A long section, with lots of up/down every day. I’m glad the entire trail isn’t like this, I wouldn’t have any knees left! But its amazing scenery…
Day 81: (September 18th) 10.4 miles
I spent most of the day in town. It was a nice place to relax, they even had a park by the water. And lots of ice cream!
So many flavors!
The male version of DQ?
Welcome to townDowntown Grand Lake. The sidewalks are all boardwalks!Leaving town, this was the only bridge over the canal between the 2 lakes.Kinda want to go swimming!These deer are everywhere, and not very smart. Or afraid of people.Hiking next to a dammed-up portion of the Colorado River.
Day 82: (September 19th) 25.2 miles
I love Wilderness areas, it means not sharing the trail with ATVs & dirtbikes.Not a postcard. Monarch Lake.An old-timey Dr. Who Tardis?More alpine lakes than you can shake a stick at.Sunset from camp at Rollins Pass
Day 83: (September 20th) 26.7 miles
Nothing like a nice morning ridgewalkI’ve been seeing many of these birds, called a Rock Ptarmigan. Their feathers are starting to turn white for winter!View from top of James Peak, 13,300ft.View down into Berthoud Pass. Highway 40 looks like it would be fun on a motorcycle!COOL. (I’m an avalanche geek)Dam!
Day 84: (September 21st) 31.4 miles
This was a HUGE (fuccillo-sized) day. I went up a 13k ft peak, then 3500ft down to the I-70 freeway, then up & over two 14ers!
Morning ridgewalks are a regular thing in Colorado.Herman Gulch trailhead. I think Subaru ownership is needed for CO residency.Feels like I’ve been here before…This sign was just depressing…”you are here”. This is gonna hurt.Cool views going up the ridge, between rain showers.View from Torrey’s Peak, 14,275ft.It was very windy up there on the summit.I found a sign in the summit rockpile on Gray’s Peak.Looking back down at the trailhead, over 3000ft below.
Day 85: (September 22nd) 25.9 miles
There’s still some of last season’s leftover snow up high.Raincloud is a-comin’…yup, it was very wet.I see a ski resort! Must be Keystone?Follow the …yellow rock road?The CDT merges with the Colorado Trail at this point. The signage and tread improved greatly!
Day 86: (September 23rd) 12.5 miles
There are so many burn pilesNice day, but still cold.Shouldn’t this trail be in Maryland?The trail descends down into Breckenridge. Those were all vacation homes.
I took the free bus (thanks, Summit county) into Breckenridge and went straight to the brewery for a sandwich and a non-water beverage. By the time I finished and walked downtown to the hostel, it had started snowing. Hard. I’m glad I got into town early today! Hopefully the weather improves for the next section, down through the Sawatch Range and Collegiate Peaks.
Cool view of the valley from my tent that morning.Walking through Huston Park Wilderness (Medicine Bow NF)Uhoh, heavy smoke just to the west.Double uh-oh, another one on the east. Hiking faster…Goodbye Wyoming, hello Colorado!Rock art is always popular
Day 75: (September 12th) 29.1 miles
Someone is caching…hay?!Colorado mountains are getting bigger!Bridge to nowhere. Well, nowhere dry. Took me awhile to find a good ford spot.One of the original Wilderness areas created by congress in 1964.
Day 76: (September 13th) 32.0 miles
Sunrise from the trail. I started at 6am, to make it to town tonight!Another cool high ridgewalk10am, it’s still cold at 11,500ft.
And then, just as I came down from the ridge, a storm moved in. I was near a trailhead, so I hid in a bathroom building to stay dry. And since it was lunchtime anyway, I also ate…in the bathroom.
https://youtu.be/3NcvzHlB7jg
It started raining, then snowing, then hailing. It stopped after 20 minutes, so….onward!
Rabbit ears peak & pass is well-named.I hitched into steamboat with a nice guy from Utah. Got to the Rabbit Ears Inn, just as it started to rain hard!
Day 77: (September 14th) Zero miles
A zero day! I avoided some bad weather, did some food shopping, sampled a local brewery, and had a meal at DQ*. A good day.
*not recommended.
9:04pm?I got new shoes in the mail! The old ones had almost 800 miles on them.This place was all about the hops.
Day 78: (September 15th) 25.0 miles
Colorado has autumn! The aspens are turning very colorful.This is a big NF. The A-Basin ski area is still waaay to the south.I wonder what happened to make them post these signs everywhere.
