Tag: Colorado

Heights of Alay Loop, Day 5: Over Jiptick Pass

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We have breakfast in the kitchen yurt this morning at 6:30, which is clearly too early for company according to the little boy in the camp. He has been woken up to make room for us, and he is crying when we come in. His mother gives him a bowl of yogurt to console him, and he turns his back to us hoping that if he can’t see us we aren’t really there. His sister is still sound asleep on the floor right next to where we are eating our fried eggs and potatoes. She doesn’t flinch the whole time we are there. (more…)

Colorado Trail, Day 41: We Did It!

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When we wake up this morning, the first thought that goes through my head is that this is the last day that we will walk the Colorado Trail. We are only 7.1 miles from the Junction Creek Trailhead, and, although we are excited to get there and to complete the Colorado Trail, neither of us wants this amazing adventure to end. It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling, and we linger in camp as we pack everything up for the last time, eat our last breakfast, set off on the trail on this last day. We wish our summers could last forever, but all good things come to an end sooner or later. (more…)

Colorado Trail, Day 38: Blackhawk Down

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Cascade Creek really lived up to its namesake! We awake to the soothing sounds of waterfalls seemingly all around us. We gaze at the prominent falls right in front of our peninsular campsite as we sip on our morning coffee and chat with Rob and Amy over breakfast. Before bushwhacking our way through the willows and over the creek back to the trail, I take a quick peek at the cascade that plummets 40 feet off to the right of our campsite and snap a pic. We are all in a good mood after a restful night of sleep and so grateful to have ended up with such an impressive site.  (more…)

Colorado Trail, Day 36: Silverton Sojourn

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Our last true zero day on the trail…hmm, how to spend it? Well, laying low and taking it easy for sure. After last night’s late night fun, a little sleeping in is certainly in order. And now that I have a name for it, my tibial tendonitis suggests a minimum of movement. Ah, but hiker hunger, even on an off day, motivates us to escape the motel room in search of the one thing America does better than anywhere else in the world—breakfast! (more…)

Colorado Trail, Day 34: Welcome to the Weminuche!

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We wake up this morning to a totally out of the ordinary phenomenon in our previous 33 days on the Colorado Trail—a blanket of thick gray clouds completely blocking out the sun! We had been warned that rain might be in the forecast but had hoped it would hold off until later in the day. This is not the type of start that we are hoping for, on this our last full day of trekking before reaching the end of this leg. On the up side, it’s much warmer as we sip our coffee and prepare to head out for the day! (more…)

Colorado Trail, Day 33: A Beast of a Day

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On paper, today is the shortest mileage day of this leg between Creede and Silverton. We only have to hike 14.5 miles, and, after the 15.8 and 18.8 mile-days that we have put in already, we wake up figuring that today’s hike should feel pretty easy. Funny how that’s not the way it works. (more…)