Section 19: RV's, Ice, More Aspens, and Sleeping on State Lines (21 photos, 2 videos)

Section 19 is 96.6 miles long and runs from Steamboat Springs, CO to Deep Jack Trailhead. October 4th - 8th.

Day 103, 14.6 miles to NOBO marker 1476.7 (2069.6 overall)

I enjoyed a great breakfast and talked with my AirBNB host, Beth. Her and her husband started going hiking with alpacas so they live it up with gourmet cooking, chairs, and all the luxuries. She dropped me off back in town at Big Agnes where I bought a down-filled sleeping bag liner to help with these increasingly colder nights. I soon got a hitch with Jeff, who had biked and hitchhiked all over the world and was always eager to pay it forward. We traded tales as we drove back up in elevation and pulled over a few times to admire the exploding yellows of the aspens. Back on the trail I was moving slow. My pack was very heavy thanks to my extravagent food resupply. I had six days on this stretch but at least it was easy terrain and a few short mile days to set myself up for the 50-miler. I took my first lunch break at Dumont Lake and then crushed a few more miles. I found a pretty stream shortly after 6pm and decided to camp there, which felt weird, setting up long before sundown. My new set up, an underquilt instead of inflatable pad, was immediately proving to be warmer and my brand new liner added some much appreciated toasty-ness.

My hitch pulled over so we could take some photos and admire the yellowing Aspens.

The trail crews REALLY want you to walk on the right path, stay off of the left path!

Day 104, 23.7 miles to Island Creek (2093.3 overall)

I slept pretty well even though it went below freezing again last night. I had to boil my pot of ice down to water for my morning oatmeal and cuppa tea. I hiked in my PJ’s for awhile and alternated hands in armpits to keep my fingers warm. It was still a struggle to sign the log book as I entered the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. I got to the edge of some cliffs and realized I could see Parkview Mountain off in the distance, 67.6 trail miles away. It was beautiful all around as I went up Mount Ethel and gazed down at Luna Lake and Lake of the Crags. The trail faded on top of Lone Ranger Peak so it was cairn-following time. The ensuing drop in elevation down to water was easy but the water was frozen solid. I took another snack break anyway and admired some huge lenticular clouds.

Parkview Mountain, 67.6 trail miles away.

It was 6.2 downhill miles to the next water so I put on some music and kicked it into high gear. I passed some hunting camps on the way and chuckled about how much hunters are into glamping, with their huge canvas tents, wood stoves, and folding chairs. I was aiming for North Lake Access Point parking lot, hoping that some campers would be there for the weekend but it was completely empty. Just horse poop everywhere. At least the clouds were exploding with vibrant oranges as the sun was setting. I went further up and found a perfect campsite with a fire pit and right next to a steam. As I ate dinner I saw a mouse dart by so I made sure to hang all of my stuff from my hammock ridgeline; food, backpack, clothes. That little bastard was NOT going to chew up any of my things!

Sunset kept getting better and better!

Day 105, 25 miles to the Colorado/Wyoming Border

Another night of amazing sleep! As I was sitting in my hammock and eating breakfast, I heard some rustling behind me from the creek. I turned and saw a huge bull moose pop out of the brush and we startled each other. He was no more than 20 feet from me and I saw his eyes widen in surprise. If this was a cartoon, and he was wearing a hat, it would have jumped up off of his head in typical Looney Toons fashion. He bolted back into the brush before I could reach for my camera or bear mace. I was on trail at 8:40 and saw some deer, martens, and birds as I began another uphill stretch. During second breakfast, I checked the comments for the upcoming waypoints and learned that a bridge was washed out up ahead so I took an alt route down a 4x4 track. It was too cold to be fording streams. I could hear some ATVs or dirt bikes in the area which always ruins the peacefulness of hiking. Then, when rock hopping across Trail Creek, one rock wobbled and my foot slipped off. So much for keeping dry feet in this frigid weather.

Did I mention the Aspens were still exploding with color?

All the yellow Aspens were about the only good shots I got from today.

