The Western Terminus

Day 34

Miles hiked today:  14.4
Miles from Denver: 485.4
Elevation: 6,960 ft
Segment 28
Landmarks:  Junction Creek, Gudy's Rest Overlook, Junction Creek Trailhead, Western Terminus, Durango

VIEW MAP

It rained all night.  My tent does a decent job of keeping me dry, but basically everything was a little bit damp, and it looked like it would rain more today.  None of this mattered, because by the end of the day I would be dry, clean and sleeping in a bed with my stuff drying. Today was the last day on the trail, and my spirits couldn't be dampened.  In fact, where normally I would be a little bummed about the rain because of the prospect of the following damp, chilly night in the woods, the fact that I was headed in to town freed me to appreciate the rain, the fog and the mist for the beauty it really provides.

About 6:30 am I awoke, and the rain had stopped.  The thought that went through my head was that this was only a window before it would start raining again.  I quickly got up and started packing, then joined John and Kathleen for some breakfast, the couple that had camped here.  I was very excited about the fact that for this stretch, I had calculated the food I would need almost exactly, down to the last granola bar.  After breakfast was over I had a bagel, three slices of cheese, a granola bar, a snickers bar and some bits of jerky left.  I was headed out about as light as I could get, and I planned to make very short work of these last 14 miles.

The rain started up again, so I shouldered pack and headed out.  The overcast clouds along with the rain had a really incredible visual effect on the woods, transforming them from the dry, dark place I came through yesterday to a vibrant, alive, fluorescent palette.  The greens and yellows were very bright; the fall colors had come at these elevations to the underbrush and ferns.  This particular forest had an almost shocking variety of plants and trees, more so than anywhere I've seen on the trail.  Spruce trees lined up next to fir, aspen and ponderosa, in a very mixed manner.  There were tons of low plants, bushes, yucca, wildflowers and grasses.  All of it mixed together for one last great display as I strode closer and closer to my goal.

There was a four mile climb up out of the campsite, and from there the trail is all downhill.  This entire segment is 20 miles long and drops from 11,600 feet at Kennebec Pass to 6,960 feet at the terminus.  So basically it was all downhill.  The rain stopped and started, started and stopped.  I was moving fast to keep warm, and because I knew my mom was waiting at the trailhead, possibly with lots of food and maybe some hot chocolate.

My mom had driven down all the way from Sheridan, Wyoming to pick me up from the trailhead, a drive of two and a half days, and the last we spoke I couldn't really say what time I would be down there.  I figured I could get a cell signal at some point from a lookout, which I did, and called and left a message.

Before long I came to Gudy's Rest, with just four miles left on the trail.  Gudy Gaskill is the super-volunteer who was present at the very first meeting for the organization of the Colorado Trail Foundation in the 70's, and decided to make this trail her project.  She toiled for decades, organizing volunteer trail builders, petitioning forest ranger districts and private landowners, and generally making the trail into a reality.  She is what Myron Avery was for the Appalachian Trail, the person that made it happen.  So it is a very fitting tribute that there is a bench overlooking the thick cloud that covered Durango far below, and a very poignant landmark telling me that I was almost done with this trail, this walk.

I arrived at Junction Creek Trailhead, and after a few minutes was able to connect with my mom who was waiting nearby.  She was stocked with food, a warm car, and a tentative hug due to the stench of a wet smelly hiker, and we embarked for town and a four day adventure through Colorado, eventually back to Denver for my flight on Monday.  I am blessed to have such a hitch into town and back to my flight!  It will be a fun couple of days.

It is really hard to describe my feelings at this point about being done with this trail, but I do know that I am absolutely impressed with this trail and all the work that has been done, and astounded by the beauty of these mountains.  The Colorado Trail is a "short" trail, but mile for mile has far more views and open scenery that anything back east, and the trail work itself is very impressive in most segments and is obviously a labor of love for those that built it.  As a thru-hike, it is a really incredible experience, and has roads at all the right places for resupply.  I would fully recommend it, even as a first trail to any thru-hiker, with the caveat that the dates should be chosen carefully around the weather.  I really lucked out in the weather; I only had storms twice on high passes, and for the last three weeks I have had almost 100% clear weather, and just beautiful walking.  Those that started three weeks ahead of me saw rain or thunderstorms almost every day.  Because several 20 mile days were entirely above tree line, the weather is really critical and safety is a big factor.

