Continental Divide Trail: Days 62 - 70
- Madelyn Dukart
- Jul 7
- 18 min read
Day 62
Forward progress: 8.8 miles
Total distance on trail: 724.0 miles
Packing up this morning was weird. I've been away from trail now for 2 full weeks. My legs are probably going to have to readjust and I'm no longer acclimated to the altitude. My pack has never been heavier; I'm carrying my winter gear (ice axe, microspikes, hiking pants, snow gaiters, waterprood socks), and since we're unsure of the conditions moving forward, we have 8 days of food for the upcoming 80 miles in case things haven't gotten better. 16 of us have been together for arguably too much time, and now we're grouping off and going separate ways. I'm sure we'll see some people, but there are others I may not see for months, or ever again (at least on this trail). I feel equal parts ready to leave and ready to find an excuse to stay in town.
Out of the 16 of us on the river trip, 7 of us are planning on taking the official route, and 9 are taking a huge cutoff to avoid potential sketchy snow. I'm leaving with Roli Poli, Gearhead, Goosebump, and Shadow, and we're 5 of the 7. I'm glad to have a group of hikers I feel are strong enough to physically help get me through and fun enough to mentally keep me sane.
We weren't even where we planned to go to ask for a hitch, we were walking there, thumbs not even close to out, when a woman with a pickup truck asked if we wanted a ride to the pass. All of us were able to cram in. She took us to her house first for a bathroom stop, which was so kind. Her name is Judy, and she and her husband Hal have the most gorgeous house. They retired and moved to Pagosa almost a decade ago. They have all kinds of gear. Their garage (which they built for gear storage and call the Garage Mahal) is like a way grown up version of Mitch's and my gear storage basement. I aspire to be them.
At the pass, I was shocked to hear a voice call my name. My government name, not my trail name. My friend Katlyn happened to be driving from Durango to Denver and got to Wolf Creek Pass just seconds after I got out of Judy's truck. Katlyn and I met on the Appalachian Trail when she gave me and Mitch a hitch into town, and we learned we were going to be moving to Denver at the same time. I wonder where we'll randomly bump into each other on the PCT someday.
When we started hiking, we were amazed at how different the snow conditions were. Sure, there were patches, but it was so manageable. Still slowing us down, but not like before. Roli joked, "I know it's been a long time, but remember, this is what a trail looks like!" Even without trail legs, even without altitude acclimation, even on my period, we did 9 miles in half a day.
We're also seeing a ton of new people. Since we took 2 weeks off, we're meeting the cohort of hikers that were 2 weeks behind us. It's very strange, meeting so many new hikers this far in.
Judy told us to expect rain, and we got it today. Monsoon season usually doesn't come until July, but apparently it's come early. Sucks to hike in, but good for wildfire mitigation, so I guess I'll take it.
Day 63
Forward progress: 13.8 miles
Total distance on trail: 737.8 miles
I think today has been my favorite day on trail so far. I just really love Colorado and the San Juan mountains when they're not trying to kill me.
We got a late start this morning. Usually, I'm on trail by 7:30 at the absolute latest, but we probably left closer to 8:00. We only did a mile and a half before taking a break to dry our tents and quilts, which were soaked from overnight condensation. The sun was gold and hard all morning, and our break spot was really gorgeous.
Even though today involved a lot of big climbs, they always rewarded us with views. I just found myself smiling a lot because it was so beautiful. We took lots of long breaks, which I love. It just felt so relaxing, even though the hiking was exhausting.
Usually, I start getting breathless and a little mentally fuzzy around 12,000 ft. I had to work up to that over time living in Colorado; I've always been a little sensitive to altitude. With no altitude acclimation in my system and getting up to almost 13,000 ft today, I was definitely breathless often. But it was so worth it.
We intended another mile today, but we saw a camp spot that was too good to pass up. We also noticed that someone had written a sign with sticks that made us giggle. We set up our tents in a circle so we could make dinner and chat from the comfort of inside our quilts. We'll make up the mile tomorrow.
