God places such beautiful people in my life. Lauren is a local from the town of South Fork. When she gave us a ride, she said she’d be available to take us to the trail in the morning. Sure to her word, she picked me and Jen up this morning and drove us to Archuleta Trailhead. It saved us from walking Highway 160 which is a shoulder less roadway. On top of that, she presented us with OWLS patches. We are now honorary members of the Old Wise Life Souls Club which means we must keep moving throughout life, and we must share the outdoors with everyone we surround ourselves with. I think I can do that Lauren! She hugged us and sent us on our way. She is leaving for her own journey, to walk The Primativa- a Pilgrimage in Spain. Buen Camino Lauren.

The day was gorgeous. The whispery clouds were floating above the mountains, and blanketing the lakes and riverbeds. As we were walking up the road to hook up with the trail, we saw Scott. He’s from the LA Area and we met him yesterday after navigating the crazy train trestle. His grandparents have a cabin in South Fork that he inherited and visits a couple weeks a year. He was headed to the Big Meadows Reservoir to go fishing with his family.

Fearless and I made it to Archuleta Trailhead and followed the edge of the lake. Scott, his wife Hallie and their sweet little boy Coleman were casting their lines into the lake. We talked for a bit, and little Coleman came over and gave me the biggest hug. Just out of the blue, he wrapped his little arms around my legs. Coleman, you have no idea how much I needed that hug! I hope you catch the biggest fish of the day.

After my sweet little hug, we headed up the hill. Our plan today is to hook back up with the CDT Redline. It’s less than ten miles and that seemed quite doable. Jen is still trying to take it slow and easy for the first week back on trail, so no big expectations. The trail was nice, well groomed and manicured. Except for the Rio Grande. It was flowing like no one’s business. Even Lauren commented on it as we were driving to the trailhead this morning.

And sure enough, we had to cross this enormous river. I am deathly afraid of heights, but Jen is terrified of fast moving rivers. She had quite the scare back in the Bob Wilderness and hasn’t been able to past it. So when we came to our river crossing, this was frightening. It was, in fact flowing well over 1000 cubic feet per second but the saving grace was the section we needed to cross was fairly narrow. Maybe twenty feet, more or less.

Jen put her sandals on. They are substantial and this saves her trail runners from getting submerged. I took my socks and inserts out as my trail runners, as my sandals are not my go-to for river crossings. I went first to test the depth. If I could get across, Jen would have no problem. There was only one section that was rolling white water but very shortly lived. Before I knew it, I was on the other side, and so was Jen.

We had another river crossing but much calmer. All was good and we headed up to the pass. I was up ahead and as I reached the top, there was the biggest moose I’ve ever seen. At first I thought it was a horse but there’s no wild horses up here. I must have spooked him because he bolted before I could get any closer!

We stopped for lunch and decided we would keep hiking towards the Redline. Well, we had no idea that our trail would disappear. That ended our dreams of ridge lines and sunsets! Our trail had been so good for the first half of the day, but the trail helpers must have been called away to other areas west. We went over a few fallen trees, and no more trail was found. This leaves us to our own devices and bushwhacking is all we could do.

For the remainder of the day, we covered one mile per hour, climbing over rocks, boulders, fallen trees and walking through soggy meadows. Needless to say we never made it to the redline. Around 5pm, we found a nice knoll, looked for a flat enough spot for a tent and a couple of trees to hang a hammock. And we hunkered down for the evening. As I thought about the day, it’s easy to get discouraged. But we are still walking, we are enjoying our time in this beautiful country and we are getting stronger! There is always tomorrow to connect with the CDT Redline.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