On 9/8 I took a zero in Gunnison. On 9/9 I took a zero in Gunnison. On 9/10 I did 10.8 miles to Wheeler Trail. On 9/11 I did 23.2 miles to Bennet Gulch. On 9/12 I did 24.4 miles to North of the Highline Trail. On 9/13 I did 30.1 miles to Twin Lakes.
Listen to "Memories" by Streetlight Manifesto. This song sums up the struggle some face when having to decide whether you should stay in your hometown and be surrounded by friends and family or out challenging yourself and going on large adventures.
My body had reached a breaking point and needed a real rest. Luckily I had planned to take a few days off trail once I hit Frisco. I rented a car and drove south to Gunnison to meet up with some friends for 3 days to fish and hangout. It was a wonderful break and great to see some familiar faces; some of the people there I only see once a year during this fishing trip. There was lots of fly fishing, eating, a few beers consumed and a ton of stories told. I took advantage of civilization and made sure to replenish my calories; while I was there I even had a homemade meal that had hiker size portions. I wanted to stay longer than 3 days but I was pushing my luck by getting off trail so I unfortunately had to limit my time off. When I got back on trail I felt like a million bucks completley refueled and ready to go through the second half of the state.
Fall is about to hit anyday now. While the Aspen haven't stayed to turn their magnificent yellow yet there are plenty of other telltale signs. I am having to setup and take down my tent everyday with my headlamp because of the shorter daylight hours; I have to wear my fleece and beanie during the first and last hours of hiking each day as the temperatures have started to drop; and there is a distinctive smell in the air that is synonymous with fall. I am super excited to be in the mountains as the seasons change. One of my favorite things about thru hiking is being immersed in the changing environment along the trail. Unlike living in a city or a suburb, hiking is not a removed process where your surroundings are occasionally viewed from a window but a gradual change that can sometimes be felt by the hour.
While I got a physical and mental recharge during my time off fly fishing I am still needing to consume a ton of calories to keep me going. I am eating a quarter pound of chocolate a day (ontop of all the bars I eat) and drink 4 cups of coffee throughout the day. These additional calories and extra caffeine boosts are going to be what pushes me across the final stages of the hike, i just hope I don't end up with a mouthful of cavities.
The terrain has been constant peaks, passes and valleys one of the valleys and peaks I crossed was Hale Valley and Tennessee Pass which was home to the 10th mountain divison when they trained for 3 years before being deployed in WWII. I couldn't imagine the bitter cold winters spent in this valley. At its peak there were over 15,000 soldiers. Many of the returning soldiers helped start the skiing culture and slopes across Colorado.
I am still having to dodge rainstorms every afternoon and evening. A late storm came in and gave me my first dusting of snow which has started the clock for when I have to be out of this state. I checked the weather forecast for Friday the 13th and saw it was going to be a blue bird day and decided to make a huge push to climb two 14ers, Massive and Elbert. Unlike Grays and Torreys these two 14ers were not connected by a saddle and were two separate climbs. I checked to make sure I had enough calories for this high burn day and made my plans. I was on trail by 5am (after sleeping throug my alarm) and hiking under the stars to the base of Mt. Massive. It took me 3 hrs to get to the top at 14,429'. It was 9am before I started to make my way down the mountain and 1030am before I hit the valley floor in between Massive and Elbert. The trail head forn Elbert was 6 miles away and I was way behind schedule so I drank a liter of water and poured out any remaining water and ran to the trailhead getting there around 1145am and putting me back on schedule. I started to go up Elbert with no issues until I hit treeline where my body decided it had had enough. I started to move slow and finished the last 3,000 feet at a little more than a mile per hour. I got to the top by 3pm. At 14,439’ I was on the highest peak in Colorado. There were a couple at the top who gave me a sign to hold and took my picture. (The sign says 14,440 but they must just have rounded up). I descended to the valley and made my way to Twin Lakes hoping to get some food in town before the general store closed. I was beat; I did about 9,000 feet of elevation gain and hiked 30 miles through some tough terrain. As I was walking into town a guy shouted out to me and wanted to know if I cared to join them for there monthly potluck. We all know what the answer was and I went to bed with a full stomach as I camped in the local park.
Good food with Great Comapny
I’m kind of obsessed with Mountain Goats
Some of the avalanche debris I have to walk over
That’s where I wanna go
First Snow Dusting
View from Mt. Massive
Elbert Trail Head
View from Elbert. Massive is on the far right
Happy and Tired
Hanging out and charging at the general store