Look who I met on the summit! #continentaldividetrail (at Grays Peak)

My eyes open with the sunrise at 5am. I grab my ice axe and chip enough frozen snow from a nearby cornice to make coffee. Trail life is good. #continentaldividetrail

Golden hour above treeline on the #continentaldividetrail

Just another day at the office. #continentaldividetrail

A brief narrative of the last month of my hike

My last proper post ended with a literal cliffhanger in the San Juans. I decided to bail out of the mountains and give the snow a few weeks to melt and consolidate. This was made possible by the extreme generosity of my friend Cam, who drove 5 hours to pick me up that night at Wolf Creek Pass, and his roommates, who welcomed me to stay on their couch for two weeks.

In Boulder, I spent almost every morning talking to random people in coffee shops, most of whom turned out to be outdoors badasses. Cam invited me to join him at some mindfulness workshops. One of his roommates, Meng, took me climbing on the flatirons. I attended a trail running film fest. I ran the Bolder Boulder (Boulder’s Bay to Breakers). I ran the Boulder skyline traverse, a ~20 mile run that hits the 5 major peaks that border the town… (Many more adventures omitted for clarity).

After two weeks, Cam and I drove back to Pagosa Springs so that I could give the San Juans a second go. I was still nervous about the snow conditions and mentally prepared to detour around. How much difference could 2 weeks make? Luckily, I connected with another hiker, Drive By, who was determined to push through.

The mountains were extreme in challenge and beauty. We braved exposed mountaineering problems, difficult navigation (no trail or footprints visible), and an angry mana moose. We walked the skies along knife edge ridges, watched sunset from camp on a 13k ridge, and felt we had one of the most majestic mountain ranges in the country entirely to ourselves. I suffered and transcended. I didn’t want it to end.

We caught a lucky jeep hitch into Silverton just before a big thunderstorm rolled in. The town was touristy and mostly shut down for shoulder season. Nevertheless I got a good meal and met some great folks, including Allee, who invited me to a mountain running camp a few weeks and a few hundred miles away, and Lux a CDT hiker who joined us for the next section of trail.

From Silverton, it was a 2 day hike to Lake City. The snow became patchier and the mountains gentler. Every day felt less like mountaineering and more like hiking.

Less than an hour after arriving in Lake City the hostel owner, Lucky, invited me to go white water rafting. I was tired but couldn’t pass up the offer. We sent a 6 mile section with class 4+ whitewater. I enjoyed hanging out with Lucky’s friends as much as I enjoyed the water! They made an honest living and played hard in mountains.

The trail north of Salida continued getting less and less snowy until, one day, there was nothing but dry trail ahead. I was so excited that I hiked a 50 mile day through the grassy lowlands, meadows of wildflowers, and budding aspens. I flew into Salida in just a few days.

In Salida, I picked up some new shoes and groceries and then caught a ride (Thank you Alyssa!) to the mountain running camp I had been invited to in Silverton. The camp was mainly for high school XC runners from Durango. I was honored to spend time with this group of smart, mature, and talented folks.

At 4 am in morning we woke up for a quick breakfast (a secret recipe called speed gruel) and then ran/hiked up Mt. Shavno. We hit the 14er peak mid morning. The campers continued on to another peak and I headed back down to the trail.

From there It was a three day hike through the Collegiate Peaks to Twin Lakes with rolling hills, tree cover, swollen creeks, and heaps of Colorado Trail hikers.

In Twin Lakes I met two of my university professors, Patrick and Martin. The three of us had great adventures including climbing a class 5 route on Crestone Needle and camping in the Great Sand Dunes. We talked for hours and hours about academia and life.

From Twin Lakes it was only a day and a half up trail to Leadville. On the way I scooted up Mt. Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado. The trail was similar to the trail into Salida: good tree cover, lots of water, and rolling climbs through the foothills. I saw a mama mountain goat with a baby.

I arrived in Leadville late and had some trouble finding a place to sleep but no trouble finding a good dinner. Luckily it all worked out in the end! I’m writing now from the hot tub at the Colorado Trail House, an especially beautiful and friendly hostel right off the downtown strip. I’ll get back to trail tomorrow.

#continentaldividetrail (at Mount Elbert)

Back on trail and then another #continentaldividetrail side trip 😈 Mt. Elbert is the highest point in Colorado.

They equip summits with selfie props now!

Happy Solstice + Hike Naked Day everyone! (at Mount Elbert)

#continentaldividetrail side trip: the great sand dunes. Put this on your bucket list of you haven’t been. The dunes are up to 750 feet high and create a really unique camping environment.

Around 4am it started to rain and I left my tent to put on the fly. Just then a huge gust of wind sent my tent rolling down the side of the dune. It took some running, jumping, and diving to secure it. (at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve)

#continentaldividetrail side trip: climbing partway up Crestone Needle with Patrick. Great weather but turned around due to steep snowfields. (at Crestone Needle)

#continentaldividetrail side trip: climbing with some professors from university (at Twin Lakes, Colorado)

Happy to be on dry trail! Posting tonight from my tent on the summit of a 12k tree-ed peak. 1 or 2 days hike to Salida CO. #continentaldividetrail

Side trip from the #continentaldividetrail (at San Luis Peak)

Nice day, tough hitch. #continentaldividetrail (at Lake City, Colorado)