Best Laid Plans……

Three-hundred ninety miles and feeling great! Back issues resolved with Barnacle the tennis ball, heel blisters no longer a problem, strong mind, strong body and then the knee pain began. Mild at first, then searing. SAVED was midway through segment 23 from Carson Saddle to Stony Pass. She had done some big pushes the day before the pain started. A rest overnight was not helpful, and she awoke in the morning with big time swelling and stiffness.

The first few morning miles were painful. Her hiking mates took some of her weight. It was only getting worse. One of the hardest decisions a thru-hiker must make is when to stop. A quick look at the GPS showed a way off the trail at mile 10.6. It was a four-mile dirt road that joined the Alpine Loop about four miles from Silverton.

SAVED texted her resupply team. When we received the distress call, we were eating lunch at the top of Wolf Creek Pass near Pagosa Springs after breaking camp that morning near Creede. “I am having some major knee issues. I’m going to need to bailout on a dirt road coming up.” We were three hours away! Many thoughts raced through our hearts and minds, but we keep our cool, found her approximate location on the map and headed toward Silverton where we were scheduled to camp that evening.

She found the dirt road that was void of traffic and limped the four miles to the loop road. It was the slowest hiking she has ever done she reported later. At the loop, a couple with a dog offered her a ride apologizing for the dog who was now resting on her lap in the back seat. Little did they know how healing that was for her. Timing was perfect as we were checking in at the Silverton Lakes RV Park when she arrived.

Little was said that evening about the end of her journey. She showered, loved on Tallus and we had a nice meal in town. Ice and elevation helped and by next morning she saw some improvement but was still stiff and swollen. She plans to stick around and welcome her hiking buddies, Pages and Breaker, when they finish in Durango in a few days.

It appears her injury is due to overuse and will hopefully recover in time for her to return to where she ended her journey and finish the final five and a half segments this fall. If not, she will be back next year to complete her journey. Bravo for the nearly 400 miles hiked, the new friendships formed, and the incredible strength gained from this experience. We love you Colleen, Coco, Cocoleeno, SAVED. You certainly SAVED yourself!

TRAIL NOTES: The best laid plans, a proverbial expression used to signify the futility of making detailed plans when the ability to fully, or even partially, execute them is uncertain, might best describe this situation.

 Rain, Rain Go Away!

Three-hundred fifty miles and counting as SAVED completed segments 18-21 on August 16 and was greeted by her dad at Spring Creek Pass, 17 miles from Lake City. After three hours of rain, and many miles across the sheep filled Snow Mesa she and her hiking companions Pages and Breaker were ready for warm, dry clothes, a hot shower, hearty food, and a soft bed. They booked a quiet hotel in Creede and Mike gave all three a ride down the mountain.

Creede is a historic mining town that now claims it’s riches from the many tourists who visit both summer and winter. Countless miles of 4-wheel drive roads radiate from the town center. The Rio Grande snakes its way through the lowlands and the scenic drive from Creede to Lake City (the Silver Thread) provides a sampling of Colorado’s best vistas and valleys.

Drying wet gear is one of the challenges for thru hikers. A little cooperation from Mother Nature helps, and she came through for them on Wednesday morning. Tents, sleeping pads, bags, and ground covers all got a good drying, the rest of the soaked clothing went to the laundromat across from the hotel. Good thing they started early as storm rolled back in during the afternoon.

Luck was with them as the sky cleared overnight and Thursday morning was dry and clear. The support truck picked them up at 9:00 a.m. and they departed from the trailhead about 9:30 a.m. on August 18. We will see them again in Silverton on August 21. The route ahead is filled with lots of up and down and is also some of the most spectacular they have seen so far.

TRAIL NOTES: Team Coco SAVED has been busy relaxing in between shuttle jobs. Our campground is 11 miles off the main road but it’s worth the extra drive. We have a river on one side and a stream on the other. The fishing isn’t great, but the hiking makes up for it. We saw a majestic 5-point buck one evening complete with velvet and an elegant buckskin coat. The next morning there was a doe in the same spot. Tallus has been entertaining himself with multiple squirrel and chipmunk encounters and they have both been getting lots of water time.

