Continental Divide Trail: Days 71-82
- Madelyn Dukart
- Jul 19
- 22 min read
Day 71
Forward progress: 11.6 miles
Total distance on trail: 843.2 miles
I didn't get out of bed until 7:30. I could have slept another hour at least, but I heard Gearhead making breakfast for all of us and I didn't want to be lazy while he was busying himself for us. He made German pancakes, which Goosebump and I are convinced are just slightly thicker crepes and the Germans insist are a totally different thing. Either way, they were a delicious way to begin the day.
After checkout, we decided there wasn't really any reason to stay in town, so we began the hitching attempt. It took maybe 20 minutes for us to get a ride. We've had awesome luck with camper vans and hitches this trip! On the drive back to Spring Creek Pass, we saw a family of moose. I love seeing them... from a distance. Mama moose can be really protective of their calves, and grown bulls can be aggressive, so seeing them up close can go poorly. Fortunately, they are pretty blind, so the escape plan is basically just hiding behind a tree or a big rock if they charge you.
With no winter gear and half the amount of food as our last carry, my pack feels so light! We're all so happy about this change.
Despite starting just before noon and ending before 5:30, including breaks, we did 11.6 miles. I would have liked to do more, but we found a nice campsite, and it's hard to pass them up when we need space for 5 tents. The hiking was breezy and cruisy most of the time, and I'm really happy to be back to a trail with minimal snow.
Tonight, for the first time in Colorado, I'm not sleeping with my liner or hood. Even with the tent flap perpetually open so it won't retain all my body heat, it's warm enough to just sleep with my quilt and nothing extra.
Day 72
Forward progress: 30.9 miles
Total distance on trail: 874.1
Happy summer solstice aka hike naked day! Today was a looong day; we certainly made use of the full day of sunlight.
We woke up early enough to hit the trail by 6:00. The day started with a pretty strenuous incline, but once we hit the 8 mile mark around 9:00, we were done with most of the day's uphill.
Roli, Goosebump, and I decided to hike 3 extra miles to do San Luis Peak, a 14,022-ft peak right off the trail. Shadow and Gearhead didn't want to join. I actually wasn't planning on doing it -- I've already done this 14er -- but we figured it'd be a really fun opportunity to hike naked. We all hiked up topless in just our underwear, and the wind was nearly unbearable, but it was so much fun. We took a naked photo at the summit and then ran back down the mountain to get out of the cold.
Most of the rest of the hiking today was uneventful but easy. It trended downhill almost the entire day. We took a late lunch break at a trailhead that has a privy, and we all took full advantage of it. Leave no shitter unshat in, as it were. After lunch, we had 12.5 miles of hiking left, and we went until past 7:00. I was starving the last hour, since we're usually eating dinner by 6:30.
We dipped down below 10,000 ft for the first time since sometime in New Mexico. We're camped at 9,880 ft. We have ample air to breathe, and it's not unreasonably cold tonight. It's wild that we started the day in the high alpine. Sunset was beautiful, and we are all so ready to sleep.
If I'm not mistaken, this was my first 30-mile day of this trail, and I can feel it. My left ankle has been bothering me since lunch (or at least that's when I started noticing it). It seems external, like maybe a bruise in a deeply inconvenient spot, but it is affecting my walking. I hope this isn't a problem moving forward.
Day 73
Forward progress: 14.7 miles
Total distance on trail: 888.8 miles
Today had one objective and one objective only: get to Highway 114 by 12:30. Mitch decided to come out to do some trail magic, and that was the best spot that matched his schedule and our timeline. It was almost 15 miles, but 15 easy and straightforward miles. My strategy was plugging into some podcasts to make it feel like I was fast-forwarding the morning.
The miles went quickly. I remember being at this spot on the Colorado Trail and finding the stretch hot and dry. It probably still was, but after the New Mexico bootheel, it was just a trail, nothing notable.
Saw a tonnn of Colorado Trail section hikers going the other direction, and it was fun talking to them about their favorite sections of the trail so far. I remember being on this stretch on the Colorado trail and finding it hot, exposed, and lacking in water. There was a 12 mile water carry that felt really unreasonable at that time, but now doesn't even make me think twice.
