Twig Adventures

August 27th, 2019 Warden Gulch stream mm 1746 to North Fork Swan River mm 1768 Distance in miles: 22 0610-1740 I stood at the intersection of the Colorado Trail and CDT at Georgia Pass 2 years ago, wondering what it would be like to hike the CDT. The pass was the highest point we had yet seen on the CT and still, the CDT route continued to go up even higher. How intimidating it seemed to hike the divide, so high and exposed on the ridges and peaks for miles. At the time, I was terrified of the routine afternoon thunderstorms. Over the past week, I finally saw what was behind the curtain and it’s been more incredible than I[…]

August 25th, 2019 Bill Moore Lake mm 1699.5 to Quayle Creek next to I-70 mm 1730 Distance in miles: 30.5 0610-1840 The wind howls all night but I don’t feel it in my tent. It flaps maybe once during a gust. It makes me happy every time my tent doesn’t get blasted but at the same time, I’m reminded that the wind is going to be present all day long while I’m hiking. At least I sleep well, probably the best I ever have above 11,000′. It’s hard on a body to rest above this elevation. Your metabolism is working overtime just to stay warm and get enough oxygen. It’s surprisingly dry and not too cold in the morning. We[…]

August 24th, 2019 Indian Peaks Trailhead mm 1673 to Bill Moore Lake mm 1699.5 Distance in miles: 26.5 0615-1900 Whoa, is today tough. We hoped to do 32 miles to get over two 13 ers but we fall way short. We severely underestimated this whole section. Between the altitude and crazy ups and downs, we should not have planned 30 mile day averages. We should have gone with 25 miles or even less. I’ve gotten complacent about being able to knock out the miles no matter what. But I failed to realize just how hard this 130 mile stretch to Breckenridge is. We’re on the trail plenty early, spotting several moose right off the bat. It’s an easy descent for[…]

August 23rd, 2019 Grand Lake mm 1649.7 to Indian Peaks Trailhead mm 1673 Distance in miles: 23.3 1030-1900 The Shadowcliff hostel doesn’t have a free breakfast but there’s free coffee. Also, they hosted an event last night and when I returned from town, the employees were munching on all the leftover finger-food. We asked if we could have some and were able to secure our breakfast for today. Score! We leave the hostel to travel through main street, part of the official route, and I’m tempted by a bakery. I get an apple strudel covered in whipped cream but it’s just ok. Then I go to the small grocery and scrounge what I can for resupply. They don’t have most[…]

August 22nd, 2019 Mm 1607.7 to Grand Lake mm 1649.7 Distance in miles: 24 0620-1600 The valley is cold in the morning but not as damp as I expected. We are climbing right off the bat, first on motorcycle trails, then on a steep jeep road that goes straight up…it’s just what jeep trails do. We enter the Never Summer Wilderness and go over Bowen Pass. Many years ago I backpacked in this area and I think I might have come over this pass as part of a loop hike. A lot looks familiar to me, especial the nice easy trail/road that runs through a flat valley where the Colorado River flows. Little did I know I was hiking the[…]

August 21st, 2019 Mm 1579.1 to mm 1607.7 Distance in miles: 28.6 0630-1850 The morning is dry and warm, just as I predicted. But I wake with anxiety about the upcoming day. In studying the map the night before, I saw that we are in for a lot of steep climbing. The trail jumps from one ridgeline to another, with many 1,000 foot climbs and descents. Total for the day: 7300′ up, 9300′ down. I feel really low energy starting out. I wake with a stiff and sore back and have to take a pain killer. Shortly I snap out of it and just start enjoying the views. Most of the day, the trail goes like this: on top a[…]

August 20th, 2019 HWY 40/14 mm 1554.3 to mm 1579.1 Distance in miles: 24.8 1045-1900 There are so many things I’d still like to do in town but we may never leave if I try to do them all. It’s time to get back on trail. We walk down to the natural grocer and buy a few items for the road. Then we hold up a sign for Rabbit Ears Pass and start walking out of town. We don’t get further than the first pull-out, where a guy offers to take us to the base of the pass on his way to a construction site. This works for us. At the next spot, we wait at a huge pull-out designed[…]

August 18th, 2019 Mm 1533.6 to HWY 40 mm 1552.4 Distance in miles: 18.8 0615-1230 I’m prepared for a very cold night but it doesn’t happen. It may even be warmer when I wake up than when I went to bed. The wind dies down overnight and there’s just a crisp breeze in the morning. The sky is clear and the sun comes out to do its job. The stormy weather of the day before has just vanished. We make our way a mile and a half to a parking lot and campground near a lake, our planned destination the day before. The cold air is trapped in this spot and it costs money to camp, so I’m glad we[…]

August 17th, 2019 Mm 1503 to 1533.6 Distance in miles: 30.6 0610-1840 It’s so cold in the morning, I have to leave my puffy on while I hike. That’s 4 layers: my t-shirt (which is worn paper-thin by now), R1, puffy, and rain jacket. My legs are bare under my skirt…they can take the cold. It’s all about keeping your torso warm. The sky is partially overcast in the morning and rain seems like a strong possibility. We hike down the valley towards the Zirkel wilderness and Park Range. There’s some toilet magic and a parking lot where we take a break. From here, we have to climb from 8200′ to around 11,900′, our highest point yet. Let’s go! The[…]