Tag: CDT

Start: Elwood Pass 12.4 

Stop: Great Divide 30.7

Today’s Miles: 30.4 

Total CDT miles: 732.3

I slept pretty well, for the most part, once I was able to quit tossing and turning. Our stuff stayed dry overnight! I thought for sure being so close to the river would mean condensation all over my quilt. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong! 

We were packed and hiking by 6:30, and man oh man did we cruise! We knocked out 13.4 miles to the town of South Fork before 11am! The dirt road we camped off of had stunning views, following along the river. There were lots of campers and vans out camping in gorgeous spots along the water. I’m glad we stopped where we did last night, because I think we took what looked like the last official “spots” along the road. 

The very first van that passed me offered me a ride, thinking something must have happened to my vehicle if I was walking this early. I explained I was hiking the CDT and they sounded genuinely impressed. I asked Pebbles if they offered him a ride too, and apparently they only waved at him as they rode by. He joked that he would have definitely gotten in the van if they had asked him. 

When we made it to town, we stopped in a fishing store to abuse their bathrooms and to let me buy some Velcro for my gaiters since my new shoes need to have some super glued onto them. I’ll be so happy to have them back! It’s amazing how much crap somehow manages to get into my shoes when I walk. I’ve been lucky that we’ve been on dirt roads and highways since I got them in Chama. 

From there, we debated on a food truck.. nothing looked overly appealing to Pebbles, so we kept walking. He picked up his new shoes and things from the post office and we got a few things at Dollar General. I had reached peak hunger level, and the restaurant we picked to go to was over a mile away. Spread out towns blow sometimes. As we were walking, Pebbles went into the Visitor Center to see about the road walk we were going to start this afternoon. I kept trudging along, hungry and irritable. 

I did pop into the grocery store I passed, just to see if they had dehydrated beans-to no avail-and then got to the restaurant only 5 ish minutes before Pebbles. I organized my Dollar General stuff into my pack while I waited for him, since they had a huge trash can sitting on their porch. Very helpful!

We left our packs on the porch and went into Gone Rogue to order lunch. I got a fried catfish sandwich, loaded with tomato, tartar sauce, and coleslaw, with a side of tots and a fried pepper appetizer that came with ranch. I loved every single bite! Pebbles got a burger with mushrooms and some other yummy looking toppings-he said it’s the best meal on trail he’s had so far! That’s high praise coming from him. 

We left just after 1:10pm, with Pebbles in his new shoes, insoles, and calf sleeves. We made it to the Family Dollar in Del Norte, Colorado by 6pm! That’s over 16 miles in just under 5 hours. It was all highway road walk, which was annoying-but quick. There was no shade, nowhere to pee, so so SO many cars and trucks constantly coming and going the entire time. I was so happy to hobble into the Family Dollar!

We finished our resupply, sat outside for a bit, then hobbled down to this park we’re currently sitting in. It’s got bathrooms and outlets, and tons of gorgeous green fluffy grass.. that we won’t get to enjoy because apparently sprinklers will come on during the night. We have to figure out where to actually set up here soon. I can’t believe we did 30 miles and still have some down time-eating lunch in a restaurant and chilling in this park now. Honestly, I could have had dinner in a restaurant too, but I’m not hungry and as good as a glass of wine sounds, I’m afraid I’m a little dehydrated and shouldn’t risk that aftermath..

But damn, wine sounds so good! Not to mention, we’re also currently in our rain gear because the mosquitos have shown up for Colorado! My God they’re torturous today! Since about 3 miles outside of Del Norte, they’ve made constant attack, and even when we smash their fellow soldiers, they won’t relent. We’re covered in Picaredin lotion and still im swatting like a lunatic. I don’t think we’re allowed to set up our tents here, so, between the sprinklers and the demon insects, tonight should be fun! Ok, that’s all I got for ya! Sweet dreams!

Start: Gold Pan Cabins 

Stop: Elwood Pass 12.4 

Today’s Miles: 27

Total CDT miles: 701.9

We knocked out some miles today! Sadly, they were still all dirt road walking, but we knew that would be the case if we took this route over the redline, and honestly.. not dealing with snow right now is A OK with me! I’m obviously still traumatized from Northern California on the PCT. Ha.

We were up and out of the cabin by 7, a bit late for us, but we were sleeping too good to get up. Our clothes mostly dried overnight from our handwashing and hanging to dry.. my socks were still somewhat damp, as I knew they would be.. which is always annoying. Wet socks suck. 