Fresh Prince and Clover got to our camp while we were making dinner. It started raining around 7:30 -- we were lucky that the dark clouds and distant thunder we'd been experiencing most of the day didn't result in any storms while we were hiking -- and it didn't stop until around midnight.
Day 64
Forward progress: 14.1 miles
Total distance on trail: 751.9 miles
I slept SO poorly. Woke up probably every 40-60 minutes, and I couldn't fall back asleep after 3:30. Getting out of bed was hard, especially since everything was soaking wet from rain and condensation.
The first 6 miles took us a long time. They weren't hard or even route findy, and the postholing wasn't as bad as it was before Pagosa, but it was really slow going. I will attribute part of it to a lengthy break we took early in the day to air out all our stuff.
After lunch, the next 7 miles were relatively snow-free, so even though the elevation gain was pretty intense, we were able to move at a regular slow pace and not a crazy slow pace. During this stretch, I started a new audiobook that I'm already really enjoying, which helped the miles go quickly. I hid in the trees with Fresh Prince and Clover for a little to "wait out potential lightning," but we mainly wanted to catch our breath after long climb.
I saw my favorite view on trail so far. I thought I may cry, it was so stunning. Exactly what the San Juans represent. I literally had the thought, "no matter what else happens during this section, it will all have been worth it for this view."
I ate my words a few miles later. Shortly after this view was the sketchiest part of this section, and the mile we've all been anticipating since leaving Pagosa: Knife's Edge. It's a traverse along a steep face of the mountain with bailouts as sketchy as the traverse itself. In high snow, the move is to either kick step all the way across or glissade all the way down to the valley and hike up on the other side. In no snow, the trail is lovely. The snow conditions we had today were actually fine... usually. On the first part of the traverse, the snow was impassable and the trail was inaccessible because the snow was built up so high under a roof, so we had to utilize the loose and unstable rocks on the steep slope underneath the trail. None of the rocks, big or small, were lodged deeply into the slope, so it was really hard to find stable footing. One slip, and down the mountain you go, with the minimum damage of broken bones. It was so sketchy and so scary, and I was absolutely terrified. I'm glad I was with two people, Shadow and Fresh Prince, who seem to lack fear and have this internal knowledge that things will work out. I am not that way at all, and I really needed their encouragement, support, and literal hand-holding on the initial descent.
I don't know how Shadow maintained his composure. We genuinely thought we were about to witness his death. Close to the beginning, he tried to trust his weight to a rock that ended up being too unstable, and he slipped and barely caught himself on a better rock. Then, a small boulder that had shaken loose came tumbling toward him, and he had just enough time to maneuver around it. We watched it clatter down the mountain. That could have been him had the rock he landed on been any less stable. Every rock that we kicked down the mountain side, all I could think about was going down with it. It was the most terrified I've ever been in my life. This is not an exaggeration. I don't think I'm doing justice to how horrible the experience was. I can't adequately explain it. But it sucked.
Gearhead and I thought about bailing down to the lake below and reconnecting to the trail from the valley, but again, the steep slope and loose rocks would have made this option just as scary as the traverse itself, and longer, so we decided to stay up. Once we got into the snow, it was actually ok. The snow was slushy, but it was heavy enough to catch a small slip. Once we were able to reconnect to the actual trail and go through small patches of snow every hundred yards or so, it became manageable, even when we had to kick fresh tracks because the path of footsteps already there led to too much mud for our comfort, When that mile was over, we were so relieved to be done and on the normal trail that we were hugging and giving high fives and just being happy to let the adrenaline fade.
Of course, after all the terror is when I let my caution down, turned my brain off, and took a nasty fall. We made camp pretty immediately after because my knees are really bruised and bloody, and I twisted just the wrong way for my left hip, which will never cease to worry me.
Camp is really beautiful, but it's going to be a cold and windy night. Setting up with busted up knees was really challenging, too; each scrape gets stretched to the point of breaking all over again every time I bend them deeply, so my tent pitch isn't awesome and it took ages to get everything put together. I was this close to asking my friends to help me pitch my tent, but I know they had a tough day, too, so I didn't want to burden them further.
