Day 046 - Continental Divide Trail - Cochetopa Creek to Monchego Creek

Day: 046

Date: Friday, 21 June 2024

Start:  Cochetopa Creek

Finish:  Monchego Creek

Daily Kilometres:  36.1

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

Total Kilometres:  1370.2

Weather:  After raining most of the night, the morning was dry and partly sunny, while the afternoon was a mix of thunderstorms with rain/hail and some sunny periods.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/snack 

  Lunch:  Trail mix & snacks

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals.

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

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  Setting up camp in the rain.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After a very wet night we were fortunate that the rain had stopped by 5am when we began to pack up and we were hiking by soon after 6am.

The entire morning was spent following Cochetopa Creek downstream in a long valley.  Because of the night's rain, the trail was sodden with mud and some parts under water.  We soon both had wet feet.  Although the mountains either side were not as high as yesterday, they were still impressive while along the valley floor the creek rushed, fed by flooding tributaries.  We had heard that moose were frequently seen in the valley but, despite regularly looking around, we never saw any.  Just a few deer.

Around lunchtime we had to ford the swollen Cochetopa Creek which we managed although the water was very cold.

During the afternoon there were frequent storms, occasional rain and it got quite cold.  The trail took us away from the creek and we climbed through some forest and crossed grassy high plains.

Around 6pm, with thunder sounding, we found a tent site off the trail and put the tent up as quickly as possible.  Rain arrived and intensified and we ended up eating in the tent with gear everywhere.  The last forecast we saw was yesterday morning at Creede and it said the rain should stop tomorrow.  We hope so.

Day 045 - Continental Divide Trail - Creede to Cochetopa Creek

Day: 045

Date: Thursday, 20 June 2024

Start:  Creede, CO

Finish:  Cochetopa Creek

Daily Kilometres:  27.2

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

Total Kilometres:  1334.1

Weather:  Light rain and overcast early, then mild and partly sunny in the morning.  Thunderstorm early in the afternoon with freezing rain (literally) and strong cold winds.  Later in the afternoon, cold and overcast with an evening thunderstorm.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast burritos.

  Lunch:  Turkey & cheese rolls

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

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

Highlight:  We followed West Willow Creek northwards out of Creede through a very narrow canyon and were amazed at the old mine workings.  The ingenuity and skill of the miners, using mostly timber and rock, was mind-boggling.  Buildings were perched precariously on very steep slopes, the remains of an old railway line clung to the side of a cliff and huge platforms had been built.  All this was done more than 100 years ago.

Lowlight:  A thunderstorm in the early afternoon accompanied by a strong cold wind and a rain/hail mix made hiking very unpleasant.  We were above the treeline and had, fortunately, at the first hint of the storm put on extra layers and our wet weather gear.  Nevertheless, we got very cold with frozen hands.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After a leisurely start to the day, which included breakfast at a cafe owned by the motel (came with the room price), we headed out of Creede around 8:15am.  Dave was not keen, with a heavy pack (4-5 days food), and a big climb ahead of us, another day in the motel sounded pretty good.

However, as we left town and began the climb through the canyon, spirits lifted at the sight of the spectacular old mining ruins (see above).  As an added bonus, the very steep road we were following was closed to vehicles, and we had it all to ourselves.

The steep climb out of the canyon was followed by a more gradual and steady climb through forest with the occasional cabin and a few ATV’s on the road which degenerated to a rough 4WD track before we left it to join a hiking trail.  From Creede we had been following the Creede Cut-Off Alternate which, after 17km and more than 3000’ of climbing, rejoined the official CDT at San Luis Pass (11935’).  The latter part of the climb was made very unpleasant by a thunderstorm that came through (see above).

Our climbing wasn't yet done, and we crossed three more passes at 12355’, 12374’ and 12618’, dropping down between each one.  The storm cleared near the top of the first and we had truly spectacular views of the surrounding, partly snow covered, mountains.  It was breathtaking and we felt lucky to be there.  Some short traverses across steeply sloping slippery snow were challenging, but nothing too dangerous.