We beat Mitch to the trailhead by almost an hour, and we used it as an opportunity to wash some of our clothes in the nearby creek. It's a hot and cloudless day, so everything dried out pretty quickly.
Mitch's trail magic did not disappoint! It's the first time that I've been on the receiving end of his trail magic; I've received it with him and given it with him, but this is the first time we are on opposite ends. The best part of trail magic from thru-hikers is they know exactly what hikers want. He made burgers and brought an assortment of non-water beverages, fruit, a trash bag so we could offload some weight, and chairs so we could sit on something with back support to enjoy our food. Beyond the trail magic, I was really grateful to see him. It's been over a month, and I don't think either of us anticipated it being that long when we hugged each other goodbye in Ghost Ranch.
I decided to take the remainder of the afternoon off and meet the others down the trail tomorrow. A continuous footpath is cool, but (and I know this is a massive shocker) I actually care more about spending time with my husband than the 20 miles of trail that I've already done when I did the Colorado Trail in 2022. We waited around the parking lot for a few hours to see if we would catch any other hikers, but it doesn't appear that there's anyone in our general vicinity, or at least not close behind.
We went to the town of Gunnison, ate some amazing Thai food for dinner, and scouted a good campsite on the way back to the trail. He offered to get us a room in town, but camping together is one of my favorite things that we do, and I missed sharing The Palace, our 3-person tent that we shared on the Appalachian Trail and regularly refer to as our first home together. I think this was a perfect way to spend our evening.
My ankle hurts like crazy, though. I found myself limping around the grocery store, and Mitch set up the tent by himself while I bagged ice from the cooler. I hope this resolves itself soon...
Day 74
Forward progress: 15.1 miles
Total distance on trail: 903.9 miles
I didn't realize how accustomed to early wake-up's I was until I was up at 5:30, unable to fall back asleep, waiting for Mitch to rouse. I at least let myself shut my eyes, but I was glad when he woke up around 6:45. We packed up camp -- my ankle feels way better this morning, and I was able to help -- and drove out to the trail to meet the others.
We got to Sargent's Mesa around 10:00, hiked a half mile to the trail, and waited for people with donuts. (I ate two while waiting... I'm hungry, ok?) The others didn't arrive until 11, and they decided to break for an early lunch. When Mitch left, it felt a lot easier, knowing that he'd be able to visit again next weekend, not 4-5 weeks from now.
The 15 miles of hiking I did weren't terribly notable in any way, but my ankle definitely hurt on and off. I'm pretty sure it's an exterior issue because it hurts when the shoe rubs the ball of my ankle at certain angles. Not really sure how to fix it, though.
I know I have no need for it, but I was hoping for some trail magic at the end of the day. We ended at Marshall Pass, which is a place I've come out to do trail magic at twice, and it has a pit toilet at the parking lot, and it's a popular place for hikers and mountain bikers, so I figured we had a good shot at it, but no such luck. Shadow and I camped with the group of hikers we'd met at the motel back in Silverton; the campsite that Roli, Goosebump, and Gearhead stayed at on the top of the hill was definitely better, but proximity to the pit toilet won out for us.
The weather was perfect, so I decided to cowboy. Everyone else set up their tents, but I was feeling lazy. Hope it doesn't bite me in the ass.
Day 75
Forward progress: 10.6 miles
Total distance on trail: 914.5 miles
It truly is a testament to how warm my sleep set up is that I woke up comfortable and well rested, even though I saw frost on my quilt in the morning. I slept pretty soundly through the night, though, and I got to dry my quilt out in town today, so really no complaints.
Yesterday, Gearhead ran into a friend of his from the PCT called Goat. He lives in Gunnison and came out to do a section of the CDT with the specific hope of running into Gearhead. He actually started at Marshall Pass and just turned around with us. Since his car was already at the trailhead, and he offered to slackpack us. Slackpacking is when you take only the essentials for the miles you're doing and leave your gear somewhere else -- so, basically, normal hiking. He met us at Monarch Pass with our stuff, so the 10 miles we had to do flew by pretty quickly and effortlessly. Goat also had offered to drive us to Salida, so we didn't have to worry about getting a ride to town.
