Buena Vista

Day 17

Miles hiked today: 9.3
Miles from Denver: 226
Elevation: 9,600 ft
Segment 13
Landmarks: San Isabel National Forest, Buena Vista, Middle Cottonwood Creek, South Cottonwood Creek, Dry Creek

VIEW MAP

I didn't sleep well in the hotel bed last night. Actually there were 3 beds, as I got the only vacant room in all of Buena Vista, due to a cancellation, and it was a "suite." (This saved me from stealth camping in the city park). I realized once I woke up in the morning that part of the problem was there was just no circulation or ventilation whatsoever. The other problem was that I'm now used to sleeping in my tent.

This being Sunday, I had plans to make it to a church while I'm in town. I was hoping to do that up in Breckenridge as well, but it just didn't work out. So I found Cornerstone Church on google, and figured out the service was at 10:30. This gave me plenty of time to walk next door and get some breakfast, then walk to the north end of town to the outfitter, and finally back south to where the church was.

I devoured a monster breakfast burrito smothered in chili and sour cream, as well as a side of biscuits and gravy from Ponchos, the same place I ate last night. It barely phased me. I was very glad that the outfitter was open at 9, as I had sent a package there. This is the best outfitter I've seen yet on the trail, and I bought one particular item that I have been in great need of. Finally, I made my way back in to town.

This church was really incredible, and several people there took me in like family. I went to services a couple of times when I was on the AT, and you certainly draw a lot of attention to yourself when you have a backpack strapped on and two pointy poles sticking above your head. Thankfully, I had showered and done laundry last night so the congregation was spared the true thru-hiker experience.

I ended up sitting by a couple named Gary and Lucy, who turned out to be real good people. They invited me to lunch after the service, and pretty soon I was at the Red Rooster seated with 4 generations of this one family, from 5 years old up to 90. We had a great time, and I felt like I had been adopted for the afternoon. Finally it was time for everyone to go, and Gary was nice enough to drive me the 10 miles out to the trail, even though they had to get to Denver. Thank you Gary and Lucy, and to all the rest of the people I met today for your hospitality. What a wonderful stop this was in Buena Vista. (Before I forget, it seems that Buena Vista, CO has the same controversy as Buena Vista, VA. It seems that if you're a local, you pronounce it Boo-ena Vista. If you learned any Spanish, its Buena Vista.)

Very soon I was on trail, with 37 miles to get to Salida. I've decided that I'm not going to do this section as fast as I possibly can, which is one reason why I spent a half day in Buena Vista. There is a place called Mt. Princeton Hot Springs that I will encounter tomorrow, which I hear has pools and hot tubs and even hot springs in the middle of the river. Seems like a must stop to me. For tonight, it was a very pleasant couple hours of hiking. I am still wrapping around all the foothills, overlooking the vast valley on my left of the Arkansas River below. US 285 has taken the place of US 24 down there, and if I wanted I could take 285 north all the way to Jefferson, where I was on day 5 or so of this hike.

I found a beautiful campsite near the roaring, and badly named Dry Creek. I'm excited because I discovered another subtlety of this tent, which allows me to pitch it more taught. I may need that, because it is threatening rain for tonight, and possibly tomorrow as well.

Mt. Harvard and Mt. Yale

Day 16

Miles hiked today: 18.7
Miles from Denver: 216.7
Elevation: 9,360 ft
Segments 12,13
Landmarks: San Isabel National Forest, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Mt. Harvard, Mt. Yale, Buena Vista

VIEW MAP

I woke up this morning with the goal in mind of getting to CR-306, nearly 19 miles away. If I got there, I would be able to hitch to Buena Vista, my next resupply stop and a much needed shower and laundry. My decision last night to stop before the second climb of Mt. Harvard would make this a difficult proposition. Just looking up the Pine Creek corridor of monster mountains made me feel small, much less thinking of climbing over them.