As we descended from the last pass, threatening clouds built up again, and we found a campsite by the trail around 5:40pm and quickly put up the tent.  There were a few spots of rain, but we managed to have dinner and a wash without a problem and were in the tent by 7:40pm.  Almost immediately, a huge thunderstorm with heavy rain and close lightning arrived.  Perfect timing on our part.  Given the weather forecast, we think we did pretty well today, especially given our exposed high altitude hiking.

Day 044 - Continental Divide Trail - Wagon Wheel Gap to Creede

Day: 044

Date: Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Start:  Wagon Wheel Gap

Finish:  Creede, CO

Daily Kilometres:  12.6

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

Total Kilometres:  1306.9

Weather:  Cold early then warm and partly sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs, bacon & hash browns, toast & jam.

  Lunch:  Patty melt & macaroni cheese/cheeseburger & fries.

  Dinner:  Meatloaf & potatoes, icecream

Aches:  Nothing to report.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking by 6am on a very cold morning, intent on getting to Creede, 12km away, as early as possible.  On the northern side of Wagon Wheel Gap, the scenery was less abrupt, with rolling mountains bordering a wide green valley, some of which was being grazed by cattle.  One thing we noticed was the fence on both sides of the road had bird boxes attached every 100 meters or so, for kilometres.

We were very happy when the sun finally reached us, though it remained very cool until we actually arrived at the interesting old mining town of Creede around 9am.  It is nestled at the outlet of a narrow and spectacular canyon and has historic buildings in its main street.

We tried to get early access to our motel room but the managers were clearly very busy in the full motel and they said they would text us when it was available and that we could leave our packs there while we dined and shopped elsewhere.

After breakfast at a diner across the road we walked to the centre of town and bought what we needed then returned to sit in the sun outside the motel office.

Our room was ready at noon and we spent the rest of the afternoon on planning, admin and laundry after lunch at the same diner where we had breakfast.

We were going to eat at one of the restaurants in town in the evening but it was very busy and we ended up buying something from the supermarket we could microwave in our room.  Apart from the usual fishing and ATV touring, Creede has a repertory theatre which is well known and popular.

Back on the trail tomorrow.

Day 043 - Continental Divide Trail - Park Creek to Wagon Wheel Gap

Day: 043

Date: Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Start:  Park Creek 

Finish:  Wagon Wheel Gap

Daily Kilometres:  39.6

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

Total Kilometres:  1294.3

Weather:  Cold early then warm and sunny with a blustery wind.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Breakfast burritos, ice cream

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

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

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  We snapped off two tent pegs, the first of the trip, as we packed up this morning.  Dave had hammered them in extra hard with a large rock last night as the wind was threatening to pull them out of the ground, and apparently he had driven them into tree roots like nails and they would not come out until we snapped them off while trying to budge them.  We have two spares, but will need to find some replacements.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking by 6:10am, despite time lost trying to unsuccessfully retrieve two tent pegs (see above).  

We followed our forest road for another 5km until we reached Hwy 160, which was quite busy, even at 7am, and followed that northwards.  At one point we were passed by a cyclist with a number attached to his road bike, pedalling quite seriously then, shortly afterwards, by a van with flashing lights atop and multiple bikes on the back. Googling later, it seems likely he was in the Race Across the West (RAW), a qualifying event for the famous Race Across America (RAAM) which only takes 12 participants each year.

After another 10km along the highway, we reached the small town of South Fork and a recommended exotic cafe at 10am and had some breakfast.  It was good.

South Fork seems to be the world centre of summer RV Campgrounds/Resorts and we saw many, some of them huge, on the way into and out of town.  Lots of Texas license plates so they must migrate here to beat the heat.  

