Section 18: Summits, Moose, Views, and Training for the 50-Mile Day (22 photos, 2 videos)

Section 18 is 97.8 miles long and runs from Grand Lake to Steamboat Springs, CO. I skipped the Rocky Mountain NP loop so this section was actually 79.9 miles for me. October 1st - 3rd.

The Rocky Mountain NP cutoff was a short four miles and followed Tonahunu Creek on a very well maintained trail. The day started off unbearably cold but was now unbearably hot as I was sweating through my shirt and was hiking in my space shorts.

DAY 99 (continued) 19.4 MILES TO NOBO MARKER 1393.8 WITH A PIT STOP IN GRAND LAKE, CO

I was making good time along the RMNP cutoff route that follows Tonahunu Creek I rejoined the CDT but still had a ways to go to hit my mileage goal for the day. Treating myself to some BBQ in town certainly did not help. I chatted with Sea Lion as I hiked back into the woods and was pretty excited for wrapping up my Colorado NOBO Flip-Flop, then going to a music festival in Austin before taking a road trip back to Maryland for a good friend’s wedding. I tried to crank out some miles but the sun began to set and the low light caused me to miss out on some more stunningly vibrant yellow aspen trees. I crossed the Colorado River on the road and then started the ascent up Bowen Gulch towards the Rocky Mountain NP border which had some campsites. I was hoping to find other hikers that already had a campfire going but was out of luck. I decided to push on a few more miles and camp next to some water.

Shadowcliff Hostel. I would have liked to stay but I had miles to crush.

Day 100, 21.8 miles to Parkview Summit Shelter (2008.5 overall)

I was up early and begrudgingly got out of bed after another night where sleep was difficult to come by due to the freezing temperatures. I found a golf club near camp as I packed up camp and was pretty confused. I was a decent bit off trail and surrounded by trees so it seemed very odd for there to be a golf club here, so far from a mountaintop or any open area to drive some golf balls. I flew up the gentle incline for a few miles and then caught a moose as she stood up from behind some shrubs. As I switched to my zoom lens, another cow popped up and stared at me quizzically. Then, right as I began snapping photos, their big bull moose rose up and stared me down for a moment before taking his two ladies deeper into the woods. I climbed out of Bowen Gulch and descended down to a valley following Trout Creek where I stopped for a lunch break and to top off on water for an upcoming 11 mile carry.

I was sidetracked by a long rockwall because it looked too fun to not climb. I even back tracked a hundred meters or so to get to a good line to climb up to the top and walk along the skinny ridge. It was a blast but I soon realized that it was already 4pm and I still had quite a bit of miles to go to make it over Parkview Summit and get back down below the treeline. I tried to stay in a high gear but the higher I hiked up the 2,664 foot incline, the windier and colder it got. There seemed to be the perfect angle of ridges to create a vortex of wind sweeping down right at me. I took a quick snack break behind the last bunch of trees which was my last escape. I then continually had to lean into the currents and was almost knocked off my feet a couple times. The sun had set by the time I reached the summit and I was surprised to find a crude stone shelter perched on top. I inspected it carefully and found it was sealed up pretty tight, no wind was drafting in, but there was evidence of marmots. It was dark out and a full 2.7 miles of exposed and windy ridge-walking to reach tree cover, with possibly more to find suitable hammock trees, and I was just too exhausted to do that. So I cooked inside, hung my food, pack, and gear from the rafters, and hoped the marmot would stay in his home underneath the shelter.

Heading up Parkview Mountain had a pretty sunset, exposed ridgelines, and unforgiving wind.

Parkview Summit Shelter was my home for the night.

