Into the Woods

June 22

I met Jason in the morning for my weekly shower ritual.  He informed me the next resort on his list was Hilton Head, South Carolina.  I liked the guy but he is an Oregon Duck fan and they did not have the decency to lose to Wisconsin in this year's Rose Bowl.  I think we'll wait list him. 

Next I returned to the Bistro and devoured a wonderful thing known as the Rothstein, which consists of nearly every possible breakfast item smashed together into near pancake form. 

Satiated, I wandered the ski slopes above in search of the elusive Colorado Trail.  This lengthy hiking road begins in Denver and ends in Durango. I will be following along from Copper Mountain to Leadville.  If I ever find the damn trailhead. 

Forty minutes later we finally met and I was on my way to more mountain hopping.  Only an hour in I picked up some companions, Sonhe and her husband Scott.  Sonhe had been attending a conference in Copper Mountain during the week and Scott came up for a day hike.  They decided to aim for Janet's cabin, about eight miles out, before turning around.

I was very glad to have company and the miles passed with ease as we chattered away.   Eventually they ran out of time without reaching the cabin.  Scott donated me part of his water supply and we said goodbye.  Go figure, about two minutes later Janet's homestead came into view.  I yelled at the top of my lungs, but they were long gone. 

The difficulty level increased on the next stretch, two twelve thousand foot passes called Searle and Kokomo.  The altitude and steepness slowed me, these difficult miles took up the remainder of my energy.  They were not without reward in terms of a view and there was another bonus: I was downwind so animals were unaware of me sneaking up on them.  As a result I met marmots, a fox, a marten, and another small mammal I was unable to identify.  The other was dark brown and resembled a small dog. 

On the descent my toes started to really hurt.  New shoes combined with sliding on uneven ground are to blame for this new act in the pain circus.  I searched out the first reasonable campsite and called a halt to the march. 

13 miles/2637 total miles