The hunt for water begins. Yesterday we had a twelve mile stretch without water which is doable. But today is over 20 miles and that can get tricky. We dried camp the night before and had less than a liter to get to Seven Tank Creek. In the early morning, I drink less. It’s cool and I’m usually not sweating as much. We had all intentions of heading to the tank which is a watering hole for cows but with all the rain we had last week, the creek was flowing and we filled up for the next waterless section. This means cameling up which entails drinking as much as you can and hopefully your body stores it like a camel.

I drank a liter, and carried two plus liters. We headed up the last known creek and were back into cow territory. These cows were a bit more docile as they were busy munching away at there grassy fields. This Momma and Calf were hanging next to the trail when I came around the bend. She moved ever so slightly, lifted her tail and evacuated her bladder, right in front of me! I was thinking, she’d be a great thru-hiker as we are always peeing in the woods.

Teach them early to void themselves whenever a human is around. Well, I got my picture and off I went.

Today wasn’t a tough day. It was fairly easy going but a lot of road walking. Triple-Z and I commiserated that road walking is no fun! It’s not that we are truly on a highway. It’s hard packed dirt with little scenic value and when you walk like that for miles, it’s just tedious. This was another work day as we call them. You have to take the long walks in order to get the rewards of the tall peaks and expansive vistas.

On the plateaus you can see forever. Triple-Z has an app on her phone called Peak Finder so when we get to a place like this, she whips it out, and we try to guess the peaks. It’s always amazes me when we recognize the mountains that we hiked over the day before or a week earlier. These mountains tops are usually 11000-14000′ tall and they stay in our view for quite some time.

We had a variety of terrain today from the open fields, to meadows, to the aspen groves and just plain dirt with an assortment of rocks, boulders and pebbles just to add to the mix. The interesting thing about this trail is if you don’t like what you’re walking through, don’t worry because it’s gonna change in a matter of a few miles! Both Triple-Z and I are trying to get more miles in to play catch-up but we are pretty darn exhausted by 4pm. Today we stopped at Baldy Lake turnoff.

So we don’t have water for another twelve miles and I’m down to half liter and Triple-Z is completely out. So after we hiked our 15 miles, we set up camp and proceed off trail down 250′ rocky trail for 1/2 mile to get water. And then climb back up to camp. Needless to say, I’m in my tent laying on my back as I finish up. Just another day on the trail, without rain!

As a deer longs for streams of water, so do I long for you, God. Psalm 42:1

There is nothing more wonderful than waking up to a dry tent! We have evaded the constant borage of rain showers, thunderstorms and constant dampness. All is good in my world now. We hit the trail early and watched the sunrise behind our backs. The trail was clear and made for easy miles even if they were uphill.

I have found the trick to slowing Triple-Z down. Load her pack with tons of food. She is a much slighter person than I and even though I have the same eight days of food that she has, 15 plus extra pounds is much harder on her than I. Don’t get me wrong because it’s killing me too. I spend all this time lightening my gear and then I add 15 pounds of food. That’s wrong on many scales!

As I wobble down the trail, with my not-so-lightening speed, I encounter a family of grouse. They are oversized chickens, brown in color and tend to scurry away as soon as they see me. This is the third time I’m snuck up on them but before I can get my camera out of my pocket, they run and hide. The cows are still hanging with us. I’m starting to recognize a pattern between the Mommas and her Calves. When they are very small, they hang out underneath her always ready to trip her if she moves too fast. As they become toddlers, they hang out within eye shot but not too close, checking out the greener pastures on the other side. Once they are teenager cows, they are meandering all over the place, high and low. So I guess they are much like my family! It is so fun to watch them play in the open lands, no mind to us hikers at all.

Around noon, we came down a desert-like section of desert flowers, dust and sage. Then I saw it, Monarch Pass -Highway 50. All I need to do is head west and I betcha I could be home in a couple of days. I called my husband and he reminded me that he was picking me up in Durango! So hiking I continued to do.

