Day 25
Miles hiked today: 21.2
Miles from Denver: 324
Elevation: 9,720 ft
Segments 18, 19
Landmarks: Continental Divide Trail, Gunnison National Forest, Chochetopa Park, Chochetopa Creek
VIEW MAP
It was very hard to get out of Gunnison. I ended up spending two zeroes there. Yesterday I actually tried to leave, but I stood by the highway for over an hour and didn't get picked up. That kind of killed my motivation to hike that day, and I ended up wandering across the street into the Pioneer Museum, and ended up spending several hours there. I can highly recommend this museum, by the way.
So I found myself this morning, motivated to put some miles down, and anxious to get going, getting soaked by a rain storm on an errand I was running. This was not a good way to start the day. I ended up stalling a little longer indoors until the rain stopped, and finally I was out the door by 11. Not exactly an early start, but at least I was dry.
I had to travel over 40 miles to get back to the trail, which is first 8 miles east on Rt 50, a very busy highway, and then 33 miles south on Hwy 114, which almost nobody travels. This could be a very long wait. Within a half hour I caught my first ride, a nice guy named Brian who was literally on his way to the airport to fly to Patagonia for a 1 year NOLS training course, which is National Outdoor Leadership School. When he comes out of that course he should be able to eat thru hikers for lunch.
The second ride I caught was from a guy named Jesus, who is a carpenter. No kidding. He pronounces his name (Hey-Soos), and he was just talking about his work on the way up, so I wasn't really thinking about it at the time. It wasn't until I got on trail that it dawned on me that I had just gotten a ride from Jesus the carpenter. The nice thing was that before I got in the car, he discussed that he was going 35 miles on Hwy 114, which worked for me because I was only going 33. However, when he dropped me off at the pass, he drove off the way we had just came, so I think we passed his work site and he didn't say a word.
I finally got on trail at 12:30 pm, which is not exactly early. I am trying to make it to Silverton in 5 days, which is 106 miles away. This means that I planned to go at least 20 miles each day, and I was a little worried now. I have a 3 mile an hour pace when I really hurry, and once, on the AT I had gone 21 miles in exactly 7 hours. I never thought I would try it again on this hike, but there is no time like the present. The terrain is flat, and is supposed to be easy walking. 21 miles also happens to be how far it is to the next reliable water source. I started out at a brisk pace.
Not a half mile from the road, I came upon some trail magic. A guy named Burnfoot had stocked two coolers with soda, and there was a register there as well to sign in. The register was full of fun anecdotes, and high praise for burnfoot leaving these sodas here. Had I not been in town for nearly three and a half days the soda probably would have tasted much better to me, but I am extremely thankful all the same, and especially on this trail which is barren on trail magic, this is very welcome. Packing a root beer with me, I was also able to go the entire day without needing water.
The guidebook talks about this being one of the most scenic segments of the whole trail, but at first I just wasn't getting it. I was on roads of some sort or another the entire day. There are forest service roads, fire roads, county roads, jeep tracks and hunting roads. Not a bit of trail, and all of it accessible to horses, mountain bikes, motorcyles, ATVs and any other kind of vehicle you want to bring. This is a far cry from the footpath-only regulations I know and love, but this is offset by the fact that I didn't see a soul of any means of transport, all day.
About halfway through the afternoon I came upon the scenic part. I have learned that in Colorado, a park is what you call a vast, open space in the mountains. Chochetopa Park is such a place, and it is very impressive. It goes for as far as I could see, and is dotted with small stands of trees, with a plateau on one side, and tree covered hills on the left. At the far horizon there are some mountains, but these are so far away that they looked very tiny. This is ranch country, and a barbed wire fence cuts through the scene, until I couldn't see it any more. It is kind of like walking through a smaller version of Shirley Basin.
The trail takes about six miles to get across this, and it is a very scenic, and windy walk. I had beautiful weather, but I would not want to walk across this when it was cold, windy, raining or snowing. Eventually I got to a road, where the trail turned left on the road, up into the hills. There was still much more to Chochetopa Park.
would be finishing up in the dark. Sunset came, and I was able to use the light from the sky to hike until nearly an hour past sunset. In the last couple of miles, the trail climbs 600 feet on a jeep road, then turns downhill to meet up with Chochetopa Creek. It was now nearly completely dark, but there was just enough light to shine off of the rocks, of which there were many. I was hurrying, as I wanted to get to camp and set up before any weather could set in, as there were a few dark clouds overhead. My feet moved swiftly, uncannily finding all the spots where there were no rocks, never kicking or tripping on one. I have experienced this phenomenon once before, but I have never been as sure footed when hiking as I was just now, despite barely being able to make out the contours of the trail, much less where all the rocks are. It is a really strange sensation. I flew down the hill, and finally in the last mile I was forced to stop and dig for my headlamp, as mists of rain started falling.
Luckily, the weather moved on as I found a campsite next to a gurgling creek and set up my tent. It's the worst job of setting up my tent I've done yet, and the thing sagged in crucial places. I would be very grateful if it doesn't rain on me tonight.