Just glad the day is over.
Day 65
Forward progress: 17.6 miles
Total distance on trail: 769.5 miles
Today started with one of the best poops on trail so far. One of my favorite parts of pooping in this stretch is that my ice axe makes it so easy to dig a cat hole. If it weren't so unwieldy, I'd replace my trowel with it moving forward, but I am definitely looking forward to getting rid of it.
Oh and there was no condensation on our tents or quilts!! Probably because it was so windy all night. I slept soundly until around 3:00 -- probably my body recovering from the raised adrenaline -- and then I struggled to fall back asleep because the flapping of my tent in the wind was so loud.
We ambitiously aimed for a 20-mile day. After our recent low mileage, we knew it was unlikely. Today saw a ton of elevation gain, and we rarely dipped below 12,000 ft until the last few miles.
Holy heck was it gorgeous, though. Even though a lot of the climbs were steep and consistent, I had a pretty good time on them because the scenery was so beautiful. I also have really been enjoying my audiobook, which always helps.
There were a few somewhat sketchy snowfields today, but nothing nearly as bad as yesterday. Nothing will be as bad as yesterday.
The worst part of the day was probably the sections of trail that are surrounded on both sides by thick shrubs. They're not thorny, thank goodness, but they're hard to hike through, and the branches often create new scrapes or slide over old ones, which is none too pleasant.
My favorite part of the day was lunch. We stopped at a lake where we all took a dip. The lake is all snowmelt so the water was frigid, but the sun was intense enough to warm us and dry us afterward. I was only brave enough to submerge to my chest, but Goosebump, Shadow, and Roli all got all the way in.
We're camped in a meadow with a stunning view. We know meadows come with condensation, so we're mentally preparing for a rough morning, but it's hard to pass up a spot that's flat, dry, and near water, especially after a tough day.
Day 66
Forward progress: 15.0 miles
Total distance on trail: 784.5 miles
I was pleased when I didn't see drops of moisture on my tent when I woke up. I was less pleased when I realized that it was because it was frozen. My tent, my quilt, and my shoes. So much ice. I could see the sun on the other side of the meadow, but packing up was so cold. I had one single tea bag leftover from the canoe trip, and I chose to use it this morning. Shadow said his thermometer read 20°F.
When I finally was brave enough to pack up my stuff, I kept my Crocs on to hike to the sunny part of the meadow because my shoes were still too frozen to force on my feet. Unfortunately, the meadow was super marshy and wet, and the Crocs/socks combo did not keep my feet dry at all, so they were instantly frigid. I was grateful for the warmth of the sun, but man, that was a tough way to begin the day.
After we all got our frozen shoes on, we began hiking. Almost immediately, we had a river crossing that couldn't be passed any way but through. Insult to injury. Then, we took a wrong turn at a confusing junction (the trail took a sharp right and we continued straight down a very well-maintained trail) and didn't notice for about a mile, so we had to hike back.
After our morning debacle, we began a 6-mile climb that accounted for about 60% of our elevation gain for the day. It was tough as hell, but it did warm us up pretty well. And it was beautiful. Especially once we reached the mountain pass and could see for ages.
Approaching the pass, we saw a hiker we didn't recognize. The sun hoodie was a different color than anyone we knew. We all have one outfit, so it's pretty easy to recognize who's who. I think her name was Anya, and she was out for a 4-day backpacking trip. Good on her; if I didn't have to freeze every night and pack up a wet tent every morning, I don't think I would. She let us join her for an early lunch, and we had a lot of fun recounting stories and learning about her trip as we dried all of our stuff.
Most of the day was absolutely gorgeous. We stopped often to admire the views. Being so small in these vast mountainous landscapes is one of my favorite feelings. Just getting to be a part of it is one of the biggest blessings of my life, especially sharing it with friends.
We had more of those shrubby trail sections today, and my right shin now has a small chunk missing from misstepping over a blowdown. Someday, my legs will be blood-free, but today is not that day.