While we were all sitting in the gift shop at the top of the past, looking for lodging accommodations, a couple named Mick and Polly asked us if we needed anything while we were in town. They recently retired to Salida and have hiked the Colorado Trail, so they were eager to assist fellow hikers . When we told them that we already had a ride down the mountain pass, they gave us their phone number and insisted we text them if we needed any shuttling around town or back to the pass. Super kind, and a continuous testament to the generosity I've come to experience along this trail!
When we got to town, we went to lunch at a restaurant along the Arkansas River. We obviously didn't let Goat pay for his meal. Before returning to his home and Gunnison, he drove us to the post office and a motel, where the four others had acquired rooms for the night. I decided to stay at a different motel a few minutes down the street that was cheaper and had a hot tub. While waiting for our rooms to be available for check-in, we figured the next chore was resupplying, but the grocery stores we're a little further away then we wanted to walk. (Seriously, we're happy to hike all the way across the country, but as soon as we're in town, anything greater than a 10 minute walk is way too much!) I texted Mick and asked if there was a good timeframe for them to bring us to Walmart, and they said they would come to our motels immediately. As if driving us around town weren't enough of a favor, they invited us to dinner at their house tomorrow night, and they made it seem as if we would be doing them a favor by allowing them to prepare us food. People have got to stop thanking us for taking advantage of their hospitality!
All of us decided to splurge on our own rooms tonight and tomorrow. Obviously we enjoy each other's company, but there is something so relaxing about shutting a door and sprawling out on a bed and littering a room with all your stuff without having to worry about somebody else else's spatial needs. We did meet at a nice pizza place for dinner, and even though we spent perhaps too much money on the meal, i was great to share wine and cheers our progress up to this point. As we all understand it, this next stretch should be far easier than wat we have already done in southern Colorado.
Day 76
Forward progress: 0.0 miles
Total distance on trail: 914.5 miles
I woke up today with two goals: watch the entirety of season 2 of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and walk fewer than 10,000 steps. Mitch told me I should lower it to 5,000, but I wasn't sure I could reasonably achieve that, so I compromised to 7,000. Even on zero days, we still have to walk to get anywhere.
My god, am I the biggest slob of all time when given the opportunity. I ate my leftover tiramisu for breakfast in bed while binging trashy reality TV. For most of the morning, the only steps I got were between the bed and the bathroom. I met my friend Fomo for lunch, which was really nice. I haven't seen him since Ghost Ranch, and he was one of many hikers who flipped up to Wyoming from Pagosa Springs to escape the brutal snow. He's since returned to that part of the trail, and because he was consistently hiking while so many of us were canoeing, he was able to do enough miles to already catch up to Salida. I'd say that most of my steps for the day involved walking back-and-forth from my hotel room to the restaurant.
I was glad to have done most of my town chores yesterday so that I could lie in bed and do nothing for most of the day .
At 4:30, Mick and Polly picked us up from our motels to go to their house for dinner. They live outside of town by about a 20 minute drive, and their property overlook the Collegiate Mountains. They said they can walk 3 miles from their house and be on the Colorado Trail, which is absolute goals. They designed the house, and it was so beautiful. Tons of natural materials and big windows and tons of space for hosting. Polly even has a room in the basement dedicated to leather working, which is just the coolest hobby I've ever heard of somebody having. They made us pulled pork barbecue, grilled butternut squash, fruit salad, bunches of vegetable dishes (I'd mentioned to them earlier that none of us eat enough vegetables on trail and we all want more when we're in town), and a cherry dessert. And, again, they had the audacity to thank us numerous times for joining them for dinner. I never quite know how to react to someone thanking me for being an inconvenience.
We all exchanged social media information and email addresses so we can stay in touch. I'm glad Denver is only a few hours away, because next time Mitch and I find ourselves in Salida, I would love to take them to dinner and try to repay a fraction of the hospitality that they've shown me and my friends while we've been in town!
I'm going to sleep with a full belly, cheeks that are a little sore from smiling so much, and the knowledge that the trail moving forward is familiar and welcoming to me.
Oh, and I ended the day with 6,883 steps, and I successfully finished all 10 episodes of secret lives.
Day 77
Forward progress: 13.1 miles
Total distance on trail: 927.6 miles
Leaving such a relaxing and comfortable town is always hard. The others in my group wanted to leave around checkout, but I wanted a little more time. There's another group of 5 hikers in town that we know, and they were in the same boat: 4 of them wanted to hike out in the morning, and one wanted to wait a little longer. His name is Puppets, and we decided to leave around 1:00.
