000 Anneliese’s Continental Divide Trail Pages Page Seven - Today’s Date is 19 June 2002

My CDT Hike 2002

June 10, 2002 - The First Snow-Free Segment 00 Campy had me at the Timberline Trailhead at 6:45 AM to hike the 12.9-mile segment to the Mt. Elbert trailhead. This turned out to not be a particularly interesting or beautiful segment. The trail goes mostly uphill but is easy to follow. I saw the first blooming lupin, and also the segment was snow free. I arrived at the Mt. Elbert trailhead at 2 PM where Campy surpirsed me with a beer and chips and dip. I relaxed for 45 minutes and then continued to do seven miles of the next segment. This part of the trail has nice views of Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, as well as a wonderful expanse of beautiful, whole aspen forest. The current edition of the Colorado CDT guide has quit a few directional errors. When I arrived at Lakeview Campground near Twin Lakes I noted Campy's truck (Darth) and a familiar-looking tent. It turned out that the Australian couple, David and Genevieve ("Gen") saw Campy's truck too, and he invited them to share the campsite. It was good to see them again as I had thought that Gen might be suffering still from altitude sickness. But she was fine and fit. Campy fixed a wonderful dinner for all of us and we had no trouble eating every bit of it. The only wildlife I saw were two squirrels and a curious mule deer. At the last Mt. Elbert trail junction there was a sign which stated "Please stay on trail to avoid upsetting wildlife! The total miles that I hiked today were 20.

June 11 - Hope Pass 12,580 feet 00 Campy was up first today. All of us packed up and then David and I hiked to the town of Twin Lakes, and Campy drove down to meet us there. The town consists of a few businesses, such as a cafe, restaurant and inn, bed and breakfast, and a small store with a gas station and post office. Hikers can have packages sent to the store for pick-up. We were hoping to have a nice breakfast at the cafe but it doesn't open 'til 11 AM. The store doesn't open 'til 8:30 AM and we waited 20 minutes for it to open. I purchased some OJ, a muffin, and some Pepperidge Farm cookies. David and Gen decided to write postcards and relax until the cafe opened. I decided to get started hiking. I hiked West on Hwy 82 for about two or so miles to the parking lot and trailhead for the Willis Creek trail. This trail crosses the stream at the west side of Twin Lakes via a bridge. The trail then angles uphill in an easterly direction. The terrain is very steep and it continued that way pretty much up to Hope Pass at 12,580 feet. Along the way I met a 16-person church youth group from Nashville, Tennessee. They had a lot of gear and were planning to do Mt. Hope. About 3/4-mile below the pass I met a CDT hiker named Pete. We had met him (aka "Goomy") awhile ago farther south at Spring Creek Pass where he was hitching into Lake City. Pete gave me some information about the trail ahead and I gave him info about what lay ahead of him. It was another beautiful day weather-wise but there was gusty wind as I was going over the pass. The trail was equally steep going downhill on the other side - the toughest up and down to date. After a short roadwalk I spotted Campy's truck and was glad to sit down in a chair with a somewhat cold beer next to a lovely, noisy stream under the trees. I probably did ten (hard) miles today.

June 12 - Snow Cornice above Lake Anne 00 I took my time this morning; I started hiking at 8 AM from camp. About one mile to Winfield, formerly a mining community. Some of the buildings have been restored. Another two-mile stretch and I then completed Segment 23. Near the trailhead into the Collegiate Wilderness I was passed by a Jeep. I spoke with the young couple and they indicated they intended to climb Mt. Huron, elevation 14,003 feet. Also a man with a white leashed dog passed by. From the couple I learned that 40,000 people have been evacuated because of a forest fire in the Cripple Creek area. There is also a fire at Glenwood Springs and a new one near Eagle. 00 The biggest challenge today was getting across the pass above Lake Anne. There was still a sizeable snow cornice. I studied the situation when I first saw the cornice from below and it seemed as though the best route would be to the right up a snow-free slope. As I got closer and the trail brought me to the snow on the left side, I decided then to go up this side. Big mistake! The talus slope was steep and very unstable. Even a rock outcrop which was there was rather scary to climb around because pieces of rock would just easily break off. I just prayed and asked The Lord to get me up and across safely. I also took my time because there was no point in going back. Well, I breathed a lot easier when I stepped on solid ground! The wind had picked up and I didn't take the time to look around much. The trail now switchbacked down the south-facing slope nicely, and I took a break within the shelter of a large cairn. Now I was able to take in the scenery and marvel at the mountains. The remainder of the trail was mostly downhill with a few exceptions. I hiked a total of 16.4 miles, and am now camped at the edge of a wet meadow and forest. Earlier, from my tent I saw 2 elk grazing and I heard quail, frogs, and the sound of rushing water in the distance. Today I saw a cross along the side of the trail. It had carved on it "In memory of Cowboy Mike". This was another beautiful day.

