the walk West to steamboat springs

July 07, 2022

Due to a fire last year, I had to walk road up to the boundary of the Rocky Mountain National Park. A ranger told me I wouldn't have to pay the usual 30 dollar entrance fee, since the CDT trail in the park was closed. That was nice. My view was dominated by peaks of the Never Summer Wilderness, so named by Native Americans in broken English in 1914 ("never no summer mountains"). It is a good name! They held much snow, and were backdropped by dramatic dark clouds.

I had to wade across a river to get into them, cursing at wet get for the evening, but the trail climbed slowly enough into timber beside a rushing stream. It started to rain just as I reached campsites. I hurriedly set up my tent beside Axel and another hiker called 70 Pound Hammer.

mysterious trail in the Never Summer.

making my way into this wilderness.

The rain lasted most of the night. I was happy to have a sponge to soak up condensation on the inner wall of my tent. Still without an appetite, I ate no dinner, which worried me because I needed to climb 6000 feet the next day (over 2000 meters).

In the morning, I packed up my soaking tent, and climbed to s pass with broad views. Over the next hours, I traversed alpine basins, then descended to a motorcycle trail in an intriguing narrow valley with lush grass and burned trees. Here, I hung and dried my tent in the sun. This is so important. If you don't achieve it, then the next night will be very unpleasant, because your sleeping bag will get too wet.

I crossed a road and started up a big climb to Parkview Mountain. Moving slowly, I was impressed by the scenery despite a feeling of exhaustion caused by a lack of calories. This summit is the highest point on the CDT remaining. It towers over all country to the north, rolling away in green and blue waves of remote nature preserve. The early evening light made the contours of the land beautiful.

On the summit is a small shelter, which I had to sleep in, of course! Marmots lived underneath, but didn't disturb me. It was quite warm inside, though I slept poorly for some reason. I was able to eat half of my dinner tonight, forced to bury the rest of it the next day.

My way leads along the ridge above, following no trail, just the border of light and shade. Often the CDT is like this. You need to be interested in following natural lines, because there won't always be a trail. Sometimes footprints remind you that you have the right idea...

I was exceptionally thirsty by the time I reached the first water source of the day, in a burned forest off to the left in the picture above. I stayed and drank two liters. Water was becoming scarce again, like in New Mexico.

Looking back on the mountain I slept on top of from the last high country of this section.

i climbed up the shoulder of the mountain above, and was caught by Google, who I hadn't seen INA while. He was traveling with Shredder and Cross Creek (from Germany!) who were somewhere behind. Storm clouds were chasing me from the east, and finally caught me on the other side of this peak.

I made camp in the next valley along with Google. If had only been a fifteen miles day, but I preferred stopping early to setting up camp in the rain!

Something good about all the rain, were the many flowers, like this columbine, which is the state flower of Colorado.

The next day, the rain stopped around 6, soi hurriedly packed in case it started again. I climbed up to a ridge line and saw banks of fog gliding amid the trees. For miles I followed the ridge gently down, finally coming to a road and parking lot where sun breaks allowed me to dry the tent.

Lower, I met trail angel Jim, who gives milk, cookies and cold water to hikers along this stretch from his remote camp on the road. He said he once saw an enormous columbine flower. He went back to get his camera in a storm, but by the time he returned, it had been destroyed!

Jim has been helping hikers here for six years in a row. He exudes the quiet joy of being helpful and noticing things in nature.

Again, a storm was chasing me. I walked briskly west, eventually talking a short cut across a field to save two miles, but paying for it with a hip deep River crossing! After this, I walked highway eight miles southwest to Muddy Pass.

I tried to hitch, but no one stopped. However a bus cage, and brought me to turn, where I booked two nights at the Nordic Lodge. Inflation is very real. I never thought I'd pay $189 per night for a motel room! But the owners are very nice, and loaned mea swimsuit for the hot tub, which I enjoyed.

hours of road through forest, which reminded me of Germany.