I got going about 8 am; I still can't get out of camp any faster than about an hour after I wake up. Segment 12 included climbing the shoulder of Mt. Harvard at 11,800 ft, again to the east of the 14,420 ft peak. After that the trail starts a long 9 mile descent to the North Cottonwood Creek. I hoped to complete this by noon or 1 pm, because the next section involved a 2,400 ft climb up Mt. Yale. This was to be a big day.

In the end I was glad that I didn't climb Mt Harvard yesterday, because I never saw the side trail I would have been looking for for the campsite. I could only get oblique views of Mt. Harvard; the problem with climbing a mountain is it is a poor way to take a picture of it. Looking back I thought I could see all the way to Twin Lakes.

The nine mile descent took me past stream after stream, and there was a vast valley to the east which contained Buena Vista and US 24. I truly was on the edge of the Sawatch range, looking down on a vast plain, with another mountain range growing up from the far side.

When I got down to the road it was decision time. I had lunch and got some water, and it was already past 2 pm. I was already tired, but a night in a hotel room and some town food sounded mighty good. So I started to climb. Mt. Yale is 14,196 ft, and the trail crosses at a saddle at 11,880. There is a 2 mile side trail that will take you to the top, but this is not the regular trail to the peak, which approaches from the south, and requires a lot of rock scrambling. I am still not in full thru-hiker shape. I remember hearing somewhere that after about 6 weeks of hiking, you'll be in the best shape possible. On the AT, that means once you get into Virginia. Here on the CT, that means once you're done. So I struggle up the climbs, stopping every 30 feet or so to catch my breath.

Climbing up Mt. Yale

From a distance it looks as if the trail might go over the saddle above tree line, however it didn't. So when I got to the top, I couldn't see the peaks that loomed right over my head. However, the vantage point did provide a great view of the next mountain to the south. The descent was very steep, and there were several spots where they had cut the trail right into the side of a gravel slope.

Mt. Princeton to the south

I got to the road before 6 pm, which was pretty good. I crossed the road, stuck out my thumb, and the very first vehicle pulled over. This is a personal record. The guy's name was Duane, and he hiked the CT a few years ago. More trail magic! He wasn't even planning on going into town, but he was willing to drive me in and drop me at the grocery store. Within a short amount of time I was clean, fed and watching Denver news, which seems so irrelevant to me on so many levels right now.

The climb down

Collegiate Peaks Wilderness

Day 15

Miles hiked today: 16.6
Miles from Denver: 198
Elevation: 10,400 ft
Segments 11, 12
Landmarks: San Isabel National Forest, Twin Lakes, Clear Creek, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Waverly Mountain, Pine Creek

VIEW MAP

I woke up this morning to see the magnificent sight of Mt. Massive covered in snow, shrouded by clouds. It actually dawned cloudy but then cleared by the time I was out of camp. It was a really beautiful day.

For breakfast I had the other half of the pizza that I had hauled out of Twin Lakes. Nothing like pizza for breakfast on the trail! I exchanged email addresses with Paul, as it seemed I wasn't going to keep up with him, and sure enough I didn't see him the rest of the day. I packed up and started down the trail, which first started around the southern part of the lake. Pretty soon, the Colorado Trail split from the Continental Divide Trail, which has been co-located with the CT for the last 99 miles, at Georgia Pass. The Continental Divide Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, and runs for about 3,100 miles. It is kind of like the longer, rougher, more remote cousin to the Appalachian Trail. The CT will meet up with it again later in the trip.

This section of the CT was re-routed 10 years ago, taking it out of Hope Pass, which is a beautiful climb up into the heart of the Collegiate Peaks but required about 6 miles of road walks. In exchange, the trail now meanders over some ridges due south of Twin Lakes, but stays off of road walks. The section just south of Twin Lakes is a maze of old logging roads, old mining roads and campgrounds. It is well that they label this trail at every turn, because no map or guidebook would have been able to help here. The guidebook also didn't mention the 50 yard long raspberry patch, which slowed me down considerably.

