Day 39 (6/4) - The Bubble

Up with the sun. Looks like I might get above treeline today. I small group of hikers passed me this morning while I was breaking camp. Must be the tracks I was following yesterday.

Hikers ahead breaking trail. I am wearing my crampons this morning, snow is still firm enough this early that snowshoes are not needed. Crampons might be overkill but I did not feel safe when using microspikes on the last stretch before Chama.

A look at the next valley we have to cross. We are heading over the ridge in the distance. That is Handstand and Hikerbox in the foreground.

At the bottom of the valley we got some water. The trail is actually higher than this but I cut down through the valley to avoid the traverse. No evidence of a trail anywhere in all this snow.

Climbing/traversing up out of the valley. A look across to where we came down about an hour before. Squirrel, Handstand, and Dust Bunny are hiking with me now. I end up breaking trail since my lungs seem to be holding up better. As we cross over the ridge, I see a cairn and two more hikers. ABC and Snapshot are taking a break and drying gear. I do not like to stop for breaks and press on.

There is some flatter terrain for a short while wher I catch up to John, on of the warrior hikers. We cross over a ridge to find another steep descent. The trail has switchbacks here but impossible to follow in the snow. I gradually head down and end up glisading much of the descent.

A look back at where we came down. ABC and Snapshot caght up with me on the descent. It looks like Squirrel, Handstand, and Dust Bunny are taking the same route.

From the left: ABC, Handstand, Snapshot, Squirrel, and Dust Bunny. Handstand is also using crampons while the others have microspikes.  I hiked around them most of the day. We take turns breaking trail. It is nice to have others to hike with in this terrain.

We end up camping in the bottom of this valley near the west end. The plan is to hit the ascent while it is frozen tomorrow morning. I meet Speedstik for the first time! She has already done the Appalachian Trail this year and is attempting to complete the Triple Crown in a calendar year. I hiked with her for about an hour before finding a place to camp. As soon as I got my tent pitched, it started to hail, then snow, then rain! This lasted almost three hours. It finally stopped around 7 and I was able to build a fire and dry my gear out over the next few hours. Totally amazing day in the south San Juans! Cannot wait until tomorrow! 11.8 miles, 6:35 hiking.

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Day 38 (6/3) - Winter Wonderland

I passed by Dipping Lakes early this morning. Started off with my crampons for a short traverse through some trees but ended up having to switch to snowshoes once the terrain flattened out.

I almost stepped on these guys. They are not very skittish and ignored my presence.

Found some tracks to follow. Looks like about five others with snowshoes. These tracks did not always follow the official trail so I ran into them on and off throughout the day.

Looking ahead. Not sure this would be fun without snowshoes. I did find two sets of footprints that were from trail runners so at least a couple hikers braved this area without snowshoes.

A view from near where I camped last night. I was able to find a small dry patch under some trees but it was too uneven to get much sleep. I ended up having to melt snow to make dinner and water for the night. It used up a lot more fuel than expected due to the elevation. 15 miles, 7:15 hiking.

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Day 37 (6/02) - Colorado

Several guests at Cumbres Suites recommended that I take the train up to the pass before heading back out on the trail.  The train left the station at 10 AM where I met another hiker named Double Shot.

The "little engine that could" is what the locals call this coal powered steam engine.  Apparently it was not designed to pull as many cars as they are using on the scenic ride and there were multiple occasions when the drive wheels spun out on the tracks heading up the 6 percent grade to the pass.

Crossing over a trestle as the locomotive bellows steam and smoke.  My first ride behind a steam locomotive and it was amazing. The horn was deafeningly loud, even in the back of the train.  Had to avoid the occasional cinders flying through the air from the coal smoke.

Back on the trail, heading up for the next four miles. The train dropped us off at Cumbres Pass around 11:30 AM.  My snow gear was shipped to Chama, NM, thus the gaiters. Not sure at this point how much snow I will hit today but soon to find out.

Hiked with Double Shot for a bit but could not keep up with her.  She decided against snow gear so I am carrying quite a bit more weight.  I will probably catch up when her we hit snow.

A view of Chama in the distance as we gain elevation, still going up.

Looks like snow up top, glad I have snow gear with me.

Sure enough I hit significant snow by 4 PM.  Had to throw on my snowshoes and hiked in snow for the rest of the day.  Caught up to Double Shot shortly after hitting the snow, she was post-holing.  We were pretty exposed in a high alpine meadow, trying to find where the trail went down for a safe place to camp.  The snow was soft enough that I was post-holing occasionally, usually on small lakes hidden under the snow but the snowshoes had enough flotation to keep me dry.  I finally found a dry place to camp just before dark.  I went back for Double Shot but could night find her.  Looks like I had the right gear, for today at least. 13.8 miles, 6:30 hiking.

Day 28-34 (5/24-5/30) Cuba to Chama

Day 28: Another road walk out of town, this time alone, led to this trail. Uphill for several thousand feet but creeks everywhere so no worries about water.

