Today was a relaxing, kick your boots off, kind of day. Yes, we still woke up at 4am. It’s our time when we hit the trail so we don’t miss out on the morning light. We hiked out of the canyon and followed the tree line. There were many creek crossings but nothing too difficult to navigate.

The plan is to take it slow and easy today being we want to be in Twin Lakes tomorrow for our resupply, showers and laundry. The miles were easy so we took many breaks along the way.

Triple-Z was checking and rechecking the map to see if there was any extra miles we could do? Nope, none at all. We decided against climbing Mt Elbert’s being the weather was looking ominous with thunderheads and dark gray rain clouds headed our way. Thank you Lord for saving me from extra bonus miles!

We made it to camp next to this lovely creek that just kept calling me, this is your home tonight, at 2pm. No arguments from me! I can’t deny the creature comforts of nap time and getting my gear organized for tomorrow’s town stop. So here we are, staying put for the early afternoon and evening. Triple-Z crawled into her tent and is also enjoying her free afternoon. Tomorrow Twin Lakes!

The Lord is my Shepard, I lack nothing. He makes me lay down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. Psalms 23:1-3

Those moose are eluding me! I have looked high and low but none, nada, zilch! I’m sure I’ve seen moose droppings and possible sighting of moose prints but no respectable sludge eating, swamp dwelling creature.

We entered the Holy Cross Wilderness today. What a perfect name for this section of trail. It has jagged peaks, many lakes, rivers and waterfalls and so much of Gods touches! We passed 150 mile marker today which means we are close to one-third of our way. Triple-Z could easily be half way done as she is a much faster hiker than me. But we signed a contract before we left, that what we start together, we are required to end together. No exceptions! So she waits for me regularly and finds perfect places to stop and rest.

One thing that we have to do periodically based on weather and dew from the night before is called “garage sale”. This is when your gear is soaking wet but you don’t have time to dry it before you leave at 5am. So you pack everything up wet and when a perfect rock appears that happens to be in full sun with not too much wind, you stop, pull everything out of your backpack and let it dry! It’s a bit time consuming but we usually snack and wait and sometimes I take pictures.

This was a tough day for me in the sense that I was a bit out of sorts. Backpacking is my most favorite thing to do but there are days where things just don’t go as planned. I was so enamored by the beauty of the lakes and peaks, that I wasn’t aware of the rock that jumped in front of me and I took a face plant down on my bum knee and busted my sunglasses. I can be such a klutz at times! It amazes me that I can hike as far as I do. Needless to say, Triple-Z got word from the trail runners that I was down for the count and had to hike back down the mountain to check on me. Luckily Jesus protected me and I dusted myself off, put duct tape on my one and only sunglasses, used up my two big bandaids and KT Tape to keep my knee where it needed to be, and off we went. Slowly…

What makes up for all the blood, sweat and agony literally, are these ridge lines, mountains that reach the heavens and a great friend who always pulls in the reigns when I’m a bit out of sorts. We made it to camp without anymore incidents and as I’m setting up camp, I hear Triple-Z calling my name. I head over and here she is, soaking her feet in the creek without we coercing her. I think she is warming up to the idea of relaxation after a hard day of watching over yours truly!

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Last night I had marmots in love, frolicking on the glacier field. They even stopped to kiss each other. Some funny creatures they are.

I slept fairly well and woke up to Triple-Z’s alarm chimes. She had to change up the wake up theme since I chose to sleep through the soft ring. I fired up my stove to make some coffee and got to the business of changing back into my one and only trail outfit. As the water boiled, I went to turn it off and the tiniest little mouse was hanging out in my vestibule. I think he was looking for warmth and maybe a morsel to eat. Triple-Z says I make friends everywhere I go, including mice! She had no mice at her tent five feet away from me. I gave the little guy an itsy bitsy piece of cheese and finished packing up for the days journey.

