For the first time on this trail, leaving town was hard. Pagosa Springs had good coffee, better baked goods, and, most importantly, snow-free walkways. Despite the short walk into town and a good night’s sleep on a soft bed, my back, legs, and lungs remembered what I had asked of them and we’re looking for a reprieve.
Ohm and I decided to stick together for the 118 mile stretch to Spring Creek, a distance I would typically cover in 5 days. As we exited the back of a pickup truck at the top of the pass, my backpack straps strained against 7 days worth of calories haphazardly stuffed into it. The extra days were insurance against trail conditions likely to test my physical and mental endurance. Our co-pilot for the trip up to the pass, an excitable pit bull named Doug, gave me some good luck smooches as we left. I hope I don’t need them.
While some hikers elected to take a short cut in this section and save 100 miles and lots of elevation gain, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to walk through the Wemenuche Wilderness. In hindsight, it was the right choice. The first 3 days were covered in soft cold snow. Imagine walking through fields of unflavored Slurpee for twelve hours a day. My feet were rarely dry and only warm if I kept moving. Some of that slush covered steep hillsides and required each step to be taken with care. The sun beat down on us from clear blue skies, melting snow and reflecting hot rays onto every inch of exposed skin.
Despite the challenges, we were in an incredible place. Deer, elk, marmots, pika, rabbits, and chipmunks animated the landscape. The first spring flowers poked up in scattered patches of thawed earth and imposing peaks burst from the horizon; a preview of what is to come. In order to cover significant distance before the regular afternoon thunderstorms, an alpine start was necessary. Each morning, my 3:30am alarm would roust me from under my down quilt and push me to the trail by 4am. The sun would poke it’s head out an hour later and if we were lucky, would remain into the early afternoon. If all went to plan, I’d be napping under my tarp as the mid-day storms rolled through, catching up on sleep and resting my feet for the walking until sunset.
But things rarely go to plan and on the 4th day out, we were pushed off the exposed ridge as an unexpectedly strong storm system blew in on a cold wind. The low-route alternate followed Pole Creek and paralleled the divide in a valley a few hundred vertical feet below. The thunder and the rain came and went without sending any lightening across the sky but I felt much safer on the valley floor.
Five and a half days after leaving Wolf Creek Pass, Ohm and I crossed the 13,271 ft high point of the Colorado trail and cruised the remaining 14 miles down to Spring Creek Pass. As the days thunderstorm rolled in, I stuck my thumb out in the hopes of a ride to Lake City and a truck pulled over to help make my dreams of BBQ come true. As the truck wound down the mountain, we swapped stories with the couple in the cab and, while I grabbed my pack from the bed of the truck, the driver handed me a $50 bill. Lunch was on him today. Some folks really are too kind.
