This year, Chris spent July back on the trail, continuing north along the CDT. I dropped him off at Chama, New Mexico, hiked the first mile with him, and then he continued north, while I took the car to visit a friend in Durango. A few days later, and 70 trail miles later for him, I met up with Chris at Wolf Creek Ski Area, and we had a zero day in Pagosa Springs. We visited the local Walmart, had a delicious sandwich at The Peak Deli, bought some new hiking shoes at Foot Prints, and spent the afternoon at The Overlook, a fun mineral bath house that features over a dozen hot tubs and pools, all at different temperatures. Pro tip: take a hat if you want to spend time in the pools up on the roof overlooking the town!
After his time off-trail, I left Chris at Wolf Creek Ski Area, and I drove up to South Fork to chill for a couple of days while he hiked. It’s a cute town and I enjoyed my stay at the Spruce Lodge. I took advantage of the fair weather and went on a short hike of my own. There’s also a neat “rail bike” that runs along the Rio Grande River between South Fork and Wagon Wheel Gap, through the Coller State Wildlife Area. Of course, hunting and fishing, hiking and riding ATVs are highlights of the area too. I bet this area is hopping during the snow season! The pizza at SoFo Pizza is worth a stop, in my opinion.
Our next rendezvous point was just a few miles outside of Creede. I arrived a little early at our agreed-upon spot, and set up my hammock to wait. A half hour or so later, I saw Chris clopping down the trail, having finished another 40 mile stretch. I bundled up my hammock and we went into Creede for lunch. Creede, a historic silver mining town, is one of my favorite small towns in Colorado. It has a handful of bars, restaurants, outfitters, art galleries, and even a drama reportory. There’s often a festival or event happening in town in the summer months. But plan ahead, because there are only 3 or 4 small hotels there. There are no major hotel chains, but there are lots of Airbnbs. They can get pretty pricey though.
Chris stayed with me for a day in South Fork, resting his feet, and then I took him back to Creede so that he could reverse “slack-pack” a particularly brutal uphill climb out of the town. We drove up to the top of the 10-mile Bachelor Loop and he walked the trail southbound, heading back down into Creede without his heavy backpack. I visited a few shops and bars in town (fantastic ice cream) and picked him up a few hours later. The next day, we drove up to the same spot and he continued north, but at least he didn’t have to do four hours of uphill climbing to get there. Plus we got to see a momma moose and her two calves on the road.
Chris’s knee had been hurting him all through this stretch of Colorado, but he finished up one more 30 mile section between Creede and Cochetopa Pass. I thought about staying a night in Saguache, but after visiting the tiny town and their slightly creepy museum, I decided to wait at Gunnison for Chris to arrive. I have to say, the drive between Cochetopa Pass and Highway 50, as it winds through a river valley, is quite lovely. But since we were a ways into July, the days were getting pretty hot (although the nights were still a lot cooler than we get in Texas). Next year, hopefully, Chris and our hiking friend Piñata will be able to start from Cochetopa Pass and head north a little earlier in the season, in mid-May, and avoid the heat and the fires that were burning near Leadville and other parts of Colorado.
All in all, Chris managed another 200 miles of the CDT, bringing his total to over 1000 miles on the trail so far. Check back with us next year to read more about his hike further north, or click here for the post about the Arizona sections, or here for posts about the Appalachian Trail thru-hike of 2014 or the Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike of 2021.
PalmTreeMusings 