Continental Divide Trail (US)

Day 067 - Continental Divide Trail - Poison Ridge to Ironclad Mountain

Day: 067

Date: Friday, 12 July 2024

Start: Poison Ridge

Finish: Ironclad Mountain

Daily Kilometres: 39.9

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

Total Kilometres: 1961.2

Weather: Mild early then warm and sunny.

Accommodation: Tent

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Pop tarts

Lunch: Snacks/Trail mix

Dinner: Rehydrated meals.

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

Highlight: Nothing in particular.

Lowlight: Small biting flies were a big nuisance this afternoon and evening. They are slow, so usually when they bite us, it is their last bite.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking by soon after 6am on a mild and sunny morning. The first early morning without frozen fingers for a while.

The CDT continued to follow the crest of the Rabbit Ears Range, sometimes going over the high points and sometimes around, but mostly above the treeline and mostly around 11500’. The views continued to be fantastic and the trail wasn't too bad apart from a couple of very steep short climbs.

Around noon, after a descent to Arapaho Creek and a long climb back up to the ridge at 11500’, we joined a rough forest road and the remainder of our day was spent on steadily improving forest roads. It was a nice change from the tough trail of yesterday and we made good time.

We only saw one vehicle all afternoon and the driver stopped to tell us he had just seen a bear and a moose down the trail in the direction we were walking. Of course, we saw neither.

We were also out of luck with respect to trail magic. Our navigation app said someone was providing treats for hikers up until this evening at a certain location but, when we got there, before 5pm, they were gone.

We did have some “magic” a little further on when we stopped at an RV parked off the road and were given choc chip cookies by Jim, and water which we needed for the night and which was scarce along the road. Jim, an ex-Marine, apparently parks there each year and gives cookies and water to passing CDT hikers in return for a bit of a chat.

We continued on for another hour or so along the road before finding a marginal spot to camp for the night just off the road at around 6:30pm. Later, Jim drove along the road and told us we were camped on private property but that we would probably be OK if we left early. The signage was ambiguous, so we didn't feel too guilty.

We're looking forward to a shorter day tomorrow before we hitch-hike into Steamboat Springs for resupply and a day off.

Day 066 - Continental Divide Trail - Trout Creek to Poison Ridge.

Day: 066

Date: Thursday, 11 July 2024

Start: Trout Creek

Finish: Poison Ridge

Daily Kilometres: 31.6

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

Total Kilometres: 1921.3

Weather: Cold early then warm and sunny.

Accommodation: Tent

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Pop tarts

Lunch: Snacks

Dinner: Rehydrated meals.

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

Highlight: The 360° views from the top of Parkview Mountain (12296’) were spectacular.

Lowlight: Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Tough day, for Dave.

We were hiking by soon after 6am, but the trail was difficult, badly eroded and cut up by trail bikes which were apparently permitted on the trail. They had gouged out a deep narrow trench, often filled with loose rocks, that was difficult to walk in, making it hard work. The area had been burnt out by a wildfire a few years ago which also detracted from the mood.

After 2.5 hours of dealing with that, we crossed a highway at Willow Creek Pass (9629’) and began the long ascent up Parkview Mountain. Initially, the climb was just steady but, above the treeline, it was steep and interminable. The motto of the Continental Divide Trail is “embrace the brutality”, and the climb was brutal, for Dave, at least. The altitude and pack didn't help, and he had to stop and catch his breath every 100m or so on the steepest parts. The worst part was that most of the time you could see the trail switchbacking far above you. What was a 73-y-o doing here?!

Anyway, we finally reached the summit around 1pm and took a lunch break admiring the view. You could see a long way in all directions, including into Wyoming to the north, our next state. Dave was picking up Wyoming radio stations as we hiked.

The ascent of Parkview Mountain was followed by a steep descent, then we followed the ridge of the Rabbit Ears Range westward with good views all the way. The trail then worked its way around Haystack Mountain through a wildfire-ravaged area with lots of trees down across the trail, which was time and energy consuming.

We kept hiking until about 6:30pm when we reached a treeless saddle on Poison Ridge (10620’) and found a tent site with a fabulous view and called it a day. We hadn't got as far as we liked, but there had been no easy trail today.

The mosquitoes here are horrendous and we can hear them buzzing outside the tent as the blog is written.

Day 065 - Continental Divide Trail - Grand Lake to Trout Creek

Day: 065

Date: Wednesday, 10 July 2024

Start: Grand Lake

Finish: Trout Creek

Daily Kilometres: 35.3

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

Total Kilometres: 1889.7

Weather: Warm and sunny to mid-afternoon, then overcast with a thunderstorm.

Accommodation: Tent

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Microwaved breakfast burritos

Lunch: Snacks/Ham & cheese roll

Dinner: Rehydrated meals.

