Section 12: Colorado NOBO Flip-Flop, the San Juans, and Endless Valleys (21 photos, 1 videos)

Section 12 is 69.4 miles long and runs from Cumbres Pass to Wolf Creek Pass. September 4th - 6th.

Day 73, 25.1 miles to Blue Lake.

Finally truly back on the trail! I was packed up and walking shortly after 8 and soon came across a huge buck laying in the middle of the trail. I thought he was sleeping so I clacked my trekking poles and shouted at him but he was dead. There didn’t seem to be any wounds so he must have just died and decided the CDT was a fine final resting place. Further down I got to a stream where I filled up on water and began the 2,000 foot ascent up along a beautiful ridge. The valley to the West was absolutely breathtaking, it looked fake and slowed me down quite a bit as I took a lot of photos. At first I wandered why there were so many cairns, sometimes as close as 20 feet apart, then I realized it must be because that is how bad the visibility can get when it snows. Yikes. Later in the afternoon it drizzled on enough just enough for me to dig out my rain jacket. I really started to drag since I took nine 0-days and then tried to crush a long 25 mile day at 12,000 feet of elevation. My feet were aching and my butt was chafing but I was in the middle of a 12 mile water carry and had to make it to Blue Lake. I was completely drained when I arrived but found some nice trees right by the water to hang my hammock.

In the winter, this sign is correct. In the summer, this sign is a liar.

The gorgeous valley surrounding Rio Chama.

Day 74, 24.1 miles to NOBO marker 843.7 (1,436.7 overall)

As I was enjoying brekkie in bed, a little thieving chipmunk tried to nibble into my croissants! I yelled at him and threw some pebbles in his direction. I got packed up and wrapped around the stunning Blue Lake. I found the remnants of a stone chimney and nabbed some photos before starting the first big climb of the day. There was yet another pretty valley and a few massive cornices of snow that would likely be surviving the rest of the summer. There were more ups and downs and zigzags east and west to try to keep the elevation somewhat level. Near the crossing over Adam’s Fork Conejo River I had to fight my way through the thickest and densest bushwhack yet and it slowed my pace to a crawl. After hiking over the next ridge, the trail did another sweeping turn at the tip of a valley that was occupied by cows. I wondered if they realized how good they had it, how beautiful this valley was as they mosey around grazing. There was a lot of rolling hills after this climb and stunning views off into the distance of other peaks and valleys. At one point I walked to the edge for a better angle and as I crested a small berm I saw a lady who was sitting by her tent. We startled each other because we both would have sworn we were the only CDT’ers around this stretch. After some chatting I pressed on, saw some elk, and then set camp next to the trail. As I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed a hunter came walking up and asked “have any luck today?” “uhhh…I saw some great views…I’m just hiking dude.” “Ohhh…..” It was an award exchange and I laughed that he was empty handed while I just saw a small herd about two miles ago.

Day 75, 18 miles to Wolf Creek Pass and a hitch to Pagosa Springs (1,454.7 overall)

I was up early and walked by quite a lot of hunters’ campers parked around Elwood Pass. The trail then snaked through some trees, small lakes, and popped out on yet another exposed and beautiful ridgeline. I was reminded why they say to get through the San Juans before the snow arrived because the trail was narrow and was next to a steep and never ending slope to the bottom of the mountain. I passed a cool chimney shaped rock so I climbed it and took a lunch break up top. Some thunder hit off to the East but thankfully the dark clouds stayed over there for the rest of the day. I opted to take an alt route that cut through Wolf Pass Ski Resort so I could gaze at the chairlifts and reminisce of my time as a ski instructor last winter. I also hoped one of the lodges was open so I could use the bathroom but it was locked and I had to dig a hole. At the Wof Creek Pass trailhead, I soon met Nikki who was returning from a short hike with her dog, Ace. She also was a former ski bum in addition to traveling around SE Asia and hitchhiking thousands of miles so we had plenty of stories to share. In addition to great conversation, she also gave me a loaf of homemade banana bread! In town, I did a quick food resupply and then went to the Riff Raff Brewery for some drinks and a delicious dinner, the Big Lebowski Burger. I chatted with the bartender and got the number for a local trail angel who, unfortunately, was out of town. But he recommended I stealth camp up on Reservoir Hill, which I wound up doing after I stopped for a soak in the Hippie Dip Hot Springs.