September 8, 2013

September 8, 2013

?? To Bear Creek

33 miles

Despite the long rest yesterday and a good nights sleep I wouldn't have minded staying in my sleeping bag another hour or two. But I didn't stay in my sleeping bag and instead got moving and back on the trail at 6:30. It seemed to be just in time as I got to see the sunrise within the first 20 minutes of hiking. 

The majority of the day was spent on or fairly near the divide, dropping down a few times to cross water sources before climbing once again. The views today were spectacular from the 12,000' to 13,000' elevation where I spent most of the day. The San Juans are definitely one of my favorite areas of Colorado so far. Ridge after ridge of rugged mountain peaks, yet the trail is surprisingly easy to hike. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of ups and downs, but it is well graded for the most part. The hardest part of the section is just the elevation at which it is located. 

Early in the day I crossed paths with another hiker. I said good morning and smiled at him, but he was clearly not interested in any interaction with me as he stepped to the side with eyes averted and continued down the trail. It was a strange experience since it was the first time I failed to get any sort of response from a fellow hiker on the trail. I also met three Colorado Trail hikers today. There were two girls, Helen and Alex, who are recent college graduates and postponing getting a job by enjoying a hike. The third CT hiker I met later in the day, but he didn't seem all that interested in taking so it was a brief encounter. Just before dropping down to Bear Creek there was a sign indicating that the CDT and CT split to the south so that will be the last I will see of the CTers. It makes me wonder how many people I will end up seeing the rest of the trail since its after Labor Day and I'm no longer on sharing the CT. I guess only time will tell.