CDT mile 906.1, miles hiked 22.5

The snowfield on the far right nearly killed me

Happy two month anniversary to us, and boy did the CDT let us know how much she appreciated us being here still.  So as we left camp we had to cross about 200 yards of steep snow on the trail.  The temps had dropped below freezing making the snow solid and icy.  Cheezy and I opted to put on our microspikes to cross and Buttercup went below.  Cheezy followed in Zippy’s footsteps and went across fine, I started across and 3/4 of the way my foot slipped out from under me and next thing I know I was sliding out of control on my back. I tried to self-arrest with my poles but too late, I stopped when my butt met the rock below.  Now given how much weight I have lost my butt doesn’t have that much extra meat these days and the impact hurt. Once upon my feet, we inspected the damage and I was told, “looks like the other side from the Creede fall,” so hey at least I have a matching pair of butt cheeks.

Back in the wilderness and a valley!

I was shaken a bit but we carried on, the trail followed the divide up and down and eventually dropped is at Cottonwood Pass.  Since it was Saturday there were plenty of Texas tours it there with their kids.  Buttercup had given them his Tyvek ground sheet so the kids could sled on the snow.  In exchange, they gave us some breakfast burritos, orange juice, Gatorade and water (all 4 of us were out of water).  We chatted a bit about home and our hike it turns out one the guys, Jake was the nephew of a former co-worker Richard Winemiller, what a small world.

The final miles in the company of Zippy

The rest of the morning was pleasant we climbed up from the pass and then descended a snow-free valley for 7 miles.  We all enjoyed actually hiking again and made decent time, we agreed to meet at a creek a mile up the trail that would split the first climb in two.  When Cheezy and I arrived Zippy was there all packed up and told us all it was time for him to push on further on his own.  We said our goodbyes and as he walked away I felt sad, Zippy and I had so much in common it was nice to have him around, but I knew this time would come and I wish him the best on the rest of his hike.

Coming down from lake Anne Pass

The three of us sat around discussing our game plan for Twin Lakes and Mt Elbert.  All of us want to climb the mountain but none of us want to pay to stay in Twin Lakes, so we agreed to walk in tomorrow, eat a meal, resupply, charge devices and hike out a few mile to set up for Mt Elbert on Monday morning.

After we had lunch and our first long break in weeks the three of us started up towards Lake Ann Pass.  The climb was long but not so bad, the routes were mostly snow free and we made good time up the trail.  When I reached the pass Buttercup said, “now we get to have some fun” his way of saying, “hold on tight, your ass is about to be handed to you.”

We climbed a small rock outcropping and looked at the big cornice overhanging the steep side of the mountain and our path to the valley below.  We saw where others had scrambled up the rock band and then descended the snow.  We agreed to give it a go but frankly after the mornings’ slip and Cheezy’s novice status, both of us were nervous.

Looking back at where we came from

We got to the top of the rock and the worked out way down, luckily the snow was soft and we were able to kick in deep steps on the descent.  We eventually made the valley below and took in the sights of the cirque we stood in, Lake Anne is still frozen and like the rest of Colorado, I wonder when summer every arrives in the alpine zone.

Camp with an amazing view

The three of us worked out way down the alpine tundra and me to the forest.  The CDT was not done with us yet.  The next couple of miles had numerous examples swollen stream crossings, one, in particular, was a waterfall of sorts and there was so much frothy white water you couldn’t see where to put your feet, luckily years of wading for steelhead gave me the confidence to cross the creek.  We continued on and finally made camp on a knoll in the valley.

Since Buttercup lost his tent the other day I agreed to cowboy camp with him tonight.  Since crossing into Colorado and cowboy camping that night this is the first time I have cowboy camped in weeks.  Just my luck the full moon is back and bright as ever but it will be was treat to sleep under the stars and see the night sky again.

2 months in and still loving it out here.  I have gotten over being homesick but I really miss the wife and pets.  My body, for the most part, is holding up well it only seems to not like my slips and falls.  My gear is in good working order, but most of all I am still in good working order and looking forward to what the next month had in store for us.