South Fork also offered other outdoor activities in addition to the ubiquitous ATV rentals.  Rafting, including fly-fishing from rafts, seemed very popular on the fast-flowing Rio Grande, the same river that eventually makes it way to the Gulf of Mexico and marks the border between the US (Texas) and Mexico.  We also saw that you could hire small, pedal-driven rail cars that used the old railway line following the Rio Grande upstream.

We also followed the Rio Grande upstream as we continued our long road walk, this time along Hwy 149. It was easy to forget that we were still above 8000’ as we walked along the highway admiring the high orange cliffs to our right and the huge mountains to our left, with the rushing Rio Grande below.  There was quite a lot of traffic but we had enough room on the verge to stay safe.  There were also lots of vacation cabins along the river and nestled in the woods.

After a long day on the road, we found a tent site behind some trees near the highway in Wagon Wheel Gap at around 5:40pm and called it a day.  We now only have a short walk to Creede tomorrow morning where we will resupply and have a motel room booked for tomorrow night.

Day 042 - Continental Divide Trail - Stunner Campground to Park Creek

Day: 042

Date: Monday, 17 June 2024

Start:  Stunner Campground 

Finish:  Park Creek

Daily Kilometres:  38.9

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

Total Kilometres:  1254.7

Weather:  Very cold early, then warm and sunny with a strong blustery wind.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Snacks/Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

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

Highlight:  The crossing of Elwood Pass (11620’) was memorable.  There were a few small lakes, vast meadows, pine tree copses and partially snow-covered surrounding mountains.  This was the highest we have been on our hike thus far.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It was a cold night and there was ice on our tent as we wiped it as dry as possible and packed up.  Both of us had frozen fingers.  We left the campground at 6:15am and were grateful that the sun reached us on the gravel forest road soon after.  Nevertheless, it remained very cold and we both wore extra layers.

Pretty much all of the first 13km was gradually uphill as we climbed from the campground at 9800’ to Elwood Pass at 11620’.  At the Pass, the views were exceptional in every direction (see above).  Here we left the Great Divide Alternate and joined the Elwood Pass Alternate which, for the remainder of the day, gradually descended following Park Creek, by which we are camped tonight.

Although the scenery remained good, Dave was over the gravelly descent by the time we camped.  It was also very windy and dust was swirling, particularly when vehicles passed.

We reached our goal for the day, a casual camping area soon after 5pm and, given there were already RVs in residence, we walked on a little further and found a spot off the road, inaccessible by vehicle, about fifteen minutes later.  It was nice to have an early night.

Day 041 - Continental Divide Trail - Conejos Campground to Stunner Campground

Day: 041

Date: Sunday, 16 June 2024

Start:  Conejos Campground

Finish:  Stunner Campground

Daily Kilometres:  40.2

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

Total Kilometres:  1215.8

Weather:  Very cold early, then warm and sunny with a blustery wind

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Cheeseburgers, icecream.

  Dinner:  Snacks

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

Highlight:  None in particular.

Lowlight:  Nothing really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke to a very cold morning and heavy condensation in our tent.  This is a known issue with our ultralight tent and just can't be helped.  We usually try to camp somewhere high and breezy and away from rivers/creeks, but that's not always possible.  Anyway, some extra time packing up was spent in wiping down the tent to reduce the moisture before we packed it away.

We were hiking by 6:15am, wearing extra layers with very cold hands and could see the sun shining on the mountain tops across the valley, but it was obvious it was going to be a long time before it reached our side of the valley.  In fact, it was not until we took our breakfast break at 8:30am that we could sit in the sun.

Despite the cold, the scenery was magnificent, with the snow-melt-swollen Conejos River rushing through the valley to our left, occasional vacation cabins and ranches on the lush valley floor, and towering mountains on each side, with snow visible in places.

As we got further along the gravel forest road, the human habitation disappeared and we spent our time looking out for elk or bears, but only saw the occasional chipmunk or squirrel.