I could see from a distance that I was about to climb a small ridge, but couldn't see much beyond that. I was not prepared for the astonishing valley that was revealed when at the top of the ridge, with Clear Creek meandering nearly 800 feet below. Across from me was a massive mountain side, known as Waverly Mountain. This was also what I was about to climb. From the bottom of the valley, the mountain didn't look as tall, because I couldn't see all the way to the top. But once I started climbing it seemed like it would never stop. The climb was 2,700 feet straight up, and I started up about 2 pm. I knew that on the other side of this climb I would drop about 1,200 feet to another river valley, only to climb up another 1,200 feet to the shoulder of Mt. Harvard. This really added up to a lot of climbing.

In the end, one climb was enough. I descended down to Pine Creek after climbing the shoulder of Waverly Mountain and called it a day. The trail doesn't actually go to the peaks of any of the mountains in this section, mostly because some of these are 14,000 ft peaks and the trail has to be accessible more than a few months a year. For example, the trail crosses the saddle of Waverly Mountain at 11,640 ft, a mile or more east of the 13,309 ft peak. I'm not wishing I climbed more, but it does mean that from the top of the climb I was still in tree line and couldn't see much.

I am now in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, which includes peaks named for Universities like Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Columbia. Mt. Harvard was named first in 1869, then Mt. Yale. After that there was a rush for people to name the yet-unnamed peaks for their alma mater. It is a beautiful area, but the Colorado Trail skirts the range rather than goes through the middle. There is a suggested detour to the CT that I won't be doing, utilizing Hope Pass on the CDT then turning south on the Missouri Gulch Trail which is one of the largest alpine basins in Colorado, and out the Pine Creek Trail to where I am camped tonight. I guess I now know of a great short trip in Colorado for some other time.

Twin Lakes

Day 14

Miles hiked today: 18.8
Miles from Denver: 181.4
Elevation: 9,200 ft
Segments 10, 11
Landmarks: San Isabel National Forest, Mt. Massive Wilderness, Mt. Elbert, Twin Lakes, Wind Spirit Cafe

VIEW MAP

I had set an alarm so that we could set out for Mt. Massive at an early hour. With this being thunderstorm season, it is best to attempt any summit of a 14er as early as possible. Paul was going to attempt to summit too, and neither one of us have climbed a 14,000 foot mountain. Unfortunately, when I looked outside in the morning, it had dawned dark and grey. There was low cloud cover in all directions, and the clouds had just enough shade in them to look menacing. Paul was still optimistic, but I was seeing our chances at Mt. Massive as pretty much gone. We decided to go ahead and hike the 4 miles to the summit trail, and see if the weather changed.

There is a possibility here of bypassing Mt. Massive, camping at the Halfmoon Creek trailhead, and trying for Mt. Elbert the next morning. They are practically the same height, Elbert being 12 feet taller at 14,433 feet. The problem is at this point I just really wanted to keep moving. I passed the Mt. Massive side trail at about 8:45 am, and if I wanted to wait for tomorrow for Elbert I only had another 3 miles to walk to camp.

Paul from D.C.

Instead, both Paul and I made for Twin Lakes, a tiny historic town that's in the valley below, and just a mile off trail. According to a hiker we talked to this morning, there is a restaurant there that serves some pretty good pizza. That was all the convincing I needed. Leaving the two 14ers for another day, I hiked on.

The hike off of the lower slopes of Mt. Elbert was beautiful. A very old aspen forest gave way to ponderosa pine and sagebrush. What had started out as a cloudy day was turning sunny, even hot. The Twin Lakes are spread out far below as you descend, providing a great view of the entire valley.

This turned out to be one of my favorite town stops so far. There is a general store that is run by a very small lady who looks to be in her late 70s. When asked what time the store closes, she said usually when she gets tired, around 5 or 6. There is a very small post office in the back, and she is also the postmaster. I had shipped a box here, and she simply pointed to a pile of boxes on the back shelves and told me to pick out which one was mine.