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

Highlight: Nothing in particular.

Lowlight: Climbing over Bowen Pass (11470’) was going to be a highlight but, as we cleared the treeline, a thunderstorm that had been brewing, began thundering loudly, it got very cold, and a mix of snow and sleet began to fall. High above the treeline was not the place to be during a thunderstorm and we didn't linger as we crossed the Pass and descended as quickly as we could.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After a good night's sleep in our comfortable cabin, we ate our microwaved breakfast burritos and began hiking around 7:45am on a lovely sunny morning. Initially, we followed the Rocky Mountains National Park Cut-Off route which passed through a long stretch of burned forest dating from a wildfire in 2020. It was encouraging to see the wildflowers out in abundance, but the trees were all dead with no sign of forest recovery, which was sad. There were some grassy meadows bordering the Tonahutu Creek, and we spied, in the distance, two moose grazing and watching us.

We also met four CDT hikers, travelling as a group, or “trail family”, and saw them again later in the day.

We rejoined the official CDT after a couple of hours and followed it to a trailhead where Dave remembered it as the start of a memorable 25km run he did to Bear Lake over Flattop Mt in abysmal conditions, about 30 years ago. Also at the trailhead were two rangers with horses and packhorses getting ready to carry in supplies to a crew working on the trail.

From there, after a short road walk, we spent some hours gradually climbing through pine forest on mostly good trail towards Bowen Pass. The weather gradually deteriorated during the afternoon as a thunderstorm developed and the climb over the Pass was not that pleasant (see above).

Rain continued for an hour or so after we crossed the Pass and returned below the treeline, but then the clouds cleared and the evening was more pleasant. Rather than stop early, we continued hiking until we reached a stream to get water for the night and found somewhere to camp nearby at around 7:30pm. The mosquitoes were bad.

Day 064 - Continental Divide Trail - Monarch Lake to Grand Lake

Day: 064

Date: Tuesday, 09 July 2024

Start: Monarch Lake

Finish: Grand Lake

Daily Kilometres: 27.6

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

Total Kilometres: 1854.4

Weather: Cold early then warm and sunny in the morning and cloudy with scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Cabin

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Pop tarts/Muesli

Lunch: Burritos

Dinner: Burgers & fries, cheesecake.

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

Highlight: Nothing in particular.

Lowlight: Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at the usual 5am and were walking by 6am on a cold morning, but not as cold as yesterday when we were 3000’ higher.

Our campsite this morning was at 8320’ and our day was largely spent at a similar elevation as we followed a series of lakes and waterways - Lake Granby, the Colorado River, Shadow Mountain Lake - to the town of Grand Lake sitting on, you guessed it, Grand Lake.

The trail wasn't very easy early, as hoped, as we climbed to a ridge overlooking Lake Granby. We had about 24km to Grand Lake where we had accommodation booked and planned to resupply. In a perfect world, we would have had an easy trail and be in Grand Lake in time for a restaurant lunch.

The trail did get easier, though there were a few scary bits along the dammed Colorado River where the trail was very narrow and gravelly, crumbling away in parts, on an almost vertical slope high above the river.

The lakes and waterways were beautiful and calm early, with a spectacular backdrop of mountains. We saw a lot of watercraft, mostly pontoon boats, with vacationers out enjoying themselves as well as plenty of day-hikers, some of whom knew about the CDT and were keen to chat.

We did make good time after the earlier technical trail and reached the main street of the cute little town of Grand Lake soon after 1:30pm and found a Mexican restaurant that looked cheap enough for us to afford. Everything in Colorado is expensive, though generally good quality. Grand Lake itself was very busy. It has a contrived western feel, with wooden sidewalks, and is a vacation/outdoors town. The wooden sidewalks have the CDT logo branded into them.

Following lunch, we visited the nearby outdoor store and Dave purchased much-needed new inner and outer socks. In just the last few days, large holes had appeared in all four socks!

That done, we began the journey to our booked accommodation high on a hill overlooking Grand Lake, stopping at a small grocery on the way to buy some food. After checking in to our very expensive cabin around 4pm, part of a large lodge within Rocky Mountain National Park, Julie made the trip back down the mountain to buy some additional supplies needed for the next four days hiking.

Later we brought takeout dinner at the restaurant attached to the lodge for dinner and had a reasonably early night.

Day 063 - Continental Divide Trail - Corona Pass to Monarch Lake

Day: 063

Date: Monday, 08 July 2024

Start: Corona Pass

Finish: Monarch Lake

Daily Kilometres: 38.3

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

Total Kilometres: 1826.8

Weather: Very cold in the morning then mild and sunny.

Accommodation: Tent

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Pop tarts/Muesli

Lunch: Snacks

Dinner: Rehydrated meals.