A friend and old coworker of mine happened to be camping in this area with her girlfriend, and they kindly picked me up for breakfast. It's always fun to see friends from home on trail! I didn't realize how permanently dirty my shirt was until seeing her, though...
Mick and Polly picked us up promptly at 1:00 and drove us back to the trail. The conversation flowed easily, and I really hope to see them again in the future. How lucky am I to have met so many wonderful and generous people along this trail?
The hiking out of Monarch Pass was easy and comfortable. I was struck with so many memories from being on this part of the trail in 2022. We were coming the other way, obviously, and a large group of us formed a bit of a train as we hiked down to the pass, talking about ice cream and hot dogs. This time, even though it was mostly uphill and I was hiking alone -- Puppets took a little extra time at the store at the pass -- I found myself smiling at the trail. I genuinely had fun hiking today, and I'm a much stronger hiker than I was then.
Puppets and I made camp around some dilapidated old cabins (my spot between the two buildings is definitely haunted). Someone maintains a stock of pop for hikers in a crate left in the nearby creek, and we figured that was as good a place as any to stop. Again, we are lucky that people think of kindnesses, big and small, for us while we're out here.
Day 78
Forward progress: 24.1 miles
Total distance on trail: 951.7 miles
I woke up naturally at 5:15 and tried to go back to sleep, but by 5:32, I was decidedly awake. Packed up, ate breakfast, and left camp around 6:30.
Hiking the Colorado Trail in reverse has been really nostalgic. I'm grateful for the millions of wonderful memories of hiking that trail and meeting some great friends.
The hiking today was HARD, though. Almost 6,000 ft of elevation gain. We've been hovering between 3,000 and 4,000 recently, and the constant up and down was exhausting. I was glad to be alone most of the day so I could just plug in and distract myself while going my own pace.
When I came through this area in 2022, we were watching the dark skies darken, hearing thunder in the distance, and hiking as fast as we could to outrun any potential storm. Today, it was sunny and beautiful.
My ankle has been a real source of discomfort today. Especially over uneven rocks and snow fields, which has been a lot of the trail today. I'm convinced it's not broken in any way, but I'd love to not be thinking so much about my foot placement. A woman I'm camping with, Wolf, is a physical therapist in real life, and she agrees that it's likely not a stress fracture, but possibly a really nasty strain. She showed me how to tape it and recommended that I elevate my legs at night and soak my foot in frigid water sources a few times a day. Fingers crossed!
Day 79
Forward progress: 23.4 miles
Total distance on trail: 975.1 miles
Today was equal parts beautiful and challenging. Which makes it a good day, I think!
The first few miles of the day were a lot of elevation gain, but overall very cruisy. When I was here on the Colorado Trail, I remember being in the worst mood ever, and being annoyed at myself for being in a bad mood because it was the prettiest day on trail. Today, I was just in a good mood, enjoying the scenery.
A hiker going the other direction stopped me and asked if I wanted a cold drink and a snack. Ummm yes of course?? He was taking his two dogs on a hike and decided to bring some trail magic along. That was the best root beer I've ever had, hands down!
Toward the junction where the trail intersects CO Highway 306 at Cottonwood Pass, I crossed paths with a guy who was road-tripping through Colorado. He asked me some questions about the trail, and I asked him for... scissors. I was going to interrogate random people in the parking lot anyway, but we were already talking. He had some, and I was able to do some basic shoe repair by cutting away the part that rubbed against my swollen ankle. I should have cut a little more, but this fix immediately helped immensely. Danny also offered me tangerines and other snacks, and he refilled my water. Another hiker asked if he was doing trail magic, and his response was, "I guess so?" Accidental trail magic is my favorite.
After the pass, we had several blissful miles of downhill, snow-free trail with lots of water and nothing to worry about. It was beautiful.
But to counteract those downhill miles, we had an 8-mile stretch with almost 3,000 ft of elevation gain. From what we'd read, the top of Lake Ann Pass was going to be the sketchiest part of this stretch. Most of the snow in the area is melted out, but the trail is covered by a cornice (when the snow creates a shelf that hangs over a face), and hiking on top of cornices is incredibly dangerous, so we had to skirt the exposed and loose rocks and slowly pick our way down the mountain around the cornice to a more friendly section of trail. It wasn't bad, just had to take our time.