Day 79: (September 16th) 27.2 miles
Very cold this morning!Colorful ColoradoThey have no information. (Also, it was an easy pass, not troublesome)Summit hut on Parkview Mountain, elevation 12,300ft.View from Parkview. The trail climbed 1,200ft in less than a mile!
Day 80: (September 17th) 27.7 miles
Looking down from Bowen PassThis is my favorite name yet for a Wilderness.Getting close to Rocky Mountain NP.The trail descends directly into the town of Grand Lake, CO. The largest natural lake in Colorado!And because it was Constitution week, the town had a parade & fireworks show!
Colorado definitely has a very different feel than any previous hiking. Higher elevations, fall colors, occasional frozen precipitation, and….marmots!
In terms of route options, I skipped the RMNP loop (would’ve added 18 miles), in order to get through Colorado a little faster before winter comes. I can always come back and do it as a dayhike!
Next week – hiking the front range, and a couple of 14ers!
This section couldn’t have been more different from the previous. Flat terrain, a general lack of water, and no trees. I didn’t realize how much I liked having trees around!
Day 67: (September 4th) 31.2 miles hiked
Still smiling, but this section just started.Wild horses! Apparently the BLM keeps track of the herds.Water source #1 for the day was inside that metal can. It was decent.Those clouds chased me all morning, then caught me after lunch. So much thunder, wind, rain, and hail. Yuck.Water source #2. Notice all the hoofprints around the edges. Bovine soup!Pitched my tent amongst the sagebrush to hide from the strong winds. Kinda worked!
Day 68: (September 5th) 34.5 miles
Red sky in the mornin’Wild horses. Curious, wild horses…they got pretty close!The trail follows a buried “petroleum pipeline”. Like oil?“Bocce in the Basin”. So you can play a game of bocce while you refill your water, of course.Where’s the beef? It’s all over southern Wyoming
Day 69: (September 6th) 33.7 miles
Some type of deer, they run REALLY fast. In a kind of bouncing way.More local wildlife!Cow skeleton? I wonder what animal out here preys on large cowsThe 60ft wide corridor was difficult to stay within, since the trail was only marked every halfmile or so, with no tread to follow.
Day 70: (September 7th) 4.6 miles hiked
I walked into Rawlins in the morning, had breakfast, checked into a motel and got cleaned up. That GD basin was so dusty! Then around lunchtime, Aquacam came into town, and we destroyed a lunch buffet at Pizza Hut. Life is good.
Walked into Rawlins, WY at 8am this morning.A Subaru with 2 kayaks, towing a camper with a Thule box? No, we’re not in Colorado yet!
Day 71: (September 8th) 5.8 miles hiked
Walking out of Rawlins that afternoon, I realized I had been at this exact spot before. I can’t remember why or when, but it’s the same intersection & cattle grate…weird.
Day 72: (September 9th) 38.0 miles
Getting an early 6:30am start. Gonna walk 38 miles today!The road seems to stretch on foreverDanger noodle!Made it here by lunchtime. I’d been looking at this pass for 4 hours.38 miles done! And just in time for sunset, too.
Day 73: (September 10th) 30.6 miles
I can see where I’m walking for the next few hours. But…mountains in the distance!Water!Huh? They have slutty cattle?One of my favorite lunch spots. It was a brand new culvert!In the afternoon, I finally left BLM land (and the Great Divide Basin), and entered the Medicine Bow NF. With trees!!
It was quite an experience to hike the Great Divide Basin, but it feels good to be hiking in trees again! And very soon…in Colorado!
This was a wild week, seeing so many mountains, wildlife, dayhikers, climbers, and even the elusive ranger! There were so many photos, it was hard to narrow down to just a few. I think the Winds (Wind River Range) needs a return visit for sure!
Day 60: (August 28th)
I got dropped off from Dubois by “Old Man Mason”, a local trail angel and amateur tour guide. (He also makes a mean ham& cheese sandwich).
Dam! That was a very busy beaver.A VERY recently burned forest, it still smelled smokey.Even the trail signs are burned!
Day 61: (August 29th)
Sadie doesn’t like it when her saddlebags get flipped. Sad eyes.First glance at the Winds!Bright Eyes leading the way into the WindsMr. Bridger has a huuge wilderness
Day 62: (August 30th)
I took way too many pictures for the next few days. These are only a small portion!