I ran into a section hiker who was wearing a shirt that reminded me of the puffy shift from Seinfeld. We chatted for a bit as we filtered water and ate snacks. He told me that a huge snowstorm was on its way and may hit Rawlins Wednesday night. Thursday was when I was planning to do my 50-mile day so I would need to keep an eye on this. I knew I would have to use my Garmin inReach to check the weather. We parted ways and I blasted the final 8.7 miles to the Colorado - Wyoming border. There were licenses plates nailed to the trees, some rocks arranged to spell WY/CO, a fire pit, and two big hammock trees right on the state line. I could not find a stream that allegedly was nearby but I found a bathtub-sized pool of stagnant water that I carefully filtered. I did not feel like backtracking 0.7 and going 0.2 off trail to the better source. I set camp, made a big fire, and enjoyed my final night in Colorado.

Day 106, 18.3 miles to NOBO marker 1543.9 (2136.6 overall)

I took some great timer shots of my bed hovering above the state line. I took my time packing up, knowing these next two days would be very low mileage so I could rest up for my 50. I took a break at a recliner-shaped rock with views of Hog Park Reservoir and one particularly photogenic aspen. I lazily hiked some more miles and got to Dale Creek which had a huge amazing bubbly rock that was fun to climb around on. It was just difficult enough that I decided not to free solo up a route and just stuck to traversing around close to the ground. I took a long siesta and after watering up I started up a gradual and long climb where the trail frequently faded out. I went the whole way just following the cairns, which sometimes were difficult to find. I noticed that there was a huge uptick in down trees since entering Wyoming, I wondered if the trail crews in Colorado were better funded or just more dedicated. I set up along the North Fork Encampment River and made sure to set up on the western trees in the valley so that the morning sun would reach me and warm me up. I know it is against Leave No Trace (LNT) principles but I built a little fire ring. I had time on my hands and it was cold. After catching up on my journal, I wished I brought a book on this stretch because I was starting to get bored just staring at the fire.

I slept over the Wyoming / Colorado border.

Aspen looking like one of Dr. Suess’s Truffula Trees.

I wanted to climb it, but I had only seen 1 human in 4 days, I’d be screwed if I fell. — I wanted to climb it, but I had only seen one human in the past four days, I’d be screwed if I fell.

Day 107, 15 miles to Deep Jack Trailhead (2151.6 overall)

I did not sleep very well but at least my plan worked and the morning sun peaked over the hills and basked me with its warm rays. I got packed up and went back to the water to find it was mostly frozen over. There was another source 1.5 ahead and I hoped that the extra time would let it thaw out a little. Otherwise I would have to be chopping through the ice to get my water since that was the last source for 14 miles. I soon got to the highway crossing that lead to the town of Encampment which I was skipping over. Not far after that there was a RV parked, or abandoned, or donated, to hikers. Deryl, Gerald, and Dave just left it there for anyone to use and there was a radio, batteries, and some furniture. I also found a book, The Door to December, which I wish I had last night! I took a siesta inside the RV to escape from the relentless wind, jam out to one of two radio stations, and start the book. These short mile days were amazing.

I climbed up Bridger Peak along the dirt road that the CDT followed and finally caught a glimpse of the Great Basin. Where the trees and mountains suddenly stop and give way to endless dusty flatness. I took another food break as I scanned the horizon and tried to locate Rawlins, the connecting point of my flip-flop hike. I only could make out the town of Saratoga. I soon made it to Deep Jack Trailhead and just missed a Jeep pulling away. I was hoping to offload my five days of trash and save some weight for tomorrow’s big day. But there was a fire pit, plenty of hammock trees, and plenty of wood to keep a fire going all evening. I ate two dinners and checked my Garmin inReach to find that snow was indeed coming this way, might hit Rawlins tomorrow night. I enjoyed the fire for hours and put a big dent in my book. I was in bed by 9 P.M. and soon asleep. Hiking 50 miles the next day AND being in a race against an incoming snow storm was going to be a doozy.