Trip Date: September 7-14, 2023
Location: Lake City, CO to Durango!
CT Mile: 357.8 – 486.4
It is the last week on the Colorado Trail however, we’re not finishing with ANY dry weather in the forecast. We’re leaving Lake City and hiking with a small group. I packed out some Fireball to carry to the end and officially accepted the trail name. Huckleberry Fish would be proud. There’s a 10-mile waterless stretch that I somehow managed to miss, so yes, I am currently carrying more Fireball than water. It’s the last week on trail, so don’t you judge me.
It’s a shorter day since we got back on trail a little later that morning after leaving Lake City. The next day, we’d reach the Colorado Trail High Point at 13,271′! Maybe after 31 days, I finally got my trail legs. Reaching the CT high point wasn’t as bad as I imagined it to be. Surrounding views helped! As we made our way toward the San Juans, you couldn’t help but notice the change in scenery, the landscape was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Green hills. Colorful mountains!
We were told of the sheepherder by locals in Lake City. “Have you seen the sheep?” We were asked a few times. “No, no sheep. Lots of cows though!” Someone joked about the sheepherder having close to 500 sheep and they roam parts of the Colorado Trail in the coming sections. I thought we must’ve just missed them until I heard weird noises coming from the road nearby. It almost sounds like you’re getting booed’d at- until I realized the hundreds of white specs covering the hills ahead. 🐑
It was the sheepherder and his 500 sheep! Never have I ever encountered sheep on ANY trail, so I was a bit hesitant as to what I needed to do to stay safe. I kept my distance but it was so hard not to move closer to these fluff balls. They were just too cute and totally made my day. Until I realized they were on the trail. Covering where I needed to go. I wave down the sheepherder and ask if it’s okay to go. Unsure if I’d get charged at or attacked. “They’re SHEEP!” he yelled. As if I should have known they were too adorable to hurt me.
It ended up being a very long afternoon. Our group split up and we hiked our paces until I caught up with Giddy Up. The upcoming descent looked pretty epic on the FarOut app, and we soon came to realize the canyon we’d be descending to. Our group was complete again as we made it to camp. It was Andrew and Pickles’s last day on trail as they were hopping on the train to Silverton the next day. Giddy Up and I made plans to get to Molas Lake, resupply, and check out the weather, for we’d have to deal with a big storm making its way over to the San Juans that week.
With less than 50 miles to go, we’re debating to push for the end or hop off trail. Giddy Up and I regrouped at Molas Lake and ran into Daddy Longlegs. We had been leap-frogging him for a couple of weeks, so it was nice to see a familiar face. The rain came and so did the thunder. Have you ever felt thunder? Try standing in the middle of the mountains at 10k ft. It rumbles throughout the forest and you can sometimes feel it in your bones. The sun didn’t shine for nearly 48 hours. Everything, including my extra pair of socks, was completely soaked. Nothing was drying overnight, and the thought of putting on wet socks at 6 AM was the absolute worst- but it’s the last day on the Colorado Trail and we’ve got 14.5 miles to the end!
What feels like just another town day is actually the end. It’s hard for me to imagine life after the Colorado Trail. Do you mean, we’re not hiking 15+ miles tomorrow? No more pitching a tent? I’m never ready to go home. It’s something I’ve learned about myself with every thru-hike so far. The trail becomes home and even though the first few days I doubted myself so hard, I did it. And with every thru-hike I’ve done so far, I’ve always said I’d do it all over again. Somewhere within the last 3-miles I unknowingly twisted my ankle. I’d limp out the last mile, and I’d do so even with a smile. 🧡🏕️