Everybody we talked to in this town is friendly. There was a minivan that had pulled up, and several children got out. The dad came over to talk to Paul and I, who were sitting on the steps of the general store. After a few questions about the hike, he revealed that two of his kids had puked all over the car on their way through Independence Pass, which is why he was talking to us while all the cleaning was going on. With mail and supplies set, we migrated next door to the Wind Spirit Cafe. This was the place with the famed pizza, and I had been looking forward to this all day.

This cafe was something special. The food and service were really good, but there were also several other people hanging around the cafe, all of whom came over to ask about the hike and were just really nice. The place was owned by a couple from eastern Nebraska, who drive out every summer to run the place. When I asked for a ride back to the trail, Rich, the owner, made a special effort to clean out a few seats in his pickup so he could drive us back out there.

I had a half a pizza in a ziplock in my pack, and Paul and I had decided to hike around the other side of the lake where there was a campsite, about 4 miles. This turned out to be some of the most memorable 4 miles on the entire trail so far. Back in Twin Lakes when I was trying my best to eat as much pizza as I could, it was sunny with lazy white clouds above. We were seated outside on a green lawn and I felt like I could crash on the lawn for a few hours. Now that we had left and were walking around the lake, ominous clouds started to gather around Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert behind us. I kept checking over my shoulder to see if the clouds had moved any closer, and of course they had. This was looking like one heck of a storm.

All around the lake there are campgrounds and rv sites, which meant that every 3/4 mile or so there was a bathroom building. These are brick structures with mens and women's sides, each with two stalls with outhouse toilets. We were no more than 2 miles from Twin Lakes when the storm finally caught up, and suddenly it seemed prudent to hightail it to the nearest bathroom building.

The storm was so bad that I seriously considered what it would be like to spend the night inside this building. There was an overhang on the roof and we were able to hang out on the leeward side without getting wet, and eventually the storm passed. It was still cold, windy and drizzling a little bit, and didn't seem like it would be a pleasant night. It was 7:30, we had taken shelter for an hour and we still had a few more miles to go.

A little ways down the trail, we took shelter from the rain in another of these buildings. This time the storm was not so bad so I got my camera out, and I noticed that there was a small ray of light appearing between the peaks at Independence Pass, coming over from Aspen. Within 5 minutes there were reds, blues, pinks and purples surrounding all of the mountains to the west, and it was a spectacular sight. You could not take a bad picture of the scene, and it has to rank as one of the best sunsets I have ever seen.

The most amazing thing was as the clouds cleared from the taller peaks, they revealed SNOW. Snow was covering every peak from about 12,000 feet up. How incredible!

Holy Cross Wilderness

Day 13


Miles hiked today: 19.1
Miles from Denver: 162.4
Elevation: 10,600 ft
Segments 9, 10
Landmarks: San Isabel National Forest, Holy Cross Wilderness, Mt. Massive Wilderness

VIEW MAP

Today started out with a massive breakfast at the Leadville Hostel. This place is quite the operation, and definitely is a huge asset to the trail. I was able to request a ride back to the trailhead, and Bill took me up there right after breakfast. Bill stocks a trail magic box on the trail at Rt. 24, which is supposedly the only trail magic on the entire trail. There is a register in the box, which is supposedly also the only register on the entire trail.

As Bill pulled into the parking lot, there were two hikers just coming up from the opposite direction. One of them went down the trail just ahead of me, and I ended up chatting with him for most of the day. His name was Paul, and he's from Prince Edward Island.

Paul from P.E.I.

The trail really is an amazing place. Things happen out here that just seem far beyond coincidence. Once Paul said Prince Edward Island, I told him I know a few hikers from there. And in no time the name Linus came up. Linus is also known as Serene on the trail, and was one of my favorite hikers to run into on the AT in '08. He was always in a good mood, and always brightened your day. Every time I saw him I was afraid it would be the last time, as I hiked much faster than he did. But he found ways to keep up, and I enjoyed running into him all throughout Maine. The last time I saw Serene was in Millinocket, just before I left town. Serene passed away this last summer, while hiking the Pilgrim's trail in Spain. It really shocked a lot of us who knew him, and it was devastating to lose a close friend from the trail.