It has been really amazing revisiting the world of a thru-hiker these last several weeks.  I missed it so, and am really glad I had a chance to come out and do this.  I have probably lost around 27 pounds, according to a scale I found in Silverton.  Thru-hiking is the ultimate crash diet, however the trick is keeping the weight off.  I am now off to re-entry to normal life, which will include conducting a tour in DC as early as next week, the same as I did two years ago when coming off the Appalachian Trail.  I just know I'm going to hear complaints about the 100 foot elevation climb up the hills of Arlington Cemetery, and will most likely have a hard time sympathizing.

Kennebec Pass

Day 33

Miles hiked today:  16.7
Miles from Denver: 470.9
Elevation: 8,520 ft
Segments 27, 28
Landmarks:  Cape of Good Hope, Highline Trail, Indian Trail Ridge, Sharkstooth Peak, Taylor Lake, Snowstorm Peak, Kennebec Pass, Junction Creek

VIEW MAP

I guess I was expecting a boring ending to this trail.  The San Juans were just so amazing, that I would have been perfectly content to walk on forest service roads the rest of the way.  But the Colorado Trail had one last great, ridgewalking, panoramic day in store.

I was truly in no hurry today, knowing I would get to camp long before sundown.  My mileage for these last two days is more or less set due to the fact that there's only one campsite that's about halfway that has water, which is about 17 miles.  I am just hoping that its not already taken when I get there.

The day dawned clear and bright, which I was glad for but I was also wary today that the forecasted thunderstorms would come.  I ate breakfast and still had one full water bottle left over from all of the water I hauled with me yesterday.  It's a good thing too, because within a half a mile I passed the point where there was supposed to be a spring, and it was dry.  Such a little thing could have made life very miserable for me, so I was very glad I took precautions.

Just as the trail was about to climb out of the trees and onto the ridge, I ran into two men from Alabama who were doing an 7 day section of the Colorado Trail.  The one gentleman had been slowly doing one section after another for the last 8 years, and was finally set to finish on Thursday.  This is not unlike all of those section hikers of the AT, who finally finish their goal after years or even decades of coming back summer after summer.  I'm not sure I could stick with it for that long, so I'm glad I have the luxury to do this hike all in one shot.

The ridge walk today was spectacular, and up there with the countless others this trail has taken me on.  It is called both the Highline and the Indian Trail Ridge.  The mountains ahead of me and a little to the right, called Sharkstooth Peak just kept getting closer and closer as the trail took me up the spine of a separating divide of two river drainages.  Behind me I could still see Rolling Mountain and the peaks around Molas Pass, and to the east I could still see the Grenadier Range.

The ridge went on for 5 miles, and just when I was ready for more, came the sign to turn left and down.  Below was Taylor Lake, the first water source from yesterday, and a huge basin at 11,500 feet called the Cumberland Basin.  I stopped for some lunch and water at the lake, while the sky turned into a solid overcast of ever darkening grey tones.  I packed up and headed for Kennebec Pass, which was one mile away.

I am reminded of the Kennebec River in Maine, which you had to cross in a canoe because it was too dangerous to ford.  It would be interesting to learn whether this pass was named for the Kennebec.  Either way I like it, and it is just one more thing on this trail that has reminded me of something on the AT.

I camped about 7 miles down the big descent into Durango.  I could actually see Durango for the first time from the top of the pass, which was very exciting.  I am almost there!  The trail drops from 12,000 feet just above Taylor Lake to 7,000 feet at Durango, in a little over 20 miles.  The elevation profile is really something to behold.  I dropped nearly 3,000 feet in just a few hours, and made camp about 14 miles out from the end.

Fittingly, a couple named who had met on the Appalachian Trail in 1982 came into camp and I had a nice conversation with them until it was dark.  They have been hiking this same section through the San Juans year after year, and I couldn't agree more that it is the best part of the Colorado Trail.  It was nice to chat with some fellow thru hikers, and we talked about shelters, trail towns, hostels and ice cream.  I can't think of a better way to pass my last night on the trail.