Today was a workday, not a whole lot of scenery. We had a long dusty road walk, in the heat. I know girl, what do you want? Sunshine on your shoulders or raindrops overhead? I think I’ll stick to blue skies, thank you Lord.

As we packed up to hit the trail this morning, the stars were shining. We must be far enough off the grid that we are seeing all the shiniest stars. The problem is I have a tiny pin light for a headlamp so I’m glued to Triple-Z as I muddle up the trail till daylight hits. We’ve decided 5am is too early and 5:30am will be our new start time. Thank the Lord!

But once the sun came up, oh my goodness, we were walking through a flower garden that only our creator could possibly design! It was like nothing I’ve ever seen. There were flowers as far as the eye could see and as tall as me. There were times where you have to slice your way through the bouquets of colors!

Let alone we had flowers that were out of this world, we were climbing back up to the Continental Divide. Back up to 12000′ and it has been nothing but climbing since yesterday! We had somehow descended below 9000′ so we had a lot of makeup to do. The last big push was loose shale and I’m guessing about 20-25% grade. It was all I could do to get me and my behemoth pack to the top.

Once back on the ridge line, there were mountains in every direction. These huge majestic mountains are truly one of the biggest draw for me. Backpacking is tough business. There are times when I am so weak, cold and tired and I know the only strength that I have left is my faith in the Lord. He never fails to get me where I need to be, never leaves me to fend for myself, Jesus just picks me up and transports me to my next home. There are so many times I wonder how I even managed because there is no way that this 5’7″ woman can do what God has me do!

We give all the glory to God above! He is the one who keeps us healthy and truly fit enough to do this. Today was a special day. We had unending views from mountain top to ridge lines. We saw deer that were the healthiest and strongest I have ever seen. There were marmots and picas that would run around like children. Birds and hummingbirds that would fly overhead greeting us as we walked down the trail. It was the best day on the trail yet! I keep on hearing, wait it gets better. I find it hard to believe that anything can top what we saw today!

Now to Him who is able to do unmeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

This was a bittersweet day. We had to say goodbye to all our friends at Mt Princeton. When you spend three days at a place, you start recognizing people. I try to make a habit of remembering peoples names, especially ones that go the extra mile! From the time I called Corrine at the front desk to extend our stay, the service was exceptional. Isaiah checked us in early, and Steve gave us a ride to our suite on the river, being we had no car, four resupply boxes and backpacks! Once squared away with all our provisions, Christopher and Cody took care of us at the Hot Springs Pool and Spa while Sue and Liz were our waitresses for our daily lunch. Each day we had the same amazing people who became our friends. When we got a ride back to the trail, Steve reminded us that we really didn’t have to go, but to send a postcard to let him know we made it safe down the trail. However, the mountains are calling and we must go, for at this rate, we will never make it to Durango! Something about the first day out after a few days off. As Triple-Z corrected me, we had one Nero and two zeros! Nero being we hiked a few trail miles, where zeros there are no trail miles hiked. Don’t get me wrong because while we were at Mt Princeton, we walked everywhere and most likely did at least one mile a day, but it wasn’t on the trail, so it doesn’t count! As we took off this morning our packs were loaded to the brim. Both me and Triple-Z had a hard time moving up the hills and felt like turtles with all the weight on our backs! Our food and water weighed close to 15 pounds plus all our worldly possessions so I’m sure we tipped the scales at 30 or more pounds! Needless to say, we were moving as fast as a three-toed sloth, which evidentially isn’t very fast! Lucky for us the weather was accommodating and we only had a few sprinkles. This section of trail is much different from the past 200 miles. We have entered Cowtown! By noon, we met our first cows on the trail. They were quite polite and moved off the trail but not with lightning speed. I think they are always a bit slow and never seem to be in a hurry for anything at all. The terrain was fairly flat with just a few little hiccups going up and down but honestly, this was a perfect re-entry day because like the cows, I wasn’t into moving very fast either. The most exciting part of the day is that once at camp, we have trekked half-way! Depending on if you are following Guthook, the app that highlights the CT and tells you everything you need to know about finding water, ideal camping spots or just fun facts, it calls the creek that we are camping at Halfway. At first I didn’t get it (yes I am truly a blonde) but then I put it together and realized we are halfway from Waterton and Durango! If I had a bottle of champagne or a shot of tequila, I’d be celebrating, but all I have is tea so that’ll have to suffice.