We headed out toward Kokomo Pass 12022′ to the south. Another out of this world sunrise with all the clouds overhead. Just before he peaked, there was a quail chasing another quail yelling at him, stay away from the chicks and don’t ever come back! At least that’s what it sounded like. She was quite upset at 5:30. Once at the top of the pass, we met an “outbound adventure group” teaching novice backpackers a thing or two. They obviously get up early too! It was their first experience and there was close to 15 of them. They were filled with awe at the incredible vista on top of Kodama.

As we left, we saw three elk running across the trail. I’m not sure if they were spooked or just out for their morning exercise? So far, this has been the most active morning we’ve had and it’s not even 6am yet!

Today we had some makeup miles since I pooped out yesterday. There’s a saying in the long distance hiking verbiage called 10×10. The idea is to walk ten miles by 10am. Being that today was relatively easy in elevation, we made the miles pretty quickly. We came across bunkers that were used during WWII training camp for the 10th Mountain Division of the military. There must have been 15-20 bunkers that were built into a hillside. It looks so out of place but because of the unexplored artillery, I suppose they leave it in place.

We headed up the hill and just as we turned a switchback, I could hear a squeak from some critter. Directly ahead of us was a Pine Marten or Weasel looking critter running off with a baby rodent in his mouth. I’m thinking what’s gonna be next? I still haven’t seen a moose so maybe today’s the day!

No moose yet but we did find a lovely swing to take a break on. This truly was an animal kingdom day. We are situated in our tents by 3:30pm after an early afternoon thunderstorm rolled in. As I’m looking over a meadow with many willows and a river that runs through it. I’m keeping my eyes peeled because I’m thinking there’s a good chance, if I was a moose, I’d hang out here for dinner!

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kind; the creatures that move along the ground, and all the wild animals of their kind”, and God said it was good. Genesis 1: 24

What a peaceful night of rest. I hit my head on the pillow in my comfy hotel room at 10pm and didn’t budge, move or turn for 8 hours. Just what the doctor ordered.

After our big hike yesterday, I was looking forward to an easy stroll today. We hopped on the bus to Copper Mountain and off we went with our loaded packs with five days of food and gear, weighing 30 pounds. If only I had a Sherpa. George, would you be interested? j mom

Copper Mountain Ski Resort operates year-round. As we hit the trail, directly above us was the coolest bobsled-roller coaster. It’s equipped with brakes, hopefully there’s another way to slow that thing down or I’d be flying off the course. It looks like a hoot!

Today was a leisurely stroll. We went about 4-5 miles and found a great overlook to have lunch. In the valley below were many beaver dams. They were super busy building ponds to swim in and evidentially fish for dinner. You could tell they had been there for some time because there were flower boxes on the edge of the waterfall that cascaded to the river below. If I was a beaver looking for a beaver mate, this guy would be a catch!

One thing I’ve noticed on the CT is people love building extravagant rock Karin’s. They are typically at the top of a mountain or peak, or used to mark the trail so you don’t get lost. This was at the top of Searle Pass.

I puckered out after 10 miles today. I was done for the day so Triple-Z and I found a spot off the grid near a glacier field, tucked away off the trail. It was perfect, except for the dried up bones I found. Probably some poor hiker who couldn’t find his way! We pitched our tents and I watched for an hour or two these fat marmots running up and down the glacier. They have not missed any meals and seem quite content residing at 12043′. Well that makes one of us because I’m still trying to get accustomed to high alpine living!

Oh the wonders of your glory, the tranquility of nature, makes me desire you even more today than yesterday! Lord, thank you for placing this passion in my heart to follow you to the ends of the earth. Amen.

So you may ask, what is Slack Packing? This is a well known secret in the thru-hiking world. When you get an opportunity to hike your miles without a pack on your back, oh that is heaven on earth!

