Lake City to Salida (6/28-7/3): 99.3 miles
There’s always so much excitement when you arrive into town in the mountains: most times you’re going way down in elevation to get there. That only means you have to climb out when you leave to get back on trail. Even with the tough out-of-town climb, we knew the trail would be so much more flat compared to the prior two segments.
Our legs were ready for a break from the mountains, but flatter ground meant we were eager to have bigger mile days.
We followed Cochetopa Creek, which was so nice to hear running water while walking. Aspens began to appear in little sections on the trail. The quaking leaves sounded like rain, but luckily just wind amongst the hills. Afternoon storms, along with hail, still kept us on our toes most days. But overall, we got pretty lucky with blue morning skies and drier nights.
We saw a rancher family herd cattle (haven’t seen many since NM!) to the other side of the gate. We waited under a tree to stay out of the way. It was raining anyways, but it was an additional excuse to take a break. The 7 year old cowboy closed the gate, looked back at us and gave a thumbs up.
Our last night was yet again saved by a shelter after getting hailed and poured on during the last 2 miles of our day. Not that we would have minded the company, but it was nice to be there alone, as we were able to spread out our gear and clothing to get any chance of somewhat drying.
Sunday (7/3) morning we slipped on our damp, cold clothes and hiked several miles to the highway at Monarch Pass. With the holiday weekend, hikers, runners and especially mountain bikers were out using the same trail. We counted 67 bikers in just a few hours!
We arrived to the pass and treated ourselves to a hot breakfast sandwich at the little gift shop, hitched a ride from some wonderful locals, and arrived in town to start celebrating the weekend with some trail friends.
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