Great news, I think we have escaped the wrath of a certain weather pattern, and I am nice and dry in my tent! That’s a huge praise as any of you who have been following me, the rain has been the topic of my blog! Oh, one last thing, we finally saw horses on the trail! I have seen leftovers from horses, if you get my drift, but not the real deal. I’m thinking a moose may be in my future after all!

But he said to me, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I had no idea that this glorious time at Mt Princeton would be so relaxing. I did nothing, nada, badda-bing! It wasn’t like anything I have experienced in the past two and a half weeks. Wake up whenever my eyes open, lounge around for an hour or two, walk over for pool time, lounge some more, hang out in the hot springs, talk with the staff, eat lunch, wander over to the juice bar, drink, more pool time and back to the room to chill for the night. Then laugh as the rain comes crashing down! And that it did! Rain, thunder and lightning. And more rain! Today reality set back in. I had to get my backpack back in order, pack up my 8 1/2 days of food, and somehow someway shove everything back in my bag. Tomorrow I’ll be back getting dirty, feeling the earth under my feet and praying for sunshine on my shoulders! I must say this was one of the best respites I have experienced. With the healing waters of the hot springs, the pampered days of rest and relaxation, and quality sleep, I am ready to finish the final 250 plus miles. Tomorrow will be my last cooked meal that isn’t dehydrated for the next 16 days. I’ll be eating something fresh and savory. Anything but oatmeal! My hubby sent me a picture of the produce from our garden that I planted back in April. All I can think of now is tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and zucchini. Oh what I would do for a vegetable omelette! In case you are not a backpacker, one of the forbidden things on the trail is talking about all the foods we miss! But it always comes back to… all the food we miss! Maybe I’ll wander into a garden on the trail. Oh I can only dream.

Life begins once Jesus becomes the reason you live it.

I survived the onslaught of rain! Today is the day both Triple-Z and I have been dreaming of. Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort is a swanky place with European sheets, Goose-down pillows, Creekside Rooms and yes, a Hot Springs, both natural and poolside. Life is good. All we need to do is walk there.

The skies cleared up and made for a great trek off the mountain. It seems that all the hikers had the same idea, get up early, get to town and dry off! Triple-Z and I had a conversation about the storms that keep coming. We made an unilateral decision that we should stay at the resort until the sun returns! And so it will be.

The road walk went through private property and the owner of these lands takes a lot of pride in their property. The dirt roads were currently graded, the road was pristine and it made for a wonderful morning walk. Within two hours, we had reserved a third night at Mt Princeton. It appears that this weather system plans to change course by Wednesday so we are digging our heels in and waiting it out. Don’t feel bad for us, we’ll suffer through it 😀

My Princeton is just up the mountain from Buena Vista. It was originally built in the mid 1800’s for the over 50 mines that were operating at full capacity. With all the miners, South Park & Pacific Railroad developed a line through the canyon and constructed the Alpine Tunnel, the highest and most expensive tunnel ever built in its time. During 1879-2018, this resort has changed many owners but has stood the test of time. It truly is a gem in the mountains with healing waters. I need some healing so here we are through Wednesday. First things first, hamburgers and onion rings! Not my go-to meal but on the trail, I can eat whatever my heart contents. Based on my body weight, amount of miles hiked per day, I am burning 3500-4500 calories a day! And hence another reason I love to backpack!

There’s nothing in my backpack food that tastes better than this! So now the relaxation begins. Pool time, lounging in bed, reading, blogging and posting. Thank you Lord for loving me so much, that I earned a few days of rest, not just one.

