Oh my. The stars last night were something out of this world! By 8pm, it was pitch black and every star, constellation and galaxy was shining. There is zero light pollution up on top of the mountain so the Milky Way, in all its glory, was brilliant. But it was cold. Bone chilling cold! We both woke up to frost on the tent, vestibule and hammock and underfoot.

All we could think about was hooking up with the Redline. It has been a month since Fearless has walked on the CDT and by golly, it was going to happen today. Less than a mile from camp, Jen sat her pack down to take off some layers and within ten feet, there it was. The CDT Redline, we did it.

We had a little coffee break and then, once again, walked the Redline. It was a nice gentle climb up the ridge until we hit a meadow. Before long, we emptied our packs and started drying out all our gear from the prior icy cold night. Jen had actual snowballs in her hammock tarp which were promptly thrown. And soon ensued a snowball fight. Kids will be kids and hikers are nothing more than grown up kids.

The rest of our day was spent hiking and taking numerous breaks. As we got closer to the pass, we looked for a lunch spot. With nothing really worthy, we found ourselves sitting directly on the trail. No problem since we hadn’t seen anyone for a couple of days.

We took out our waffle pads, layed out our lunch and stretched out on the trail. And of course, within a few minutes, John and his bride came strolling by. Well, neither Fearless nor I were in any shape to get up and move, but the two were gracious and stepped over us. Then they proceeded to ask all sorts of questions about our hike. And we were able to gather much needed intel regarding Pagosa Springs. Win, win for all of us.

After lunch we pushed towards Wolf Creek Pass and before long, we were hitching to town. I had told Jen that we would get picked up by someone driving a Subaru. They seem to be outdoorsy people and just about every ride I’ve had has either been a Subaru or a Truck. Ten minutes later, Amanda and Brock in a fancy Outback stopped and gave us a ride to town. Imagine that.

Pagosa Springs is a great place. It is a mountain community with a ski hill and natural hot springs in the river that runs through town. It has a downtown and an uptown, which is where most the residents live. And we had a great recommendation for both a hotel and restaurant. Alpine Inn at Pagosa Springs and Coyote Moon Bar & Grill. We stayed at the inn and ate at the bar.

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to head into Pagosa is the fact that Coyote and Radio were getting married. They are the couple that I started the CDT with. When I arrived at East Glacier Looking Glass Hostel, we pulled a permit together for the first week of hiking the CDT. I hadn’t seen them since leaving Glacier NP being they are extremely fast hikers but we’ve stayed in contact during the past few months. Now they are getting married on the trail.

Jen and I had a great evening, met some nice people at the bar, listened to a band playing country music and walked back to our hotel. The next morning, my son Billy drove to town and we were able to spend the day together. He recently moved to Durango which is a short one hour drive to Pagosa Springs. I was getting my cup filled in more ways than I could imagine.

Billy drove Fearless and I back to Wolf Creek Pass and we got a ride up to Lobo Lookout for the wedding. The day was perfect, clear blue skies and no wind. There was close to thirty hikers that all came to celebrate the union of these sweet young people, Coyote and Radio. Coyote’s Dad officiated the wedding and as they were sharing their vows, two doves flew overhead and landed near them. How absolutely meaningful was that!

Afterwards, Jen went back to the trail and I drive down with Radio’s family and spent the evening at the reception. It was such a great celebration with burgers, cakes and dancing. It was absolutely an amazing evening. This will be a weekend that I will never forget. May God bless the union of these two and give them never ending love for the remainder of their lives.

“And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”” Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