My new hiking shirt is a horrible color. It was the only one I could find in Dubois.A good reason to be a morning person.I met a guy hiking, who had rock climbed that flat-top mountain 30 years ago!It’s like a mirror!Glacial rivers always look so cool. And opaque.View from Knapsack ColLots of alpine lakes. And marmot..see how many you can find!Despite the looks, it was actually pretty warm up there.Another view from Knapsack col.View down into the Titcomb Lakes basin.
Day 63: (August 31st)
View from my tent
Good morning, mountains!
Upper Titcomb Lake before sunriseLower Titcomb LakeWhen you see marmots, you know you’re someplace cool!Find the trail!
Another 11k ft passOodles of lakes.Too many places to explore, I need to come back.
Day 64: (September 1st)
A fire is nearby! (I never saw any evidence of one)The best beaches are at 10,000ft.EpicSo that’s where he’s been hiding his lakeShadow Lake, on the way up to Texas PassBilly’s Lake. It was a cold swim.The sky had a case of the Rumblies.Looking down on Barren Lake & Texas Lake, from Texas Pass.I messed with Texas (Pass) and put a rock on the sign.Hiking in snow in September, too? Check.Cirque of the Towers, from Lonesome Lake. Some of that stuff looks climbable!Who names these things?
Day 65: (September 2nd)
Despite appearances, this was a terrible campsite. Sooo windy.Another piece of rock, to come back and climb!There’s no middle-sized one?Leaving the Winds, the landscape is starting to change.Yup, definitely looking different. And drier.
Day 66: (September 3rd)
Walking the ATV road into South Pass CityThese are SNOW FENCES in Wyoming. They’re 15 feet tall. Wtf!South Pass City is a restored mining town.Main StreetOld shops & hotelsThe interiors are restored, tooWyoming was surprisingly progressive.Best hikerbox ever. Those swedish fish didn’t last the afternoon!Thunderclouds chase me out of town.
Up next, the Great Divide Basin, and southern Wyoming. It’s just as flat and dry as it sounds…
Wyoming!Yosemite is pretty where it’s not burned.Thermal features. Calderas are cool!Old Faithful geyser. Seems to go off every 90 minutes or so.Yellowstone Inn, a very cool old wooden lodge.
Day 55: (August 23rd)
Aquacam and geysers. We were looking for a hot spring all morning, didn’t find one though.Yellowstone lake in the distance. Photo taken from shin-deep muck.Indy crossing a stream. That log was really not very helpful!
Day 56: (August 24th)
Still in Yellowstone, and it’s still cold every morning.We found a hot spring!Indy lunchin’ it up.
Day 57: (August 25th)
Indy is always happy to be hikingA creek that splits (rare!) and each fork flows (ultimately) into a different ocean. COOL.Lots of pack trains in this section.Yes, this is a real photo.
Day 58: (August 26th)
Our last lunch before town. Usually we are running out of food by this point!There’s a tree on that cabin!Indy asks everyone he meets on the trail to sign his hat. Great idea. Especially for remembering names!The bar in Dubois was…interesting. There is definitely a theme!
Day 59: (August 27th)
A zero day in the down of Dubois. We walk down to the local gear store for various items. I get a warmer hat, but cannot find a long-sleeve hiking shirt there. (I ultimately find one, at the dollar store, but not in my preferred color or style). Indy & I try tubing on the river behind the motel, which is a spectacular failure, mostly because we tried using kids’ tubes…haha. The rest of the group (Anchor, Bard, Toppie, Smokey) get into town, and catch up to the 3 of us (AquaCam, Indy, and I). Reunion at the bar! I don’t stay late, as I’m getting out early tomorrow morning, to hike…the Winds!! So excited.
The landscape has changed dramatically in the last few days.AC & I climbing an 11,000ft peak on the divide, on an alternate route.The summit marker. And state boundary.
Day 47: (August 15th)
Cows! Beef on the move.They call ’em lakes. I think they’re more like large ponds. But still refreshing!The map says there’s a cave on this exact spot. I think that’s no longer the case. Sad.Shepherd! We met on the PCT last year, he is hiking NOBO on the CDT this year. Also, epic photobomb LT & AC…
Day 48: (August 16th)
LT in the lead, as usual.AquaCam, need a new profile pic?Full moon!