So here is this guy Paul, who was good friends with Linus, who happens to be at Tennessee Pass at 9 am, headed south, same as me. There is an expression on the AT that it is a 'really small trail.' But this is pretty amazing. Paul and I talked about Linus and his family for quite a bit, as we navigated the rolling hills of segment 9. We entered the Holy Cross Wilderness area, which is named for the Mount of the Holy Cross, a 14,000 ft mountain with a giant cross on the side. This mountain caused a sensation when it was photographed in 1873, and was designated a National Landmark in 1929.

It was great to talk to someone who knew Linus, and my prayers go out to his family. They should know that the entire AT community is behind them.

After a while the other hiker from the parking lot caught up, who is also named Paul. This Paul is about my age, and is headed south to Durango. He's also from the DC area, so we had lots to talk about. He and I decided to make it a long day so that we could camp close to the base of Mt. Massive, one of the popular 14ers that the trail goes near. Mt. Massive is just 12 feet shorter than Mt. Elbert, the tallest in the state. But according to Bruce back in Breckenridge, who is trying to summit all the 14ers, Mt. Massive is not only a better mountain than Mt. Elbert, but he says it is his favorite mountain he's ever climbed. At any rate, the two mountains are side by side, and potentially we could climb Massive tomorrow and Elbert the next day.

Those extra miles made for a long day, and we camped near a meadow about 4 miles from the side trail up to the top. Having another hiker to hang out with was great, bringing back memories of hiking the AT.

Tennessee Pass

Day 12


Miles hiked today: 6.2
Miles from Denver: 143.3
Elevation: 10,424 ft
Segment 8
Landmarks: Camp Hale, 10th Mountain Division, Ski Cooper, Tennessee Pass, Leadville

VIEW MAP

My Dad is having it rough because he hasn't been able to keep any food down. He ate one oatmeal packet this morning, and put some Propel packets into his water for sugar. We slept in and broke camp in the full sunlight. The day dawned clear and bright, with not a cloud in the sky. I am really glad we camped at Camp Hale; it was pretty cool to wake up and look across at the empty stares of a hundred gaping bunker doorways.

It was time to make for the car at the top of the pass, which was six miles away and a thousand feet up. It was cool as we walked through the thick forest, although there was a sign as we left Camp Hale that said to beware of tree cutting operations. This was the beetle blight again, and they are aggressively trying to cut down the affected trees to save the rest. The forest floor was littered with the shattered remains of about half of its trees. It was like walking though a logging operation where they didn't actually haul away the logs. This went on for several miles.

At one point, the trail crosses US 24, then continues for another 3 miles to the top of Tennessee Pass. My dad had had enough. He hadn't been able to eat anything the entire trip, and it just didn't make any sense to try to go any further. I knew I could move at 3 miles an hour, so I took the keys and told him I would be back in an hour and a half.

He didn't miss out on much. There was a beautiful meadow for a bit, then the trail joined some logging road all the way into the parking lot. The most interesting thing was a coking furnace that was in ruins, and several spots that to me looked like old lime kilns. I made it to the car in record time, and in the meantime my dad had dried out my tent, so it was a pretty good deal both ways. We were soon on our way to civilization in the form of Leadville, Colorado, an old mining boom town that was once the most wealthy part of the state, but no longer. The town sits above 10,000 feet, and prides itself on being the "2 mile high city." There is a lot of great western history here, a lot of great 1880s architecture and a lot of character, rounded out by a slightly depressed economy, plenty of low rent housing and cheap diners and dollar stores. In other words, this is a spectacular hiker town. Anchoring its reputation to the trail is the Leadville Hostel, which is legendary on the CDT and CT, run by a guy named Wild Bill.

