From Creede to Leadville Colorado 150 miles of gorgeous

We started out from Creede at San Luis Pass.  My Sinus Infection was getting better so we ventured into the high country once more.  Our trail took us through a dry set of hills that were nice and low and easy to hike in.One night we were camped high up on a bluff above a creek and along come Balls and Sunshine.  Jay and Sunshine hadn't seen each other since the PCT in 2011.  They talked about gear and had some fun being kids together.  We probably won't catch them again.  After the Cochetopa Hills, we climbed and climbed, heading for Monarch Pass.

Getting to Monarch Pass was a haul but I am getting to be a stronger climber (except above 12,000 feet)

The CDT near Monarch Pass

We are nearly but not quite done with snow.  Now it is patches more or less.  Sometimes in scary places like big rotten cornices.

Here we are at Monarch Pass. Wired, another Trail Ambassador, saved me a couple of days later when she loaned me some lotion.  My knee brace is causing a square foot of chaffing on the inside of both thighs.  This trail has been so tough that in 3 weeks I have used up most of my first aid kit. 

Did I say tough, oh I meant fantastic.  You can't look in any direction in Colorado with out your jaw dropping from the beauty.

Jay crossing one of the Twin Lakes streams.

Kevin has new boots in Leadville

Jay having a multiple zero in Leadville

Leadville has the most fantastic second hand store called community Threads.  I got these new Treksta hikers for $20 and a sun shirt and lots of other stuff.  The best 2nd hand store ever.

A note about the Twin Lakes Store.  They have a ton of hiker stuff, new owners are hikers themselves.  They have Heet , Mountain House Meals, and Aqua Mira.  You can still send boxes but they are no longer a Post Office.

We're Here!

Wolf Creek Pass, ready to go. Temp 34 degrees, wind howling

Goat from Good Night Lonesome Dove (very cool cabin rentals for summer and winter) in South Fork is letting us stow our car for 6 weeks while we do our hike.  Check out their link: www.goodnightslonesomedove.com/

 Not far up from Wolf Creek Pass we saw our first CDT sign.

 In the snow of course, while it was snowing, of course.

 Awww the long trail, where? I thought for a little while we were back in Oregon (see June last year this blog)

 Around Archuleta Lake some of the CDT Pack caught us; No Amp, Breeze, Bone Lady, Papa Smurff on snow shoes, and early the next morning we met some other hikers with Yukon.

 You can see for miles and miles from up here.

On the second or third day of this stretch, the high altitude combined with a low grade sinus infection I  brought from Ohio blossomed into acute sinusitis.  We got our car back from Goat and are now sheltering in Pagosa Springs for a few days while I pop amoxicilin and cough suppressants.  Just to give a sense of why we pulled off the trail for the mean time: At my worst, we were on a jeep road with mile markers and late in the afternoon it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to walk one mile!

When we got to Creede I realized how zoned out and sick I was.  Jay and Kevin had the same thing but not near as bad.  We hope to be back on the trail in a few days.  In the mean time HAPPY AND HEALTHY TRAILS.