Day 49: (August 17th)
On the roadwalk into town (Lima MT), we were really fascinated by these completely normal horses.Breakfast..look at the size of that hamsteak! And another nice photobomb
Day 50: (August 18th)
Can Smokey eat 2lbs of rice krispy treats? I bet he could…This is the first on-trail CDT register I’ve seen, and it’s been almost 900 miles!1000’s of cows. Block the path. Embrace the moo-tality!Sunset from a camp spot on a high ridge. Turned out it was also an exposed, windy, stormy ridge…
Day 51: (August 19th)
Foggy, windy COLD morningHours later, still cold enough to hike with a windshell onThe trail feeds us!Hundreds of sheep. They were not unexpected, as this is the “Sheep Experimental Zone”The sign to explain the Sheep Zone.
Day 52: (August 20th)
Playing with my camera’s filters.Limey! We met last year on the PCT, he is also hiking NOBO on the CDT this year. He will be in Canada in no time!We find a large cairn, with a register box. Inside……is the register for the Brower’s Spring start to the canoe descent of the Missouri/Mississippi River system! 3,800 miles! Crazy folks.
Day 53: (August 21st)
We hiked down the dirt road into the town of Macks Inn, ID where we picked up some groceries, and had lunch at a mexican restaurant. We hiked back out a few hours later, continuing on towards Yellowstone & Wyoming…
This was one of the water sources listed on the map. Needless to say, we did NOT drink the rat-water..We camped at the border of Yellowstone, and going to enter the park tomorrow!
It feels good to be done with Montana & Idaho! Finally, onto a new state, and the first National Park, Yellowstone!
This week we started seeing a bunch of NOBO hikers (north-bound), who had started at the Mexican border back in April. It was fun crossing paths and meeting them, even if only for a few minutes!
Day 39: (August 7th)
TopShelf really wanted a photo in front of our cabin.Just 5 miles out of town, and we find trail magic! Thank you Avo & Gabs!!I love the name of this beer. “Montucky”We had a campfire! They rarely happen on the trail, which makes them extra special occasions. And Bard has brought music!
Day 40: (August 8th)
Hee hee.I packed out a beer, and I got it cold in a creek that we stopped at for lunch. And the beer has the perfect name!Chossy mountains.
Day 41: (August 9th)
These state boundary markers are everywhere. Want to make Montana smaller? Move one!
I wish I could get Sean Connery to hike this section, just to say the name of this lake.Bridge, you’re doing it wrong. Go over the creek!Toppie seems too happy to be going uphill.
Day 42: (August 10th)
That’s one way to dry a tent fly in the morning. Run LT!!700 miles, the miles they keep a-rollin’I love the long ridgewalks. More views than you can shake a stick at!
Day 43: (August 11th)
We find a Teepee in the woods, kinda creepy. Who built it?At Lemhi Pass, we meet Michael & Elliot, two super-friendly guys share some conversation & beverages! Both are much appreciated!!LT joins the group, I think the 5 of us ended up chillin for an hour at the pass!Oh, that’s what that smell was. A rotting cow carcass!
Day 44: (August 12th)
We woke up stupid-early to hike 10 miles to Bannock Pass by 9am, to catch a ride.Who needs fenceposts when you have regularly spaced trees?Trash heap.I love getting mail! Food from Katie, and shoes from parents.Old shoes definitely were in need of replacement. Hello, green!
Leadore, ID was a very interesting town to stop in. It’s basically a half-dozen buildings, so very walk-able, and everyone was very friendly. I was tired, so we grabbed some ice cream, and headed back to the motel to watch more of the Olympics. (We also watched in Darby). A nice relaxing stop!
This section was much more mountainous, and colder, than the previous one. We climbed up into the higher elevations, and even had frost on our tents a couple mornings. And with all the alpine lakes, there is a much better water situation (and swimming situation too).
Day 33: (August 1st)
My new, electric yellow, shirt from Walmart. My old one finally died.Someone’s home!Nice perspective of the upcoming country
Day 34: (August 2nd)
Just a really cool picture.I think all Michiganders love fly fishing. Is it a residency requirement?Top of the pass. Despite the snow, it’s warm up here!
Day 35: (August 3rd)
A cold & windy start to the morning.So many amazing lakes in this section. Makes me feel like swimming!I get it, Rainbow Lake is to the left. 3x!LaughTrack, AquaCam & I hike an “alternate” route on the divide. It was slow & rocky, but super fun.