June 13 - Yeah! Campy was Late 00 At daylight I could see, once again, three elk grazing in the meadow across the way from my tent. As I started packing up and making noises the elk slowly disappeared into the forest. I had four and a half miles of hiking left in Segment 24. Following the guide book's instructions didn't present any problem, but it seems that clearing out enough of the willows and deadfall from the trail across Texas Creek could be done in order to make the crossing there less of an obstacle. I reached the Cottonwood Pass trailhead at 8:30 AM. Here I waited for Campy's arrival at about 11:30 AM. (Yeah, I heard sort of an acid tone to her usually cheerful "Hello!" - but I was supposed to only be there at noon. - Campy.) In the interim I talked to several people including three guys in a blue and white SUV which had Virginia license tags. They were planning to hike the Colorado segment starting at the Colorado/Wyoming border on June 15. After a few refreshments I left at 12:15 PM to hike Segment 25 and get another 11.4 miles done. While hiking I kept thinking how much information is given and used by the footprints on the trail. Some go south, others go north. Am I seeing the same person's fresh prints for miles? for days? Is that person a couple of hours ahead of me, or days ahead? Is it someone I met or know? Seeing the same tracks can provide a certain comfort level, or is it that the person is going in the wrong direction? These are thoughts that cross a hiker's mind while trekking along. Campy and I had agreed to meet at Mirror Lake Campground. Campy's business card taped to the campground sign told me to look for him at campsite #10. I was again glad to get there and be able to sit in a chair, have a beer and snacks, and eat a good dinner. All that thanks to Campy being there with his reliable Nissan truck.

June 14 - Hancock, a Town That is no More 00 I started early, 6:45 AM, from mirror Lake. Campy took the usual photo while I was shivering in shorts and bare legs. The trail from the campground continued on a jeep road. If I haven't mentioned it before "I don't like hiking on jeep roads!". They are the old mountain roads built by miners and which now are used by adventure-seeking individuals who would rather be bounced around in a 4-wheel drive vehicle than expend energy to explore a remote area on foot. This jeep road went up across Tincup Pass and down the other side where the CDT finally branches of as a single track trail. The next pass I encountered was lovely and revealed beautiful Tunnel Lake where I noticed a few people fishing. I took a nice break to enjoy the alpine vista before me, protected from the wind by a few evergreens. As the trail started descending I had to cross a snowbank before reaching a junction with the old Hancock railroad grade. Although I usually avoid extra steps while hiking I did go the few hundred yards this time to view a tunnel that never was. As I continued on my way two CDT hikers approached. It was Ishmael and Grizzly and, of course, they wanted to know who was ahead and when I had seen them. Hiking this abandoned railroad bed was easy and, while hiking, I saw people who were a family group and, later at the end, there was another large group who had come there from Kansas. They were eager to give me directions to Hancock. Well, Hancock as an early mining town doesn't exist any longer. Now it is only an intersction of two roads. I found Campy's note taped to a sign, and I then had a further 1.6 miles to hike on the jeep road - all uphill, ugh! Campy and the truck were at the end of the road and I was happy to see both. The location was very nice, since it was surrounded by mountains on three sides. Campy had been shopping in Buena Vista and tonights meal consisted of grilled chicken, cooked snow peas, and rice pilaf. As I was relaxing a hiker with a big pack came along and just as I asked her name I recognized her as Marion who I had met in the San Pedro Wilderness. It was good to see her again. The three of us spent a great evening together. Todays hike was 15.3 miles in length.

June 15 - I've Finished a Chunk of Colorado 00 It was pretty cold last night. I have 17.5 miles of strenuous terrain to cover today, but it will bring me to Monarch Pass and the end of this hike section (I started out hiking in Colorado with Curly at Monarch Pass three weeks ago). I should stop telling when I begin hiking in the morning because it is almost always 6:45 AM! The trail started out around the west side of Lake Hancock and then it climbed up to the pass. On the other side of the pass the trail was often vague and hard to follow. Shortly below the pass I met four CDT through-hikers. The foursome spent the night in a cabin farther down the trail. Their names were Jeff, Swiss, Bear, and Luiza. All of them were in good spirits and were having a good time. A little while later I met another CDT hiker with the name of Ben and soon another hiker, Sly, caught up and joined Ben while we were engaged in conversation. We parted, and then the trail began to climb upward again, and eventually wound around Boss Lake Reservoir, with yet another steep uphill climb. Here I met another couple who were hiking the CDT. Unfortunately they had not received their mail drop at Monarch Pass and were without a guidebook, so I gave them what I had for the segment just to the north. The trail continued upward, and now the sky began to appear threatening, like it was going to rain. I passed another lake and then later a good-sized pond, and then reached the divide while following trail switchbacks and a yet steeper climb. I needed to put on my expedition Patagonia, and then it warmed again so I went back to shirtsleeves - a UV-protective shirt - along with my sleeveless Patagonia vest. At the very high point of the pass the trail became very faint, but large rock cairns were there to help me follow along the trail. From the pass it was roughly six miles of pleasant hiking mosly along the Divide, along with a few ups and downs while within the Monarch ski area. At Mile 14.8 there are interpretive plaques concerning the prehistoric game drives which occurred here. This activity occurred between about 3000 BC and 1800 AD, according to radiocarbon dating. The native people would build rock walls and then wait until game was trapped in front of these barriers, and then the animals would be killed. Every part of the animal was used for food or to make clothing or implements, with such activity all done at the game drive location. I arrived at Monarch Pass at 4:30 PM. After packaging up the stove fuel and maps we had saved for David and Gen, we left the box with the Monarch Pass store for later pickup when the Aussies arrive there, and then Campy and I left for Castle Rock. We saw on our way the gray sky from the large forest fire near Devils Head. In spite of the highly publicized major fires in Colorado, there were none which I could see while hiking the trail. The thick smoke and haze was first seen as we drove north and east toward Castle Rock.

Next Page ||| Return to Index