Being we are in a hotel for a couple of days, we left our big heavy packs in our room, and hiked with a day pack. My day pack is also my food bag so I left all my food at the hotel room, then packed some water, snacks, first aid kit, rain jacket and my in-reach (just in case). We hit the trail without our heavy packs and got our miles in for the day. So I’m sure you must be wondering how tough could that be? Hiking 14 miles without a heavy pack, easy Peasy. Well that’s what I thought but it still kicked my tush!

So this is what we did today, a tough climb up and a knee knocking descent! The peak was 12482′ which was the High Point of this section. It took us 8 hours, with lots of breaks, many pictures, and more breaks!

This is a bike packer who had to do a lot of pushing today but once at the top, the fun begins. He sailed passed us and we never saw him again. I’m thinking he was drinking a beer while Triple-Z and I were taking in the sights and celebrating our summit!

Now before the thunderstorms come in, we beat feet and got off the mountain back to town, and another ride on the Summit Bus. Colorado does mass transit quite well. The buses are on time, clean and free! We rode back, grabbed some grub and chilled for our last evening in a bed for a week. Tomorrow we will return to the trail with our full packs, loaded with food and continue on.

Just a disclaimer, our next route will be taking us from Cooper Mountain to Twin Lakes and Mt Princeton Hot Springs. The reason I bring this up is T-Mobile is not the prime carrier in these parts and there’s a good chance that I may not be able to load up my tales on the trail. However, I will continue to blog and as soon as I get reception, I’ll be uploading my stories. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers as Triple-Z and I carry on!

Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning, for I trust in you. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you. Psalms 143:8

After the horrific wind storm last night, Mother Earth calmed down and I had a peaceful night. I spent most of the evening watching the sunset over the mountains. There were many mountain bikers that rode to the bench and one in particular, apparently thought I lived on the mountain. He saw my tent nestled into the trees and asked, do you live here? I was a bit taken back as I probably look homeless, Miss Rag Tag Muffin with my stinky clothes and dis-shuffled hair. I laughed and told him I was just hiking thru.

Since we were hiking to town, I convinced Triple-Z that we could sleep in. At 4:30am, we woke up and were ready to hit the trail by 5:30am. We both decided to wear our sleep shirts to town, which is strictly forbidden except for town days! You never ever want to dirty up or sweat in your sleep clothes since they are only for the tent and sleeping bag.

Today was a monumental day. We have covered 100 miles with only 375 to go. We are well on our way and starting to get our trail legs. Now I’m just waiting for my lungs to follow suit. Living in Granite Bay at 500′ elevation is much different than hiking at 10000-12000′ daily! My lungs are still playing catch up but hopefully by next week, I’ll have bigger wind pipes and able to breath like a Coloradan.

We had a leisurely hike down to town, caught a bus and arrived in Frisco by 10am. The only issue is the fine hotel we are staying in is quite strict with their 4pm check-in time. But as a consolation prize, they did allow us to do our laundry and soak in the jacuzzi. I’m not sure who’s gonna clean that tub after us, but God help him because I’m sure he’ll need lots of scrub brushes and chlorine!

It is quite an adjustment to come off trail, see all the sprawling metropolis of town homes and squawky trailers. We both could literally do nothing until we put some food in our growling belly’s. Lucky for us there was a Brewery and Whole Foods across the street. Fresh fruit, grilled vegetables with a half chicken! I ate the whole darn thing all by myself.

Now all that’s was left is to find my way to REI for fuel canisters and a pair of replacement poles. My trekking poles have been with me since 2015 when I hiked the PCT and I finally broke them for good. No amount of duct tape was going to save them. Two buses later and standing in a long line outside of REI, I found my new poles and two canisters of fuel. Is there a shortage on fuel? I had to explain to the cashier that I needed two, one for me and one for my partner who was back at our hotel. They are only selling one per person! She was understanding and I am now riding the free bus back to my hotel with 2 canisters of fuel and my new trekking poles. Now I intend to sleep until Triple-Z wakes me for our hike tomorrow. Slack packing!

Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalms 34:8

Before I talk about the bench I’m sitting on as I write this blog, I must share the Continental Divide. Last night we had to stop short of the Divide as thunderstorms moved in with lots of rain. Triple-Z found us a relatively flat spot to park ourselves for the night. We set up our homes, aka tents and crawled inside for the remainder of the evening. It rained, no, it poured at midnight for another round. Luckily, we both survived and stayed as snug as a bug in a rug! I had my long Johns on with my down pants, down jacket, socks and was cozy inside my 10 degree down quilt. It’s equivalent to a 5 star hotel. Well that might be a stretch but for backpacking standards, it rates 10/10!

Luckily the rain stopped and we were on the trail just after 5am. This morning was exceptional! When I honestly can’t believe it can get any better, God knocks my socks off with His artistry. The Continental Divide is just short of 12000′ and it is the dividing point for headwaters to run east or west. All I can tell you is it is one of the most beautiful places on earth! There are peaks in every direction, some are jagged with snow fields while others are red and green with minerals, rounded at the tops. The trail is clear of debris, beautifully raked and soft duff underfoot. It was my most favorite morning of this journey.

Our gear was pretty wet from the night before so once on the top of the divide, we laid out our tents and sleeping bags. It took only a few minutes to dry our belongings but we stayed for a bit and embraced the beauty of this place.

As we continued over the Divide, we entered a utopia of the healthiest forest I have ever laid eyes on. The trees were evergreen, lush and tall. I typically compare beauty for what I know near my home in Lake Tahoe. We have a few variety of trees but in Colorado, there is every make and model of pines, evergreens, cedars, with some sprinkling in of aspens. It’s overwhelming to the senses. Both Triple-Z and I have been sneezing daily from the new smells and pollens that our noise is just becoming acquainted to. I have no clogged sinuses, that’s for sure.

We headed down hill for 2500′ and started hearing dogs barking excessively. I thought maybe they treed a bear, or there was a huge dog fight. But this was different. It sounded like a pack of dogs! When we rounded the corner, there was a huge enclosure with husky’s, no less than 50 of them, who are dog sled trained. The handler was in the kennels feeding them and they evidentially where quite hungry!

We made it to our lunch spot on the river and guess who decided to soak her feet? Yep, Triple-Z and I are having lunch while sitting, and engulfing in the best pastime of the trail. Let alone our feet are filthy, but this also helps with the swelling as we are walking quite a few miles daily. It is purely exhilarating as this is snow melt and the water temps can’t be much more than 50 degrees! But once you’re in for a minute or two, they are just numb and you don’t feel the pain any longer. Well, at least I don’t. Triple-Z is still out on whether she calls this enjoyment or just painful. I’ll give her some time. By the time we hit Durango, she’ll be converted in more ways than she knows!

We had some pretty remarkable encounters with birds today. I think this is Colorado’s version of a blue jay, maybe a scrub jay. They tend to follow us down the trail, most likely looking for a handout. Triple-Z says that birds are angels sent from heaven to meet us on earth. I like that analogy. We saw tons of Woodpeckers, Jays, Sparrow’s, Finches and even a Hawk.

We made it to our bench, a highly coveted camp spot that overlooks the valley below. As we set up camp, it was obvious that this place can create some blasting winds. Well, it didn’t disappoint because as I’m enjoying the lovely view, a northern wind came blowing through our pristine site and I have an inch of dust, dirt and grime in my tent! No worries, I’m just as filthy as my tent now, but come tomorrow, I’ll be clean. Yep, we are headed to the town of Frisco for showers, proper laundry and good food! Oh the simple pleasures of flush toilets and running water.

But you Lord. Are the shield that protects me, my glory who lifts my head up high, I call out to the Lord and He answers me from His Holy mountain. Psalms 3:3-4

Between the squirrels scurrying around, the birds chirping and the elk bugling, it’s amazing I was able to sleep at all! I feel like I am sleeping in a zoo but one without cages or enclosures, just wide open spaces. It boggles my mind that I get to participate in this miracle of nature.