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

In Genesis, God flooded the earth. After the waters receded, he showed Noah a rainbow and promised He would never cover the earth in water again. As we hiked out this morning, there was a light drizzle, due to the fact we were hiking in the clouds. The sunrise was spectacular once again but what truly caught my eye was, not one, but double rainbows above the trees! What a welcome sight from all the rain we have experienced in the past few days.

We had only 13 miles to hike today and little climb. It was probably one of our easiest hike days in quite awhile. The trees were glistening from the rain drops that occurred last night. The pines were fresh and the ground was soft. There is something to be said about a little rain, well let’s be real, a lot of rain that soaks into the ground. It helps to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. No slipping and sliding on loose pebbles (marbles as I call them) and bigger rocks that sometimes like to jump in front of me. Nope, the rocks are firmly encased in soft gooey mud just like my feet from time to time!

So today was a mixed bag. The weather report said 70% showers and we were ready for whatever nature was ready to give us. We hurried down the mountain to a trailhead and found some asphalt to dry our gear out. As we headed out, the clouds started moving in. They looked so whimsical at first. Almost like the Holy Spirit floating above. As we looked over a small lake, I was thinking what do those weather forecasters know anyhow?

But obviously a heck of a lot more than I! As we got ready for our second climb, it was time to break out the umbrellas, rain jacket and pack covers! Oh boy, here we go again! At first I was thinking this isn’t no big deal but I was way off base. The showers kept coming and by the time we reached Dry Creek, it was raging! I pitched my tent as fast as I could, which is never a recipe for success! I crawled inside only to realize my tent already had water creeping in. So back out I went, in the pouring rain, somehow someway dragged my tent about ten feet ( oh and with all my gear inside of it) and managed to pitch it correctly, the second time around! Lesson learned. Patience grasshopper! If you do it right the first time, you don’t need to do it a second time. Now I am sequestered in my tent for the remainder of the evening and attempting to stay dry and warm.

Tomorrow, oh joyous tomorrow. We will be headed to Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort to stay for two glorious days. It couldn’t come at a better time as I am smelling like a wet dog! Not pretty.

I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ” I will remember the covenant I made between you and me and all the living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” So God said to Noah, ” This is the sign of the covenant between me and all life on earth.” Genesis 9:13-17

The rain came in last night. Luckily we had pitched our tents under some pine trees. Finally at 2am, it stopped raining. If you’ve ever been under a tin roof when it rains, double that and you’ll understand why sleeping in a rainstorm is an oxymoron. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sound of a light sprinkle but a downpour, not so much.

We headed out early and had another great sunrise courtesy of our Heavenly Father. We are now headed into new territory. Less water, more desert and big climbs! We had two significant passes to get over amounting to 4300′ in elevation gain and 3000′ loss. Needless to say my feet are elevated right now. I inflate my mattress, lay supine and place my backpack under my feet. It makes a huge difference and by morning, I’ll be ready to do it again!

Like I said we have hit the arid side of the CT. Being we wake up so early, hiking down the desert section at 10am wasn’t bad. We had a cool breeze and some clouds overhead. We stopped at the river, soaked my feet, and filled up on water being that our next six miles were dry, no H2O at all.

Triple-Z is like Big Ben. She is the time keeper and lets me know when it’s time to get back to hiking. We headed up through the forest, thank goodness because this was a three hour approach to the top. With over 3,000′ gain and 4.5 miles, it took every bit of gas that I had in the tank, to make it up to the top. By the time we reached the summit, we heard thunder and beat feet down to our camp spot near the beaver dams.

The beavers in Colorado are no joke! When they decide to make a home, there are trees that are gonna be reckoned with. Pine Creek is a nice flowing river but now, it is a pond to gather fish and make baby beavers! I was commenting just yesterday that I hadn’t seen any fish in the rivers. Well this river turned into a pond, has tons of fish. Good eating for beavers, and I’d fry one of them trout up if I had a chance. Quite impressive the ingenuity these furry little creatures have!

