This stretch of trail took us high into the San Juan Mountain Range. We traversed large snow fields and spent much of the time above 12,000 feet in elevation.
Day 43 – Mile 797.5 – Views and snow
Today we took more time than we wanted getting out of town (as usual), but we still finished all of our chores and made it to the trailhead by 10:30. We are now hiking in the San Juan Mountain Range, which is at high elevation and still covered by plenty of snow. Hikers who did this section before us reported that the conditions may be difficult, so we have teamed up with our PCT friends Dirty Money and Pocket Rocket to conquer them safely. So far the snow has been mostly melted and there haven’t been any dangerous parts. We suspect it will only get better now that the days are warm and the remaining snow is melting fast. The views here are amazing — we are surrounded by huge mountains in the distance and colorful rocks surround us. There is plenty of melting snow all around, so our feet are constantly wet and soggy. It was great to take our shoes off when we got to camp! We switched from our tarp to an ultralight tent that sets up with our hiking poles for this section (main reasons: mosquitoes & warmth). I was skeptical about whether or not I’d like a “non free-standing” tent, but it seems wonderful! We enjoyed Thai Curry for dinner and dined with Dirty Money and Pocket Rocket. Yum! -T
Day 44 – Mile 820.2 – Snow & Exhaustion
Today ended up being a challenging day due to unrealistic expectations and snow. After yesterday’s easy snow day, we thought we could continue hiking 25 miles per day no problem. We started at 5:30 am, which is much earlier than we normally start. The morning wasn’t too bad. We used our microspikes once first thing because the snow was still a bit icy. At around 9:30 or 10 am, the snow started melting again, and there was no chance of keeping our feet dry any longer. We caught up with Dirty Money, Pocket Rocket, and Blitz around lunchtime. Blitz twisted his ankle when a snow bridge over a stream collapsed under him, but it seems like it’ll be ok. The five of us continued on together for the rest of the day as we had long, challenging descents covered in snow. Our speed over the snow was slow (but we weren’t postholing, so I guess it could have been worse). By the end of the day our feet were soaked and freezing. At around 7:30 pm we found a place to camp. We were all exhausted, and realized we should have taken more breaks during the day. The views were outstanding all day, and it was great to hike and camp with friends! -R
Day 45 – Mile 844.5 – Trail Magic
Once again we got an early start to the day and were hiking at 5:45. Unfortunately a mountain was blocking the sun, but it was still a beautiful time of day. For the first 10 miles of the day we had lots of snow and difficult conditions. We glissaded down a snow-covered hillside to get to the bottom, which is when you sled down on your butt because it is too steep to walk. At about the 10 mile point we crossed a road with a bunch of Jeeps and ORVs. Pocket Rocket’s boyfriend Jay met her there and gave us all Cokes. We chatted for a while and then when we finally got moving, one of the ORV drivers wanted to ask us about the trail. He and his parents gave us awesome snacks, but before we knew it it was 2 pm and we had only hiked 10 miles. Miraculously, after the road the trail became almost snow-free and we covered a lot of ground quickly. We ended at a ski-hut above a ski area. It is a bit of a strange place to camp, but it will do. For dinner we had Ethiopian lentils and rice. Yum!! – T
This is now on my bucket list!!!!