- CT Day 18, July 17, Monday
- Start:: S20 mile 12.1, CT mile 342.0
- End: Spring Creek Pass, S21 mile 14.8, CT mile 357.8, then to Lake City
- Miles walked: 15.8
The morning starts with a short hike to San Luis Pass, where a trail splits off to trailhead access.
The route climbs another four or five ridges and down again, tough going, but resplendent views.
A creek in shadow had frozen last night.
More of those ridges I mentioned climbing…
Past the ridges, the trail goes on Snowy Mesa for several miles of gently rolling grassy terrain, with wildflowers at their peak.
I meet a CT hiker going northbound, Garrett (aka Chicken), a fellow New Mexican, who recognized me! It turns out we have worked on a trail project together down in the Gila.
At the edge of the mesa, the trail plunges down into talus, requiring fancy footwork.
Finally at Snowy Pass, it only takes 20 minutes to hitch a 17 mile ride into Lake City.
I stay at the Ravens Rest hiker hostel, owned by Lucky, where I had also stayed on my CDT Colorado trip back in 2014. Tigger, Phil, and Jackrabbit are also there, and Eric and Shannon stop by to visit before heading to the RV Park.
We get dinner at a Southern cooking place. Left-to-right: Jackrabbit, Tigger, and Phil.
Next to the hostel is a playground, and I enjoy hearing the joyful noises of playing kids.
I get a chance to chat with fellow hikers about their jobs and lives. Another hiker who joins us at the hostel is Wolf Food, who works in construction diving, and he describes building scaffolding under water. Cool!
A good day, for sure.