 

 Rocky Road and 300 Miles Down

 

SAVED finished segment 17 at 9:15 on Sunday, August 14 where her resupply team met her on Highway 114. She was at mile 302 and ready for some snacks. The team was ready with fresh fruit, cold water, pastries, and cookies. In fact, we brought enough for a few other hikers who were ready for a break. Segments 15-17 have limited water resources and lots of grazing activity so it’s tough to find good water. All together she hiked about 40 miles topping out at 12,515 feet and dropping to 9606 feet.

The trail is also multi-use and is shared with motorcycles creating some rather rocky conditions. In fact, we offered food and snacks to a thru biker who had a miserable experience on this section. He was from the UK and had to push his 95-pound bike up several steep hills and the rocky downhill sections were nearly impossible to ride. He started an hour behind SAVED at Monarch Pass and came out 30 minutes ahead of her. That indicates what a difficult time he had.

We learned much about his many travels and how he plans to finish in Durango and then ride several trails around Moab, Bryce, and Grand Staircase. He then heads south to bike the Arizona trail and when he’s finished with that on to San Diego and south to Baja. He has no car. This is all on his mountain bike! Doesn’t need to be back in the UK until March.

We also discovered the greatest gift you can give a thru hiker (other than a ride to the nearest resupply town) is to take their trash. We came across one such woman from Ashville, NC.,who had been praying for someone to come along and do just that, so we did.

And now our Coco is off to finish segments 18-21 and we will see her at Spring Creek Pass near Lake City. We leave Salida on August 15 for a campground near Creede and may not have Internet for five or six days so we will catch you up in a few days.

 Team Coco SAVED

The support team got a well-deserved three-day vacation from our duties after Coco SAVED left Twin Lakes. We moved camp from Buena Vista to a spot near Salida that sits on the Arkansas river. We can fish from our site although the water is swift, and you need to use a nymph. Mike caught a nice brown our first day in camp. It’s been fun watching all sorts of watercraft float by (quiet during the week but lots of activity on the weekends). We’ve seen fishing rafts, kayaks, river tubes, and paddleboards, some negotiating the current better than others.

Our favorite camp activity while enjoying a hot beverage in the morning or cocktails in the evening, is watching the geese fly up the river and then shortly thereafter float back down! There are usually six to eight every day. Of course, they are searching for food, but it’s fun to think they are having fun!

Here’s the support team:

Mike (also affectionately known as DAD) drives most of the time, especially pulling the POD. He has fantastic directional skills and grills an excellent steak.

Babs (MOM to Coco) is the organizer of the team, making sure supplies are stocked and coolers always have cocktail ice.

Nuke (his trail name is KIBBLE – what more do we need to say). He will never go hungry as he is always in search of a meal or napping.

Tallus (trail name Pronghorn after a chase last year on his way to the Wind Rivers – thought he was lost forever). He is Coco’s boy and our snuggle bunny. Every morning he hops on the bed and snuggles between us.

 

Halfway Done and Moving Along

The summit of Monarch Pass marked the halfway point on SAVED’s Colorado Trail expedition. She caught a ride with one of her hiking companions (Tiny) that she had met on the trail, and they joined Clouds, Pages and Breaker for pizza and cold beer in Silida. Finishing 260 miles is a big accomplishment! One most of us will never experience. She said it has been one of the hardest things she has ever done in life but also the most rewarding.

“Thru hikers you meet on the trail are amazing,” she said. “They are not judgmental and very interesting people, coming to the trail from countless directions.” Clouds is from Florida, living in Flagstaff and working on his master’s degree. Pages, and his 12-year son Breaker, are from Wisconsin; flew into Denver and started hiking that same day. Tiny recently moved to Gunnison, Colorado and was hiking the Collegiate Loop trail. They all meet along the trail, spend some time together hiking and camping in the same spot, and then go their separate ways. Then the process starts all over once again.