Day 101, 31 miles to NOBO marker 1446.6 (2039.5 overall)

I got some amazing star photos in the middle of the night and otherwise had some amazing sleep. The shelter kept me warm and cozy and was a great windblocker for making some morning tea. I felt rejuvenated and quickly dropped off the ridge and back into tree cover where lots of havoc awaited. The trail wraps around Haystack Mountain which is an incredibly steep cone and the destructiveness of an avalanche was still very evident. Downed trees and debris littered the trail and slowed my pace to a crawl. Hammocking here would have been terrible and I was so glad that I decided to stay at the shelter last night. I soon got out of the warzone and crushed some miles as I passed some neat rock formations and started up another big ascent. After a quick break at the end of the 11-mile water carry that began the day before, I flew up the rest of the climb. It was a gently graded 4x4 road and towards the top I saw my first and only bear on this entire trail. He ran off before I even started to reach for my zoom lens. After topping out, there was a long and gentle downhill that allowed me to blast 15 miles without stopping, quite possibly a personal best. The road passed some huge aspen trees that were turning yellow and dropping leaves to the forest floor. I made it to Indian Creek and was not too happy to see many cows standing in the water. They were most likely pooping in it as well but this was the only water for many miles. The sun had set and the temperature began to plummet so I crossed my fingers that my water filter was still doing it’s magic. I set camp as quickly as I could, wrapped up in my sleeping bag, and opened a hand warmer packet to get as toasty as possible before falling asleep.

Parkview Mountain kept popping up in the distance for days.

Day 102, 15.5 miles to Highway 40 with a hitch to Steamboat Springs, CO

It was so cold last night. Twice I peed into an old water bottle, screwed the cap on tight, and put it at the bottom of my quilt’s footbox to try to thaw out my numb toes. My clean water bottle had frozen solid last night. I could not wait to get to town and pick up my hammock under-quilt which will do a much better job than my leaky air mattress at providing bottom insulation and keeping me warm at night. I was thankful that tonight I would be in town. As I packed up, I noticed that I had set camp next to a bunch of cow bones. Getting back to the road, I had to fight my way through shrubs that had a layer of ice clinging to their branches. I hiked a solid mile or two with my hands tucked in my armpits to warm up and I could not wait for that morning sun to begin to heat things up. I made it to the long road walk on Highway 14 that paralleled Grizzly Creek, 11.2 miles of paved road walking. In hindsight, this was good training for 35 miles of paved road walking that awaited me for my upcoming 50-mile day. I could see Rabbit Ears Peak and Baker Mountain in the distance but overall this road walk was very boring.

Looking back to my campsite in the trees.

Then many more miles of paved road walking.

Baker Mountain with a Yin-Yang of trees.

It took an hour to get a hitch to town but a young kid named Cody scooped me up. He talked like a stoner surfer from Cali and worked as a tree counter for the Forest Service. He said he had never picked up a hitchhiker before but saw I was wearing a Mellie fleece and thus, knew I was cool. He dropped me at the post office where I had to explode my pack to dig out my NeoAir mattress to ship off the the manufacturer for repairs. I picked up my under-quilt and then went to the Chamber of Commerce where it was rumored that they gave out goodie bags to hikers. The associate said I was the first hiker they had seen in three weeks and they were all out of the gifts. No fancy Point6 hiker socks or beer coupons for me :( Unfortunately, Steamboat Springs is VERY anti-hostel since it would cut into their lucrative hotel business. I was the last lonely hiker and certainly didn’t want to pay $120 for a room but luckily found a cheap AirBNB on the outskirts of town. The host, Beth, said she could pick me up from downtown a bit later in the evening which saved me a mile of non-trail hiking. I splurged on my food resupply to pack out as many calories as possible to keep me warm and functioning for my final section of the Colorado NOBO flip-flop. I then took the bus to downtown and ate at Carl’s Tavern. I looked like a fool carrying in two big grocery bags, pack on my back, burned hole in my shirt, and general disheveledness. I ordered bacon cheese fries, 8 wings, and two beers all from their Thursday Night Football specials. Tons of food for $20! Beth picked me up and was a super nice host. I got a shower and settled in at my room and had some amazing sleep.