Day 086 - Continental Divide Trail - East Fork River to Falls Creek.

Day: 086

Date: Wednesday, 31 July 2024

Start:  East Fork River 

Finish:  Falls Creek

Daily Kilometres:  35.8

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2543.6

Weather:  Very cold early then mild and sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Snacks/Trail mix

  Dinner:  Chicken & rice

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  We cooked and ate our dinner at Hat Pass (10885’), between two very rocky peaks and well above the treeline after a long technical climb.  Awesome scenery in every direction.

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We had a day of stunning alpine scenery and challenging technical single-track trail.

Initially, it was very cold as we set off hiking at 6am wearing nearly every item of clothing we had with us.  There was frost on the ground and our hands were frozen from the tent packup.

But, soon, the sun reached us and after an hour’s hiking our hands had thawed out at least.  It was another hour or two before we removed the extra layers.

Our trail took us from one high alpine valley to the next, each with one or more lakes and lush meadows.  Jagged rocky mountain peaks were the backdrop and the trail passed many rocky outcrops and boulder fields and crossed many streams, only one of which required wet shoes/boots and socks.

We did see some hikers, including a few southbound CDT thruhikers, but not nearly as many as yesterday, so often had the valleys to ourselves.

Most of the day was spent between 9500’ and 10500’ with one major climb in the late afternoon over Hat Pass (see above).

Because the trail was often quite technical and slow, our progress was also slow and we didn't reach out goal campsite until 7:50pm.  It is a beautiful spot in a high meadow and we watched the sun gradually fade from the nearby rocky peaks as it set.

Tomorrow, we detour about 24km off the CDT to Elkhart Park Trailhead from where we hope to hitchhike to the small town of Pinedale, another 25km away, to resupply and have a day off.  We are a little apprehensive about how easy it will be to get a ride.