As the day wore on there was more vehicle traffic and it was obvious that the two local passions were fly fishing and ATV touring.  There was some dust from the passing vehicles, but most slowed right down to reduce that.

Around 1:30pm we reached the seasonal settlement (only open in summer as the road is closed by snow much of the year) of Platoro and called into a recommended campground store/cafe for a late lunch.  It was run by a very friendly young couple and there was also a CDT hiker who had been there for six days!  Caught in the comfortable vortex, he said, but he promised he would be hiking again tomorrow.

We had hamburgers for lunch, charged our devices and used their wifi with the bonus, for Dave, of watching the England v Serbia EUFA Cup soccer game on their big screen.  Very pleasant, and it would have been easy to stay in one of their cabins for the night …. and get caught in that comfortable vortex.  But, the trail called and we set off again at 2:40pm intent on reaching the Stunner Campground, 11km away for the night.

First we had to climb up to Stunner Pass (10500’), before descending to the Alamosa River with views to the exceptional multi-coloured mineral-rich mountains across the valley.  Apparently, the minerals leach from the soil into the river, along with some old mining chemicals, making the river water unsafe to drink, so we had to get some from another stream before reaching our target campground at 5:45pm.

Once there we found a nice spot in the sun with a picnic table and quickly set up the tent which, in turn, quickly dried in the warm breeze.

Having once again had a substantial lunch, we just had snacks for dinner before an early night.

Day 040 - Continental Divide Trail - Cumbres Pass to Conejos Campground

Day: 040

Date: Saturday, 15 June 2024

Start:  Cumbres Pass (but staying at Chama, NM)

Finish:  Conejos Campground

Daily Kilometres:  35.7

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

Total Kilometres:  1175.6

Weather:  Warm, breezy and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast burritos

  Lunch:  Cheeseburgers & fries, icecream.

  Dinner:  Potato chips, Rocky road fudge

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

Highlight:  A relaxing late lunch at the Red Bear Haus, a cafe/store in a tiny hamlet, where we enjoyed cold drinks and food knowing we had some two-thirds of our day's miles done.

Lowlight:  None really, though paying $28 for a US forests campsite grated a bit.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our booked shuttle back to the trail arrived on time at 8am, but the timeliness went downhill after that.  The shuttle was driven by JJ, a part-owner of the Chama outdoor store run out of a shipping container near the Post Office.  The vehicle was a white van with front seats, already occupied, and a mattress and various pieces of junk in the back along with three other hikers and their gear.  We piled in, sharing the mattress, and off we went.  But, first, we had to refuel at a service station, and then we had to wait while two of the hikers went and bought themselves coffee and breakfast at a busy bakery.  It was probably half an hour before we actually drove out of town, but everybody was laid back and we had a good chat with one of the hikers.  Most of them were getting back on the trail after a week or more off, waiting for the snow to melt.

Ultimately, we started walking at Cumbres Pass around 8:45am.  We were taking an alternate to the official CDT, which meant we had to follow Hwy 17 for about 23km.  This wasn't too bad, given there was little traffic, a wide verge, and excellent mountain scenery.  The first half followed a high valley and we stayed at around 10000’ before descending steadily for the last 10km to 8700’.

It was there that we reached the Red Bear Haus and had a welcome late lunch (see above) and chatted to the friendly owner and other patrons.

At the Red Bear Haus, we left Hwy 17 and joined a gravel forest road for about 11km which was quite busy with ATV’s and vacationers.  The road passed some dude ranches and fishing resorts as it followed the fast-flowing Conejos River, to our left, upstream.  On our right were imposing orange cliffs.

The walking did become a bit tedious at the end of a long day, but eventually we reached the Conejos Campground a little before 6pm.  It was nice to have a table, toilet, water and trash cans, but the price seemed a bit steep for two hikers and a small tent.  Having had a good lunch, we just had snacks for dinner before a wash and early night.  The mosquitoes were a nuisance.