Spring Creek Pass to Spring Creek 16 mi :: 838 mi :: 34,400 steps :: Afternoon storms I manage to get on the trail by 5:45 am. It feels good to start the climb up to Snow Mesa in the cold morning air. I don’t feel the sun until I clamber onto the mesa top…

Carson Saddle to Spring Creek Pass 19 mi :: 822 mi :: :: Light thunderstorms It’s snowing pretty hard when I wake up, so I go back to sleep. An hour later the sun is shining, but there are still little patches of dark clouds in various parts of the sky. I start with a…

Beartown Road to Lost Trail Road 24 mi :: 803 mi :: :: Sunny, light afternoon snow I sleep until the sun hits me, then step out into a bright, clear day. I decide to try an alternate route that spends a little more time on the divide. It takes up past an old mine…

Weminuche Pass to Beartown Road 21 mi :: 779 mi :: :: Partly cloudy I have breakfast with Ann in the morning and pack up the eight days of supplies she’s brought for me. The time comes to get going, and it’s hard to say goodbye. It also seems like this mode of operation could…

Squaw Pass to Weminuche Pass 12 mi :: 758 mi :: :: Cloudy morning, rainy afternoon I have all day to walk 12 miles today, so I sleep in. I’d have been better off getting up early – a waxing wind makes it colder by the hour. Just after breakfast I encounter the first person…

Palomar Mountain to Squaw Pass 19 mi :: 746 mi :: 42,150 steps :: Stormy Today is the summer solstice, so I should have plenty of daylight. Tomorrow the slow squeeze on hiking time will begin. At last, I remembered last night to spread out my shoes so they wouldn’t be so hard to put…

Weminuche Wilderness Boundary to Palomar Mountain 20 mi :: 727 mi :: 45,740 steps :: Sunny, windy on ridges I wake up early, curious to see if I can make 20 miles for the day and ensure I won’t be late for my rendevous with Ann on Wednesday. I stop for breakfast just before a…

East Fork San Juan River to Weminuche Wilderness boundary 14 mi :: 707 mi :: 31,658 steps :: Sunny, windy I get right into the car camping gear for breakfast and make coffee, eggs stuck to the pan, and toast. Ann comments about how quickly I’ve adapted. It’s hard to say goodbye, so I stay…

Indian Hills to East Fork San Juan River 0 mi :: 693 mi :: Rain storms, sunny hot afternoon It rains and hails like mad all morning as we start our drive back to Pagosa Springs. Then it clears up and gets hot when we enter the San Luis valley. Crazy mountain weather. At a…

Indian Hills 0 mi :: 693 mi :: Stormy It rains and hails even harder today. I worry about the hikers out there who may be without much shelter in the storm, and continue to wonder if more snow is being deposited in the high country. We spend the day packing, organzing, and fussing with…