The miles went by fast, and the views were actually pretty nice. The road wound through the mountainside with a river to our left the majority of the time. We hit some construction midday, where they’re building a new bridge.. we crossed on the old one without issue, the construction guys waving us through. Because of the construction, there weren’t many cars, so we didn’t get dusted like yesterday. 

At one of the intersections of dirt roads, we saw a sign for a man that went missing recently. Apparently he was coming out to scope out the campsites for his Boy Scout troop and was never seen again. Sad stuff. After seeing the sign, I couldn’t help but look down the cliff sides for the rest of the day, like I’d magically be the one to spot him after everyone else has been looking way harder for way longer. 

Eventually, Pebbles and I found a spot to camp, which looks like a legitimate campsite. There’s a pull off from the road, a fire ring, and a nice little side trail to the river beside us. While we were setting up our stuff (cowboy camping) a camper pulled in, saw us, and then pulled right back out again. I’m glad we snagged this place before anyone else did! 

Tomorrow, we have to get to South Fork before the post office closes so Pebbles can get his shoes, and then I think instead of going up to the Creed Cutoff on the blue line, we’re going to roadwalk into Del Norte and sleep there. Apparently people have been bailing from the redline to the creed cutoff because of the snow-real slushy and deep postholing, but then having to bail from the creed cutoff too, for the same reason. Soooo.. we’ll skip all that and be safe and dry on the road. 

Ok, that’s it! Goodnight yall! 

Start: Red Bear Welcome Center

Stop: Gold Pan Cabins

Today’s Miles: 22.4

Total CDT miles: 674.9

Shockingly, I slept great.. especially to be cowboy camping by a road. We woke early to frost all over everything though.. and neither Pebbles or I slept with our filters. Whoops. I don’t think they froze though.. hopefully. Pebbles had asked me last night if I thought we should sleep with them.. I looked at my weather app, saw a low of 42, and said “nope!” I don’t think he was too thrilled with my decision this morning. Between this and the lightening fiasco the other day-I’m not too sure that man trusts a single thing I say or do! Haha

Pebbles was naturally up faster than me. I thought he had already left by the time I came out of the porta potty at the welcome center, so I started walking only jump out of my skin when he suddenly passed me! He was in the other porta potty and I had no clue. I’m really doing great, here folks. 

Overall, the day was pretty boring. I mean, the river went along the dirt road we were walking on, so the views were nice.. but we were constantly being dusted all day by people in their 4x4s. We did pass some cows in pastures and a tiny town, but at 10am when we walked through, nothing was open. Yall know I would have definitely bought something to eat or drink if it was available, my personal mission to single handedly support local economies and all. 

For it to have frosted overnight, it sure got hot quick. Pebbles and I went from being in our puffy jackets to sweating buckets entirely too fast. The temperature change gave me whiplash. We popped up our umbrellas for a big chunk of the day.. just walking on a dirt road, trying to avoid the vehicles flying by. 

Around 4pm, my stomach decided I needed a serious bathroom break. The problem? There was nowhere to go! To the left was open grassy land with a gorgeous river running through it, to my right was a huge rock wall. We ended up getting to a small town with just a few houses and a restaurant in it. I barreled into the restaurant (and general store) and practically mowed down another customer while trying to get myself to the bathroom!

Since I felt a little guilty for the time I took there, I talked Pebbles into staying at the restaurant for another burger. It wasn’t as good as yesterday, but it hit the spot! After we ate, we tried to decide if we should keep hiking a bit longer, and start the climb along the road, or if we should find this place called the “Gold Pan Cabins” and get a cabin and a shower for the night. My only issue for not wanting to keep walking was the fact that I didn’t think we’d find a decent spot to camp along the road-I mean-I couldn’t even find somewhere to poop! 

We stayed. Haha. Pebbles was way less thrilled than I was, but he didn’t complain when he got some dang good cobbler and ice cream out of the deal, thanks to the sweet man that rents the cabins. We ate our dessert and then took showers and hand washed our clothes. We had to hang everything to dry, and the sun wasn’t nearly as strong now that it was evening, so I have a feeling I’ll have damp socks in the morning.

Our cabin has two bunk beds in it, so we both get a bottom bunk. They’re dry cabins and we have to use our quilts, but overall they’re comfortable enough, we’re warm and inside, and not finding a spot off the side of a dirt road.. so I’m happy! Tomorrow we’ll have to get as far as we can on this dang dirt road, and then we’ll get into South Fork where Pebble’s new shoes are the day after. The farther we make it tomorrow, the easier the post office will be. Bleh. 

Alright, that’s all I got! Sweet dreams, yall!