Welp, we are almost there. Sometime either later today or early tomorrow I will be crossing into New Mexico! Technically I already have as I am resupplying in Chama, NM but haven’t quite reached NM by trail yet.
Let me say that I am extremely glad to be leaving Colorado. It may have been stunning views throughout but the weather was rather terrible throughout. With this last section being the coldest I’ve been on trail by far. It also wasn’t a perfect connection back to where I left trail on Wolf Creek Pass. Unfortunately, due to the flooding the road had been closed for an unknown amount of time so Du Jour, Kasper, Frenchy, and I decided to get dropped off at the road closure and then road walk down a bit to a forest road and eventually make our way back to the CDT after about 20 miles. The first night of this alternate was actually great. We cowboy camped under the awning of a forest service cabin and it was the warmest it has been since the Basin in Wyoming.
The second day involved a lot of mud and swollen creek crossings that just slowed us down a lot but we eventually made it back to the CDT and about two miles after rejoining we missed an unmarked junction — classic CDT — and only realized about halfway down the valley that we were on the other side of the valley and that the trail had started traversing the side of the valley instead of going down it. So we crossed over, getting our feet wet once again just as it began to rain and lightning. In retrospect, we should’ve just stopped an hour earlier and stayed down in the valley but we decided to push on to rejoin the trail before finding a place to camp. Cue (small) marble sized hail followed by freezing rain as we desperately pushed on trying to find a place to pitch our tents. Eventually, two miles later we found our spot. It wasn’t good, the ground was not nearly flat but it was wind protected by trees and that is all that we cared about. It was at this time that I began to extremely regret forgetting my sleep socks in the last town as hiking socks fit rather snuggly and aren’t great for insulation. That coupled with the freezing rain that made everything wet plus the snow made for a very cold night.
Our third day of hiking was just cold throughout the day and we were constantly walking over icy snow that slowed us down as went throughout our day. It also ended up being a very chilly night although luckily this time no rain.
The finally twenty two miles into town where we are staying at the house of the people who own Tumble On Outfitters. It is a collaboration between some guys who make custom hiking fleeces as well as custom backpacks. Luckily, Tumbleweed, the guy who does the fleeces is also going to make me a new pair of sleep socks! 🙂 Next stop, 154 miles to Cuba, NM.
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