We're camped above a lake. Shadow and Gearhead set up their tents, and me, Goosebump, and Roli are cowboying. We're trying to get an early start tomorrow, and having fewer chores should help. We all accidentally talked each other in to going to Silverton tomorrow. We have enough food to get to Lake City, but a few hours in town with town food and town beds and town showers sounds way too good to pass up now that the opportunity is presenting itself.
Day 67
Forward progress: 11.3 miles
Total distance on trail: 795.8 miles
I slept surprisingly well for not being in a tent in sub-freezing temperatures. I had a hard time getting out of bed, though, and every action required a lot of motivation. I wasted at least 20 cumulative minutes today sitting and staring at the ground, avoiding the next task.
The hike, of course, began with an unavoidable river crossing. It wasn't high or fast, but wet feet on a cold morning is a unique pain.
We had a lot of vertical gain today. The first pass, we had been warned to do in the morning, and it was nice to traverse on top of hard snow instead of through slush. At the top, we had some of the most stunning views. Did we need a break? Not really, but it was too beautiful to pass up.
I did my first long glissade today. Not crazy long, but it was pretty steep and intimidating to me. I had taken my pants off at lunch, and the glissade began partway down the slope, so I had to slide down the semi-hard snow in my shorts. The back of my legs doth protest. I'm glad I was at least wearing knee-high snow gaiters.
We reached the Colorado Trail junction this afternoon! We'll now be following the CT for about 300 miles. It's super fun for me to be back on this trail that I know, but going the opposite direction so it still feels new. Especially with how much snow there still is. I'd hoped that, for some arbitrary reason, the snow would magically disappear on the CT, but there have been several long snow fields already.
There are several roads and trails that go to Silverton on the CDT, but none of them are paved, and with the large amount of snow still present, the main one isn't currently being accessed by ATVs. We decided to take a different access point, which involved a 2-mile 1500-ft descent to the Highland Mary Lake trailhead. We could have walked the trailhead to Silverton, but a group of weekend hikers saw us in the parking lot and offered to drive us to town. Big thanks to Kim and Kristy!!
Even though we didn't get to town until around 4:00, we got out of it everything we wanted: showers, laundry, beer, beds. Can't ask for much more than that.
Day 68
Forward progress: 4.8 miles
Total distance on trail: 800.6 miles
We were all awake by 5:30. Habit, I guess. None of us were willing to get up, but we couldn't fall back asleep. Finally, around 7, we left for breakfast.
Our only plan for the day was to get back to where we got off; anything extra was bonus. We got a hitch from Silverton to the road that the Highland Mary Lake trailhead is on, but we didn't get any bites from that road up to the trailhead. The walk was almost 5 miles, and then we had about 2 more miles from the trailhead back to the CDT. So we did 7 additional uphill miles, but they weren't trail miles, so they sadly don't count toward our forward progress. Wish they did, though.
We were so excited to get back to trail. Now that the section we're on is largely snow-free, we can hike without bushwhacking and trailfinding and postholing like crazy. Our biggest concern right now is elevation gain at altitude. We're moving faster than we did through consistent snowfields, but still slower than normal.
We saw a Search and Rescue helicopter flying toward the Knife's Edge today. It's impossible to know for sure that that's where it was heading, but I don't know where else in this area someone would require SAR services.
We set up camp near a mostly-frozen alpine lake. For many miles before and after, we're above treeline, which means camp is wherever is flat and dry enough. There's very little wind protection, and we're hoping it doesn't rain tonight. We're at almost 13,000 ft, so it's pretty cold, and the wind is ferocious. Our tents are set up to help retain heat, but we're all anticipating relatively a sleepless night if the wind continues to whip our tents around. The view is beautiful, though, and the part of sunset I was warm enough to watch was absolutely stunning.
Tomorrow, we're aiming for a 20-mile day: our first of Colorado if we're successful. It's weird aiming for that distance. Even at the beginning of this trail, it took restraint to do under 20 miles. In Colorado, the conditions haven't let us push miles like we're used to. We'll go all day long for 15 miles. I'm excited to cover some ground in earnest, hopefully starting tomorrow.