After a much-needed two-day break, she is off again, rejoining the main trail at segment 15. We will resupply her at the end of segment 17 that crosses Highway 114. Via her Garmin she has requested a travel size toothpaste and some boxed wine; one red, the other white. Hmmm….. wondering who she has met on the trail now. Can’t wait too hear. We are also taking a cooler of water, fresh fruit, and some sweet snacks to whomever may be crossing the trail. Apparently, the term for this service is Trail Angel.

 200 + Miles and Crushing It!

Team SAVED was planning on a Saturday, August 6, morning resupply at Twin Lakes located between Leadville and Buena Vista. It a charming historic area with a mining history. To our surprise SAVED was crushing it and wanted to meet on Friday evening between 5:30 and 6:00. That worked for us, gave us the day to fish and play. Another text midday revealed she was still ahead of schedule, and could we meet in the historic Twin Lakes village at 4:00? Okay, that would work because we were only 40 minutes away. Guess what time she arrived? Three o’clock! Talk about cruising it and feeling good. She reported feeling the best yet. Amazing what a tennis ball can do for a hike!!!

This resupply is a big one as we won’t see her again for five days. She is planning on hiking the Collegiate West route consisting of five segments and 83.2 miles. She shares this trail with the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. We can’t wait to hear her trail stories at the end of the beautiful route.

 The Ball that SAVED the Hike

In the film Castaway, Tom Hanks was saved from insanity by a Wilson volleyball; a Penn tennis ball seems to have saved Coco’s hike, thus earning her the trail name SAVED. When she finished segment eight and 143 miles, her back and neck were tight and VERY uncomfortable.

The hostel in Leadville, where she was spending two nights had a nice rock she used to stretch. That helped so she asked her support team to search for a cork ball (not happening at the Buena Vista, ACE Hardware), so we settled for a tennis ball. After her stay in Leadville, she resumed her hike and when reporting her camp location that evening let us know the ball saved her hike.

And that’s how she got her trail name. You see, on a thru hike it’s customary for someone to have a trail name that befits your condition, personality, dress – could be anything.  Her ball story was the inspiration for her CT name SAVED. Of course, there are three balls in a sleeve, so Tallus got to have his own to chase while mom is on the trail!

TRAIL NOTES: To date we have met Bright Trail from Ashville, N.C., Cloud from Flagstaff, AZ., and Shit Storm from Yosemite Valley.

 Friends on the Trail

 

We dropped Coco at the Tennessee Pass trailhead this morning, August 4, and as she re-supplied her food for the next two days, we chatted with two young ladies from Yosemite, who were also hiking the entire trail. They started a day after Colleen (July 26) and were looking for a ride into Leadville to buy food and supplies. With two dogs and a full truck bed of supplies we were sympathetic to their needs. They loved on the dogs, said they could ride on laps and so with a bit of rearranging we found space, said farewell to Coco, loaded them into the truck and off we went to the Safeway in Leadville.

They were so sweet and enthusiastic; it gave us a warm feeling to help them out. This is what thru hiking is all about. Strangers who share a common passion getting to know one another and helping each other. It was a good morning!

Finding Family at the End of Trail

Copper Mountain to Tennessee Pass climbs 4417 feet, and the last half is STEEP! It would be a great time to have your pooch, who tends to pull, (anyone know a dog like that?) to help get you up that grade. This is segment eight and it’s 25.4 miles long. After leaving us at lunch yesterday (August 2), Coco hiked about six miles and then made camp. With 19 to go she estimated an arrival time of 3:30 p.m. at the trailhead. The hike was beautiful but seven miles out she got a major cramp in her back. All you hikers have been there. She carried on and arrived about 4:15.

To her surprise she was met on the trail by her support team of Mom, Dad, Nuke and Tallus. We were a good distraction to help her to the end of this tough day. More surprises awaited her! Her brother Tyler and wife Meredith were in Colorado for a wedding and arranged their schedule to greet her and enjoy a beer or two and then dinner at Quincy’s in Leadville.

It’s a rest day ahead at the Leadville Hostel and then back on the trail August 4.