We first stopped at the Golden Burro, which fittingly elevated the humble burro to its proper place as the animal that made all those gold and silver rushes possible. Inside the restaurant is the "Brass Ass" Saloon. You can probably imagine the place already. I smashed a giant plate of chili cheese fries along with a bacon cheeseburger. It was a battle hard fought, but I won in the end. More importantly, my Dad was able to put down some food for the first time in 3 days. We did some errands and he dropped me off at the hostel, on his way to see family upstate. It was great to spend a couple of days with you on the trail dad! And thanks for all the food..





The hostel indeed lives up to expectations, and I enjoyed great company as the hostel is filled with long distance runners, gearing up for Saturday's 100 mile race from Leadville up and over Hope Pass and back, all within 30 hours. This is a huge event, and there are some really talented runners in town to see if they can win the event. It will be interesting to see, and it looks like I might even be in that exact area on Saturday.

Camp Hale

Day 11

Miles hiked today: 13
Miles from Denver: 137.1
Elevation: 9,320 ft
Segment 8
Landmarks: Guller Creek, Janet's Cabin, Searle Pass, Elk Ridge, Kokomo Pass, Camp Hale, 10th Mountain Division

VIEW MAP

My Dad and I awoke to a perfectly clear sky and dry tents, with no condensation. This is only the second morning when I didn't have condensation on my tent, so I had a good feeling about the weather today. Last night there were these strange flashes of lightning, which must have been a few mountain ranges away as we had a clear sky. We were moving by 8, but already there were some light, whispy clouds coming over the ridge to the west. I did not have a good feeling about the weather any longer.

Today was a crucial day. Ahead of us lay Elk Ridge at 12,280 feet, which involved a walk above tree line for about 4.5 miles. This is no small thing on a stormy day, as being up there when there is any kind of lightning is a bad idea. If we couldn't get over the pass today, we had tomorrow, but we would need to do 17 or so miles tomorrow to do that. Also, my Dad has only until tomorrow, and his car is parked on the other side of that pass. Behind us lay only retreat and defeat, and an inevitable do-over for me. It is a balance between being bold and making good decisions.

The rain was coming down by 9 am. We only had a few miles to walk until we reached tree line, and decision time. This was not a thunder storm, but a slow moving rain storm that looked intent on parking itself directly overhead. The trail left Guller Creek, which we had been following, and switchbacked up the mountainside on its way to tree line. We could see, a thousand feet above us the gateway to Elk Ridge, which is called Searle Pass. Still hopeful that this storm was not serious, we started up the switchbacks. That is when the first rumble of thunder came. It sounded far away. I spotted a flash over the ridge, and then counted 18 seconds. 3.5 miles away. My Dad caught up to me at the edge of the trees, and this time we both saw a bolt just over the next ridge. 15 seconds, 3 miles. It was time to move to lower ground.

We ended up sitting under some pines for shelter from the rain, as we pondered our options. We would need at least 3 hours to cross that ridge, which simply wasn't safe as long as this storm was here. On the map was Janet's Cabin, which is a part of the 10th Mountain Division hut system. These are locked cabins that you can book ahead of time for large parties, which contain many amenities much like the huts in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I reasoned that if this cabin had a covered porch, it could save us from hypothermia. The problem was according to the map, we should have passed the trail for it when we left Guller Creek. We had seen its broad roof from a mile away, so I decided to do some bushwhacking and find it.

As the rain kept coming down, I pushed past sage, bushes, downed trees and marshland. I was now completely soaked top and bottom by the time I finally found the cabin. It was quite the sight, to be in such a remote area in such a situation and stumble upon such a massive building. It was 4 stories tall from the back, and looked like it could sleep, feed and entertain dozens of people. There was a small building out back which turned out to be the wood fired sauna! Of course everything was locked, but that oh-so-important covered porch was indeed there. Even better, it was on the east facing side, out of the wind.