My legs are so sore and my whole body aches from today's miles. I'm grateful that tomorrow is a lower mile day. There's one hurdle before the town of Twin Lakes, where I plan to spend the afternoon. Already dreaming of sitting down and drinking orange soda.
Day 80
Forward progress: 15.2 miles
Total distance on trail: 990.3 miles
Today was a goooood day! The objective from the get go was a monster climb called Hope Pass. It was one of my favorite memories from the Colorado Trail. From the south side going north, it's a 2.5 mile climb with 2,800 ft of elevation gain. Back in 2022, a woman on the Colorado Trail told me it's called Hope Pass because you give up all hope on life on the climb, but the view gives it back to you.
The 7 miles between camp and the start of the ascent went so smoothly. I kept hoping to see a moose -- I'm sure they were there, just hidden to me -- but alas, none revealed themselves to me.
The climb itself was... fun? Upon talking to others, I appear to be alone in that mindset. Don't get me wrong, it was fucking hard. It took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to do 2.5 miles. That's about twice as long as it would take me to do a normal 2.5 mile stretch. But I just got into a good rhythm, took little breaks to talk to every hiker and trail runner I saw coming the other way, and let myself take my time. It's too beautiful to just ignore.
One of the trail runners I talked to was a woman in her 60s who's training for the Leadville 100, a famous 100-mile ultramarathon in this area that goes over Hope Pass twice (once in each direction). We both expressed how inspired we were by the other, how we could never do what the other was doing, how we were so in awe of each other. Colorado is so funny to me because everyone's got their crazy thing and is convinced it's the most normal of the crazy things and then finds every other crazy group to be absolutely insane. When we finished the conversation, she clasped my hand and told me I was "so beautiful" (which is a wild assertion at the moment because I am objectively disgusting) and we told each other we were rooting for them. I love Colorado women!!!
The top of Hope Pass was gorgeous, as ever, and I took a short snack break there before heading down the other side.
On my way down, I encountered a ton of day hikers and trail runners. Coloradans can't just relax on a Saturday, can they? Anyway, one trail runner asked me if I wanted a "descent beverage," and as I got closer, I saw it was my friend Skeeter from my trail attempt last year! I knew he planned to do trail magic in the area today, but I assumed he'd be in the parking area! So I bopped down the trail, happy as a clam, smile plastered across my face, drinking a hard yerba mate tea.
In the parking area, another friend of mine, Flip Flop, whom I met on the Colorado Trail in 2022, and his wife Tabitha, were set up to do... trail magic!!! Chips, veggie burgers, and more drinks! It was so fun to catch up and hang out, especially when Skeeter came back and I felt like I was in a trail crossover episode. Mitch also came down with our cat, and I was just... the happiest hiker, sitting on the ground of a gravel parking lot, spending time with people I love being around, with snacks.
I didn't have to buy anything at the general store for the resupply -- Mitch had some extra hiking food in the truck, so I was able to just grab a few days' worth of stuff there -- but I did get some ice cream. As I was loitering outside the general store with some other hikers, the owner came out and told us to grab more ice cream on the house. Being hiker trash has its benefits sometimes, and it is primarily free ice cream.
Tonight, I'm camping near the trail with Mitch, and we're seeing how Lola does in a tent. This could go poorly, but it could also be the start of a beautiful journey with our sweet girl.
Day 81
Forward progress: 24.7 miles
Total distance on trail: 1,015.0 miles
Whoa, didn't realize until I calculated the last few days' worth of miles that I hit my personal 1,000 mile mark today! That's exciting!
Lola did a great job in the tent! She was a little zoomy between 3:00 and 5:00, as usual, but she ended up cuddled in my quilt for almost an hour before we had to get up and get going. I'm so proud of her, and also of Mitch because he's put a lot of work into training her and it shows!
Mitch brought me to the trailhead around 7:15, and I spent a good 45 minutes procrastinating and getting little things together. I switched out tents for one I used a few years ago before winning my most recent one in a raffle, since I really would like to be able to close my tent in case of bad weather overnight, and I had to set it up tonight for the first time since July 2023. (Spoiler, it is not pitched very well.)
