Frisco to Winter Park (7/15-7/19): 73 Miles
After being on the Colorado Trail (CT) for 250 miles, we said goodbye and departed ways from the well-groomed trail. As soon as we got off, we were back on the CDT: the rough, rugged and unmarked CDT. We had missed it, but soon enough we were out of breath from rocky + steep climbs. It seems the CT was just a warm up, building up our strength in legs and lungs for what was ahead. This was the CDT’s way of welcoming us back.
We were swarmed by ATVers and dirtbikers on our constant ups and downs for the day, especially on “Radical Hill”. Maybe a little frustrating to hear constant engines zooming by, but how cool to see everyone enjoying the beautiful scenery in different ways.
We had an afternoon filled with blue skies, peaks, valleys and soon saw our next days battle in the distance: Grays Peak - the CDT’s highest point on the WHOLE trail!!!
We finished our last few miles with Grays in the distance, with the sun providing its’ rays for just a little while longer. It’s as almost the sky was hurrying us to our campsite to get as much rest as we could. After all, the mountains need their beauty rest, too.
We awoke the next morning at 5:30am to be on trail by 6:30am, excited, anxious and nervous for the 8 miles ahead of us till Grays Peak Summit.
After climbing 4 miles, we conjoined with the Argentine Spine: the part of the trail we were most nervous for. The summit felt like we could walk for an hour and be at the top, but in reality, we had to traverse the most irregular route both Ross and I had ever been on.
In short terms, we were basically on the mountain goat’s route. Climbing up, down and around rocks on the most slim path possible. We had nothing but drop offs on each side. Rocks would fall loose from underneath our feet as we grasped our hiking poles in one hand and clamped onto jagged rocks with the other. We were hiking a mile per hour (or less), taking each step cautiously, yet happy to be one step closer to the peak.
Hiking 8 miles in 8 hours, we finally summited Grays!!! It felt amazing to come up the “back way” and see the views from climbing my first 14er. What a feeling to feel. With blue skies surrounding us, we enjoyed our lunch with a family of mountain goats at the top, gazing at the 360 degree views. Soon enough, we packed up as darker skies were approaching.
We finished the day with 11 more miles, camping 1 mile off of I70. It was funny to be in such a wild place several hours before that, then to end the day with power lines, semis and a highway within our route. At least the river by our site drowned out the highway traffic.
We had 19 more miles till Winter Park. Our legs and bodies were sore, and my mind felt tired, but the motivation of a $50 room with a bed pushed us to get there. We stuck out our thumbs at Berthoud Pass, where a family from Iowa invited us to hop in their truck bed for the 20 minute ride. We enjoyed watching the mountains we had just climbed as we got to relax till we arrived in town.
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