Day 36: (August 4th)
These milemarkers are getting to be a regular thing!And we finally catch Smokey! He was super stoked to see his first on-trail human in ….weeks?The mountains are coming.
Day 37: (August 5th)
Apparently LT has been to this remote cabin a few years ago during college. Deja vu!Apparently we had hiked into Idaho (this state border is the Divide), and we re-entered Montana on the road.Gettin a ride to town. I think every ride we got in Montana was in a pickup truck.
Day 38: (August 6th)
We took a zero day in Darby, MT and saw a rodeo. Impressive work cowboys, those cattle were wrapped up fast! It’s hard to believe that Montana is almost done! We have hiked 650 miles so far, and only 2 more towns until we arrive in Wyoming. It’s a surprisingly huge state, and much more diverse than I imagined.
Another dry week! Both from the sky and the ground. We spent most of the week encircling Butte on the trail, and had plenty of views of the city. It was so tempting to hitch into town early at one of the many freeway crossings, but we resisted. And it was such a nice new trail, thanks CDT Montana trail crews!
Day 24: (July 23rd)
AquaCam enjoying the Saturday marketWe met a couple (with toddler) who had turned an old school bus into a home. Pretty cozy for 3 people!Cool sunset from camp that night
Day 25: (July 24th)
Oh, so THATS where we’re hiking! Looks far…Cool dense forest. It would be very hard to lose the trail.
Day 26: (July 25th)
Morning break on a summitWe’ve hiked 400 miles!My shirt has hiked 3500 miles, its almost time to replace it – holes from the pack straps!Storm’s a-comin, hike fasterIt passed over, time to dinner & camp.
Day 27: (July 26th)
Love my morning breaks, 2nd breakfast is the best. Bard & BrightEyes left us for a week to take the Anaconda route.There are cows coming to our campsite. Perhaps because we are parked on some tasty green grass?
Day 28: (July 27th)
We can hitch to Vegas from here! Or maybe the Cajon Pass McDonalds? Anyone..?I have to axe a question of whomever dropped this.Finding water is fun!Blasting? Sounds safe.Cool monumentShe’s 90ft tall!View down into the city of Butte, including the deep copper mine.
Day 29: (July 28th)
Very nice trail in this sectionWe got trail magic!
Day 30: (July 29th)
AquaCam finds water up inside those roots.There was a MTB race scheduled on our section of trail in a couple days. Signs were everywhere! “Hardest bike race in the country” it claims.Big sky country500 miles!
Day 31: (July 30th)
Zero day in Butte. Too tired to take photos! We stayed at a KOA cabin downtown, and walked to a few restaurants, stopping off for ice cream first, of course.
Day 32: (July 31st)
We stayed at a motel, and made the requisite stop at the Freeway Tavern for lunch. They serve the “wop chop”, locally famous, and then nationally famous because of a “Travel Channel” TV special. Then back to the trail!
Another good week! Beautiful trail, no rain, but dry for water sources. And an entertaining group of 6 hikers to hike with!
Day 15: (July 14th)
Walking thru a burn areaWe found another cabin!
Day 16: (July 15th)
Having lunch by a streamEpic ridgewalk!You can see the trail switchbacking up the ridge
Day 17: (July 16th)
Our “lake” water source. Almost dry!
A MONSTER cairn!
Day 18: (July 17th)
Enjoying a huge meal in Missoula!Another huge meal. Sushi!
Day 19: (July 18th)
Some of us rode the wave on the river in downtown Missoula
Day 20: (July 19th)
Hitchin a ride back to the trailCool moon from our campsite that night
Day 21: (July 20th)
Having 2nd breakfastSadie relaxing. She is thru-hiking with her human, BrightEyesInside a cool old restored firetower. A couple of local ladies gave us a ride to it.Wildlife! Of the tasty variety
Day 22: (July 21st)
Getting waterView from my tent.
Day 23: (July 22nd)
Got distracted halfway thru cutting?Old frontier town. Restored for tourists!No caption can capture the awesomeness of this photo.Checking into our hotel in Helena. Very hiker- and biker-friendly!
The miles are going by more quickly, and I’ve kinda gotten into a rhythm of sleeping, eating, hiking, and eating. 🙂
The Montana towns are all super friendly, and everyone has been so welcoming and helpful. The treasure state!
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