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.