The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Job 33:4

And the rain keeps coming. I have hiked in Colorado before and I could pretty much gauge the day. Afternoon showers around 1-3pm, then a little more rain around 6-8pm. This time around, it rains whenever it wants. Last evening, it rained all night and when the 4am wake up call came, I had no intentions of getting out of my tent. Triple-Z gave me grace and we waited till the rain stopped and hit the trail at a normal hiker time, 7am. So what I’m saying is rain isn’t such a bad deal!

Our first pass was cloudy and cool. It’s perfect hiking weather as you don’t overheat and the sun isn’t in your eyes. The terrain has been a mixed bag of sage brush (which smells so wonderful especially when wet), mixed pines and aspens, few meadows and lakes and tons of mountains in the foreground and background. If you’ve ever hiked, there is nothing more rewarding than looking back and noticing the mountains that you just climbed over. It really shows the distance you’ve travelled!

200 miles is the distance we’ve hiked in the past two weeks! That’s a milestone in my book. I’ve hiked many trails and thousands of miles, but I’m telling you the miles in Colorado are the toughest that I’ve tackled. I’m thinking there’s a few things that account for this but the #1 fact is there’s lots of ups and downs. On the Appalachian Trail AT, they say PUND’s – pointless ups n downs because they are in a green tunnel without much reward. Here on the CT, I call the BBBBUND’s which to me are Beautiful Bodacious Butt Busting Ups N Downs. At least in Colorado, when you go up, you have incredible vistas, mountains majesty, and sometimes even cell service, and when you go down, you are refreshed by rivers, creeks, streams and meadows. It has many more rewards, but it still is, tough business.

Another thing that Triple-Z and I are noticing is there is something about me that hummingbirds are attracted to. Whenever I sit, stop and slow down, those little tiny winged birds come to me. Even as I was filling a hole (nature calls in nature), a hummingbird came right up to me. Not now, I’m a bit busy! After some thought, I think I finally figured it out. I am dressed in red and pink and they must think I’m the biggest nectar they have ever laid beaks on. Once they get close enough, which is pretty darn close, they realize their huge mistake and fly off. But for a moment, I think I’m gonna be harpooned!

Life on the trail has been such a gift! I really am where I suppose to be, come rain or shine. The herd is thinning out and many of the hikers we met the first week have disappeared. That’s fairly typical of long distant hiking. But as of now, Triple-Z and I are carrying on.

Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Oh, how I love town days! We woke up to birds chirping this morning. Being we had less than five miles to hike into town, and nothing opens till 9am, I was given a pass to sleep in. That, in itself, makes for one, glorious day.

We had our first true Aspen Grove that was like a highway to the Pearly Gates! The trail was lined with Aspens that reached 80-100′ tall. They were towering over us and made for a delightful morning. I saw one of my first Magpies. It’s a black and white bird that is rather large, and you can hear it as it flies passed you. He was singing and floating above me. Just a marvelous winged creature to watch.

Twin Lakes is a town of less than 200 people. Yet, it brings in the crowds due to all the recreation in the area. Many people come for the fishing, hiking, river rafting and hunting in the fall. We came for our resupply boxes and any type of food that didn’t require rehydrating. There must of been another 10-15 hikers that had the same idea. The place was hopping and the owners were happy to have the business. I was told that this year has been a record year for hikers coming through. No COVID here!

After organizing our food supply, we headed out of town for showers and laundry. There’s a family who helps hikers by providing a way of cleaning up. Not all hikers indulge but Triple-Z and I were thrilled with the idea that we could smell like roses, if even for just an afternoon. After our day at the spa, we road walked back to the trail.

This is probably the scariest part of backpacking – walking a two lane highway! Most of the drivers were thoughtful and moved over for us. We made it back to the trail and beat feet to camp. This weather system that we seem to be locked into has some punch in the afternoons with rain and hail. It’s July but I’m thinking this is a pretty normal occurrence. We found a perfect secluded little piece of real estate and pitched our home for another night. The issue is this pesty chipmunk seems to think I’m his new best friend! Obviously he hasn’t missed any meals!

Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold. Proverbs 11:27