. Once the medication kicked in and I got going I felt much better, and the finish line was again within my sights.
As previously mentioned, there is a lot to love about Colorado particularly its namesake trail! It is often said that the San Juan’s are the icing on the cake of the Colorado Trail, and I certainly found that to be true. I felt like I got to eat dessert first by starting in Durango this time around. It was definitely my favorite section of the trail, and my timing was perfect to see the incredible wildflower display. There is a West Collegiate CT alternative that is reportedly amazing and I’m sorry to have missed it since I chose the East Collegiate route. Perhaps a possible future hike along with more exploration of the Maroon Bells area. I suspect I might be back Colorado!
Colorado Trail: 486 miles
This trip: 232.7 miles