Finally, we said our goodbyes, and I took advantage of the cell service to call my best childhood friend Rachel. Her engagement party was yesterday, and I obviously couldn't go. My headspace was weird all day. Thru-hiking requires immense sacrifice in the personal life department. I'm grateful beyond words that I live a life that I genuinely miss, even while experiencing some of the most beautiful places in the country. But especially these last few days, I'm reminded of the big things that I'm missing. One of my best Denver friends, Bess, had her first baby the other day, and I won't be around to support this new little family until I'm back. It feels selfish to acknowledge that I'm not willing to give this journey up, even though I'm missing from my friends' lives when I should be super involved in them. Anyway, nothing unique or revolutionary. Just a hiker who misses home, who had the opportunity to jump in her husband's truck and go there, who stayed on trail.
The miles today were, all things considered, pretty cruisy. There were some big climbs -- I gained 5,500 ft of elevation in today's miles -- but nothing out of the ordinary. No Hope Pass. I just let my legs propel me forward, one step at a time, and eventually I got to where Vibes and I agreed to camp. We've known each other on trail for ages and immediately clocked each other as someone we want to be friends with, but this is the first time we're actually camping together. Of course, the mosquitoes were abysmal, and we spent 0 minutes hanging out because we had to withdraw to our tents immediately.
Tomorrow's another town day. This stretch is ripe with town opportunities, and I hope to take advantage of all of them.
Day 82
Forward progress: 6.7 miles
Total distance on trail: 1,021.7 miles
Vibes and I were both up pretty early. It's easy to motivate yourself to start hiking when you know a latte and hot breakfast are waiting for you in town.
The annoying thing about easy miles (and these miles were super easy) is that "easy" normally means boring. It took about two hours to get to the trailhead on legs that were tired from yesterday and not yet warmed up for today. But at least they went quickly. Again, I kept an eye out for moose and bears. And I know they're in the territory and environment and I'm hiking through, but I still didn't see anything.
I had assumed that it would be an easy hitch to get to town. It was just me and Vibes, and the highway had a parking lot to pull off into, which usually equates to a quick ride. Unfortunately, most people didn't seem to have local Colorado license plates, so it took over 20 minutes to secure a ride.
First order of business was food, obviously. It's impossible to do town chores on an empty stomach.
Our next stop was the Melanzana store. Leadville is known as the home of Melanzana, a store that sells lightweight and wildly, comfortable fleeces, primarily for outdoor use. They show everything in store, and whatever colors of fleece they have in stock is what they have, so what you see on the racks is what you can get. They function on in-store appointments only; you cannot buy these online, except through secondhand sellers (which are often marked up like crazy because the demand is so high), and appointments are booked out for months in advance. They do have an overstock section of their store for people who are traveling to Glenville without appointments, but, even with appointments, there is a limit to how many items you're allowed to purchase. As you can imagine, it has quite the cult following. Thru-hikers on the continental divide trail, and the Colorado Trail, who are passing through are allowed an appointment if they show their terminus photo. I already have two sweatshirts and a pair of pants, and I was going to use my one item to gift, but the people I was aiming to gift for, I don't think they would have liked the colors in store at the moment, so I bought myself a fleece dress. Yellow, of course.
My friend Chicken Legs, who I met on the Colorado Trail, drove down to Leadville to hang out for the day. He has some camping and hiking plans in the area, so it was an easy stop for him. He originally wanted to do some trail magic for me, but since I was in a town, he bought my lunch and drove me to the grocery store to do my resupply. Town trail magic is a thing, too!
When he left, I was met by a friend who lives in town. Living in Colorado and having connections to the Colorado hiking community has been really great for me! Sarah, coincidentally is the designer of the pack I'm using! The company is called Symbiosis Gear, and it's the first ultralight frameless pack designed specifically for women. It has a shorter torso, and the sternum straps are adjustable vertically as well as horizontally, so they can fit to your chest shape/size and not just get choked by the strap. Sarah was kind enough to let me stay in her house, which meant I had a place to do laundry and shower. She's thru-hiked the Long Trail and Pacific Crest Trail and did a section of the CDT last year.
In true thru-hiker fashion, even though we were inside, we both went to bed not long after 9:00.
Once again, I find your blog soooo compelling! Love you dear niece, and so happy you are living your best life.