Another picture perfect sunrise overlooking Kenosha Pass. It’s hard to get the miles in when all you want to do is take pictures. As we made it to the ridge line, I looked down because them darn elks were making so much noise again! There was a herd of 40-50 elk grazing in the meadow about 1000′ below us. They were slowly making their way to higher ground. It was pretty remarkable to witness such a thing. My husband George would have done anything to sneak up on one. I just looked from afar and marveled at such loud and magnificent creatures they are.

Once we made it to the local campground, we found a hand water pump and yes, this is how we wash our stinky laundry. We placed our dirty grimy socks, underwear (I know, not the way I do laundry at home either) and assortment of bandanas and yes, my pee rag. Maybe too much information, but I let the cat out of the bag now. I use a pee rag instead of tons of toilet paper, which once used you need to pack out. My pee rag is one item in my backpack, that only has one use, to wipe after peeing. And I’m doing my part to help out the rest of you so you can get your supply of toilet paper! After our laundry was somewhat clean, we filled our water bottles and headed up another hill.

This was a day to remember for all the long reaching vistas with mountains encapsulating the valleys below. I think if I was a cow, this is where I would want to live! It’s so lush and green, and few people live here. But what there are a lot of, is mountain bikers.

I saw more fat tires on the CT, than I’ve ever seen at any bike shop. They typically ride in packs like wolves, so once you see them, you’re gonna see them again on the flip-flop. Here on the CT, we give bikes the right-of-way. They are faster, bigger and it’s much easier for me to move over than for them to maneuver off the trail. I like to mountain bike but I don’t know if I have the ability to ride the trails here. There are countless rocks, roots, fallen trees and logs that block your trail and it just seems like too much work. I’ll stick to what I do best and that’s hiking.

Triple Z and I had a wonderful day today. I think we are getting into a rhythm that suits us both. Honestly we haven’t hiked much together, but we both have hiked many miles on various trails. We have different styles of hiking. She likes to get up super early, eats while she hikes, and hike all day long. I would rather sleep in and wake up with the birds, have breakfast in my tent, hike a few miles and stop to snack, hike a few more miles and soak my feet and wander into camp around 5pm. We have made some sanctions and I’m getting up early, but Triple Z is experiencing a much more relaxed pace. She is indulging in the foot soaking exercise at noon and we are compromising on the miles we hike daily. It’s like a marriage on the trail. No one gets there way all the time, but we get to experience this life on the trail together. And that is truly a gift!

You my brothers and sisters were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather serve each other humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

After yesterday’s long hike, we decided to take it easy today on the mileage. However we made up for the miles by climbing 3300′ elevation. We topped out at 10564′ which about sucked the oxygen out of me!

Early morning start is beginning to be our MO. At 4am, even the birds aren’t chirping yet. The benefits to getting up at this absurd hour is we can knocked out the miles before we 1) get baked, or 2) escape certain weather storms that come and 3) get to camp early so we can clean up, do laundry and maybe rest just a bit. I’m not used to the 4am wake up quite yet but I understand the benefits.

Today was picture perfect. God did another wonderful sunrise painting for us with pinks and oranges and there is something about walking in the early morning when no one else is in the trail. That’s because they are sleeping!

The climb started as soon as we crossed the river that we slept at the night before and didn’t stop until past noon. I must admit that I have done some climbing in the past like training hill in Auburn, but that’s at 1500′ and climbs only 1000 feet. This was a slow but steady climb until we hit 9500′ and then, it was granny gear for me all the way up.

What was surprising was the topography. Colorado has a way of manicuring their forest. As I was taking in the sights of these tall majestic pine trees, I noticed there is no undergrowth. It’s as if a gardener came and rack it all, remove any twig or branch and perfected the ground. It was parklike. Where I live, we have tons of underbrush, which is a tinder box waiting for a spark to ignite it.