TRAIL NOTES: Quincy’s in Leadville serves only tenderloins (four sizes) from Sunday – Thursday. Friday and Saturday you get prime rib. The menu is simple – a wedge salad followed by your meat, baked potato, and bread. It was wonderful! The meat was tender (and wrapped in bacon of course), and the historic setting was memorable. Highly recommend if you enjoy a good portion of beef.

 Changing Camp and Lunch at Copper Mountain

I heard wolves howling about midnight at Kenosha. Yup, for sure it was wolves, but they aren’t supposed to be in this part of Colorado. I have heard lots of coyotes, and this was a howl not a yip! A few days later I discovered there is a wolf sanctuary in the Kenosha area. At least I don’t have to worry about my baby experiencing a wolf encounter.

We broke camp and headed out to our next spot. We chose Buena Vista since it is central to many of the resupply areas we will need to access (Tennessee Pass near Leadville, Twin Lakes (between Leadville and Buena Vista). It’s also a spot that offers the resupply team lots of adventure options. We have been here a few times for the Buena Vista Bike Festival and really enjoy the historic downtown. It will be nice to explore more of the trails, fishing, and kayaking.

TRAIL NOTE: The town of Jefferson is a few short miles from Kenosha Pass. The Jefferson Market makes some of the best fudge around. It was so good we had to go back for more before we left the area. In the winter they will ship it to you. They also have a grill that turns out some tasty breakfast and lunch – anyone like BLT’s?

We met up with the traveler for lunch at Copper Mountain on August 1. Completing segments six and seven was big, as in vertical. And steep! Six takes you to 11,838 feet while seven tips up the grade and carries you to 12,495 feet as you crest the ridge of the Tenmile Range. Then it drops you to 9820 feet. Oh, my aching body!

Lunch was a fine reunion and then off she went to conquer segment eight at 24.4 miles with an elevation gain of 4417 feet with a loss of 3810 feet. We’ll see her at Tennessee Pass on August 2.

Photos from the traveler:

Kenosha Pass Signals the End of Segment Five

 

She’s traveled 71.7 miles since we bid her farewell on July 25. Sun, rain, thunder, and lightening have joined her along the four days of the first five segments of this challenging journey and she is a day ahead of schedule.  She reached nearly 11,000 feet and hiked through the Lone Creek Wilderness Area, a 119,790-acre wilderness established in 1980. According to the Colorado Trail Foundation the last native bison was killed here in 1897

We had just set up our camp when she wandered into our site. The Kenosha Pass Campground is part of the Pike-San Isabel National Forest and is located on the Colorado Trail making this resupply very convenient. Her feet were aching, and she was tired but after 70 plus miles that was expected. And she was hungry! We pulled out food fast – sausage, crackers, fruit, cheese, and a beer!

Her pup Tallus was overjoyed seeing “mom” come into camp, jumping for joy at the sight of her. After a good night sleep in the Pod she was ready to pack up and move on. The next segment travel into the high country reaching close to 12,000 feet in the first segment from Kenosha to Gold Hill.

Trail Notes: We stayed in site 14 at Kenosha West and loved it. There’s was lots of privacy and it was further away from road then the rest of the sites.

 

Thunder and lighting, oh my! Rain, wind and hail, ehhhh….. gads!

We have been welcomed to Colorado with blue skies in the morning and wild monsoons in the afternoon. The storm that rolled in while we were camping at Chatfield State Park near Littleton took our shade tent down and rocked the Pod for about three hours in the dark of night. We’ve been through lots of storms in our life but nothing like this; thought we were going to be sucked up by the kind of tornado that took Dorothy and Toto to OZ.

Luckily, while we were getting blown away, Colleen fared better and only got doused with some rain. We will resupply her at Kenosha Pass, our next camp spot.

We explored a wonderful trail at Rolling Creek, a trailhead for the Colorado Trail. It’s a few miles up a dirt road from Bailey and was lovingly quiet with plenty of stream for the boys and exquisite wildflowers. 

TRAIL NOTES: The very best dog park we have every visited is at Chatfield. The park is completely fenced and full of trails, swimming ponds, and lots of fun dogs. Our boys give it ***** and eight paws up.