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

Highlight: Saw our first moose for this trip. Actually two moose, feeding near the outlet of Monarch Lake at the end of our day.

Lowlight: Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We had a day of two halves. The first half started above the treeline in freezing conditions - puddles frozen over, frost and frozen hands - as we set off at 6am to complete our climb up to Rollins Pass. We were in the shadow of the mountain until we reached the Pass and some warming sunshine, but it was a crystal clear day and we had great views.

We stayed above the treeline for the rest of the morning at around 12000’, with awesome views all the way, until we reached Devils Thumb Pass. The scale of the mountains and high meadows made us feel very small.

The descent from Devils Thumb Pass took us below the treeline and into the second half of our day which started with a section of burnt out and fallen timber dating back to a wildfire last year.

Further down we passed through beautiful pine forest and past vast verdant meadows until, near the end of the day, we reached the beautiful Monarch Lake. It was a popular tourist area and there were many about. Just before reaching the picnic area we joined a few of the tourists admiring a couple of moose feeding in the creek.

The picnic area would have been a good place to camp (though probably not permitted although we didn't see any signs), but there were too many people about. So, we followed the CDT down the entrance road and found a tent site out of sight of the road just before 7pm and set up camp.

Day 062 - Continental Divide Trail - Berthoud Pass to Corona Pass

Day: 062

Date: Sunday, 07 July 2024

Start: Berthoud Pass

Finish: Corona Pass

Daily Kilometres: 30.1

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

Total Kilometres: 1788.5

Weather: Mostly cold. Sunny in the morning and mostly cloudy in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Tent

Nutrition:

Breakfast: McMuffins, hash browns.

Lunch: Meat & cheese subs.

Dinner: Snacks

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

Highlight: Crossed our highest point of the trip so far, James Peak (13309’).

Lowlight: Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After breakfast in our motel room, purchased from the nearby McDonald's, we checked out at about 7:20am and began hitchhiking on the main road that ran past the motel. There was a lot of traffic, but we weren't having much luck until, after about 15 minutes, a young aerospace engineer, on his way home to Denver with three large dogs in the back, gave us a lift in his SUV. A very nice guy and we had a good chat during the 20 minute drive up to Berthoud Pass where he dropped us off at 8am.

The trailhead carpark was already quite busy and we met many day-hikers as we began the long 2000’ climb from the pass to the summit of Mt Flora (13123’). It was very cold, with a strong wind blowing, and hikers were sheltering behind rock windbreaks while admiring the views, which were spectacular.

We continued down over the other side of the mountain and left most of the day-hikers behind as we descended through very rocky terrain. It was a bit galling that we ended up descending 3000’ over the next 8km, only to have to regain all of it during the afternoon to reach James Peak (13309’). We had been concerned that thunderstorms were originally forecast for the afternoon but, although it did cloud over and the mountain top was shrouded in fog, there was no storm. Then, as if on cue, as we neared the summit, the fog mostly cleared and we had more spectacular views from the top.

With all ascending and descending, much of it on rocky trail, our progress had been slow and it was nearly 6pm by the time we did reach the summit amd have a look around.

On our descent from James Peak there were few opportunities to camp or get water, and it was 8:15pm by the time we found both and set up camp. Having eaten well earlier on the day we quickly got into the tent and just ate snacks for dinner.

Day 061 - Continental Divide Trail - Berthoud Pass (but staying in Winter Park)

Day: 061

Date: Saturday, 06 July 2024

Start: Berthoud Pass (but staying in Winter Park)

Finish: Berthoud Pass (but staying in Winter Park)

Daily Kilometres: 0

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her run this morning.

Total Kilometres: 1758.4

Weather: Cool to mild and sunny.

Accommodation: Motel

Nutrition:

Breakfast: McDonalds breakfast platter

Lunch: Mexicali Sub

Dinner: Burrito/Quesadillas, 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:

Julie went for her usual “in town” morning run along the trails to the north of Winter Park while Dave had a more relaxed start to the day. Afterwards we walked to the nearby McDonald's for breakfast before journeying further down to an outdoor store to buy some dehydrated food.

Julie then continued on another 4km to the sister town of Fraser where there is a larger supermarket to buy some food while Dave bought some other supplies on his way back to the motel.

Winter Park is a very pleasant resort town, catering for skiers in the winter and cyclists and hikers in the summer. There were lots of holidaymakers in town and the cafes were busy on a very pleasant summer's day.

We bought lunch nearby and then had a look around an art exhibition in the town park which was also very busy.

Laundry and relaxation in the afternoon before having dinner at a nearby restaurant and buying (over-priced) ice cream for dessert on the way back to our room.

Back on the trail tomorrow and a little apprehensive about the two 13000’ peaks we have to cross with thunderstorms forecast in the afternoon.