Day 69
Forward progress: 22.4 miles
Total distance on trail: 823.0 miles
This morning, we were blessed with the most beautiful, fiery sunrise I've ever seen in Colorado. Made packing up in the cold almost easy.
Today was honestly largely uneventful. Beautiful hiking, lots of climbs, but nothing really stood out. It happens like that sometimes.
We made it to the Colorado Trail high point and took a cute group photo.
I'm glad we made our mileage goal: first 20+-mile day in Colorado! Got to camp around 6:00, ate dinner together, and retired to our tents asap. We all slept terribly last night because of the wind, and likely tonight will be the same, so we're trying to get a jump start on warmth and coziness.
Day 70
Forward progress: 8.6 miles
Total distance on trail: 831.6 miles
The wind actually wasn't that bad, and I did sleep better than the previous night, but the bar was low and I still slept poorly. Our campsite is pretty slanted, so I basically couldn't move from one balanced position or I'd roll off my sleeping pad, which definitely has a leak somewhere so it deflated pretty solidly overnight, and my tent zipper is broken beyond repair so I have to sleep with the door open even if I don't want to, so all in all, subpar sleeping conditions.
We woke up fired up and ready to get to town. I know we were just in Silverton, but we were just there for a quick meal, and we are planning to be in Lake City for at least 24 hours. Nothing had been planned, but we were ready to relax.
I was hoping to make it to the trailhead privy before my morning poop, but I made it less than 20 minutes before deciding that I definitely couldn't wait. I used my ice axe as a trowel one last time before sending it home. It's an awesome function, and going back to using an actual trowel is going to be surprisingly hard.
The 8.6 miles went really quickly. They mostly trended downhill, and it never got too steep or extended on the uphills. I put on my audiobook and let my legs carry me to Spring Creek Pass, where the trail intersects with Highway 149. It was lovely.
At the trailhead, there was a truck with a sign on the back window of the topper: "CDT/CT: DRINKS/SNACKS INSIDE!" Someone was out for a backpacking trip and left their topper unlocked and packed with coolers and boxes for us to ransack. Whoever this stranger is, I'm obsessed.
Someone else at the trailhead offered to drive us into town, which was lovely. Usually I'm the designated talker, but my position in the car didn't allow for easy conversation, so I don't really know much about our driver, but she was really kind for offering us a ride.
When we got to town, we asked her to drop us at the first breakfast location we saw. It was a food truck with reasonably inexpensive food, and it was delicious. While eating, we realized we had no idea where we were going to sleep, and since Lake City serves primarily as a tourist town for Texans who have boats and ATVs, nothing was cheap. The guy at the food truck said his family owned the cabin complex behind the food truck, and they had one cabin with enough room for all of us to comfortably sleep, and split between the 5 of us, it was very affordable. They let us check in as soon as we finished breakfast, and we all settled in for a relaxing morning.
They also let us do our laundry -- actually, they took our laundry to do on our behalf -- with their loads of sheets and towels, which was super kind, since the town is devoid of a laundromat. AND their family friend, who lives full time in his RV that's currently parked next to the cabins, drove us around town to the post office and grocery store. It was crazy generous, and I'm so grateful for the kind strangers who went out of their way to help us.
At the post office, we all sent home our winter gear. The lady behind the counter helped us make makeshift boxes to fit our ice axes instead of getting ridiculously large flat-rate boxes to accommodate them. Maybe it's too early to get rid of it all, but there won't be any snow for a few weeks, and hopefully the annoying bits melt out before we get there.
We made good use of the grill outside and had a lovely dinner of brats and grilled vegetables. I taught everyone how to play euchre -- they hated it at first but enjoyed it once they understood it -- and I'm just... happy. Good food, good company, good vibes.
We're going to sleep with full tummies and the knowledge that there's absolutely no way we can sleep worse than we have the last few nights.
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