Then you turn the next corner and there’s a forest of old growth Aspens that reach the heavens. It’s magnificent and helps me take my thought off the fact that I can’t breathe because I’m reaching 10,000′!

We had a lovely Creek to capture icy cold water from surrounded by purple and pink flowers. I don’t know what they were, but they were perfectly placed near the rocks that that water cascaded over. It boggles my mind when humans deny that there is a wonderful creator who designed this beauty for us to behold. It’s without a doubt only by creation that such plants, flowers, waters and insects can flourish in perfect harmony.

Once we made our peak, which was through the trees with no dramatic view, we started back down. It was an easy grade down. After two more miles, we came to this unexpected meadow that was the foreground for another unnamed peak. It’s hard to photograph this area. Nothing really gives you the dimension of the vastness of it.

We continued on to our home, a plateau above a creek that gives way to this scrub brush that animals must visit. It has everything that could desire. I’ll wait up for sunset and see if I can capture some deer grazing.

Oh what a stupendous day. Well, Triple-Z’s alarm went off at 4am, and I slept right through it. She had to get out of her tent to wake me up. My bad! I was dreaming of eating cake, many kinds of cake at a cake sale. And to think I’ve only been hiking for four days. Hiker hunger is already kicking in.

Have I spoke of the mornings? When we left camp this morning, we followed a high alpine meadow. There is a wide meandering River that flows through it, with scrub and sage scattered throughout. The meadow went on for five miles, quite exposed with some sprinkling of redwood cedars and pines. We hit the flower bloom at the perfect time. Columbines, Indian Paintbrush, Blue Bells, everywhere you looked God was showing off with His brilliance.

As we hiked through the meadow, ever so slowly, I caught a glimpse of a deer grazing, tons of cotton tails, chipmunks and squirrels and a tiny mouse ran across the trail in front of me. I saw tons of Elk droppings but no elk.

Once we headed out of the meadow, we were on top of this rim that overlooked a huge valley below. I believe it is Jefferson as that’s the only place on my map. It’s so vast and wide and all I could do was break out in the song “America the Beautiful”. Colorado is truly a magical place!

We had plenty of water today and no thunderstorms. It was by far the best temperate day to walk in yet. Never had to dawn my umbrella and sweated only a little bit. Well, if you smelled me, I’m sure you’d say that’s not true. I stink to high heaven and my clothes are worse. So you may ask, what is the hardest part of being a thru-hiker? It’s the filth. It doesn’t matter how many wipes I have, it’s never enough. And bathing in a creek is a luxury when you hike 19 miles a day. So tonight I’ll be dreaming of bubble baths and laundry mats!

The mountains, valleys and plains were breathtaking. Around every corner there was so much beauty, flowers, snow capped peaks in the distance and places to rehydrate. I met the nicest gals today, Angie and Sam, mid-30’s. They have been out for over a week and plan to go the distance. The problem is Sam has 11 blisters in her feet. Yep, that’s possible and she is still hiking. Her friend Angie, who has never backpacked a day in her life has two bum knees and a sprained ankle! I have been called many things but it appears my expanded trail name is Nurse GiGi. I have become the trail expert on KT tape. I wrapped Angie’s knee, just one because that’s all she told me was hurting. Then after five hours, she hiked to our camped and asked if I could wrap her other knee as she videotaped me so she could do it herself later. Hikers are a tough bunch! As I always say, anyone can do the miles but you have to have a strong mind to finish the trail. There is much pain, suffering and agony, but in the end, oh the sweetness of the sights you see are oh, so worth it.

We relaxed in our campsite only to hear the cries of Bull Elk across the meadow. They appear to be getting closer and I’m wondering if this could be rut season? There must be hundreds of them, bugling all night long! I’ll stay put in the safe confines of my single-walled nylon tent. How truly blessed and thankful I am to witness such a place as this.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18