OMG a sign!!! Guess I am in the right place! Trail levels off here and I start going through some wet grasslands and bogs. Thankfully I have my waterproof socks with me to keep my feet warm and dry.

Back in the high country. I love it up here! I briefly talk to Moon Dancer who was taking a break along the trail.

Heading back down again. I noticed later that I did not take any pictures in this desert valley. It was not very wide but I think I'm tired of the desert and ready for some mountains.

Back up top. Need to find a place to camp. 24 miles, 8:15 hiking.

Day 29: Another fine morning on the trail.

I spent much of the day trying to coordinate my Chama resupply box with my mother while hiking. Spotty cell service made this difficult but I had to make sure all the snow gear needed for Colorado was being shipped. Trail rumors say there is a significant snow ahead.

Another wilderness area done. These seem to get smaller each leg, but it must be the state.

A miserable road walk for several hours this afternoon. Rafters driving be going way too fast, wind really picked up, and rain clouds in the distance. Trying to make Ghost Ranch tonight, I need a zero!

Crossed this rickety old bridge a few miles away from Ghost Ranch. There was supposed to be a museum and historical trail here but everything was closed down for what looked like a number of years. By the time I made to Ghost Ranch it was 8:30 and the front desk was closed. Found out from other hikers they charge $25 to camp here!?!? Frustrated, I found a bench to sleep on and waited for them to open the next morning so I could get my resupply box and GTFO. Come to find out a week later they charge $5 just to enter the premises. Guess my timing was perfect? 33.1 miles, 10:45 hiking.

Day 30: $2000/night Ghost Ranch luxury suite but the door was only 4 feet tall. Awesome dirt floor though. (Skip Ghost Ranch in my opinion!)

Box canyon outside of Ghost Ranch. Very cool echo but no way out! This was only a short side trip I did in the morning.

I met Rip and Mac later in the day, two experienced thru hikers but slower so had to leave them.

Nice cattle ranch that I passed through. A nice place to call home.

Found this epic camping spot with a fire ring, firewood, a stump to sit on, and a few hundred feet off the trail. Best camping spot to date! It ended up snowing during the night so some of my stuff got wet. 19.1 miles, 6:40 hiking.

Day 31: The snow melted off pretty quickly in the morning. Put on my waterproof socks so the wet shoes did not matter.

Had lunch at this picnic area/campground. It did not look like it had been used or maintained for a while. Ended up being too windy to enjoy lunch but I was able to get clear water from the lake to filter.

More scenic trail.

This creek was deep but I was able to carefully cross it on the small logs on the left. It was over knee deep so it would have flooded my waterproof socks.

Back in the snow which means water everywhere. Getting colder each day as I get further north and higher up.

Parting shot for the day. Scenery keeps getting better as I get closer to Colorado. 20.1 miles, 7:00 hours hiking.

Day 32: Have not seen any hikers for a while now. A local couple with their daughter on a four-wheeler stopped and gave me a Gatorade and some perspective on how much snow there was ahead. They were very optimistic that I could easily make it through to Cumbres Pass.

Crossed this bouncy log with some difficulty. While crossing, I was concentrating on the log but the water was flowing so fast undernear that I started to get dizzy. Based on hiker reports, sounds like most just waded through instead of using the bridge.

Trail 41, I follow this for several hours. Muddy and wet in some areas, perfect in others.

Parting shot for today. I should pass the 700 mile mark tomorrow. 25.5 miles, 8:35 hiking.

Day 33: Antelope for breakfast...

Porcupine for a mid-morning snack. Also saw some elk and a black bear running across the trail.

Followed by some awesome views along this ridge all afternoon.

Ended up passing by this wilderness area in late afternoon. I cannot see much snow in the distance which is good news for tomorrow.

Parting shot for today, I thought this ranch entrance I passed earlier was epic! I got within 10 miles of Cumbres Pass before camping tonight. This should put me in a good position to finish the last stretch if there is snow. Passed 700 miles on trail today and will be done with New Mexico tomorrow. 28.1 miles, 9:30 hours hiking.

Day 33: I ran into snow about 20 minutes from where I camped last night.

I did not take any pictures while trudging through the deep soft snow in the trees on steep slopes. It was very tiring but less than two miles and I had my kneehigh gaiters, waterproof socks, and microspikes which all helped. The trail led to this snowmobile packed road which was easy walking. I'm in Colorado now and New Mexico is complete!

Snow was deep in places but very manageable. Only postholed about 30 times throughout the morning.

Cumbres Pass in the distance. Looking north to the section ahead, the lack of snow seems promising, at least for the first day out.

A view to the west towards Chama, NM. Trail angel LB, who hiked the CDT in 2014, gave me and a couple other hikers a ride down to Chama. I was able to get a very nice room at a very reasonable price at Cumbres Suites. Terrie even offered to wash my laundry and drive me to the post office tomorrow to get my resupply box! So happy to find such a homey place to stay. I will zero here a day or two and get rested up for Colorado. I have been hiking every day for the past 25 days and need to give my body some time to recuperate. 9.5 miles, 3:35 hiking.

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