Sagebrush personal hiking blog
After a little more hiking along crest and ridge, the path descends to Cottonwood Pass, and goes down a bowl-shaped valley.
Then even further down, down to Texas Creek at elevation 10635, compared to 12000s where we started the morning.
I found a place to cross, but the log was wet and slippery toward the end– two wet feet.
We rejoin with the old section of trail.
At another water crossing, I am still figuring how to proceed, when three motorbikes show how it is done. Continue reading “Rejoin”
On waking, I finish the Alpine Tunnel trail, reaching the spot where one end of the tunnel had collapsed.
Location of tunnel.
At mid-morning Toe Jam comes past, hiking the Colorado Trail. Continue reading “A Higher Path”
When I asked the hotel clerk where was the best place to hitch for Monarch Pass, some guys in the lobby overheard and offered me a ride. They come out to Colorado every year from Georgia to hike a week or so, and just completed a 14k peak. Tony, the driver, thru-hiked the AT in early eighties.
When we got to the pass I had to go into the store up there to help the economy.
On the trail by 9AM, quite good for coming out of town.
This sign at the Monarch ski area, “Great Divide– More Difficult”, denotes a ski trail that follows along the divide. But perhaps, on another level, it is a commentary on the CDT. (But some parts of southern Colorado might be “black diamond” early in the season.)
The path ascends out of the trees onto a high ridge. Oh good, I love this style of high trail that goes way up a ridge, then follows level along a mountainside for miles, offering panoramic views along the way.
Continue reading “Chasing Blue”