Author: Jim, Sagebrush

Day 1, Wednesday June 17, 2015
Start 41-032WT near Dumont Lake, mile 1457.5
End Buffalo Pass, Summit Lake Campground, mile 1469.7

Occasional patches of snow turned to frequent patches, then turned to mostly snow with bits of ground sticking out along the trail.

Snow underneath the trail seems to melt first, so I can often make out the path from the tiny bits sticking out from the snow. Frequently I lose the trail altogether and must navigate by gps waypoints. Speed is cut way down from the normal two miles per hour to one mile/hour, which is worrying, because I do not mind the tough physical hike but would really not want to run out of food.

By dinner time I wonder if I need to bail from the trail and start again later, or skip up to Rawlins, where the elevation is lower and the snow is all gone. I could walk 13 miles along a forest road and get back to Steamboat. But if I can hike the next couple of days with even higher elevation, the rest of this section should be mostly snow-free, hopefully. I will sleep on it.

Day 0, Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Trail start Rabbit Ears Pass, mile 1454.3
End 41-032WT near Dumont Lake, mile 1457.5

Southwest flight from Albuquerque to Denver, leaving at 6:30, arriving at 7:45, arrives late.
Go to main terminal west, level 5, island 5, and catch the 8:20 express bus to the Greyhound station arriving at 9:13. Denver airport is so large I make it to the bus stop with only a few minutes to spare, and would have been late if I had checked baggage.
My bus to Steamboat Springs leaves at 9:35, arriving at 2. Then I take the Free Bus to the post office and get a box I mailed myself so I wold not have checked luggage. Then another bus to the grocery for more food to pack, and a quick last town meal, then another bus to the east end of town where I can start hitching, at around 5PM -and it looks like rain soon.
Droplets start falling and I am almost ready to give up after a half hour of holding up my “Hiker To Trail” sign when someone gives me a lift– the least talkative hitch I ever had. The dog, Luna, was cute, though.

Continue reading “Get On the Trail”