I had left my dad with the packs, and by the time I got back it had been a half hour. He was getting a little concerned. We shouldered packs and headed back down to bushwhack up to the cabin. I had figured out that the proper way to get to the cabin was from the ridge above, which was exposed to lightning and we had heard several more peals of thunder. We ran into another hiker on our way to the cabin, who eventually joined us up at the cabin. It was a glorious thing to be able to change into all dry clothes and sit out the storm. The guy who joined us soon left in what looked like a break in the weather, but it only started raining again and I realized we would be here a while. We put down sleeping bags and took a nap. By 1:00 pm we awoke, and the weather was breaking. We had traveled 3 miles the whole day, and it was time to move.

This was one of those days I won't forget about this trail. Being on top of a mountain above treeline is an amazing thing, and it is even more incredible when there are clouds everywhere, distant peaks are ringed in whisps of smoky cloud, and you are always keeping one eye on the ridge to the west. The walk along Elk Ridge is a glorious one. We could see the more jagged section of the Tenmile range in all its glory, and even see highway 91 below speeding past a strip mine. We saw pikas, a small mouse-like critter that only lives among the rocks at such high altitude, and a little later I spotted my first marmot of the trip. Marmots look like big groundhogs with a beaver's tail, and they also live above the rocks at high altitude. They live in groups and are often sitting up on a rock making sounds like a dog toy being squeezed. They are also not too shy around the camera, or at least not observant enough to notice how close I got. One of them kept stuffing more and more grass into his front teeth, and the longer he was at it the bigger the bale of grass in his mouth grew.

We were up on the ridge for about 3 and a half hours, and as we finally cleared the top and the path down lay before us, our welcome had expired. Dark clouds lay on the horizon. As I waited for my dad to catch up, I spotted first a solitary man far below riding a horse, and hitch it near a solitary camper trailer in the middle of square miles of empty space. He must have been 1,500 feet below, and there was not a tree or a stream for miles around him. Just as I was puzzling at his presence, I heard the strange sound of bleating sheep. Sure enough, there on the next ridge was a herd of sheep, huddling together at 12,000 feet, as if for protection. The man must be their shepherd. I also realized that they must have an instinct to climb higher and higher in the storm, something a man on horseback would be foolish to try to stop during a storm. Several of these sheep probably die up here every time a thunderstorm comes through.

We made our way down off the high ground, and just as I was approaching Kokomo Pass, which loomed like a gateway to the next mountain chain, it started to rain. It really wasn't too bad, and there was no thunder. It probably lasted 20 minutes, long enough for us to make it safely to tree line. We had done the hardest part now, and it was now late afternoon so it was time to make for Camp Hale.

Camp Hale is a very special camp spot, and we were determined to make it there. Camp Hale is where the 10th Mountain Division was trained during World War II, the only elite mountain troop division trained with skiing and technical climbing skills in the history of the United States Military. The camp was started in 1942, and in 1944 the division departed for combat agains the Nazis in Italy. They were deployed in a technical climb up Riva Ridge in the Apennine Mountains, compromising the German position. They were instrumental in the 5th Army's drive up to the Po River, and suffered 25% casualties. They led the way in breaking the German Gothic Line. And here we were camping in their old base!

The place where Camp Hale is situated is really remarkable, as it is so large and so flat. It must be two miles across, and situated at 9,000 feet, surrounded by peaks. There is a spot on the map that says "CAUTION: UNEXPLODED ORDINANCE IN THIS AREA." There are no structures left at Camp Hale except a long row of bunkers, but it is impossible to miss the evidence of berms for training, water supply dikes, and many other strange shapes in the landscape that we had no guesses as to their purpose. We pitched our tents right next to the row of abandoned bunkers, each one a dark cold cavern, home to birds and critters. They are a striking relic to the era, and it was really a treat to be camped in such a historic spot.

Spent and beat, we looked forward to tomorrow; a short 6 mile walk to the car, and a night in Leadville for me. My dad has been unable to keep any food down on this hike, and I'm sure after a long day like today he is running very short on energy.